I love listening to music, podcasts, and audiobooks when I’m riding my e-bikes. Depending on the type of ride I’m doing, I’ve got an affinity for all of them. But I also love not getting hit by a car. And those two goals don’t always work well together.
Traditional earbuds and headphones can be great for audio quality, but they also have a nasty habit of disconnecting you from the world around you. On an e-bike, situational awareness is a key part of staying safe. Hearing a car approaching, a cyclist calling out a pass, or a pedestrian running into your path can make a real difference.
That’s why I’ve become such a fan of bone conduction headphones, and after spending time with the TRI 2 Pro Multi-Sport with Playlist+ headphones from H2O Audio, I think I’ve found my favorite pair yet.
The concept behind bone conduction headphones is pretty fascinating. Instead of sending sound into your ears through speakers, they transmit vibrations through the bones in your skull, allowing your inner ear to interpret the sound. The result is that your ears remain completely open to the outside world while you’re still enjoying your music.
For bike riding, that’s a huge advantage.
I’ve been using the TRI 2 Pros on rides all over the city, and I quickly got into a routine that perfectly highlights why I like them so much. I’ll ride out to the beach on my e-bike while listening to music, lock up the bike, go for a run, and then hop back on for the ride home. The same headphones handle everything seamlessly, keeping me aware of cars around my while I’m on my bike and then keeping me aware of other potential dangers and obstacles on my runs. I’ve got great audio the entire time, but at no point do I feel disconnected from my surroundings.
That’s really the magic here. Unlike earbuds that isolate you from the environment, these keep you plugged into your music while still letting you hear traffic, other cyclists, pedestrians, and everything else happening around you.
The TRI 2 Pro is designed as a true multi-sport headset. It’s built for cycling, running, swimming, paddling, surfing, snowboarding, and pretty much any other outdoor activity you can think of. The lightweight neckband design stays securely in place, and I found the fit comfortable enough to forget I was wearing them after the first minute.
Sound quality is surprisingly good for bone conduction technology. No, they aren’t going to compete with high-end over-ear headphones in a quiet room. That’s not the point. The point is that you can enjoy clear, enjoyable audio while maintaining full situational awareness, and the TRI 2 Pros do that exceptionally well.
One feature I particularly appreciated is the built-in storage. The headphones include 8 GB of onboard memory, enough for roughly 2,000 songs or around 130 hours of music. That means you don’t necessarily need your phone with you if you want to head out for a workout. I pretty much always have my phone with me on rides, but for running, not needing to have my phone in my pocket is a big advantage.
The Playlist+ feature takes that concept a step further by allowing offline playback of streaming music. Combined with the built-in MP3 player, it gives you multiple ways to leave your phone behind if you want to travel lighter.
Bluetooth connectivity worked flawlessly during my testing, and battery life was solid. H2O Audio rates the headphones for up to nine hours of Bluetooth playback or around six hours in memory mode, and that was more than enough for even my longest ride-and-run sessions. I love that I can get by with charging them barely once a week instead of every few days.
The headphones are also fully waterproof with an IPX8 rating, meaning they can actually be submerged underwater. I’m not a swimmer, so I let my brother-in-law borrow them for a water test while swimming laps, and he came back with two soaking-wet thumbs up. As for me, I’ve gotten caught in torrential downpours both while running and while on my bikes, and so it’s nice to know that rain, sweat, or even accidental dunks aren’t likely to be a problem, even if I probably won’t go fully submerged in them. But if swimming is your sport, you’re good to go with waterproofing.
The soft silicone finish also makes them comfortable for longer workouts. They’re slimmer than previous generations and feel refined rather than bulky.
I’m honestly trying to find something to complain about here, but it’s difficult when I genuinely enjoy using them this much. Sure, if I was a serious audiophile then I’d poo-poo the limited bass compared to heavy over-the-ear headphones, but that’s not the point of why someone would use these. So I’m left with saying that the biggest downside I can find is really just the price.
At $219, these aren’t impulse-buy headphones. There are certainly less expensive audio options out there.
However, H2O Audio is currently running a Father’s Day promotion through June 22nd with the code BESTDAD25 that takes 25% off site-wide. And apparently, they don’t even check whether you’re actually a dad!
So yeah, you’ve got to pay a pretty penny, but you get some really awesome headphones that have totally upgraded my rides… and my runs!
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