This post may contain affiliate links, which help to keep Discerning Cyclist rolling. Learn more.
For many, riding a bike and listening to a favourite album, go hand-in-hand. Sound can help up the pace when riding for fitness or reduce monotony on the pedal into the office.
The days of a trailing cord from ear to MP3 player are long gone and there are a variety of ways to listen to certified bangers whilst cycling – one being bone conduction headphones.
After a few years of finding their feet, bone conduction headphones have become a viable option for on-the-go audio. With their design of particular appeal to cyclists, it’s high time that Discerning Cyclist takes a look at the best options available today.
Bone Conduction Headphones for Cyclists
-
From the market leader
SHOKZ OpenRun
Light headphones with powerful sound and quick to charge.
-
Bone conduction on a budget
Wanfei Bone Conduction Headphones
Comfortable and easy to use.
-
Unrivalled sound quality
SHOKZ OpenRun Pro
Top-end tech combined with long playtime.
-
To take on any sport
H20Audio TRI Multi-Sport
100% waterproof and with a built-in MP3 player.
-
Featuring Bluetooth 5.3
Creative Outlier Free Pro
Fuel your day with music without losing your surroundings.
-
Open ear design
Mojawa Mojo 1
A reflective tab can be fitted for nighttime use.
Why You Can Trust Us
Discerning Cyclist’s expert reviewers spend hours testing and comparing cycling products so you don’t have to.
Testing stylish gear since 2012
Hundreds of hands-on product tests
Unfiltered opinions from experienced cyclists
How Do Bone Conduction Headphones Work?
Bone Conduction headphones transmit sound via vibrations on the wearer’s head and jawbones into the inner ear, rather than through the air and into the eardrum. This process leaves the wearer’s ear to take in other sounds – great when you’re cycling.
If you’ve never worn a pair, you might be sceptical about how well you can hear the throbbing base of a trance classic, the gentle guitar of a new indie release or the spoken word on your favourite podcast. Let’s put your worries to bed, bone conduction headphones work extremely well. Let’s dig a bit deeper then.
Bone conduction headphones use a ‘speaker’ (that’s the circular or bulbous part of the headphones) which sits on the wearer’s head, next to the ear and at the top of the jawbone. Sounds are expelled from this part of the headphones, along your bones and into the cochlea, more commonly known as the inner ear.
Trust us, bone conduction headphones work and if you don’t believe us, give this a try. Put your hands over your ears and start talking. You can hear yourself speaking, right? That’s a low-scientific demonstration of how the sound in bone conduction headphones is imparted.
Can You Cycle with Bone Conduction Headphones?
Yes, you can cycle with bone conduction headphones. Bone conduction headphones are a comfortable, lightweight and safe option for listening to sound when cycling.
Bone conduction headphones can circumvent the laws in some countries that prevent cyclists from listening to music or covering their ears when cycling.
Bone Conduction Headphones for Cycling
Due to their open-ear design, bone conduction headphones are a viable option for cyclists who want to put some zip in their pedal stroke. The best bone conduction headphones should be comfortable to wear, be OK to wear in the rain, last a decent amount of time between charges and have excellent sound when riding.
Key Features to Look For
Comfort is an important aspect of any cycling accessory and it’s no different with a set of bone conduction headphones.
Bone conduction headphones should offer most wearers a more comfortable fit than traditional earphones or headphones. Earphones have a tendency to fall out, get snagged on clothing or hurt outer ears when worn over a great length of time. Over-the-head headphones can be heavy and stifling when you start to ride.
Bone conduction headphones won’t fall out, shouldn’t get caught up in anything and because they’re lightweight, won’t feel cumbersome to wear for any length of time. As they’re positioned on the head rather than in the ear, they’re also unlikely to cause irritation or rubbing on the wearer’s ear.
A key comfort feature to look for in a pair of bone conduction headphones, especially if you’re a cyclist who rides with a helmet or smart bike helmet, is how far they set above the ear. Too high and they’ll rub with the lower part of your helmet, becoming a nuisance.
Bone conduction headphones for cycling should be waterproof in at least some aspects. Whilst some pairs are also designed to be truly waterproof and OK to swim, bone conduction headphones should at the very least be IP55 rated – that’s limited protection from low-pressure water jets from any direction.
Tethered to a smartphone via a Bluetooth connection and powered by an onboard battery, bone conduction headphones don’t have limitless listening time. The majority of bone conduction headphones have a runtime of between 4 and 10 hours. That should be enough for a cycle to work and the odd use when at the office. Something around 6 hours is more than acceptable given that most units these days are quick to recharge back to full, some in a little under an hour.
The last feature to look for in a pair of bone conduction headphones is their sound quality. Like traditional earphones, through the use of varying levels of technology, bone conduction headphones can produce clear, excellent sound or tinny, indistinguishable gobble.
Sound quality is one of those things that people can be evangelical about and unfortunately even the most expensive pair of bone conduction headphones won’t outshine traditional headphones or earphones when it comes to an immersive, crystal-clear sound.
Best Bone Conduction Headphones for Cycling
Today, there is a large variety of bone conduction headphones on the market. Most are marketed as multi-sport options suitable for cycling, running, gym-going and even swimming. Here are our seven favourites.
1. SHOKZ OpenRun
-
£130 -
$130 -
€140
Prices are approximate
- Weight: 26g
- Listening time: 8 hours
- Water resistance: IP67
Bestselling option
Sensibly priced
Good sound quality
SHOKZ (previously known as Aftershokz) have been the pioneers in bone conduction technology. Their website proudly boasts that they have over 1000 patents! Today they’re at the forefront of the market and have the greatest variety of models available. The OpenRun is their mid-range option and our favourite. Incredibly light, with an excellent 8 hours run time and available in a range of colours, the OpenRun (despite its name) is a great option for cyclists listening to audio when riding.
Pros
- Charges magnetically
- Variety of colours
- Sport band included
Cons
- Not fit for swimming
- Only Bluetooth V5.1
2. Wanfei Bone Conduction Headphones
-
£38 -
$46 -
€43
Prices are approximate
- Weight: 27.22
- Listening time: 7-9 hours
- Water resistance: IP55
Excellent price
Acceptable sound quality
Nice and light
Wanfei’s simple bone conduction headphones show that this type of technology doesn’t have to be unaffordable. OK, their Amazon listing is typical of this type of item, littered with grammatical errors and photoshopped images but when it comes to how they perform – it’s hard not to argue that they do the business.
Pros
- Seemingly very good value
- Over 7 hours of battery life
Cons
- Basic USB charging
- Only Bluetooth V5
- Humdrum colour options
- No volume control
3. SHOKZ OpenRun Pro
-
£160 -
$180 -
€190
Prices are approximate
- Weight: 29g
- Listening time: 10 hours
- Water resistance: IP55
Powerful, top-end audio
Comfortable to wear whilst riding
Low charge times
SHOKZ offer a variety of models in their lineup of bone conduction headphones. Their top-end unit is the OpenRun Pro. They have SHOKZ’s latest sound technology to deliver crystal clear multi-level audio. Run out of battery and ready to ride? Whack them on charge for 5 minutes and they’ll have an hour and a half of juice in them.
Pros
- Charges magnetically
- Variety of colours
- Sport band included
Cons
- Lower waterproof rating that the OpenRun
- Only Bluetooth V5.1
- 3 grams heavier than the OpenRun
4. H20Audio TRI Multi-Sport
-
£126 -
$150 -
€130
Prices are approximate
- Weight: 32g
- Listening time: 9 hours
- Water resistance: IP8
100% waterproof option
Integrated MP3 player
Low charge times
H20 Audio as the name suggests focus on products that can be used in conjunction with water. The brand’s TRI Multi Sport bone conducting headphones, with their integrated MP3 player, are primarily aimed at those who do lengths of the pool rather than laps of the park. That said, they’re perfectly good for cycling with and if you’re a multi-sport person then these are your best option – and at a good price.
Pros
- Support band included
Cons
- Colour options aren’t exciting
- MP3 tracks can’t be ordered
- Buttons can be difficult to hit
5. Creative Outlier Free Pro
-
£160 -
$170 -
€160
Prices are approximate
- Weight: 31.5g
- Listening time: 10 hours
- Water resistance: IP8
100% waterproof option
Good runtime
Multi Bluetooth connection is a nice touch
With an IPX8 rating and 8GB of storage the Creative Outlier Free Pro bone conduction headphones can be enjoyed even when without your smartphone. With up to 10 hours on a single charge, they might even have enough runtime for a week’s worth of cycle commuting. The multi-point Bluetooth connection means you can connect to a Laptop and a phone at the same time. Listen to music and when a call comes in quickly switch to that.
Pros
- Bluetooth V5.3 for better connection
- Can be connected to two devices at the same time
- 8GB of onboard storage
- Decent weight
Cons
- Expensive
- Only available in one colour
6. Mojawa Mojo 1
-
$130
Prices are approximate
- Weight: 35g
- Listening time: 8 hours
- Water resistance: IP67
Bone conduction headphones at a sensible price
Open ear comfort and safety
A reflective band is a nice touch
Coming in at a sensible price, the Mojo 1 from Mojawa are another set of bone conduction headphones that cyclists should consider. Music is enjoyable thanks to the onboard ‘actuator’ technology and the lightweight band keeps them in place no matter how hard you are riding. A nice touch is a reflective band that can be clipped to the headband to provide extra visibility when riding at night.
Pros
- Full-colour options available
- 5-minute quick charge for 1.5 hours of battery
- Microphone included
Cons
- Only Bluetooth V5 connection
- At 35g, they’re heavier than others
