Using BTE HA while cycling?

Hearing Aids
#1

I’m an avid road cyclist who cycle about 200 to 250km (125 to 160 miles) a weekend during the cycling season. I cycle with a Club on Saturday and ride by myself on Sunday (all in the country side). I’ll thinking of getting into racing next season.

I had a pair of Bernafon Symbio CIC, but I lost them recently. They were close to six years old anyways and I was thinking about getting a new one soon.

I did not use my CIC for cycling, the left one keep coming out halfway all the time, and I sweat somewhat so I didn’t want to damage them. I have mild high frequency hearing loss and I found I could hear cars coming up from behind well, but I could not hear some mechanical problems on my bike sometimes (squeaking, grinding etc).

I’m going to try Oticon Dual XW and Siemens Motions (BTE) and see which one I like the best. I choose these two partially based on the fact they both have these “nano coating” (I guess they change the surface tension so water beads all the time?) that should repel water and they both have a wind suppression feature.

So, I’m wondering whether I should ride with with these BTE? I heard the stories that with some of the new BTE you can dunk them in water and they’re be fine, but these cost so much I don’t want to damage them. Will sweat damage these BTE HA or should I get covers for them? I guess if I get caught in the rain, I’ll put these HA in a zip lock bag.

Will the wind noise be too much for the HA to handle? I go about 25-40 kph (16 to 25 mph) on the rides. I did ride around the block with my CIC and the wind noise was huge!

Also, having never use a BTE do I have to fear it falling off while cycling? As I do hit bumps and pot holes occasionally and I don’t want to lose a HA.

Thanks. :slight_smile:

#2

get a Dry and store…

#3

I wear BTE aids and I usually do not wear them when riding my bike. I have found that the wind noise to be so overwhelming that I wouldn’t hear anything else anyway so I put the aids away. I do wear a mirror attached to my helmet, to help compensate, and stay alert.

#4

I wear my Sonic Ions while riding and do not have any trouble with either wind noise or falling off. That said, it still depends on somethings. I, for instance, have the open fit domes which fit into my ear firmly and don’t migrate out. That may or may not be the case for you. My top speed is a little more sedate than yours ranging from 10 to 20 mph. Wearing them during activities is a case by case thing because the parameters are different for every one. I can’t wear mine when I do something that is really going to make me sweat, dig post holes or break concrete for instance. The reason is, although I generally have no wax build up problems at all, doing those two activities I’ll plug up the ear piece inside of 2 hrs. The rest of the time I can go a week and have no visible wax show on the ear piece.

#5

I’d be hesitant to wear HA riding, although my new SIE HA has a program that’s supposed to compensate for wind noise. I’d be concerned that something might dislodge them, e.g., wind, adjusting my helmet, or that the sweat worked up climbing hills would damage them. Or if I crashed (that happens occasionally even to the best of riders), I might be distracted and forget about them. If I did wear them, I think I’d want to somehow secure them with a string or something to my helmet so they wouldn’t be lost if they came loose. But then I’d probably forget and damage them removing my helmet. I’d recommend only wearing them while tuning up the derailleur and perhaps on a short test ride to be able to hear the chain or other parts grating.

#6

My comment was based on Garfield’s situation: “I have mild high frequency hearing loss and I found I could hear cars coming up from behind well, but I could not hear some mechanical problems on my bike sometimes (squeaking, grinding etc).” For more severe loss, wearing a HA to be aware of traffic may be the better choice.

#7

make sure what ever you get it has wind noise reduction

#8

In response to your query, i would like to recommend the Resound Be which is a new design and is proven to reduce wind noise significantly compared to all other hearing aids.

We do free demonstrations on all hearing aids and gaurantee to offer the lowest prices available anywhere.

Please feel free to visit our website at http://www…crystalhearinguk.co.uk

#9

I just got back from a ride and thought i’d add that if you’re doing that much cycling that you could use a Under Armor Cold Gear cap over the hearing aids in the winter or a heat gear cap in the summer if you’re worried about them coming off. It got up to 42 degrees F and most of the ice was off the road and I needed a bike ride bad. You can bet the cold gear was over the ears and hearing aids. I am now :slight_smile: again.

#10

Let me just clarify what I stated earlier. My hearing loss is profound and my current aids are about 5 yrs. old. Although I never seem to notice wind noise in everyday activities, it still is a bit overwhelming when riding. I don’t know how well the newer wind restriction aids would work, especially with BTE aids. Over the years I have worn ITE and BTE aids. I used to do a lot of winter and spring skiing. I mention the spring skiing specifically because that means without a hat. I have never even considered the idea that my aids would fall out, especially the ITE aids. They are suppose to fit snugly, even when sweating. The BTE aids could possible become dislodged but hopefully the tubing attached to the mold would keep them from falling off completely, unless of course you take a really nasty fall. The molding should never fall out.

#11

I ride a lot, I used to race, and I’ve got a severe-to-profound loss and wear BTEs.

If you take up racing, you’ll suffer, I hope you know that already. (But you can get a lot of joy out of it too.)

Wind noise is a big problem for me; I just really can’t talk with people above 17mph or so. The thing I’ve noticed is that hair makes a big difference. I used to wear my hair long, and that offered some shielding for my hearing aids; now that it’s often short it’s often a much bigger problem.

I’ve not had much trouble with sweat on the hearing aids themselves; the problem I have is that I get moisture beading up in the mold tubing and blocking it, which is annoying, but doesn’t seem so harmful to the aid itself. I’ve also occasionally ridden on very rainy days (fun, sometimes) and had my hearing aids stop working because of the water. I take the batteries out and let them dry out when they get home and so far they’ve been OK.

The only time I’ve had a hearing aid come off was one time I crossed somebody’s back wheel, went down, and the hearing aid popped off the earhook, which had a ball-and-socket arrangement. A car (or maybe another rider) then promptly ran over it before I found it and squished it quite badly; I took it in and was charged $200 or $250 to “repair” it (it was a complete new aid). These were old hearing aids, and all the aids I’ve seen since had a much more secure arrangement.

#12

I also am a aavid cyclist and just get used to the noise. My instruments (from AH) allow for the front mic to be turned completely off which they allow specifically for wind reduction. I have never set up a program this way because the ADRO algorithm in this instrument seems to do much better then WDRC with wind. It would seem to be a trivial matter for other manufacturers to allow the front mic to be off also, you might want to ask you audie if he can do this for any instrument you are looking at.

For slight amount of rain, I will don my gore-tex helmet cover, but if it’s a real deluge, the instruments go in a ziplock bag. Moisture in the tube is common occurace and this is easily remidied by getting a tube blower from your audie.

I would not trry dunking any BTE in water, thats for sure. Sweat of corse is far more corrosive to electonics then water, so it will be worse yet.

#13

The Bernafon ICOS seams to work well in wind…but I’d say no matter the wind noise manager your likely to have trouble.

#14

I had a pair of these mirrors on my handlebars. I got a new bike last year the the mirrors kept moving down and changing the view, so I took them off. I try again with some electrical tape to take some space so the mirrors won’t move when I hit pot holes.

http://www.pricepoint.com/detail/16350-235_RTBST7-3-Parts-705-Bar-Ends/Retrobike-Sprintech-Road-Bar-End-Mirrors.htm

#15

I will be getting open fit domes for my new BTE and I told my Audiologist that I do ride and want a snug fit so it don’t come off easily.

I never wore my old CIC when I sweat a lot, I always took them off first. If I do wear them riding, I have to see if in the heat of the summer I may have to keep them off due to excess sweating.

When it is really hot out riding, I do or did dump water over my head to cool me down. Just have to remember not to do that with my BTE HA on!

#16

I think for an avid cyclist who ride with a club, cycling is suffering. I started with my club in June 07 and I remember they had to pushed me up some of the hills on that first ride with the club’s slow group. Now, I can ride with the club’s fast group and stay with the racers all the way through the ride and not get drop (it took a lot of suffering to get to this point). I know the feeling of burning legs and lungs well. I guess I’m a glutton for punishment for wanting to get into racing.

I do have long enough hair to hide the BTE on my ear. Although the tube may show.

I hope this “nano coating” will really repel the sweat and water well.

I don’t want to crash, so I won’t do Crits. I worried about having to replace my carbon frame due to a crash which will cost more than one HA!

#17

That’s a good point, I’ll ask my Audiologist about turning off the front mic.

#18

I just found this while surfing a site. What do people think of these?

http://www.raycaresolutions.com/

#19

I also ride with the brightest rear light I could find when I ride solo. I don’t want to become a hood ornament:( . With my club rides, I don’t use a rear light.

Here’s the light I use, it flashes every couple of seconds. I got the white version with red LEDs. I seen this at REI in the States.

http://www.mec.ca/Products/product_detail.jsp?PRODUCT<>prd_id=845524442620959&FOLDER<>folder_id=2534374302692895&bmUID=1231950027042

#20

If your club ride attracts racers in team jerseys and you’re hanging with them through the ride, I’d guess you’re in pretty decent shape to start racing, especially if you’re in one of Canada’s racing hotspots (I don’t quite know for sure which these are-- Toronto, Vancouver, Montreal, maybe QC as a guess…) I’m in Boston, which is one of the most competitive areas in the US, and I almost never was able to stay at the front of a hammer ride, even when racing.

If you race, it’s best to view the bike as expendable. You will eventually crash, and at some point the bike may get bent too. I’m personally not sure road races are much safer than crits. If crashing your good bike bugs you, you might want to consider getting something less valuable specifically to race on. If it’s any consolation, I think your hearing aids are much safer than your bike is…

I sweat a moderate amount, and I’ve just never had problems with sweat on my hearing aids while riding, even in the most awful, humid weather. Unless you really sweat a lot and are seriously dripping around your ears, I don’t think you have much to worry about. Heavy rain is a much bigger problem.