16 years ago I bought my first pair of custom made earplugs from Ultimate Ear and as I’ve taken delivery of my fourth and latest pair, I think it’s safe to say I think they’re an awesome product and I’m a devoted customer.
One of the first things I was ever told on CBT was that I should wear ear plugs on the bike to protect my hearing. Otherwise before I ever got to be an old lady I’d either be as deaf as the proverbial door post or worse, develop tinnitus. Ok maybe the instructor was exaggerating, but it wasn’t a risk I was willing to take and duly found myself buying shed loads of squidgy plug things trying to find comfortable ones.
The trouble with those is they always seemed to pop out of place if I even so much as yawned and definitely came out when I pulled my helmet off. So I moved onto ear phones from various websites including ones you cut down to fit your own ears. These were a disaster as I have never felt anything so painful.
Fortunately I was introduced to the wonders of custom made ear plugs from Ultimate Ear by someone who had bought them to sleep at night as her son snored the house down! On researching their product they also did various products for bikers including for listening to music/intercom use.
I love listening to music when I’m on my bike. Yes I can see the shaking heads and hear the comments now and it’s nothing I haven’t heard before: “It affects your concentration, It distracts you from the road and other drivers, You can’t possibly hear emergency vehicles” etc etc.
All I can say is I’m not stupid enough to have volume levels up so high that I can’t hear my own bike or the world around me. Listening to music keeps me relaxed and in turn adds to a great biking experience.
If you’re against headphones on a bike, why are they made for training, hearing your satnav, conversing with your pillion, or even to answer the phone? (although taking phone calls on my bike is not one of my sins as I’m not interested in talking to people when I’m riding😂)
There are several companies which make custom ear plugs and prices can vary greatly. The ones from Ultimate Ear are not cheap but there is a good range depending on your needs and budget. The bottom of the range starts at £70 with a simple squidgy to cut wind and engine noise, to a filtered plug which does the same but aids comms with a pillion, to the SoundEar which allows you to plug into your satnav, then the SoundEar Pro with its dual speakers for better bass and the best sound experience. The bluetooth version of the Pro is the top of the range and comes in at a whopping £339.
I was very fortunate in that I was able to buy my latest pair as part of my safety kit for work. As Marketing Manager for White Dalton Motorcycle Solicitors I spend a fair bit of time on two wheels carrying out my role and my firm likes to ensure I am comfortable and happy😁
As ears continue to grow and change shape over the years, Ultimate Ear recommends you have your moulds redone every 4-5 years. I had my second done because I noticed after four years one ear wasn’t fitting right anymore as I’d had a whopper of an ear infection that seemed to affect the shape of my inner ear. Coupled with that I managed to stand on one in my heavy motorcycle boots and this was also shortly after zipping the cord up into my jacket and shredding it.🤦♀️
Over the years I have had at least one of each ear plug stop working, long after the warranty period was up. Ultimate Ear can repair your earplugs, but what with the change in ear shape, and their age, I’ve just lived with it until I decided to get new ones made. Fortunately for me Ultimate Ear continually improves it’s products too – for example the cords are much thicker and well protected now so I no longer fear catching them in a zip.
You can see the difference between my second pair and my latest pair. (Sorry about the photo quality but that’s a very old pic.) The black pair is the older set and is the SoundEar and the light blue set is the SoundEar Pro. I also chose to have white/clear wires simply because it helps me to see where the cords are so I further reduce the risk of zipping them into my jacket!
Getting the moulds made is a simple process and I have either travelled to their office in Sidcup, Kent to have it done on site, or had the moulds made at shows, like the last Bike show at the NEC. The best thing about the shows is that they usually have good discounts so this pair which should have set me back £289 were reduced to £260.10.
The moulds are sent to you, but thanks to new technology they also now keep a scan of your earplugs. Which is a bit of a godsend if, like me, you’re prone to putting things in a safe place – and then forgetting where that is!!
My pair arrived with instructions on how to pop them in and remove from your ears, antiseptic wipes, a lotion to make it easier to put them in, a cleaning tool and a 10% off your next order. The storage packs have changed too, over the years. My first was a handy pocket size container – the latest is some what larger, for unknown reasons. I can’t see myself using it, but then I usually leave my earplugs in my inside jacket pocket so they’re always ready for use.
Super big container – I’m sure you can use it as storage for something else!
The ear plugs are firm but not hard or uncomfortable, and they don’t budge at all when I yawn, or remove my helmet. The sound quality, as you’d expect for such a fee, is very good and I thoroughly enjoy listening to my ipod as I go about my business.
I plan on a trip to France this year, and have to decide what to do about my ear plugs because I just found out that it is illegal there to use any kind of in the ear device, capable of communication, resulting in an on the spot fine. I’ve been reading about people being stopped for using them with their sat nav, which you would have thought was a safer option, than trying to map read!
I think as long as they’re not attached to my iphone – and that’s not in the same pocket, I should be fine but we’ll see.
Riding abroad can be fun, but it certainly gives you pause for thought, as it’s your responsibility to read up on laws to make sure you don’t break them as ignorance is no defence.
In the meantime I shall be enjoying my tunes and less wind noise, as I use my new plugs.
By the way, in case you were wondering if listening to music was illegal or not, then you might want to read the latest column by Andrew Dalton, Senior Partner at White Dalton. In the UK it most definitely isn’t illegal – but you need to make sure you are not distracting yourself with loud music!
(Just to add – these are my own thoughts on the Ultimate Ear SoundEar Pro and I have never been gifted any of mine or had them reduced in price in return for any of my reviews.)
A bird's eye view to biking! 