Music on the bike, ears still open
If you want audio on a ride, open-ear bone conduction headphones are the way we do it. Your ear canals stay open, so you still hear the car coming up behind you. Keep the volume sensible, and they sit there so quietly you forget you have them on.
Plenty of us like a podcast or a playlist on a long solo ride. The problem with earbuds is that they plug your ears, and on a bike your ears do real work. Bone conduction is a different way of getting sound to you, and once you understand how it works, the reason we ride with it makes sense.
Which Shokz should you get?
For riding, get the Shokz OpenRun Pro 2. It comes in two sizes, and your head measurement picks the size for you: if it measures under 9.25 inches (23.5 cm) from the center of one ear, around the back of your head, to the center of the other, get the OpenRun Pro 2 Mini. Over that, get the standard size.
The Shokz OpenSwim Pro is a different tool. It is built for swimming and stores its own music, because Bluetooth does not work underwater. Get it if you want audio in the pool or open water, and keep the OpenRun Pro 2 for the bike.
How sound gets in without your ear canal
Put your fingers in your ears and hum, and you still hear yourself loud and clear. That sound reached you through the bones of your head, not through the air.
Bone conduction headphones use the same path. Shokz explains that a small transducer rests against your cheekbone and turns audio into small vibrations. Those vibrations travel through the bones near your cheek to your inner ear, the cochlea, bypassing the ear canal and eardrum. Your inner ear hears it like any other sound, and nothing has to sit in or over your ear, which is the whole point.
Open ears, not quiet ones.Shokz is clear that the vibrations still reach your cochlea, which can be damaged by long exposure to loud sound. Safe volume still matters.
Why we ride with them
- You can still hear the roadShokz says the main safety advantage is situational awareness. Whether it is a car behind you, a rider calling out, or someone yelling "on your left," your ears are open for all of it.
- Nothing in your ears for hoursThe band wraps behind your head and the pads sit just in front of your ears. On a long day, that is a lot more comfortable than earbuds.
- They handle sweat and rainShokz rates the OpenRun Pro 2 at IP55, which covers sweat and rain, and that matters around here.
- They are just as good off the bikeUse them to walk the dog with an audiobook or run errands with a podcast on. The Dialed Podcast is a good place to start, if we do say so ourselves.
One note on the road: rules about riding with headphones vary by state and city, so check where you ride.
OpenRun Pro 2 vs OpenRun Pro 2 Mini vs OpenSwim Pro
Here is how the three Shokz models we carry compare on the specs Shokz publishes. The OpenRun Pro 2 and the Mini are the same headphones in two sizes, so most of their rows match. The OpenSwim Pro gives up some battery life for a swimproof build and its own music storage.
| Spec | OpenRun Pro 2 | OpenRun Pro 2 Mini | OpenSwim Pro |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sound | DualPitch | DualPitch | PremiumPitch 2.0+ |
| Battery, hours | 12 | 12 | 9 (6 in MP3 mode) |
| Charging | Full in 1 hr | Full in 1 hr | 10 min gives 3 hr |
| Water rating | IP55 | IP55 | IP68 |
| Music storage | Bluetooth only | Bluetooth only | 32GB |
| Head size, in | Over 9.25 | Under 9.25 | Not listed |
How to pick your OpenRun Pro 2 size
The size of your head decides between the OpenRun Pro 2 and the Mini, not your preference. Shokz sells the Mini as a size option of the OpenRun Pro 2, for smaller heads. To measure, run a soft tape from the center of one ear, around the back of your head, to the center of the other. Under 9.25 inches (23.5 cm), get the Mini. Over that, get the standard size.
Both sizes run DualPitch, which pairs bone conduction for mids and highs with a separate air conduction speaker for bass. Shokz lists the standard size at 30.3g, rates the battery at up to 12 hours, and says it charges in about an hour.
Is the OpenSwim Pro a cycling headphone?
Not really, and Shokz says as much: its OpenSwim Pro page warns that cycling or driving with it may distract you. The OpenSwim Pro is built for the water. Shokz rates it IP68 and swimproof to 2 meters of fresh water, and because water blocks Bluetooth, it plays music from 32GB of built-in storage when you are under the surface. Shokz says that holds more than 8,000 songs.
On land it pairs over Bluetooth like any other headphone, so it still works for a run. Where it earns its spot is with triathletes and anyone who swims laps with music. Shokz recommends soaking it in fresh water for about 30 minutes after open water use to rinse off salt.
The honest downsides
Bone conduction is not perfect, and we would rather you know before you buy.
- Sound quality: they sound good, but a good pair of in-ear headphones goes deeper and fuller, especially in the bass, and that is the trade for open ears. The Pro 2's air conduction bass speaker is how Shokz is working on it.
- Wind: at speed, wind noise competes with your audio. Shokz offers a Volume Boost mode in its app for noisy places, but on a fast descent, we just accept missing a few words.
- Buzz: bone conduction works by vibration, and on some pairs you can feel it at higher volume. Shokz says the Pro 2 has reduced vibrations, and turning it down a notch helps on any pair.
- No noise blocking: open ears mean you hear everything around you, which is great on the bike and less great on a loud bus.
They keep your ears open, but they do not make loud music safe for your ears.
Keep the volume down and your ears open, and enjoy the ride.
Common questions
Are bone conduction headphones safe for cycling?
They are the way we ride with audio, because your ear canals stay open and you can still hear the car coming up behind you. Keep the volume low enough to hear what is around you, and check the rules where you ride, because laws on riding with headphones vary by state and city.
Are bone conduction headphones good for urban cycling?
Yes. In traffic, open ears matter most, since you still hear cars, other riders and someone calling out on your left. The trade is wind noise at speed, and they do not block out a loud street the way earbuds do.
Do bone conduction headphones sound as good as earbuds?
They sound good, but a good pair of in-ear headphones goes deeper and fuller, especially in the bass. That is the trade for keeping your ears open. Shokz pairs bone conduction with a separate air conduction bass speaker in the OpenRun Pro 2 to close some of that gap.
Which size Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 do I need?
Shokz says to measure from the center of one ear, around the back of your head, to the center of the other. Under 9.25 inches (23.5 cm), go with the Mini. Over that, go with the standard size.
What is the difference between the Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 and the Mini?
Shokz sells the Mini as a size option of the OpenRun Pro 2, for smaller heads, not as a separate model. Get the Mini if your head measures under 9.25 inches (23.5 cm) from the center of one ear, around the back of your head, to the center of the other.
Can you use the Shokz OpenSwim Pro for cycling?
It pairs over Bluetooth on land, but it is built for swimming, and Shokz warns that cycling with the OpenSwim Pro may distract you. For riding, we recommend the OpenRun Pro 2. Get the OpenSwim Pro if you want music in the pool or open water.
Does the Shokz OpenSwim Pro use Bluetooth underwater?
No. Shokz says water disrupts the Bluetooth signal, so underwater the OpenSwim Pro plays music from its 32GB of built-in storage in MP3 mode. Shokz rates it IP68 and swimproof to 2 meters of fresh water.
Want to try an OpenRun Pro 2 on before you ride with it? Stop by the Lab, or see every Shokz model we have in stock, OpenSwim Pro included.
Shop ShokzNow if they could just do something about the headwind.