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Provides: Decreases wind noise, allowing you to easily hear sounds from all around you and safely listen to your iPod while bicycling
Developer: SlipStreamz
Requirements: Bicycle helmet and iPod (type) earbuds
Retail Price: $12.99

The SlipStreamz is a small fabric and plastic wedge that attaches to your bicycle helmet so it is placed over your ear. Once in place, the SlipStreamz decreases wind noise, provides complete hearing potential, and lets you listen safely to your iPod while bicycling. And it does so (for the most part) at a very reasonable price.

The hardest part of using the SlipStreamz is attaching them to your bicycle helmet. This can be simplified significantly if your helmet is already properly adjusted. Probably like most people, I pulled my helmet out if its box, put it on my head and said something to the effect of, "That's fine." The catch is, it wasn't. The straps needed to be a bit tighter and the pair of straps that went behind my ear were a bit longer than they should have been. However, I was too lazy to set the straps properly, so I ignored them. Truth be told, everything I've read said that if your helmet isn't set properly, you might not as well be using a helmet. Now that I've set my straps properly, my helmet feels better on my head.

One of the fringe benefits of the SlipStreamz is that it works best when the helmet straps are properly adjusted—and it's a heck of a lot easier to get the SlipStreamz on the helmet when the helmet's straps are properly set before you try to attach the SlipStreamz pieces. As seen in the image above (a screen shot from the SlipStreamz website...I figured this guy looks a lot more handsome than I do), the SlipStreamz attach to your bike helmet and cover the ear.

All that being said, attaching the SlipStreamz to your helmet is not the easiest thing in the word to accomplish. Do not plan to do this just before your bike group starts out on a journey, or you will be late for the journey. If you know what you are doing, placing them on your helmet should take about 10-15 minutes. For the first time, it could take about 30 minutes to attach the SlipStreamz. The time involved is mostly trying to figure out what goes where and in repeating steps that didn't make sense the first time around. The good news is that if you follow the images provided in the instruction sheet, you should be okay. This was a classic case of the images providing a lot more information than any text supplied.

As seen below, the right ear piece (on the right showing the inside) and the left ear piece (on the left showing the outside) are not all that much. It's a form molded polyurethane wedge with some hard plastic clips and a fabric covering. The polyurethane wedge has a slit to allow an iPod bud to fit in from the other side and holds the bud against the upper part of the ear away from the ear canal.

One last comment on installing them: there are three plastic flaps that fit around the strap that goes in front of your ears. If you are planning on placing the iPod buds in the SlipStreamz after you have installed them in your helmet, you will save yourself a few steps if you leave the bottom flap (seen on the bottom left of the image above) open until you get the bud in place. The bottom flap not only holds the SlipStreamz onto the helmet, it also holds the base of the bud in the SlipStreamz.

As seen below, once attached, the SlipStreamz mostly holds onto the helmet straps in front of the ear. The strings loosely wrap around (any other) strap behind the ear to hold the rear of the SlipStreamz in place so it doesn't flop around. The string is looped around a button shaped piece of plastic that uses friction to tighten in place so you don't have to tie it tight. Also easily seen below is how the bud is placed somewhat high against the ear and not in the ear canal. The SlipStreamz effectively creates a "shell" around the ear to hold the iPod bud against the ear within the shell. I should also point out that you will probably want to dedicate a pair of iPod buds to your bicycle helmet at this point because I suspect you will not want to take them in and out and in and out on a regular basis.

As they say, the proof is in the pudding, so I spent about three hours over two days getting some well needed exercise and gave the SlipStreamz a good workout. The SlipStreamz company places a big emphasis about cutting wind noise, and the SlipStreamz does cut wind noise...to a degree. But, like both the Sennheizer and Sony "noise-cancelling" headphones demonstrate, cutting is not eliminating the noise. [I have tried only the Sony and Sennheizer noise-cancelling headphones and have no experience with any other brands or models.] Again, to be clear, there is a reduction in noise, not an elimination.

On the other hand, there is no doubt that I could hear completely around me and could hear the most important thing—other cars on the road. In fact, I could also hear my cell phone going off in my fanny-pack while my iPod was playing. This is good.

One of the amusing changes I found I made on my bike route is that I take a fairly busy street about a mile before I can turn down a much less traveled road for some fun biking. In the past, I've accepted the noise on the busy street because I wasn't listening to anything. Since I was now listening to my iPod, the street noise was completely cutting out the sound of what I was listening to. Rather than to turn the volume way up, I chose to take a parallel street that had significantly less noise and was more enjoyable to travel on. Funny, but the motivation to listen to my iPod was greater than the (previous) annoyance of the traffic on the larger street. In the end, I was much better off for many reasons.

As far as listening to an iPod, I've never played an iPod while bicycling before. I didn't like the idea of listening to music or podcasts while also trying to pay attention to road noises. With a bud "in" my ear, I figured I didn't have a chance to hear a car sneaking up on me. As shown in the image above, the bud is not "in" the ear canal, it's placed higher and against the ear. You can easily listen to talking heads, music, whatever you want, and listen to road noises, and have a reduced amount of wind noise. Simply put, it works.

I've not had these long enough to know how they survive against copious amounts of sweat for prolonged or collective time, but in reality, at $13 each, if they only last a month or two (I'm guessing here as I have no idea how long they will lastՇthey may last years for all I know), it's not that big a deal.

One of the other claims made for the SlipStreamz is that they will limit the amount of cold air blowing against the ear in chilly weather. If this is true, this would be a blessing for someone like me who is very susceptible to very painful fridged-ear from cool/cold wind. However, as this is the summer from hell in all parts of the U.S., I can't adequately test this. My gut feeling is that like noise cutting, there will be a reduction in any chill factor, not a cancellation. But again, this is a guess as I cannot test this aspect at this point in time.

In short, the biggest challenge with the SlipStreamz is the attachment, it's a bit squirrely. Once that is accomplished, you will find an improvement in the wind noise against the ear, but no elimination of the noise. On the other hand, you will easily be able to hear all around you, whether you are using your iPod or not. And that means you can safely play music or podcasts and get some good exercise. Not a bad deal, especially at the very modest price. I do wish they were easier to get on and off. If you like these but do not plan on using them all the time, you might find it easier to get a second helmet so you have choice. I do not recommend that you take them on and off and on and off. It is because of the unintended permanency of them that I cannot give them a 5 rating. That notwithstanding, for $13, you can certainly try them and make up your own mind.

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___________ Gary Coyne has been a scientific glassblower for over 30 years. He's been using Macs since 1985 (his first was a fat Mac) and has been writing reviews of Mac software and hardware since 1995.