Earplugs: essential info
How important is wearing earplugs while riding? We said HOW IMPORTANT IS... you get the joke. But the answer is very serious. Ignore this at your peril.
In the April issue, we referenced a study by the University of Southampton which said about 25 minutes of riding at 70mph will damage your hearing. This is supported by another study conducted by Worcestershire Royal Hospital that demonstrated riding at 70mph reached a sound threshold of 89 Decibels (dB). In the workplace it is a legal requirement to wear ear protectors (read earplugs for bikers) if exposed to 85dB or higher for any length of time.
As we said, the budget option is disposable plugs. But there are so many out there, how do you know which ones to choose? At £5 a pack, it could be an expensive business finding the right ones, so we did a little homework.
In industry, the Signal to Noise Ratio (SNR) rating system is employed. For the workplace – where sound levels will be broadly consistent – the recommended SNR at the 85-90dB range is 20. Given the variable nature of sound when riding (bike, riding position, helmet, visor fit, wind and frequency of noise all affect the noise level), it makes sense to aim higher; 30 is the recommended SNR for the 90-95dB range.
Fit is the other problem. As Lucy Dell of ear protection experts Lucy Dell Earplugs (www.earplugsbypost. com) explained, ears are not a standard size so: “A ‘lower’ SNR plug that fits the user well might sometimes provide more effective protection than a ‘higher’ SNR plug that does not fit the user properly.”
Lucy Dell will send a random sample bag of around 20 different pairs of plugs for just £9.95. I ordered one, testing them on my regular 25 mile commute. This takes in town, country and major A-roads and perhaps most important, around half the ride has a 70mph limit on a road exposed on both sides. Test criteria were: Were they easy to fit? Did they stay in place (if they come out when you take your helmet off, they fail)?
What were they like to wear and what was the soundproofing like?
SNR rating and material were also taken into account. If the SNR was low then I would be less inclined to wear them, and material is important as a lot of people are allergic to certain types of foam.
I have been surprised by some of the plugs I ended up recommending. My favourites are the Howard Leight MAX; big, but fit well and expand to fill the ear, they are effective at motorway speed and comfortable for the whole time. Demonstrating the value of trying out a range of plugs were the 3M 1120s. At a glance I would have rejected without trying, but they turned into real favourites, being the back-up plugs I carried in case the test pair turned out to be unsuitable.
What this test has shown me is the importance of trying a variety of different earplugs. There is a range of sizes and shapes out there.
Spending a little time to find earplugs that fit properly will make the difference between good hearing and permanent damage. The other surprise is how much fresher I feel at the end of each ride since I started wearing plugs all the time. The constant barrage of sound is far more draining than you realise.