SORRY, COULD YOU SAY THAT AGAIN?
11 August 2005 - Cognitive Sales Consulting

The chances are that as a bike rider, you''ll find yourself saying ''Sorry, could you say that again'' more and more frequently.

Subject yourself to high levels of noise for even a short time and it causes deafness. Most people think of noisy factories, screaming jet engines and rock concerts as the sort of places where this might happen, but the truth is that riding your bike at speeds above about 60mph exposes you to potentially damaging levels of sound. The faster and longer you ride, the worse the problem.

It isn''t engine, exhaust or tyre noise that is the problem, but wind noise, caused by turbulent air flow around the crash helmet. Factors such as a screen, helmet type and head position all having an effect and means that there is no such thing as the ''quietest helmet''.

So, what is the answer ? Currently earplugs are the only viable solution, but have some significant drawbacks...... what about, for example being able to hear urban traffic sounds in built up areas ? These provide vital input to your hazard awareness. Some states in the USA ban the use of earplugs for this very reason. What about being able to use your intercom, MP3 player, or talking Sat Nav ? You have to either suffer from excessive noise, or wear earplugs and crank up the volume even more to hear the audio signal over the noise. It is a real problem, but research is in progress to try and solve it.

If you can spare 3 minutes to help and share your views and experience, go to www.helmet-noise-survey.co.uk, where there is a survey to research this problem, with a £200 prize draw for all participants.

www.helmet-noise-survey.co.uk

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