Best Earphones for Cycling 2024: Safety Meets Sound Quality

As a cyclist, you have very specific requirements from your earphones. You want them to have long battery life, sweat-proof design, and  of course, good sound quality. To help you find the perfect earphones for your use, we put together this list of the best earphones for cycling you can buy right now.

It's a good time to be a cyclist who likes to listen to music on the go.

Wired earphones, the bane of so many cyclists, are on their way out. Wireless earphones, once cumbersome and clunky, now finally have the battery life and sound quality to meet your tough requirements.

Moreover, the prices for wireless earphones have dropped drastically in the last few years. What was once a luxury reserved for the Apple-toting, Starbucks-drinking crowd is now affordable for everyone. Some of the best earphones for cyclists are available for as little as the cost of a lunch for two.

With all these options, the question now is: what are the best earphones for cyclists?

We'll share some answers in this guide.

At a glance, these are the best earphones for cycling:

• Best overall sound: Bose SoundSport
• Best budget: Anker Soundcore Spiri Sports
• Best for safety: Aftershokz Titanium Open Ear
• Best bass: Powerbeats Pro by Beats

Best Earphones for Cycling: Overall

The Bose SoundSport earphones make it to the list of the best earphones for cycling and it is easy to see why. First, they are more affordable, come in a variety of colors and they are so comfortable on the ears. The new generation of SoundSport earphones are compatible with both Apple and Android, so that's good news as well.

Performance

Definitely, the most important aspect of these earphones is the comfort. They are big, no doubt about that but they are also very comfortable, thanks to the StayHear+eartips. The eartips will not press right inside your ear so the noise cancelling ability is a bit hampered, but you will still be able to hear well and talk in your normal voice when taking a call.

You should also love the inline remote and microphone because it is so effective for pausing music, picking a call and even changing tracks. The StayHear tips are also ergonomic in design, which means they conform to the shape of your ear. That way, you do not feel unduly fatigued when using them for long.

What I like:

• Ear tips are ergonomic – they adopt the form of the ear to keep you comfortable
• Weather resistant, sweat resistant as well
• Configured to walk with Apple devices mostly
• Inline remote and microphone allows you to change tasks
• Battery life is good at maximum 6 hours
• Slightly sweat and water resistant

What I don't:

Noise isolation is iffy. Which is actually nice when you're cycling, but if you want to use them for casual listening, you'll be disappointed by the outside noise interference.

Best Entry-Level: Anker Soundcore Spirit Sports

Just because you don't have $100+ to spare doesn't mean that you shouldn't get access to the best earphones for cycling for your trips.

That's why we like these Anker earphones so much.

When looking for the best earphones for rigorous sports such as cycling, jogging and others, you want a pair that stays securely on the ears. The Anker Soundcore Spirit Sports is made for this and more. Being sweat resistant, the quality of the earphones stays intact for a long time and you can wear them to the gym when you want. The essential parts of the interior are protected by a film that guards against sweat or moisture of any nature.

Performance

Sound clarity and quality are everything when it comes to the performance of earphones. The bass is incredibly gentle and the highs are audible and safe for your ears. They are also quite comfortable to the ears such that with time, you do not feel as if you are wearing earphones at all. You may also customize your fit using the small rubber tip that allows you to shorten the wire and lock the desired length in place.

The Lithium polymer battery is rated for 8 hours of listening on one charge. When the battery gets low, the music will stop and you will here a beep, and then it will carry on. This is an alert that you should soon charge the battery.

What I like:

• Advanced sweat guard technology – IPX7 for protecting interior and exterior against sweat-corrosion
• Zero latency Bluetooth 5.0 connectivity
• Premium drivers deliver high quality and crystal-clear sound
• 8 hours of playtime all the time
• Complete package with 2 cable clips, shirt clip, microUSB cable, pouch, small/medium/large or X Large ear tip, small/medium/Large earwigs
• Cable clip to hold the neckband from the neck

What I don't:

What is not to like about such incredible earphones for cycling? Battery life should be longer for those days that you will mountain-bike for an entire 12 hours.

Best for Road Awareness: Aftershokz Titanium Open-Ear

There are so many good things to say about this earphones for cycling and sports. However, to sum it up, we can say the earphones deliver as they should, just as it is advertised. Definitely, the standout feature is the bone conduction ability. Bone conduction is the technology of sound conduction through the skull bones to the inner ear. This is why the earphones are made in an open design so that they do not cover your ears. With good battery life, we can confidently say this is one of the best earphones for cycling.

Performance

Apart from the bone conduction technology, which we have discussed briefly above, the Aftershokz Titanium Open-Ear also packs many more performance enhancing features. You can make and receive calls and the noise cancelling microphones (it has two) are very effective. If you are hard of hearing, these earphones are going to help you in a big way since they send sound direct to the inner ear. Battery life is good enough at six hours and it comes with a rechargeable Lithium ion battery.

What I like: 

• OpenFit design that keeps your ears open so that you can be aware of what is happening around
• Stable connectivity through the Bluetooth v4.1
• Designed with Titanium wraparound for sweat and water protection and for longevity
• Battery life is up to 6 hours of continuous listening
• PremiumPitch technology that enhances the sound quality
• Has reflective strips for better visibility when you are cycling or jogging in low light

What we don’t like

Bone conduction technology is good, but then it still leaves you open to interrupting noises from the surroundings.

Best Budget Earphones: TaoTronics Sport Headphones

The adjustability of these earhooks is out of this world. It allows you to find your most comfortable position when you are engaging in a vigorous sport or when cycling. Since the TaoTronics Sport Headphones are sweat and waterproof, you do not need to remove them even when caught riding your mountain bike in the rain.

Performance

Thanks to the APTX Lossless sound technology, you will hear every beat, every note in the track that you are listening to. The CVC 6.0 microphone cancels all the noise out such that when you make or receive calls, there is no static at all. Bluetooth connectivity ensures no dropouts at all whether you are listening to music or talking to someone on the phone.

What I like:

• The ear hooks can be adjusted all round to find the most comfortable spot
• They are sweatproof and waterproof with IPX6 rating
• Bluetooth 4.1 connectivity
• Offers 8 hours of listening time from the battery on one charge
• Lossless quality ensures none of your music escapes
• Noise cancelling technology ensures there is no static when receiving calls

What I don’t:

These are no doubt the best budget earphones for cycling. However, we do not like the battery time of 4 hours, 5 maximum. We feel that it should come with more, 7 or 8 hours like most of its peers.

Best Audio Performance: Powerbeats Pro by Beats

The Powerbeats Pro By Beats is a good set of earphones that you can get for any vigorous activity where sweat will be involved. They are good for running, working out in the gym, cycling, hiking and any other outdoor activity. With battery time longer than the 8 hours we are used to from many earphones in the market, 9 hours is indeed a plus.

Performance

Some of the complaints in the market are that the earphones lack mid-range, but then the treble is higher, which more than compensates for that. You will love that the earphones have controls for volume and track controls. Thus, you do not need to get your device out to change tracks or volume. Just do it from the earphones. If you like wearing just one earbud, you will adjust volume, pause or play your tracks on the controls.

Under duress, you will sweat and some of that will get onto your earphones. They have a protective coating against that, so no worries there. The charging case is light in weight and small and it will increase your listening time a great deal.

What I like:

• Excellent bass performance
• Get 9 hours of battery listening time
• Nice earhooks
• Water and sweat proof for the hefty workouts
• Controls for various aspects on each earbud

What I don't:

The ears feel a bit strained where the earhook rests, especially in the first few weeks of using these earphones. Some people outgrow it and some do not.

Best Earphones for Cycling – Portability: Jabra Elite Active 65t

By being wireless, this means that these are just earbuds, without any cable to tussle with. One problem people have had with such earbuds is audio dropping, but that does not apply when it comes to these earbuds. When you do make a call, you can talk the way you naturally talk without having to raise your voice. The earbuds are protected against dust and sweat, so you should immerse yourself fully into your sport without worrying about sweat corrosion.

Performance

As long as you keep your device within range, you will be able to listen to music, make and receive calls without any audio dropouts, a big feat indeed. You can boost the bass as well as the treble as you like, on the app. It also has noise cancelling ability, which means that you can hear your tracks even when you are jogging on a busy street.

The battery time for the earbuds without the charging case is five hours. However, you can bump this to 15 hours when you have the charging case, which is small and nimble and fits well in your pocket. Another thing you will be happy with is the in-built accelerometer that enables this earphones to be used as fitness trackers.

What I like:

• Wireless earbuds with good stability
• Appra sound app allow you to personalize your listening experience
• You can get 15 hours of listening time from the charging case
• Android and Apple compatible
• Great wireless stability that ensures no audio dropouts when receiving calls
• Smart assistant for Siri, Alexa and Google
• Built-in accelerometer

What we don’t like

The noise isolation fit is not comfortable for everyone and some people might find it too tight. Besides, the HearThrough feature also makes you hear yourself quite a lot when running or cycling.

Over to You

If you're a cyclist, now is the perfect time to grab a pair of wireless earphones for cycling. The quality and range of selection has improved drastically and there's something that will please everyone.

For more recommendations and advice, don't hesitate to reach out to me here.

Also read:

• Looking for general purpose earbuds? Here's our best picks under $50
• On a budget? You'll want to take a look at our best earbuds under $20

References:

• Should you cycle with earphones in? [CyclingWeekly]
• How dangerous is it to use headphones on a bike? [Vox]
• How to choose the safest headphones for cycling [AverageJoeCyclist]