One of the most important senses we have as bike riders is our hearing. Whether you’re in a group ride, where other riders are calling out road and traffic hazards, or alone, to keep ears out for vehicles or other rides coming from our rear, our ears are nearly as essential as our eyes.
Bone-conduction headphones—which sit outside the ears and deliver sound through vibration—have been around for some time. But Irvine, California-based Sena has consistently raised the bar on bicycling helmets with integrated speakers. Their newest offering, the S1, blends Sena’s audio technology with the aerodynamic advantages craved by so many road cyclists.
Wind Resistance
Photograph: Michael Venutolo-Mantovani
With a smooth outer shell, the Sena S1 looks, fits, and feels every bit the aero road helmet that has boomed in popularity over the last decade. It’s sleek, with a quintet of front-facing vents and a pair out the back to keep your head cool during hot rides. Its mixture of flat and gloss finishes gives the helmet a modern contrasting style that would look at home in the Tour de France peloton.
It’s light, weighing just 360 grams, and at $229, it’s priced like a higher-end aero helmet, despite the fact that it’s equipped with a pair of over-ear speakers and a microphone, Bluetooth connectivity, a built-in taillight, and Sena’s proprietary Mesh Intercom system, which allows you to communicate with other riders wearing any variety of Sena helmets.
I tested the Sena S1 on one of the stupidest rides I’ve done in a long time: that is, when I set out to ride a hundred miles around a quarter-mile asphalt track near my home. (I’m not totally insane. I swear I was doing it for another story.) For a ride as boring and monotonous as the ¼-mile century I was set to undertake, I needed a bit of distraction. Luckily, I had a Sena S1 sitting in my office.
I’ve never really messed with any sort of headphones while on my bike for a few reasons. First and foremost, safety. I like to hear what’s happening around me, especially when riding on the road. Second, as far as I’m concerned, hearing the wind in my ears, the birds chirp above my head, my tires cruising smoothly over the pavement or crunching the dirt beneath my wheels, is as much a part of the bike-riding experience as turning my pedals. Third, we live in an age in which we’re all subject to a constant onslaught of content. The bike is my sanctuary from all that, a place where no Instagram Reel or hot take on a podcast can find me.
Photograph: Michael Venutolo-Mantovani