Swedish Cycling Plus - Avoid wind noise with Windfree

The human body is not designed to travel at speeds higher than 15-20 km/h, which is about the speeds we can move at without aids. But today, we can go much faster, especially on a bike. The ear is designed to capture as much sound as possible, but unfortunately, that design also means a lot of wind noise occurs when we move faster than about 10 km/h. This is something the company Windfree has focused on, and they have developed a smart noise protector that you put on your ears, somewhat like a pair of headphones.

The protectors consist of a plastic band that goes around the neck and fits perfectly under the helmet. The cups themselves are made of a foam quite similar to thin foam rubber. The editorial team’s first thoughts about the product were that it seemed quite unnecessary and that you looked a bit silly wearing earmuffs over your ears. But already after the first test ride, we realized what a fantastic product this was. Suddenly I hear the wonderful sound of tires on the asphalt and the faint hum of the chain, I heard when a car approached from behind, and above all, I hear what my cycling friends are saying. The clever thing about these protectors, unlike earplugs for example, is that they only block the wind noise; all normal sounds I hear just as well as usual, but without interference from the wind. Which makes my cycling both safer, more fun, and more comfortable.

The protectors also block much of the wind around the ears, which means you don’t start to get cold ears as easily. Windfree is sold from the manufacturer’s own website or through well-stocked sports stores and costs about 450 kronor.

Swedish Cycling Plus | Winter 2012