One of the best ways to improve your Onewheel and EUC ride experience is to ride while listening to your favorite tunes. Music helps to set the mood and it really brings the stoke. While many EUCs come equipped with speakers (but not all like my daughter’s Mten3 and the new KingSong S18), the Onewheel requires that you bring your own method for listening to music.
I use to wear wireless earphones when I rode but I got spooked by some close calls when I did not hear cars and cyclists coming from behind me that caught me off guard.
I then switched to riding with just one earphone. It was fine but the single earphone left the music feeling less immersive and also left me feeling like I had a “blind spot” where I could not hear.
Safety is of utmost important to me. To reduce the risk of injury a rider needs to have their senses sharp. The rider needs to be aware of their surroundings not only through sight but also through sound.
I never feel safe riding on busy streets with my ears stuffed with earphones that limit my ability to hear. But because I want to listen to music as I ride, I found some different solutions.
Here are some solutions that I found:
Wearing just one earphone/earbud
This worked fine for a while. I had one ear to listen for traffic or cyclists coming behind me and another ear for listening to my tunes or audio books.
The problem I found was that the music was less satisfying just through one ear. In addition, just like you lose depth perception when you see through just one eye, I lost “3D” hearing of my surroundings by using one earbud. It became harder to localize which direction sound was coming from and so I didn’t feel very comfortable riding in busy traffic.
Bluetooth Speaker
This option provided some great results. I tested a few Bluetooth speakers and found the JBL Clip 3 to be my favorite. I love that the JBL speaker has a clip so I can easily attach it to my backpack shoulder strap.
The sound was surprisingly good and loud for such a small speaker. It provided tunes for my riding companions without having to sacrifice being able to hear my surroundings. I tried other bluetooth speakers but they were bulky and had to be stuffed into my backpack which degraded the sound quality and made it more cumbersome to use.
One of the pros and cons of using a bluetooth speaker is everyone around me can hear me coming, thus warning them to move out of the way. Some people may find it annoying, but most seem to be fine with it. If you are interested in the JBL Clip 3, check out Amazon for more details.
Bone Conduction Headphones
These headphones conduct the sound through your cheekbones leaving your ears open to hear your surroundings. The technology is pretty cool but my army veteran brother in law tells me the tech has been around and used in the military for a long time, just more refined now.
These headphones are comfortable. The sound is decent, but you won’t get the same deep sound from traditional ear phones.
Wind noise at high speed did make it hard to hear my music, but they certainly allowed me to hear and be aware of my surroundings.
I really enjoy these. I have the Air Trekz bone conducting headphones but they have newer versions now.
Wearable Speakers
These Bose Soundwear Speakers are truly unique. Instead of clipping these speakers to your backpack or on your body, you basically wear the speakers comfortably on your shoulders.
I was shocked at the sound quality when I first turned my set on. The sound is deep and rich. The speakers are comfortable and never felt like they were going to fall off during my rides (note that I am a very conservative rider and results will vary with riding style).
Check out these Bose wearable speakers on Amazon.