Earplugs

I learned the benefit of wearing ear plugs when I went cross country on a bike. I found that I could go much further on days I wore ear plugs. The only reason I could think to explain it is that the noise wears on you mentally, tires you out. Ear plugs lower the noise, and you don't tire as easily.

Still, I understand some people just don't like them.

 

ride without em.. dumb. Plain and simple. They don't mess with ballance, or any ability to ride the bike, period.
Watch MOST pro riders, they wear em. I would like to have my hearing in decent shape into my later years.. so I wear em. Think your too cool for earplugs? Well.. whatever..
I get a box of orange and purple ones at home depot. You will actually hear MORE stuff with your bike and around you wearing them. AND it is how you keep your hearing from dying a slow death.

 

+6k to what most have said so far.

Embarrasingly, I raced for 4 years without them. After using them, it makes me nuts if I forget them or one falls out as I put my helmet on. They make a huge difference, all for the better.

On that note - anyone using custom made plugs? Something is weird with my left ear canal that causes the earplug to either fall out or not seal, it takes 3-4 tries for me to get it right. I have tried the 3 pack of different sized rubber ones, they are worse for me than the foam ones.

Any options on custom made at a reasonable price?

 

I have a hard time getting the foam ones to seal in my right ear. I picked up a pair of the custom ones at the dc MOTO show for $60, normally $75 non show

 

I always use them. I brought some green ones from home depot that have ridges on them so they dont fall out while putting on your helmet and a black plastic cord connecting them.

 

I always use earplugs on the track . . .hearos always, but I've used a number of different soft foam ones in the past with no issues . . . never leave home without 'em! On the streetbike I wear headphones . . . i know, probably not the best thing, but definitely entertaining . . If I every don't wear something in my ears, ridining a bike even on the street is painfully loud . . .

 

Same here

 

I thought about getting the custom ones as well since I have to finaggle the foam ones in to get a good seal. Do they get dirty like the foam ones? I usually throw them out after a TD or race weekend so I dunno if having more stuff to lose would be worth it. $60 buys a lot of ear pugs.

 

Apparantly 500 pair.

 

Goin' all "Iron Eagle" on us?

"Bring the American to the end of the runway... NOW!"

Do you guys crank up any Kenny Loggins "Danger Zone" whilst railing "The Dragon"?

Sorry, couldn't resist. Bad Coop...

I'd have to add to the "probably a bad idea" side of the equation.

 

Walmart used to sell a kit to make your own custom plugs for around $11, they usually last me at least a full season and work great. You can find them in the sporting goods area near shooting supplies.

 

The ones i got are silicone. They said just clean them with soapy water. Supposedly the material lasts a lifetime, but your ear changes throughout your life so they recommended me to get another set after 4-5 years.


Edit: I forgot to mention they said these filter about 30 db.

 

My second year of riding track days I started wearing ear plugs. The first session with them in I dropped my fastest laptime at that track by almost two seconds, just because of the ear plugs. My only explanation is that by blocking some of the noise from the bike, wind, road, other bikes, etc my brain wasn't so concerned with how fast I was going. It didn't seem like I was going as fast, plain and simple, so I was able to whick it up a bit.

But to further Chaotic's point, I would also throw a chest protector in the category of "Must-Have Albeit Optional" safety equipment.

 

Absolutely.

I won't ride without it, even on the street.

When purchasing a chest protector, look for one that is solid...as in a 1-piece protector that covers the whole chest and wraps around the ribs.

Some vests have chest protection, but they are 2 individual pads that just lay on the chest and they aren't as effective at reducing chest compression and protecting the sternum.

 

Another "must have" IMO are some padded shorts to wear under your leather suit like these from RidersDiscount:
http://forums.13x.com/showthread.php?t=271122&highlight=alpinestars+shorts

IMO, that is the one area where even the top-of-the-line suits fall short. Granted, an injury to those parts of your body isn't life threatening, but a cracked hip bone, or cracked butt bone hurts like a bitch and could cause you to miss work (or more importantly, races ).

 

Totally agree. I started wearing the padded shorts last year and I had ZERO soreness from my ass hitting the asphalt. They make me look a little "big boned" but its still worth it imo!

 

http://www.brownells.com/.aspx/pid=27163/Product/CUSTOM_MOLDED_EAR_PLUGS

 

3M foam earplugs - best foam ones I've ever used, and if you look around you can find boxes of 200 pairs for around $15.

http://solutions.3m.com/wps/portal/...12H2_nid=GSTY7S46XLgsQQFFG1G8R7glH8630NTGH6bl

The tinnitus you will get from not wearing earplugs while riding/racing simply isn't worth it, imo.

 

...and the seal better!