Cycling on windy days can be a challenge for even the most dedicated of cyclists. A strong headwind will make your legs think you are climbing Alpe d’Huez during a stage of the Tour de France. Cross winds make it difficult to keep your bike upright—sometimes you have to lean into the wind so much to keep you bike upright it can rattle your nerves. Regardless of what direction the wind is coming from you are going to have difficulty hearing anything because of the noise the wind creates—conversing with fellow riders or hearing cars coming up behind you is extremely difficult. The folks at Cat-Ears created a neat little device that attaches to the straps of your bike helmet to reduce wind noise—and two lucky readers are going to win a pair of Cat-Ears to try out for themselves.
Cat-Ears—Wind Noise Reduction For Cyclists
A few weeks ago I was watching The Tour of California on TV. During the fourth stage of the race one of the announcers said that they were experiencing “incredible winds” of up to 25 KPH (15 MPH). I nearly fell over laughing! I live north of Chicago (“The Windy City”) and ride in stronger winds than that several days a week. As a result, I am always looking for products that will help me ride on windy days.
Cat-Ears are one of the coolest, albeit strangest looking, products I’ve ever reviewed. They are made of small pieces of faux fur and polyester fleece. Cat-Ears wrap around the straps of your helmet and are held in place by a small piece of Velcro. Cat-Ears got their name because they were designed after the pieces of fur in the ears of a normal house cat. When properly attached to your helmet Cat-Ears disrupt the flow of air around your ears and allow you to hear a lot better on windy days. When riding at very low speeds (12 MPH or below) you probably won’t notice any difference when using Cat-Ears, but the faster you ride the more effective they are.
Close-up of Cat-Ears
Cat-Ears is based in Boulder, Colorado and all of their products are made in the U.S.A. (I always love it when I can say that about a product). After writing about a new product I am often asked, “Do they ship to my country?” According to the folks at Cat-Ears, about 20% of their business is international and they have shipped products to: Spain, United Kingdom, Hong Kong, Canada, Mexico, Finland, Norway, Sweden, Australia, Germany, Ireland, Taiwan, Belgium, Netherlands, Slovenia, Czech Republic, France, Hungary, Austria, New Zealand, Italy, and Romania. If you would like to order a pair of Cat-Ears for yourself you can visit the Cat-Ears website—they retail for around $14 to $16 a pair and come in Black, White or Grey.
The folks at Cat-Ears gave me a few extra sets of their product to give away, so if you would like a chance to win a pair of them then leave a comment below telling me why you need them. I have a pair of white Cat-Ears for a female cyclist and a black pair for a male cyclist. The contest ends at midnight (CST) on Friday, June 14, 2013. After the contest closes I will read through the comments and choose the two winners based solely on my mood at the time (humor is highly encouraged). If you don’t need this product yourself you are free to comment on other entries. So I can remain impartial until the contest is over I will not be responding the comments. This contest is for U.S. residents only and only one entry per household allowed. I will send this product to the winners via U.S. Mail at my expense. Good luck!
cyardin
June 9, 2013 at 5:25 AM
I don’t need these, I just don’t trim my sideburns allowing them to grow long and bushy.
bgddyjim
June 9, 2013 at 5:39 AM
Exactly! I never knew I could hear better than other cyclists simply because my wife likes me with long sideburns! Wait till I tell her about this.
Recumbent Zach
June 10, 2013 at 9:53 AM
Sounds like me.
scarver
June 9, 2013 at 7:57 AM
I need these because it will be the closest I’ll ever be to a CAT racer.
Bike around Britain
June 9, 2013 at 12:58 PM
Could have done with these on Orkney, and today when I totally didn’t hear a van coming up behind me on a downhill stretch on my way to Mull. Do they do any other accessories, cat suits with padded posteriors perhaps, or cats tails which could act as some kind of wind turbine to recharge your Mobile as you ride. Cats claws for those icy roads to fox on your tyres. The list could go on.
Recumbent Zach
June 10, 2013 at 11:14 AM
I would like something like that too.
billgncs
June 9, 2013 at 4:14 PM
Yep we call the wind the Chicago hills. A couple weeks ago a couple from Pennsylvania came out and rode with us. Before we headed out into the nearby cornfields they mentioned that after the hills of PA this should be pretty easy.
Well the corn wasn’t high enough to give much of a wind break and the breeze was pretty stiff. About a third of the way through the Chicago hills had left the pair pretty gassed.
As for the cat ears, I suppose I could use them because sometimes I like to hear myself think.
Sandra
June 10, 2013 at 4:04 PM
My coach last year told me that even though we don’t have hills or mountains, we do have winds–sort of the same thing. Technically it isn’t, since the body position is completely different, but still–wind can add so much to a good workout 🙂
Cherry
June 9, 2013 at 5:13 PM
I hope this is not a silly question …. is it itchy on the skin when worn?
All Seasons Cyclist
June 9, 2013 at 8:08 PM
Not at all! Except for the fact you can hear better, you will never know they are on.
Irish Katie
June 9, 2013 at 11:41 PM
Ahhh, where I ride it is not that windy … so I will leave this for someone else. I did want to ask … is Cat Ear the same company as Cat Eye? (Feel free to answer when you post the winner *smiles*)
Ohhh…I have to make sure I breath through my nose and not my mouth or bugs might fly in (I actually DID eat a bug once or twice. Ack!) ….I wonder if we will soon have Cat Mouth?!?!? Hehe.
Laura
June 10, 2013 at 10:56 AM
I have two kinds of Cat Ears – the fuzzy ones (best!) and the Fleece Fingers (second best!). I cannot recommend them enough. I can hear my ride partners as well as upcoming traffic. Plus, my “Elvis Sideburns” are the talk of the ride. 🙂
The lucky winner who gets these will wonder how they ever rode without them.
Irish Katie
June 10, 2013 at 10:26 PM
You so rock Laura!
Tracy Wilkins
June 10, 2013 at 11:13 AM
Holy cow! As if cycling kit isn’t already embarrassing enough! At the ripe old age of 53, my wife and I are already feeling pretty comical at times over our hearing. She’s actually got a little hearing loss from constant ear infections as a kid, so we’re always bickering over the TV and radio volume. She turns it up so loud that it hurts my ears. The tide gets turned, however, when we get into someplace with a lot of ambient noise…I can’t pick her voice out of the background. Unfortunately, that’s what happens on the tandem. Our most common communication is “Whaaat?”.
Luckily, she’s a great stoker and we don’t need to communicate by voice very often! A poke in the ribs is usually sufficient….
Recumbent Zach
June 10, 2013 at 11:54 AM
Yea, the pokes in the ribs will really catch your attention. And you can feel it for awhile afterwards if not careful….lol.
funkstitch
June 12, 2013 at 10:27 AM
I need these because I’m not quirky enough.
elisariva
June 13, 2013 at 6:56 AM
I don’t have side burns! First reason I would benefit from the Cat Ears! I do have cats (black and white) and I see the benefit of the ear fur. I would have something to relate with them. 🙂 I ride in Northeast Ohio – wind is common so they sure would help. Finally my helmet is white, so the ladies white Cat Ears would sure look good on my helmet. Let’s face it, what could be better than to wear white Cat Ears on a white helmet AND be able to hear the comments people make when they see me!
All Seasons Cyclist
June 15, 2013 at 2:12 AM
THIS CONTEST IS NOW CLOSED,
All Seasons Cyclist
June 15, 2013 at 9:37 PM
Congratulations to our two contest winners: billgncs and elisariva. I will ship out the Cat-Ears to both of them this next week!
Sheslosingit.net
June 19, 2013 at 8:47 AM
That’s really interesting. Too bad I can’t grow sideburns!
pedaldad
June 28, 2013 at 5:26 PM
Absolutely hilarious! Are these seriously on sale? Bradley Wiggins was ahead of the innovation curve as well as the peloton when he sported big sidies in last years Tour!
All Seasons Cyclist
June 28, 2013 at 5:39 PM
Yes, these are real! As weird as they look they actually work! Let’s face it, once you’re all kitted up in Lycra, no one is going to notice these any way. Like you said, Bradley Wiggins was ahead of the curve (going to miss him this year at the Tour).
thehomeschoolingdoctor
September 22, 2013 at 10:37 PM
The wind sweeps across South Dakota prairie something awful. We might have to check into these a bit more; we (my husband and I) almost always ride together and talk. But my question is quite silly and has nothing to do with this–but I couldn’t find a spot for it. Is it possible to change the handlebars on my bike? They are uncomfortable for me. We’ve tried adjusting them but it doesn’t help much.
All Seasons Cyclist
September 23, 2013 at 4:38 PM
It is usually no problem to change the handlebars on a bike. However, are you sure that the handlebars are your problem, or might it be the angle of the bars. If it is just the angle or height of the bars, you can get a new stem (the 5″ or 6″ piece that attaches your handlebars to your bike). If you have a mountain bike it is also possible to just get new grips. Here are links to two grips I really like, and they are both ergonomically designed to be kind to your hands: http://wp.me/p1sFbY-Ek, and http://wp.me/p1sFbY-Ek. Ride safely!
thehomeschoolingdoctor
September 23, 2013 at 8:48 PM
I will check those grips out next. My husband adjusted the angle of the bars. Still not really comfortable. It’s like they’re not wide enough or something. I’m no bike expert. Maybe they just need to be higher. When I take it in to the bike shop at the end of the season (I don’t do winter here), I can have them advise me, maybe. Thanks! I’m off to check those links!