Product Review: Wind Blox

Wind noise has long been an annoyance when riding a bike and can also be a safety issue when it comes to hearing approaching automobiles.  A new product called Wind Blox was designed to greatly reduce wind noise and allow a cyclist to hear better while riding.  After a successful Kickstarter campaign in the Fall of 2013, this product is now available to everyone.  Wind Blox was the idea of creator Mike Fajen who enjoyed listening to audio while commuting to work but found he had to turn the volume way up to overcome the wind noise.  After wrapping socks around his front helmet straps to reduce the wind noise, he noticed he could turn his audio volume way down and was also able to clearly hear the sounds around him, including traffic.  Design and development of Wind Blox would soon follow.

Wind noise, especially on windy days and riding downhill can be deafening making it hard to hear anything.  When I first came across Wind Blox, I definitely wanted to give them a try and see if they would really make a difference.  I enjoy listening to podcasts while riding and I would also have to turn the volume way up to compensate for the loud wind noise.  Sometimes the wind noise was so loud that even with a higher volume on my smartphone, I still had problems hearing my podcasts let alone the traffic and sounds around me.  Wind Blox seemed like the perfect solution to reduce the wind noise and allow me to turn the volume of my podcasts way down while still be able to hear traffic and other sounds.

After my fist ride using Wind Blox, I couldn't believe the difference they made.  I was able to turn my podcast volume way down and still be able to follow along with the conversations and hear approaching traffic around me.  I wore them with and without the use of headphones while riding and noticed that wind noise was cut dramatically.  The biggest differences I noticed was riding at a fast pace into a headwind and on speedy downhills.  Wind noise in these situations without usingWind Blox was so loud that hearing anything else was nearly impossible.

I tested them out in various riding conditions and speeds removing them at times to have a comparative analysis.  Riding was much more enjoyable and quieter with Wind Blox on my helmet straps than without.  Carrying on conversations with other cyclists I was riding with was much easier and I was able to do so without turning my head to hear what they were saying.  When riding in traffic or out on those lonely gravel roads, I was able to hear cars approaching from behind much sooner because of the greatly reduced wind noise that Wind Blox provide.

Wind noise can be annoying reducing what a cyclist can hear and I found Wind Blox an effective solution to this problem.  This product states that it blocks over 50% of wind noise and I would have to agree with the claim.  You'll be able to hear sounds around you better, carry on conversations, listen to audio at lower volumes and know sooner when automobiles are approaching. 

Wind Blox are available in Black, Bright Lime Green, Bright Pink and Silver Gray for $15/pair from the Wind Blox Products page and are also available on Amazon.com.

Disclosure:  Wind Blox provided the review samples for this article, but offered no other form of compensation for this review.