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Path: utzoo!linus!decvax!decwrl!hood@aieio.DEC (State o'Mind Inn-keeper)
From: hood@aieio.DEC (State o'Mind Inn-keeper)
Newsgroups: net.cycle
Subject: bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz  (noise)
Message-ID: <526@decwrl.UUCP>
Date: Mon, 23-Sep-85 00:29:16 EDT
Article-I.D.: decwrl.526
Posted: Mon Sep 23 00:29:16 1985
Date-Received: Wed, 25-Sep-85 11:41:16 EDT
Sender: daemon@decwrl.UUCP
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation
Lines: 47


After spending about fifteen  hours on my bike this weekend touring fall in 
New England, I just remembered why I haven't done that in a while... 

bzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.   (That's the sound of my ears
still ringing.) 

I've got a fairly quiet Nava helmet, but there's still a hell of a lot of 
low-frequency noise (LOUD low-frequency noise) from wind around the bottom 
of the helmet.  I've tried several things:
	- Changing helmets (The Nava is lots quieter than the Shoei,
	  but still entirely too noisy after a while.)
	- Putting weatherstripping around the bottom foam of the 
	  helmet to seal it against my head.  (The weatherstripping
	  doesn't really seal very well;  it doesn't really stay on
	  the helmet too well, either.  It did seem to excel at sticking
	  to my beard.)
	- Using cotton balls in my ears.  (Reduces the noise slightly,
	  but not enough to make up for the discomfort of having
	  cotton balls in your ears).

The helmet noise I'm hearing isn't too bad at city speeds (20-40 mph), but
on highways and back roads it really builds up.  I can completely eliminate
this noise by putting a finger just at the base of the helmet.  The noise
is amost exactly that that in a car when the windows are open just a
little.  This is NOT a whistling nose around the shield. 

Two questions:
	* Anyone know of an overstuffed helmet (around the ears especially)
	  to help reduce that noise?
	* What about ear plugs? (legal?, riding safe? medically safe?
	  effective?) 

----------------------------------------------------------------------

My recommendation for best biking back road in North America:  Vermont Rte
12 from Woodstock to Montpelier.  Beautiful scenery, 50 mph speed limit,
nice curves, no traffic at all.  (Rte 12 runs parallel to, and about a mile
west of, Interstate 89.) 
Most interesting road built for speeds *vastly* above the posted limit:
Interstate 89 from Concord, New Hampshire to Montpelier, Vermont.  Wanna
see how fast your bike'll go?...  (Just watch out for picture-taking-while-
-driving tourists.)

----------------------------------------------------------------------

				Tom Hood, DEC, Littleton, Mass.