Life In The Saddle

I have been using Shokz (previously Aftershokz) open ear headphones for almost a decade now, and their performance is second to none in terms of sound quality, build quality and design. The new OpenFit from Shokz offers an ultra-lightweight, open-ear construction without the band design used on the OpenRun Pro, making it more suitable for everyday wear as well as for active sports pursuits. The flexible ear hook design of the OpenFit headphones allows it to fit to any ear shape, and remain securely and comfortably in place for hour upon hour of listening. The DirectPitch™ technology produces an immersive audio experience with deep bass notes and fantastic clarity, whilst still allowing you to listen to the external environment and maintain your situational awareness. Battery life on the Shokz OpenFit is superb, with each charge offering 7 hours of listening, and each full charge of the case/unit offering 28 hours of listening. A useful fast-charge function also allows you to top u...

I have been using a set of Aftershokz bone conduction headphones daily, ever since I reviewed the Bluez2 headphones back in 2015. The Shokz OpenRun Pro headphones are the re-branded and most up to date model within the Shokz range. This latest model offers a few notable updates over its predecessor – the Aftershoz Aeropex. The updates include better sound quality, a better noise-cancelling microphone, quick-charge functionality, and an outstanding ten hours of runtime. In short, these new headphones take an already exceptional product and improve upon it. About Bone Conduction Headphones Bone conduction headphones allow for an open ear listening experience—where the headphones sit next to the ear, rather in the ear like an earbud. The result is that your ear canals are kept clear, so you keep your ambient sound listening capabilities—a vital safety consideration for cyclists and runners, as well as a necessity for optimum balance and stability. Back in 2015, with the Aftershokz Bluez2 ...

The Aftershokz X-Trainerz MP3 Player Headphones use an open-ear listening design utilising the same superb bone-conduction technology found in the Aftershokz Aeropex Headphones (reviewed last month) . This model is different in that it is designed as a stand-alone MP3 player, particularly suitable for swimming. The Aftershokz Aeropex have very quickly become my favourite headphones for cycling and running ( read the review here ); they offer incredible sound quality, but with the phenomenal benefit of not affecting your ambient noise hearing or balance. The Aftershokz X-trainer attracted my attention because of this positive experience, and because I was looking for a set of headphones to use for water sports—when I do not have a Bluetooth phone/MP3 player connection to hand. The X-Trainerz is IP68 waterproof rated and designed so that it is compatible with swimming goggles, caps, and earplugs. It has a standalone 4GB file storage capacity and supports all major audio file format...

I have been using a set of Aftershokz bone conduction headphones daily, ever since I reviewed the Bluez2 headphones back in 2015. The Aftershokz Aeropex is the brand's latest release model and offers several notable upgrades: including IP67 waterproofing, a lighter and slimmer frame, and an outstanding improvement in clarity and unit functionality. Bone conduction headphones allow for open ear listening—where the headphone sits next to the ear rather than featuring an earbud that blocks the ear canal. The result is that you keep your ambient sound listening capabilities—a vital safety consideration for cyclists, as well as being necessary for optimum balance and stability. Even back in 2015, with the Aftershokz Bluez2 headphones, I was impressed by the Aftershokz bone conduction open-ear technology. I remember being sceptical whether the sound would be comparable to normal headphones, but I was amazed by the clarity of the audio. The small downfalls of the Bluez2 model were s...

In May 2015, I posted my review of the Aftershokz Bluez 2 Headphones ; they proved to be an incredible product, which changed my daily commute significantly. The bone conduction technology used in the Aftershokz range, means that you can enjoy your favourite tunes whilst riding, but still hear the warning sounds of traffic and ambient noise around you. This new-found ability to listen to music whilst riding safely, meant that I've used the Bluez 2 on an almost daily basis since; they deservedly featured in my Fifteen Festive Stocking Fillers for Cyclists 2015  blog post. Last month, Aftershokz released the new Bluez 2S bone conduction headphones. I always thought that the original Bluez 2 were very good (clearly), but even the best products have a few niggles. Like any good R&D company though, Aftershokz took on-board user feedback, and the new Bluez 2S headphones promise to be the perfected product. Better Sound Quality and Reduced Leakage The first improvement,...

Headphones and bikes don't traditionally mix well. When you're in traffic, you need all of your senses heightened; so placing plastic plugs in your ear canals doesn't really help. Luckily, Aftershokz have a solution... The Aftershokz headphones use a bone conductor technology, which channels noise through your cheek bones to your ear drums, rather than down your ear canals. The result, is that your ears are left open to vital warnings and ambient noise, whilst you can still enjoy your favourite tunes. The Bluez 2 headphones from Aftershokz are their latest release. As well as using the height of bone conduction technology, they also go one step further; pushing functionality in areas such as remote control and connectivity. The Bluez 2 use Bluetooth technology, which means no wires, no in-line remote controls, and no annoying moments when you pull the connector out of your iPod. Bluetooth technology also means that the Bluez 2 can control your device, all from butto...