Quote from: duc_fan on April 29, 2010, 11:12:30 AM
.  Also remember that dB is a logarithmic scale, so it doesn't take many more dB to see a significant increase in the amount of damage done.

thats a very good point. When you get into the upper values, every increase of dB is like 10x the power.

I would recommend wearing plugs. Check out the thread on it for lots of reasons why you should.

Fit and comfort are the first rule. Do you have Cycle Gear stores in your area? They have a 7 day return policy, so my advice would be to start trying out helmets and see what fits you and what you are willing to deal with in terms of noise.

Good luck!

Unfortunately, I don't have a cycle gear in my area.  I think after hearing everyone's rec's, I'm going to pick up a cheap pair of earplugs and try them out with my current helmet.  I'm confident from what others say, that it will be okay in the city.  That's easy to try also since it is cheap.  I may also pick up a pair of the in-ear iphone earphones to try as well, which is a little more expensive ($80 I think).  I do occasionally listen to music while riding, so that may come in handy.

I guess what I've gathered though is that the quietness of the helmet is not all that important since you can supplement with plugs.  Like someone mentioned, fit is the most important.  Honestly, I like my scorpion exo1000.  It is definitely heavier than other helmets, but I haven't really noticed any issues with weight.  I don't believe it's ever bothered me.  On the other-hand though, I haven't owned any other brand as of yet.

Quote from: He Man on April 29, 2010, 11:41:00 AM
thats a very good point. When you get into the upper values, every increase of dB is like 10x the power.

3dB is a doubling of power.  An increase of 10dB is 10x the power.

As displayed in the Fletcher Munson curves the ear is sensitive to certain frequency ranges and it takes less power for those frequencies to be perceived as loudly as others, and likewise more power for other frequencies.  That might pertain more to the varying levels of sensitivity, but power increases don't change.  Perception does, but the real issue with hearing loss is SPL levels, and humans are more affected by the midrange frequencies than anything (ie: the sweet sound of a desmodromic engine and wind at high speeds).

I wear earplugs at all time, or else I'd be out of a job pretty quickly.

I found that my new AGV Stealth is a lot quieter than my Shoei RF1000.  I think the wind is just being directed differently as it provides ventilation.


I appreciate how everyone's been capitalizing the B in dB; for 1000 karma points can anyone tell me why it should be capitalized?

"A decibel is one tenth of a bel, a seldom-used unit."

Wikipedia FTW!

Quote from: NoisyDante on April 30, 2010, 07:22:10 AM
3dB is a doubling of power.  An increase of 10dB is 10x the power.

As displayed in the Fletcher Munson curves the ear is sensitive to certain frequency ranges and it takes less power for those frequencies to be perceived as loudly as others, and likewise more power for other frequencies.  That might pertain more to the varying levels of sensitivity, but power increases don't change.  Perception does, but the real issue with hearing loss is SPL levels, and humans are more affected by the midrange frequencies than anything (ie: the sweet sound of a desmodromic engine and wind at high speeds).

I wear earplugs at all time, or else I'd be out of a job pretty quickly.

I found that my new AGV Stealth is a lot quieter than my Shoei RF1000.  I think the wind is just being directed differently as it provides ventilation.


I appreciate how everyone's been capitalizing the B in dB; for 1000 karma points can anyone tell me why it should be capitalized?

Quote from: 696DCRider on April 30, 2010, 07:43:46 AM
"A decibel is one tenth of a bel, a seldom-used unit."

Wikipedia FTW!

Well it's a fun fact but you don't win the capitalization prize 

I fail    I was hoping I could win a pair of those earplugs I need to buy 

Quote from: NoisyDante on April 30, 2010, 07:58:57 AM
Well it's a fun fact but you don't win the capitalization prize 

Okay, I take that back.  Where's my prize?:
"The B in dB stands for the Bel, a unit of measure named after Alexander Graham Bell, inventor of the telephone. Since Bell is a name, the unit named after him always begins with a capital letter - Bel. The decibel is 1/10 of a Bel, so the B in decibel is capitalized in the abbreviation dB."

Reference:
http://radarproblems.com/chapters/ch06.dir/ch06.htm

Bingo, it is capitalized because it represents a proper noun, Bell.

You win good karma!   [moto]  And the opportunity to impress your friends with a fun fact for the day.


I wear the cheap squishy orange foam ones, because honestly they work the best and they're the most comfortable.  I've had many pairs made to form to my ears, ones with ball bearings inside, none of them really work as well.

I've tried more than a few types, and these have worked the best (I can hear my bike exhaust with these, which I really want to be able to do, and they are comfortable - I wear them at night to sleep):

http://www.amazon.com/Quiet-Time-Comfort-Foam-Plugs/dp/B001FPCUHA

Walgreens sells them, too.

Decibel Exposure Time Guidelines

Accepted standards for recommended permissible exposure time for continuous time weighted average noise, according to NIOSH and CDC, 2002. For every 3 dBs over 85dB, the permissible exposure time before possible damage can occur is cut in half.

Continuous dB
   

Permissible Exposure Time

85 db 8 hours

88 dB 4 hours

91 db 2 hours

94 db 1 hour

97 db 30 minutes

100 db 15 minutes

103 db 7.5 minutes

106 dB 3.75 min (< 4min)

109 dB 1.875 min (< 2min)

112 dB .9375 min (~1 min)

115 dB .46875 min (~30 sec)

A helmet that reduces wind noise will also reduce all other noise which includes other cars around you.  It would be similar to wearing earplugs.  Why not just invest $10 in 50 pairs of disposable ear plugs (which should last you a long while) and buy what ever helmet you want?

Quote from: R0CKETMAN on April 29, 2010, 02:41:09 AM
On the track, sure....Are there not safety concerns with plugs on the street? Can "termis" by example be that loud that one can sustain hearing damage?

Not only can Termis quite easily cause hearing damage, but simple wind noise can. It's well within the frequency range of normal conversation, so damage in that frequency range causes real problems.

Quote from: Povidius on May 08, 2010, 08:53:02 PM
A helmet that reduces wind noise will also reduce all other noise which includes other cars around you.  It would be similar to wearing earplugs.  Why not just invest $10 in 50 pairs of disposable ear plugs (which should last you a long while) and buy what ever helmet you want?

I am with the second part, but not the first part.  I think the conventional wisdom is that stuff sticking off the helmet or anything that contributes to wind turbulence will produce more wind noise.   That is the idea is not better sound insulation, but less in the way of sound production.

Quote from: He Man on April 28, 2010, 09:22:31 PM
the more money you spend, the quiter the helmet gets.

I would hope that someone designing an expensive helmet would put some thought into noise reduction.  But I am not sure that more expensive always equals quieter.

I will add my vote to the pro-earplug faction.  Buy a helmet that best fits your head and safety requirements ...

Yes the safest helmet is one that fits properly. And a proper fit is one you're more likely to wear. Which is always a good idea!