How to Ride Safely With Headphones and Which Ones to Use

Best overall headphones for cycling

If you are looking for headphones specifically for riding a bike, bone conduction is without a doubt the best answer. You don’t get the sound quality but that’s the point. What you get is the ability to always hear what’s happening around you while at the same time hearing your music. If you want to stop your music all you have to do is reach up and press the button on the left side of the headphones. This is true for every set of bone conduction headphones I’ve tested and that leaves not much in the way of differentiation.

I’ve chosen the Suunto Sonic because the price is so good. At this point the Sonic even competes with a number of relatively unknown brands that pop up with cloned designs.

It’s not only the price that’s gotten the Suunto Sonic chosen as best overall though. I also appreciate the multi-device pairing that means I can have it connect to my phone for outdoor rides and my tablet for indoors as well as the feel of the multifunction button (it’s nicely weighted and clicky) and the beep that accompanies Google Gemini triggering.

The competitor here is the Shokz OpenRun Pro 2. Shokz offers longer battery life, a nice case, and instead of the proprietary charging cable Suunto requires they use standard USB-C. All quite nice but at more than double the price, plus no confirmation when Google Gemini is triggered, so I’m recommending the Sonic instead.

For some reason the mic on all bone conduction headphones is terrible. Don’t expect performance in the wind.

Best budget headphones for cycling

With the price of the Suunto Sonic being so low it won’t make sense to actually look for a budget offering for a lot of people. Sometimes it’s not about the price though. Or at least not totally about the price. Moving to an earbud style makes the Skullcandy Ecobuds more usable in everyday life. The sound quality is similar to bone conduction, and there’s still no noise reduction, but pushing something into your ear creates a level of isolation you don’t get with bone conduction. It’s a bad thing on the bike but in that case you’ll only be using one ear bud at a time. You might also feel like you are apt to destroy, or lose, headphones in which case the low price makes sense.

If any of that rings true, I love to offer Skullcandy as a budget option. The brand actually makes some incredible high-end gear, my son swears by his over ear Skullcandy headphones, but you can also count on good customer service no matter the purchase price.

All that out of the way, these particular earbuds are rather unique. There’s an eco angle being pushed here but the result to the user is that the case is incredibly simple with no battery. Everything is super lightweight and after you exhaust the claimed 8-hour battery life the idea is you pull out the integrated charging cable and plug it into whatever you want but likely your phone. On a bike it all works well because it’s light and simple but the earbuds stay put. I do wish there was a cover to the case but the magnetic hold seems to work fine in a jersey pocket and the touch controls allow for the same basic controls as more expensive options.

Best headphones for cycling with an iPhone

Discussing this list with a friend they asked, doesn’t everyone just use Airpods? Yes and no. First of all the big drawback here is that no matter how good these are if you don’t have an Apple phone, move on. It’s not impossible to use these with Android but you’d be missing half the features and there’s just no point.

Even if you use an iPhone though, the Airpod Pro 3 isn’t a given. Apple has the AirPods 4 and you could grab a set of the Pro 2 for less money. Actually that second one might not be a bad idea but skip the regular Airpods for fitness situations. The Pro series stays put even when sweaty and are way more comfortable. You could also go to a third part option but the Pro 3, when used with an iPhone, is tough to beat.

The sound quality is among the best, there’s excellent noise cancelling, and you’ve got all the bells and whistles like spatial audio, wireless charging, and hearing accessibility features. I am particularly fond of the genius move to put a speaker on the case so you can find where you put the whole case. I actually added a tile to another brand of headphones to solve that problem.

A note of caution though, there’s a heart rate monitor in this generation but its use is somewhat limited. There is a sensor in both earbuds so you don’t have to wear them together but third party app support is non-existent. It’s a feature for using the Apple workout app but I did find it matched a Garmin watch when checking accuracy.

One final detail, the Airpod Pro 3 has one of the best mics you can get in headphones. It still won’t match other options but it’s among the best for something integrated.

Best headphones for cycling with an Android Phone

This particular category on this list was the most competitive. Sony headphones work just as well with Google Gemini and the Pixel Buds Pro 2 are some of my favorite headphones ever. That last part is what lands this here though.

The Pixel Buds 2a are incredibly close in performance to the Pixel Buds Pro 2 for $100 cheaper. The noise cancellation is supposedly not as good as the higher model but I can’t actually tell the difference. Neither are quite as good as the Apple experience but both are pretty similar. You get more battery life on the Pro 2 but it’s not likely going to be much of an issue and that leaves the last issue as the lack of wireless charging. That one is a loss but is it a $100 loss?

The Pixel Buds have one of the best mics on the market matching both Apple and Sony. They also do a good job staying put during a workout. More than anything. if you’ve got an Android phone sticking with Google keeps everything integrated into the OS without extra apps. Fun colors are a nice bonus.

Best sounding headphones for cycling

If you are riding a bike you will not get to experience the audio quality of these. I want to just make that clear. You’ll have one earbud in and there’s wind noise. That’s not the point here. The point is that you’ve spent a lot on headphones and you are going to wear them in other situations. When compared to other headphones that do work well for riding a bike, the Sony WF-1000XM5 earbuds sound incredible.

The Sony soundstage is just so much more expansive than what any other brand on this list is offering. I was using Light Breaks in the Middle of the Night from local PDX band Tents as my test track and the difference is massive. Sony has bright shiny highs where the female vocals and guitar slides pop out of a deep backdrop of bass. Even the over ear Zwift headphones, with much bigger drivers, feel like a shadow on a wall compared to turning around and looking at the real event when you put the Sonys on. Apple Airpods are flat too, in comparison, although the noise cancelling is a bit better there.

When you are on a bike the good times keep rolling (that’s all the silly verbiage I can get in a single sentence). Sony holds its own just fine with Apple and Google for mic quality and there’s a slight edge to retention during sweaty indoor rides compared to Google offerings. You do lose the OS integration of Pixel headphones but that stops short of having to push a button to summon Gemini. The experience is just as seamless as Google on that front. I will also continue to complain about any earbuds that don’t have a speaker in the case like Apple but I love the way the wireless charging keeps the case upright with this Sony offering.

These are the headphones I now carry with me day in and day out.

Best open ear headphones for cycling

Throughout this list there’s a clear split. If you optimize for the time you are actually on a bike outside then bone conduction is a significantly better solution. If you optimize for regular life then earbuds make more sense and only using one during a ride works well enough. There’s also a hybrid option called either open ear or, more recently, clip on headphones. In the past the only option in this category was the Sony Linkbuds but they weren’t great and now there’s a whole new class of these headphones that clip around the ear and position the driver over the ear but not in it.  Of the options that exist, the one I found worked best in the context of cycling was the Shokz OpenDots ONE.

What really surprised me the most about the Shokz at first was the shockingly good sound quality. It’s never going to match something with better sound isolation but that’s the point. Instead this is much better than bone conduction and you can still hear your surroundings better than earbuds.

While riding outside I’d still suggest only using a single of the two but that’s an advantage also. With earbuds, or the Shokz OpenDot One, you can swap which one you are using if the battery dies. For these you’d get up to 40-hours of usage that way and there’s the added trick of each piece not being specific to one ear or the other. I generally like listening with my right ear if only using one earbud, with these I can swap the actual unit in my ear but always keep it in the right.

The other reason you might consider this solution is that they stay put but remain comfortable over long periods of time. Even the best earbuds sometimes feel like they need adjustment or they’ll fall out. I’ve tried to choose options I haven’t had that issue with but different ear shapes can still mean it’s an issue. The clip-on style stays put better but there’s no pressure against your ear canal to do that.

The obvious negative to these is that you are compromising both on the bike and off. On the bike they are good but maybe not quite as good as bone conduction. Off the bike they are really good but probably not quite as good as good earbuds. Shokz is also not great with summoning the assistant and you’ll need to use the touch controls to do that. As with others, I will also call out the lack of a speaker on the case for finding it.

Best over ear headphones for cycling

If clip earbuds are the bridge between riding and not, then over ear headphones are your option that can not ever be used when riding outside. These are gym and indoor riding headphones and at this point these are the only product in this category. There’s other over ear headphones that kind of hint at gym use but if you are riding inside the amount of sweat you can creat will absolutely destroy most designs. The ZWIFT X RIPT ULTRA Headphones are specifically designed to handle that with an included silicone ear cup.

The whole package adds up to something you can wear for long periods of time with a level of sound isolation and comfort not available from other options. There’s also something about wearing Zwift headphones that’s kind of fun in places where not everyone is a cyclist.

The downside is that you’ve got an ear cup over your ear that builds up heat. That means more sweat and dealing with that means the sound quality is secondary and it’s a slight annoyance to have to turn noise cancelling on each time you turn on the headphones. These are likely a good choice if you also want gym headphones. Bonus point for the bright orange as a sign to leave you alone in that context.

You can read more in my full ZWIFT X RIPT ULTRA Headphones review.

Best headphones for long distance cycling

Everything, both good and bad, I’ve talked about before with bone conduction is the same with the Suunto Wing 2. The sound quality, and mic, isn’t fantastic but you can hear your surroundings. When you want to stop your music all you do is press the button on your left temple and you are suddenly not wearing headphones. You don’t have to take them off and if you decide to listen to music later you just press the button again. You can also hold the button to summon the assistant for different music or to ask some question of the cloud.

The reason the Suunto Wing 2 is uniquely good for long distance cycling is that there’s an included power bank with them. In some ways you can think of this like the charging case for ear buds but bone conduction headphones don’t typically have anything like that. The best alternative is the Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 which has a standard USB-C port but I prefer this solution. You still have the same Suunto proprietary magnetic charging connection but instead of connecting that to a cable, it connects with the powerbank and there’s a cover that locks the headphones down. When you kill the 12-hour battery five minutes in the charger gives you another hour and a half with enough reserves for a complete recharge of the headphones.

Given how small the battery is I’ve carried it with me in the pocket of a hydration pack. In that context it’s a great solution for riding through the night where I’ve just topped up the battery during quick stops for food or clothing adjustments.

There are also other features such as head controls and lights you can configure in different ways but I don’t find those details all that compelling when the lights are tucked against a helmet and there’s the assistant, or buttons, that work better for controlling music.

Best headphones for cycling mic performance

This is an unexpected one in this list and the classification is a little tough. Maybe one day it will make sense to have a best smart glasses for cycling category but so far this is your only choice. I’ve included these because for a lot of people this will be the best solution for headphones while riding a bike but there’s also so much more to these.

The core of the Oakley Meta Vanguard glasses are high quality riding glasses, a reasonable camera, and excellent headphones for cycling. Of course these are also smart glasses so you’ve got AI from Meta available to answer questions, including about what is showing on your Garmin, and control your music.  If you want to dive into that more I have a full Oakley Meta Vanguard glasses review to check out.

In this context though, the mic is where I’ll start to focus. The mic is drastically better than anything else I’ve ever tested. It’s there so that you can always talk to the AI, even with tons of wind noise, but it’s so good I’ve stopped using any of these other headphones when riding on Zwift. When I’ve got a Wahoo fan pointed at my face everything else on this list will start to drop out sections of the audio at the higher settings. The Oakley Meta Vanguard glasses sound like you are sitting on the couch. You can communicate in a race or just chat with people on group rides.

There’s also speakers on the arms. Inside or out you can hear your music without diminishing your situational awareness.

There are some downsides to integrating your headphones and glasses though. When I’m riding inside it means I’m wearing sunglasses and even if I had the low light lenses, which aren’t available yet, I have to keep them on to listen to music or talk to people. You can’t stash your glasses, whether inside or out, on your helmet and even if you could it would also be stashing your headphones.

What to think about and how to stay safe when shopping for headphones for cycling

The first thing to address is safety. A huge number of people ride with headphones so for many people this is a given but there’s also lots of people that don’t do it and think it’s unsafe. To be fair I have run into people (not literally) who are riding with their ears completely blocked by headphones. I can’t imagine doing that.

When you ride outside, make sure you can still hear what’s happening. There are options on this list for open ear headphones, bone conduction headphones, and clip on headphones which all retain situational awareness. You can also just use a single ear bud if that style of headphones is your preference. Alternatively you might choose to leave your headphones at home and only use them if you ride indoors. There’s a lot of safe choices.

Unfortunately, a lot of choices also means some decisions to make. No single pair of headphones will be the best in every situation. You could buy two different pairs or you could favor one situation vs the other. Riding a bike vs regular life.

What makes the best headphones for outdoor cycling?

In my testing there’s just no contest between bone conduction and anything else. Well, at least until the Oakley Meta Vanguard glasses existed. Riding outside I need to be able to hear what’s happening around me and I like to be able to turn my music on and off without having to deal with headphones. Bone conduction headphones don’t offer the best sound quality but they stay secure and if you stop your music you can leave them in place with no loss of hearing at all. Choosing earbuds means choosing a solution that is much more versatile but isn’t as good on a bike.

What makes the best headphones for indoor cycling?

This is where you have the most leeway. If you are doing your own thing go ahead and put in the greatest noise cancelling headphones that have ever existed and enjoy your music. It doesn’t matter. In ear, bone conduction, over the ear, whatever you like.

The one detail to be aware of is that earbuds actually use friction to stay in your ear. Outside this works fine but inside there’s times, Zwift racing, where I’ve found myself so sweaty that even my ear canal is losing the friction it needs for earbuds to stay secure. I’ve done my best to choose options that work anyway but you might really want to think about how secure they are in your ear if indoors is what you want to optimize for.

The mic is also an issue indoors. While outdoors the wind is louder than even the best fan, you probably aren’t trying to chat with people as often. Indoors I’ve found that Apple, Sony, and Google offer the best mic performance but there’s a level at which they start to fall apart. I ride with the Wahoo fan and at about 80% everything is fine. When it kicks up that last bit the noise reduction can’t deal and it starts dropping out. One solution that I’ve found works is to use the Insta360 Mic Air with the wind guard so that while you can hear the wind you won’t get drop outs. The Meta glasses are the best mic.

How do we test the best headphones for cycling?

I’ve been testing headphones on a bike for years. I take them on short rides, and long rides, I chat away while riding indoors, and I always carry a pair of headphones with me in regular life. I even check things like performance on international flights. I have a Google Pixel phone and an Iphone which I use to check compatibility and usage in different situations. Bottom line, I test headphones for cycling by putting hands on with everything listed and trying it out.