Haylou PurFree wireless bone conducting headphones review – the biggest challenger to the Shokz OpenRun is significantly cheaper

An viable user friendly alternative to better known brand options

This image shows the Haylou PurFree wireless bone conducting headphones on a wooden table
(Image credit: Hannah Bussey)
Cycling Weekly Verdict

As the quote goes 'competition is always a good thing. It forces us to do our best.' and the Haylou PurFree wireless bone conducting headphones are a prime example of that. They have certainly stepped up to the mark of the more familiar brand Shokz and match them feature for feature. We need more time with the headphones to reassure ourselves of their durability, but for now, making the choice between the two mostly boils down to whether you need Bluetooth multipoint or a protective case more. Personally, I would probably opt for whoever had the best deal on at the time.

Reasons to buy
  • +

    Secure fit

  • +

    Lightweight and comfortable to wear

  • +

    Great sound quality, without noise bleed

  • +

    Bluetooth multipoint for syncing with two devices at once.

  • +

    Team well with glasses.

Reasons to avoid
  • -

    Limited battery indication notification

  • -

    No protective case

You can trust Cycling Weekly. Our team of experts put in hard miles testing cycling tech and will always share honest, unbiased advice to help you choose. Find out more about how we test.

Headphones and cycling have mixed press, but the Haylou PurFree is another option that stands to unite those divided factions. 

A growing number of the best headphones for cycling with sound – including the Shokz Openrun – are taking advantage of wireless bone-conducting technology, which has really been a game changer.

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Hannah Bussey

Hannah is Cycling Weekly’s longest-serving tech writer, having started with the magazine back in 2011. She has covered all things technical for both print and digital over multiple seasons representing CW at spring Classics, and Grand Tours and all races in between.


Hannah was a successful road and track racer herself, competing in UCI races all over Europe as well as in China, Pakistan and New Zealand.


For fun, she's ridden LEJOG unaided, a lap of Majorca in a day, won a 24-hour mountain bike race and tackled famous mountain passes in the French Alps, Pyrenees, Dolomites and Himalayas. 


She lives just outside the Peak District National Park near Manchester UK with her partner, daughter and a small but beautifully formed bike collection.