Best headphones for cycling 2024 indoors and outdoor options

This guide takes you through all you need to know when buying headphones for cycling, including the different designs, features, what to look for and even the law around riding outside with headphones.

If you’re wanting to train indoors while listening to music then you’ll need a set of the best headphones for cycling. However, selecting the right pair for you might not be so straightforward.

Firstly there’s a choice between cabled or wireless. Then you’ll need to assess whether you’d be best off with headphones that go on or in the ear or those that use bone-conducting technology.

Fortunately we’ve tested many pairs and selected the best performers, taking into a variety of considerations including sound clarity, how well they stay in place, the length of the battery life, as well as how they rate in terms of rain/ sweat and dust resistance.

This testing largely took place indoors, and our reviews are focused accordingly, weighing up how they perform while racing on Zwift for example aboard of the best indoor smart bikes. However, we've also included some options suitable for use while riding outdoors.

The Quick List

Best headphones for cycling 

Best headphones for cycling

1. Best for fit

Considered by many as the founder of open ear and bone conduction headphones, Shokz (formally known as Aftershokz) are a household name of this style of headphones, and it has delivered the brand a loyal consumer base.

The stand out feature for me is that you can choose between two headphone sizes. This makes the Shokz a better than average fit. For someone like me with a small head, I often find that there's often a lot of spare headphone band hanging round the back of my neck. Choosing the 'mini' size, which measures half an inch/ 1.5cm smaller (size guide is here) does away with a lot of the 'bounce' issue or jersey collar Vs headphone clash while on a bike. It also makes laying down recovering with them on a better fit.

The full titanium frame and stripped back design allows the weight to be as low as just 28grams, and a smidgen more for the standard size at 29grams.

Sound wise, I found the Shokz OpenRun Pro top notch, which is easier said than done when it comes to bone conducting headphones. If you're outside and descending a hill at speed, wind rush will overcome the headphones, but from my experience of testing several sets of open ear headphones, Shokz are not alone.

As with the other brands of open ear headphones, there is some guesswork to know exactly when they do require a charge, the app does have a one glace exact percentage gauge, but when switching on or following the correct button pressing sequences, an audible alert will let you know if the battery level is high, medium or low.

If fit and sound quality are the main headphone drivers for your open ear bone conducting headphones, then you won’t be disappointed, however, when compared to others, they seem lacking in additional features. When comparing these with the Suunto Wing headphones, which offer things like an additional power bank, integrated LED lighting and provide a much higher ingress rating than the Shokz’s IP55 one. If it wasn't for the fit options, you'd need to weigh up choosing these over other brands, even at the slightly lower price tag. But there are four colourways, and a robust storage case, a must have for headphones in my opinion, might seal the deal.

Read more: Shokz OpenRun Pro bone conducting headphones full review

2. Best for sound

Being air conducting, the Oladance OWS Sports headphones really stand sound wise out from most of the other open ear headphones, which tend to be bone conducting.

I really liked being able to tap in to the range of customisable listening options, such as a heavier bass, a pure voice setting and full suite of customisable equaliser (EQ) setting options to refine my own listening requirements, something that isn't an option with bone conducting headphones.

Air conduction and customisable sound together deliver a really rich listening experience, something that all bone conducting headphones will always struggle to do. It also eradicates the jawbone vibration, which I can find a little distracting at times.

As with most electronic widgets these days, buttons are limited to essentials only, but I found the ability to select my own sequence of button tapping (via the app) to navigate the Oladance headphone interactive capabilities a much easier way to remember how to answer or hanging up on calls, play music, skipping tracks etc.

With an IPX8 rating, the Oladance OWS Sports headphones are technically waterproof, so I was disappointed to discover no inbuilt memory storage, and as Bluetooth doesn’t transmit through water, I wasn't able to take the headphones for a swim.

Oladance have included some nice details into the headphone package, such as a choice of four colours, a protective carry case and a robust braided rope proprietary charging cable.

As with others, it’s only when I open the app that I could tell exactly how much battery charge the headphones have left, but there is at least an audio warning when it gets down to 20 percent which from experience is more than enough for 45minutes of playback time indoors (cooler temperatures might eat this charge a little quicker).

3. Best for handsfree

Squeezing the extra features into the Suunto Wing headphones does mean that they weigh in at the heaviest of the all the open ear headphones on test, but only marginally 33 grams.

I found really straightforward to get started with this pair thanks to the well developed Suunto umbrella fitness app, which made headphone setup a doddle. The easy to follow instructions and toggle buttons meant I had my own listening settings dialled and paired with my phone in just a couple of minutes.

Even with the additional grams in weight, and the inability to choose a smaller size, à la Shokz, the Suunto Wings were still very comfortable, and after a couple of minutes, if it wasn’t for the actual sound, I would have forgotten I was wearing them.

I found the big bonus with these headphones is the hands free control feature. Despite being sceptical at first, it really was as simple nodding or shaking my head to answer or decline a call, or, best of all, the ability to skip a music track. If they allowed me to turn volume up or down it would take these to the next level.

I did find that the sound wasn't as crisp as some of the other headphones on test, notably the Shokz, or the air conducting Oladance OWS Sports headphones. Switching between ‘normal’ and ‘outdoor’ sound control does pump up the jam, improving the ‘distant’ sound quality and making it a little richer, but I found it missed a little depth.

I’ve not tested these up to their claimed 10 hours of playback time, and as with all headphones, it is a bit of a guessing game as to the level of charge. However with the Suunto Wings, not only do you have the usual blast charge, 10minuites on charge provides three hours playback, but you also get a proprietary mini power bank for charging on the fly, giving you an additional 20 hours of charge.

This is a great as standard addition, and would make these my go-to option for bike packing, weekends away or just exceptionally long rides.

Add to this the integrated LED lighting for extra side visibility to other road users as well the high dust and water ingress ratings, means that there’s a lot packed in.

The only down side is that features like these don’t come for free, putting the Suunto Wing headphones into the upper price bracket.

4. Best for staying put

If, like me, you're forever spending time poking in-ear headphones back into place, then the Adidas FWD-02 Sport could be just the ticket for you. I've found this the one flaw of all in-ear headphones. While the wireless feature at least prevents them being chewed up by a rear wheel when dangling from a cable (I can't be the only person that has happened too), I've had to double back on a ride to search for a misplaced headphone, and pause mid session to retrieve a popped earbud from the garage floor. I've even previously tried to counter this problem by wearing a thermal headband in summer to prevent the pop out.

These come with multiple silicon earpieces, meaning if I can find a pair that fit my mini ears, there's a fair chance there is an exact fit for you too in these sports specific headphones.

While silicon size options isn't something new, the likes of the Apple Airpods Pro also offer this, the difference is that the design on the Adidas FWD-02 Sport pair is that they also 'lock' into your ear.

This design provided a very secure fit, that once fitted, they stayed put for the entire time of using. The only thing now is that the headphones are so secure that they created the occlusion effect, amplifying my own internal noises, which I personally find a bit off-putting, especially when trying to listen to a podcast and eating a snack on the move. My top tip is to only wear these when you have banging beats on which will drown out the sound of your pulse in your ears.

They are at the more expensive end of the headphone options, and only offer the same water ingress rating as the Shokz OpenRun Pro pair, but the sound quality is better than bone conducting headphones, and they will lower your distractions/ stress level by not constantly feeling like they're about to eject from your lugholes.

When you do unplug yourself, just make sure you haven't recently been fiddling with mending a flat or fiddling with a chain as once these get grubby, they're not going to clean up without a fight.

5. Best on a budget

As with other bone or air conduction headphones, the Haylou BC01 also comes in at the sub 30 grams mark, 28g to be precise.

Their minimal weight is mostly down to being constructed using a titanium frame, which is standard fair for all the open ear headphones in this guide, but these seemed to have the right balance of flexibility, and compression once reverted back to the original shape. In practice I found they offered just the right level of a secure stay-put fit, even when thrashing about on a static bike trying to get to the end of an effort, heading down a rocky trail, or even when out running) they continue to stay put.

The other area of robustness is in the high IP67 dust and water resistance rating. While I didn't intentionally try and test this rating to breaking point, the headphones withstood getting caught out in the rain and sweaty home sessions and they still functioned perfectly.

The Haylou's do have one of the shorter battery run time compared to other bone conducting, but rarely was I caught short, and when I felt it was a bit low, I just shoved them on a quick 10 minute charge for a couple extra of hours.

The other feature I really found handy is the dual connectivity function. This meant that I could listen to both a music/ sound from the laptop at home and answer incoming calls from my phone, or in most cases ignore calls from my mum who always somehow picks my training window to call for a chat.

Sound wise I found Haylou headphones do have a decent bass and treble, especially for bone conducting headphones, and asking others beside me at home the annoying ‘can you hear that’ question - there seems to be zero sound bleed.

While there may not be flashing LEDs, bespoke power packs or endless battery life, the fact that these are cheaper than most competitors, makes these an excellent option for anyone wanting a great pair of bone conducting headphones without the price tag.

Read more: Haylou PurFree wireless bone conducting headphones full review

6. Best for total sound immersion

The AirPods Pro 2 are without doubt always my go too headphones for the moments when I need total sound immersion as I've found nothing beats the total sound quality in terms of depth or richness.

Clearly they make the most sense if you are already an Apple customer, as I am, making pairing with my iPhone and getting up and riding with them a breeze.

While sound immersion is exceptional, they also have a lot of other features and capabilities such as, some what ironically, a sound 'transparency' mode which allows you to hear the world around at the same time like open ear headphones.

They also feature an Adaptive Audio, which automatically tailors noise control to the surrounding environment. I find this an excellent feature, no more having to tap the correct headphone to get the volume up or down. If it could include the hands free control elements that the Suunto headphones have then these would be pretty close to my perfect.

I personally find the battery life of around six hours sport on, and I find being able to see the exact battery life on my phone screen incredibly helpful. I can even get a good idea of battery life left from the coloured light on the charging case, which provides an additional 30 hours of battery life.

Because even with these two notifications options I still forget to charge them, I love the fact that it's incredibly rapid to boost battery life, even just five minutes (or in my case pop to the loo and put my shoes on) of charging will provide an hour of listening time.

I really do find my Apple Airpod Pro's, best cycling headphones in so many ways as they tick all virtually of my must have boxes, especially the quick and easy way to switch between total sound immersion and active ambient hearing. It's a great feature if you are either out on the road (where it's legal to do so), or like us, training at home when you need to switch between listening out for small children, or not wanting to hear them.

If only I they were more inclined to stay put in my ears.

Read more: Apple AirPods Pro 2 full review

7. Best for use with a helmet

The helmet speakers from Aleck Punks weigh 16 grams apiece and are mounted to the straps of your bike helmet. We found them straightforward to fit and importantly they’ve stayed in place throughout the review period. That said, they are easy to adjust should you want to move them a little mid-ride.

Each speaker has a glove-friendly button that allows you to turn the audio on and off - and we found that it works really well compared to the ‘tap to control’ system used on some earbuds when you’re riding with gloves on.

Pairing easily with our iPhone, the speakers have impressed us with their sound clarity. It’s not quite as crisp as a quality in-ear device, but the trade-off regarding being able to ride with music safely in traffic is more than worth it.

Armed with a IP65 rating, the speakers have lived up to their ‘resistant to sweat, dust and rain’ billing. During our test period of a few months we’ve used them during periods of rain as well taking them on a few trips through the alpine desert and we’ve experienced no obvious signs or wear or loss of functionality.

All told, if you can live with their bulky aesthetic, the benefits of this near-ear system are well worth checking out.

Advice

For everyday use, owning a pair of wireless in-ear headphones, also known as ear buds, can be a game changer. With no tether to your device, you gain a significant amount of freedom of movement. Apple Airpods Pro lead the charge, but the market is awash with options now. From the masses however, the athlete focused Jaybird Vista 2 really stand out as offering some of the best headphones for cycling, not only with its sport fit, sweat and waterproofing, but also the ability to toggle between sound immersion, ambient sound amplification, as well as options in-between.

If sound immersion is your thing, but 'in-ear' isn't, then 'on-ear' will be an ideal pair of headphones for cycling for you. If you have traditionally been put off by the thought of the heavy weight and keeping them clean, then the Adidas RPT-01 Sport On-Ear are ideal headphones for cycling as they feature stay-put ergonomics, sweat-proof and water-resistance design, with washable parts, built for sweaty workouts.

The biggest benefit is that bone conducting headphones leave your ear canal open, helping you to maintain your spatial awareness as well as remaining aware of ambient noises. However, this does mean that there is no noise cancelling/ sound immersion option for someone wanting to completely dial in to their ride.

The down side is that in order to sit in the exact location to transmit the vibrations, they come with a somewhat rigid structure. So although they are considered one of the ideal headphones for cycling outside, there can be helmet interference with the fit.

There are a lot of varieties on the market, with some offering one-touch sound amplification, meaning you don't have to remove the headphones to have an in-person conversation. Built-in mics also mean that it's possible to pair with a device for a call or Discord chat.

However with their size comes the obvious interference with helmets, and therefore they are far from idea to use outside. The other issue that most riders note is the heat build up, so it's important if you do opt for on-ear headphones that you choose a sports specific option, which will aim to be more breathable, sweat resistant and have washable pads.