hearing impaired

[hobbygirl]

hi are there any hearing impaired cyclists out there? how do you get on with hearing aids and listening out for traffic . i find it difficult to determine where road and vehicle sounds are coming from and how close they are, also any recomendations for glasses as mine make my ears sore where they run alongside hearing aid.

 

[nosherduke996]

Normally i wear in the ear aids in both ears, But i dont put them in when i am cycling because of all the wind noise and whistling they pick up.
Also i used to ride a motorbike and when you ride with earplugs in it makes you aware of your surroundings more and you have to keep your witts about you.

 

[rmiker]

Like nosher, it's wind noise that irritates me when using hearing aids. However, I do use one aid in my right ear to prevent complete isolation.
Suggest you talk to your Audiologist to see if there is a programme setting on your aids that would help with your problem.
For glasses I use 'Bolle', though I have to be careful not to get the neck cord tangled up with my aid.
Mike

 

[ed!]

I just rely more on my eyes to tell me what's going on and so probably look around at my surroundings just that little more frequently than your average rider.

 

[Jaguar]

I'm not hearing impaired, just wurbling really ... I sometimes ride with an earphone in my left ear (it's a hands free mobile kit thingummy. As well as a radio a-hem).
I definitely am less aware of my surroundings, even though my eyes over-compensate to some degree it's still quite scary.

 

[KEEF]

I don't wear mine (two) at all I'm fearful I lose them. The only problem I have is the fright I get when other cyclists pass me which is quite often

 

[Matthames]

I am a deaf cyclist, I am not sure about cycling glasses though, but would be interested to see what people say. My ordinary glasses seem ok with my aids.

When riding I always wear my aids. I do find that they help give me an early warning as to what is coming up behind me, also it gives me indications if something is wrong with the bike. As for wind noise, some aids are better than others. I have long hair which helps cut it down and really don't notice the wind noise until I am doing more than 20mph.

As for being scared to loose them, do your ear moulds fit properly? A secure fit makes all the difference, if they are too loose then see your audiologist.

 

[hobbygirl]

thanks for all the replies. i am not afriad of losing my aids as they fit great. i went on a short run this morning with my hubby and tried without hearing aid, the wind noise was much less but i didnt hear the cars aproach. if i was on my own would have wished id worn the hearing aid, so will continue to wear also i had very cold ears and immense ear ache when i got back the aids have a plus in that they stop the wind gouing in your ear.

 

[djondjayvadas]

Hello there,

As an audiologist, I'm fairly interested in this topic, I'm relatively new working.

The aids we offer at our hospital - only one has a 'wind reduction' feature, but I've got to find out quite how it does what it does.

What kind of hearing loss do you have? How do you get on with speech? Wearing two aids? Is it the wind that s blocking out the sound of the cars making them hard to hear or you just can't hear them coming full stop?

Your microphones may be set to have directionality turned on and might be affecting the way sounds are perceived, I guess for cycling in theory you'd want them on omnidirectional (so the mics are listening to all sides and not reducing noise from anywhere)

Cheers.

 

[Matthames]

Your microphones may be set to have directionality turned on and might be affecting the way sounds are perceived, I guess for cycling in theory you'd want them on omnidirectional (so the mics are listening to all sides and not reducing noise from anywhere)

+1 on that.

The majority of the time I have my aids set to omnidirectional, program 1 on my aids. It helps me to hear all around. I only really use the directional setting in noisy environments when I am trying to talk to somebody, good example would be at a party. However, I am interested in what the effects are when out on the road.

I have also got my aids set up so that when the loop is switched on I also have the mics switched on. So in theory I could listen to music on an ipod and still be able to keep a listen out for traffic while cycling. However, the usual way I would listen to music through the aids would be via direct input, which is much more useful when travelling by train as you don't get interference by the signalling equipment, but at the moment I don't have any shoes for the aids I have at the moment.

 

[hobbygirl]

hi yes i have about 70% hearing in the left ear so can get away with no hearing aid . i have about 25% ih the right ear. as the right ear seems to be the one listening more been on the side of the traffic where i look over my shoulder. i can hear a road sound i think is coming from my own back wheel so when cars are approaching i do not always distinguish between the two sounds. i sometimes think there is a car approaching and there isnt, i think this is due to how the wind catches through my back wheel . i sometimes dont hear the car until i 'feel' its presence.
my hearing aid is bog standard nhs digital, over the back of the ear, and i have no idea about which direction the mic is. i do have loop fitted