Best Bone Conduction Headphones for Cycling

Bone-conduction technology transmits audio through vibrations in your bones and it has been around for a little while now but in the past few years, the technology has gotten a lot better. If you aren’t familiar with bone conduction then don’t worry, we’ll explain it in layman’s terms.

You put these (bone-conduction) headphones on and they wrap around your ear and then the two units sit right on your temples. That’s where the vibrations are transmitted as they go through your temple and down your jawline.

You can hear the music because it doesn’t sound like it’s being vibrated on you. It sounds like actual music. It’s a unique feeling when you first try one of these bone-conduction headphones out, but that’s essentially how they work. Since sound waves after all are just vibrations, so this is another way of transmitting vibrations to your brain.

Best Bone Conduction Headphones for Cycling

The purpose of designing these kinds of headphones is to provide athletes; the advantage of both music and surroundings’ sound simultaneously. But that doesn’t mean people other than athletes can’t use it.

These are a viable alternative because nothing is going in your ear and they do a pretty good job at a moderate volume. You can very easily hear your environment, which is the whole purpose of these headphones.

Talking about the sound quality, it’s not as good as traditional headphones, but at the same time, it’s not bad as well. So, if you are a cyclist, runner, or athlete and are curious about purchasing these (bone-conduction) headphones, then we’ve saved your time by gathering you a list of the best bone-conduction headphones for cycling.

But before starting our list, we’ll talk about some worth mentioning pros and cons of bone-conduction headphones. So, let’s start!

Bone Conduction Headphones Pros and Cons

Pros	Cons
More Awareness of the Surroundings	Sound Quality is not as good as traditional headphones
Unique Listening Experience	You can feel the vibration
More Comfortable Fit than Traditional Headphones/Earbuds	Costly as compared to Traditional Earbuds/Headphones

Best Bone Conduction Headphones for Cycling

1. AfterShokz Aeropex

SPECIFICATIONS
Bluetooth Technology:	Bluetooth 5.0
Behavior with Water:	IP67 Waterproof but not for Swimming
Battery Life:	8 Hours
Weight:	0.92 ounces
Strength:	Comfortable + Lightweight

The Aeropex has the best battery life in the AfterShokz bone-conduction headphones line, and this headphone is considered one of the best products AfterShokz has ever produced. AfterShokz Aeropex has made the top spot on our list of the Best Bone Conduction Headphones for Cycling.

Insights of this Gadget:

As a veteran of producing the bone-conduction headphones in the market, we’ve expected great build quality from AfterShokz, and the build quality of Aeropex didn’t disappoint us.

This titanium headset is a lightweight bone conduction headphone that sits comfortably between the cheek and ear. We’ve done testing on these headphones with various helmets, but not even once, we’ve experienced any fitting issue. So, it’s safe to say that these will fit comfortably to anybody’s head.

Being a bone-conduction headphone, this will pass the sound to your inner ears from your cheekbones without covering your ear canals. So, that means while cycling you can hear the horns of other vehicles while listening to the music (DUAL BENEFITS).

But this comes at a cost, and that cost is the sound quality. AfterShokz has traded the sound quality with the environmental awareness. Moreover, the bass of these headphones is very thin, which means they won’t get louder. In our testing, we’ve experienced that even the noise overwhelmed these headphones at a higher speed.

The earplugs will be a surprise for more tech-savvies because if someone buys an open-ear headphone, he/she wants to keep their ears open but it must be there for a reason Since we trust the company, as it has been one of the best bone-conduction headphones producing company.

Overall, the battery life is exceptional and that’s why it’s the choice of most runners, cyclists and if you want a pair of comfortable non-invasive headphones then these headphones are a great pick.

Pros	Cons
Waterproof	Low Volume
Comfortable	Thin Bass
Excellent Battery Life
Great Surrounding Awareness

2. AfterShok Air

SPECIFICATIONS
Bluetooth Technology:	Bluetooth 4.2
Behavior with Water:	IP55 Water-Resistant
Battery Life:	6 Hours
Weight:	30 g
Strength:	Comfortable + Lightweight

At the second place on our list of the Best Bone Conduction Headphones for Cycling, we have AfterShokz Air. The AfterShokz Air is the best bone-conduction headphone for swimming available in the market.

Insights of this Gadget:

When most manufacturers are still giving importance to designs with noise isolation and cancellation technology, AfterShokz has broken this trend by promoting situational awareness using bone conduction.

The AfterShokz Air is another wireless headphone that wraps around the back of your neck easily. The design of AfterShokz Air may not be as good as earphones, but the speakers are exceptional.

Speaking of the speakers, these headphones allowing you to hear what’s going on around you, which is kind of a safe option because you’ll know when someone is calling or yelling at you 😁.

On the left-hand side, you will find the mute button which is rather easy to find and even if you are crossing a busy road, you can easily press it. You can easily set up this headphone with a female voice called Audrey and it confirms that the Bluetooth pairing process with a phone had worked.

On each side of the headphone, there’s a small fingertip-sized housing that contains batteries and controls. They also play a role in keeping the AfterShokz Air still on the back of the head. Moreover, the controls are simple too.

On the right-hand side, you will find volume buttons that send a tone to the speakers with every press and a higher pitch tone when the maximum volume is reached. That’s important because being open ear headphones, there’s a risk of sound leakage.

The short battery life of AfterShokz Air is one of the biggest drawbacks of these headphones. But the lightweight design will prove these headphones good in any scenario. The AfterShokz Air is superb in the gym, and even if you’re out on a run in the countryside, these headphones will make the perfect fit.

Pros	Cons
Comfortable Fit	Low Volume
Easy-to-use	A Bit Expensive
Good Battery Life
Great Sound Quality

3. Vidonn F1 Titanium

SPECIFICATIONS
Bluetooth Technology:	Bluetooth 4.1
Behavior with Water:	IP55 Water-Resistant
Battery Life:	6 Hours Play Time and 7 Days Standby
Weight:	0.083 lb. (38 g)
Specialty:	Comfortable Under Swim Cap and Internal Music Storage (only)
Range:	10 meters (30-33 feet)

The 3rd entry on our list of the Best Bone Conduction Headphones for Cycling is a Vidonn Bone Conduction Headphone named Vidonn F1. Let’s see the functionality that Vidonn F1 offers to its users.

Insights of this Gadget:

Even by looking at the packaging, you’ll have an idea of what the F1 model of Vidonn entails. Speaking of the packaging, when you’ll receive the Vidonn F1 the packaging makes a very good first impression as the headphone is packed in a solid and good-looking box.

There’s a plastic holder that makes sure that Vidonn F1 is firmly tied up in the packaging. These headphones are available in black with either gray-blue or yellow accents.

If you’ll buy Vidonn F1 from an authorized distributor, you will be able to enjoy a 30-day refund policy, which is a satisfaction guarantee provided by Vidonn. Not only that but, the Vidonn F1 also comes with a 12-month warranty.

These Bone Conduction Headphones with Mic are lightweight and comfortable to wear, and the build quality of these headphones is a titanium alloy structure that is highly flexible. The black TPU plastic looks durable and of high quality.

For controlling the headphone, you’ll have three buttons. The one is the Play or Pause button, which you can also use to answer phone calls. And the other two buttons are the Volume up and Volume down buttons.

The Play Pause buttons and the flap covering the micro-USB-port are covered with soft plastic, whereas the volume buttons are covered with hard plastic.

Speaking of the sound quality, the sound is a bit weak or sounds like metallic (tinny), and often base gets a little lost. However, if you wear the earplugs with the headphone, you can overcome this issue and you will experience an astonishing difference in the sound quality.

By doing this, you will lose the benefit of hearing other sounds. So, there’s no denying the sound quality of Vidonn F1 (with earplugs) but it just gets a little lost among the background noise. In our testing, the battery life was impressive and according to Vidonn, the headphones have a super amazing battery life of 6-hours.

Overall, the headphones are durable, comfortable, with surprisingly good battery life and if you’re looking to invest in some wireless bone conduction headphones and don’t want to spend too much then these are highly recommended.

Pros	Cons
Battery-life is better than Average	Sound Quality isn’t Good
Durable and Lightweight Build	The Base Often Lost
Great Packaging

4. EKEN E1

SPECIFICATIONS
Bluetooth Technology:	Bluetooth 5.0
Behavior with Water:	IP54
Battery Life:	6-8 Hours
Weight:	0.88 ounces
Range:	10m (30-33 feet)
Strength:	1.5 Hours of Playback with 5 Minutes of Charge

At number four on our list of the Best Bone Conduction Headphones for Cycling, we have EKEN E1. The cyclist rate this as one of the best bone conduction headphones, so, this won’t come as a surprise for most users. Let’s see what it offers.

Insights of this Gadget:

The EKEN E1 comes with a lithium battery of 200mAh that gives a call time of 8-hours and a playback time of 6 hours. The standby with this 200mAh lithium battery is 20 days. The battery will take only 2 hours to charge to its full potential.

The IP54 rating makes sure these headphones resistant to sweat or downpours. The Bluetooth 5.0 module gives more stable and reliable connections than the headphones using Bluetooth 4.2 module. Moreover, you can simultaneously connect up to two devices which has a range of 10 meters.

Controlling these headphones is easy because you have got a track control and volume button on each earbud. Plus, the headphone can automatically play and pause the tracks.

One of the things that we liked about EKEN E1 is, they provide a 30 days free replacement policy which will assist you in returning the headphones if you don’t like them but we don’t think that will ever happen because overall the headphones look great.

The only disadvantage we’ve seen is its low volume, which means it won’t be suitable in noisy environments. But considering the price, these headphones are worth purchasing.

Moreover, if you’ve purchased these headphones from trusted sources, you will get a 12-month warranty as well.

Pros	Cons
Great for Surroundings Awareness	Bad Adjustability
Good Cheap Bone-Conduction Earphones	Mediocre Sound

5. WGP

SPECIFICATIONS
Bluetooth Technology:	Bluetooth 5.0
Behavior with Water:	IP56 Waterproof but not for Swimming
Battery Life:	Up to 6 Hours
Weight:Range:	4.6 ounces
Range:	45 feet Wireless Connectivity
Strength:	Dual Noise Cancellation with 360-Degree Bend

At number five, we have WGP Open Air bone-conduction headphone, which is one of the most affordable and budget choices on our list of the Best Bone Conduction for Cycling.

Insights of this Gadget:

These headphones are even cheaper than Vidonn F1, but the battery life is lower than Vidonn F1. The WGP Open Air bone-conduction headphones have only 5 hours of playback but the great thing is, charging these headphones for 10 minutes will give you 1 hour of playback time, which is quite useful for those who are in a rush.

Another advantage of WGP Open Air is its waterproofing capability because it has an IP56 waterproof rating. These headphones will survive water splashes but not the total submersion.

The design of the WGP Open Air will help you stay alert to your surroundings, avoiding danger, and meanwhile enjoying music.

These headphones have a built-in lithium battery of 170mAh with two hours of recharge that can be used for up to six hours of playing time. The headphone will give you a standby time of 240 hours. But don’t use a high-power charger to charge the battery because this will shorten the battery life of the headphone.

There’s a WGP logo on the left neckband arm, but other than that, there’s nothing special about these headphones. These headphones will give you the same feel as any other generic headphone model, but the only difference is their earpiece size.

With a solid build, the frame of WGP headphones is made of titanium and wrapped in protective silicon.

The IP56 makes it great for all kinds of activities, from cycling to running to other outdoor activities. But these are not great for swimming sessions.

The headphones are a little heavier than Aftershokz but compared to Genso Bone Conduction Headphones and other bone-conduction headphones, these are light enough that are comfortable to wear. This old neckband will provide a stable fit to your skull. What makes these headphones perfect for cycling is, even after wearing them for long hours, they don’t interfere with the helmet and don’t cause any sort of pain.

The sound quality is decent as compared to other bone conduction headphones the sound is decent, however, the absence of bass will be a downfall for these headphones. Other than that, the sound is clear and you can easily listen to the background music.

Pros	Cons
Comfortable and Sweatproof Fit	Issues with the Quality of Sound at Higher Volume Levels
Lightweight than most bone-conduction headphones	Connectivity Issues
Built-in bone-conduction hearing engine
Two Hours to Fully Charge the Battery

6. KppeX BH528

SPECIFICATIONS
Bluetooth Technology:	Bluetooth 5.0
Behavior with Water:	IP56 Waterproof rating
Weight:	28 g
Strength:	Ergonomic Build with 360-Degree Bending Support

A lot of people may not know this brand, but KppeX has proved that it’s worth giving a shot through its lightweight BH528 bone-conduction headphone. This made the sixth spot on our list of the Best Bone Conduction Headphones for Cycling and its’s good for anyone whose priority is value and durability for money.

Insights of this Gadget:

The IP56 waterproof rating makes this headphone an ideal pick for outdoor usage such as Cycling, Running, GYM because it will protect the headphones from dangerous dusty particles and light rain/water sprays. No matter how long your cycling and gym sessions are, the sweat won’t bother these headphones.

However, having said that, it’s not suitable for swimming sessions, but that’s not what we are talking about.

These headphones are very bendy thanks to the silicone sleeve and ABS + titanium alloy. Moreover, you can bend the headphone in 360-degree directions, which means even the twists from violent users can’t do anything bad to the headphone.

What’s more interesting about this headphone is its 28-grams weight which makes it one of the lightest weight bone-conduction headphones, so, you can take it anywhere with you on your long journeys.

The headphones come with great build and sound quality, but when it comes to long call sessions, that’s the area where these headphones lack. The reason is its low microphone volume and for users having high cheekbones, this might be suitable, but not for everyone.

Pros	Cons
360-Degree Bending Support	Mediocre Call Quality
Lightweight and Ergonomic Build
Waterproof and dust resistant

7. AfterShokz Titanium Mini

SPECIFICATIONS
Bluetooth Technology:	Bluetooth 4.1
Behavior with Water:	IP55 Water-Resistant
Battery Life:	6 Hours
Weight:	29 g
Specialty:	7th Generation Bone Conduction Technology and Suitable for Smaller Heads (as well)

At number seven, we have another AfterShokz entry on our list of the Best Bone Conduction Headphones for Cycling named Titanium Mini. Now you may think that it’s the same as Titanium from AfterShokz, then the answer is YES. But there’s a difference in the headband, as in the case of Titanium Mini, it is one-inch shorter.

Insights of this Gadget:

Being a bone-conduction headphone, rather than going over the top of the head, this headphone fits at the back of your head. So, the Titanium (that has a bigger headband) was less comfortable, but the Titanium Mini solves this problem with its shorter headband.

So, the insights of Titanium Mini are pretty much similar to the Titanium and you can check that review in our other article Best bone-conduction headphone for swimming.

Overall, the headphone is perfect for adults with shorter heads and teens. Even at this price, AfterShokz has embedded a Bluetooth 4.1 Module instead of 5.0 and that’s the reason why a lot of people have faced connectivity and audio dropouts issues.

Pros	Cons
Sweatproof and Dust Resistant	Bluetooth 4.1 is a bit old now and seems to have connectivity issues
Flexible Design with Lightweight Build
Support of Pairing Multiple Devices Simultaneously
Long Standby time and Above Par Playback time
A great choice for Listening to Podcasts and Music
Perfect for people with Small Heads

8. AfterShokz Bluez 2S

SPECIFICATIONS
Bluetooth Technology:	Bluetooth 3.0
Behavior with Water:	IP55 Water-Resistant
Battery Life:	6 Hours (Continous Play) and 10 Hours (Standby)
Weight:	1.45 ounces
Wireless Range:	10 meters (33 feet)

Here comes another and the last AfterShokz entry at number eight on our list of the Best Bone Conduction Headphones for Cycling named Bluez 2S. This is an improved version of its predecessor and let’s see what they have improved.

Insights of this Gadget:

AfterShokz Bluez 2S sits on your head quite nicely, and they don’t fall off that easily. The plastic is quite flexible so they’re quite easy to put on, but it might vary depending on the size of your head. The headphones come with an extra plastic band on the back, so it hopefully will help it fit better. However, we can’t guarantee it.

When you turn them on, these Bluetooth headphones impressively pair up instantly. And you don’t need any wires. For charging the battery, you need a Micro-USB cable and AfterShokz has included a short cable included in a box.

It will take around 2 hours to fully charge and you will get around 6 hours of continuous use but if you only occasionally use it throughout the week, then it can easily go a full week of a single charge, and yes being Bluetooth makes these great for exercise and outdoor activities such as cycling. Because it has got the IP55 water-resistant rating and that’s what they’re designed.

Not only that, but you can make calls with it as it has got two non-empty mics and as you can see they’re not the best they are just about decent enough for calls. To prevent sound leakage, AfterShokz has embedded a technology called Leak Slayer, but you should listen to the music in medium volume (max.)

The controls are now moved on the side (as we’ve seen at the back in the previous version) and like other headphones, there’s a voice assistant that guides you about operations such as Headphones are connected successfully or it is disconnected.

Pros	Cons
Sweatproof and Dust Resistant	It’s 2021 and Bluetooth 4.2 or 4.1 is outdated, but why Bluetooth 3.0?
Affordable	Outdated Design
Ease-of-use

Conclusion

If you want sound quality in a bone-conduction headphone, then go with the Air model, but if you want reliable battery life, then go with Aeropex. Its sound is not that bad, but it falls behind as compared to other models.

So, whichever model among these you’ll choose, you’ll enjoy using that because we’ve put these headphones through some serious testing before putting them into this list.

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