AfterShokz celebrates 10 years anniversary

How cycling headphones make solo rides more interesting Cycling on your own, particularly on long endurance rides, can be lonely. Listening to music can make you feel more lively and motivated, a cycling-related podcast can replace the conversation with friends. You might wonder how safe you are cycling with headphones if you can’t hear the traffic around you. But fear not, with open-ear bone conduction cycling headphones you can hear ambient sound while still listening to music.   Is it safe to use cycling earphones? Many people worry that restricting one of our key senses, our hearing, makes cycling less safe. You can not hear cars coming up behind you or the audio alerts of vehicles reversing. A lot of cyclists believe cycling with headphones is a complete no-no, which is a shame as we know listening to music during exercise can boost performance. Listening to anything can distract you from the road, whether you are a bike rider or a driver listening to the radio. But with AfterShokz headphones there is nothing blocking or covering your ear canal, so you can still hear and be fully engaged with your surroundings as well as listening to your earphones. If you want to ride with headphones After-Shokz open-ear design helps to make it safer for you. How bone conduction cycling headphones work Unlike traditional earbuds or earphones that use speakers to transmit sound, AfterShokz uses patented bone conduction technology. Transducers send mini vibrations through the cheekbones and deliver sound directly to the inner ear, bypassing the eardrum. With nothing in or over your ears they are amazingly comfortable, even when worn for a long-time. The audio quality is fantastic, it's hard to believe until you try it! You can hear your music or podcast whilst not losing any of your situational awareness. How to wear AfterShokz cycling earphones with your helmet AfterShokz cycling headphones are designed with a secure fit that doesn't get in the way of your helmet or riding glasses. We find the best way is to put your helmet on first and do up the straps, then position your AfterShokz ear hook, followed by your glasses. AfterShokz Aeropex are our flagship sports headphones. With high quality design, water resistance, Bluetooth connection and amazing sound quality they are the best headphones for cycling. What makes a good cycling music playlist? Music when you are cycling can lift your mood, create a distraction from boredom and inspire you to push harder. The best cycling playlists are created for the type of ride you intend to do. If it's supposed to be a gentle recovery ride you are best to avoid the high-adrenaline tracks with a fast beat that encourage you to smash out the efforts! On the other hand, if you need encouragement to push yourself then music with a higher tempo, measured in beats per minute, bpm, will serve you better. For interval workouts 135-140bpm is perfect. There is more advice on choosing the correct tempo here. If you are going to wear headphones on your ride it is a great opportunity to turn-up the volume on all those guilty pleasure tracks that you are too embarrassed to play when other people can hear! The songs that motivate us the most are often cheesy old-classics that we secretly still love! Our pick of the best cycling podcasts An undeniable feature of endurance cycling is boredom. Any practitioner of sportives, road-racing or Ironman triathlon knows that training means long hours in the saddle. However motivated or enthusiastic you are it can become tedious. Steady pace training rides are mentally often the hardest, and this is where a decent podcast comes in. Listening to chat and banter of presenters takes your mind off what you are doing on your bike and provides welcome companionship. Unlike music, where the bpm can subconsciously encourage you to change your pace, talk-shows make it easier to stick to a set effort level. There are loads of cycling podcasts ranging from the serious to the funny. For racing insights and general pro cycling gossip you can't go wrong with The Cycling Podcast. Richard Moore, Lionel Birnie and Daniel Friebe have been around pro cycle racing for decades, they have great access and know their stuff. As they have known each other for years they are able to riff off each other, which makes for a pacy, and occasionally funny, listen. Watt's Occurring with Luke Rowe and Geraint Thomas is the closest you can come to hanging out with pro riders. It's funny and irreverent but also chock full of inside knowledge and cycling experience. We eagerly anticipate each new episode! Our favourite cycling audiobooks There are a host of top-selling cycling books available on Audible so you can take your pick from training manuals to memoirs. In our experience you don't want to listen to anything that requires too much deep concentration so we'd opt for something like The World of Cycling According to G. It's engaging but fairly easy listening. On a long ride you could select endurance phenomenon Sean Conway for company, his book Big Mile Cycling will both keep you amused and offer up some valuable tips. Choosing cycling wireless headphones for audio Whatever you choose to listen to make sure you are doing it with the best wireless headphones for cycling. Check out Aeropex and Xtrainerz. Aeropex are our flagship cycling earphones, UK riders love them and for triathletes Xtrainerz are perfect for swim, run and bike activities. Find out what one athlete thinks here Make your next long-ride more interesting and enjoyable with motivational tunes, funny podcasts and your favourite AfterShokz headphones!

Ultra-distance cyclist Chris Hall tells us about how his AfterShokz Aeropex cycling headphones helped him complete his #107 cycling challenge, cycling 107 kilometres a day for 15 weeks! "Please can you introduce yourself?" "I’m Chris Hall, an ultra-distance cyclist based in London. I started cycling properly 6 years ago. I was never a particularly sporty kid, much more interested in computer games than being outside but whilst I was at University I started cycling to lectures because it was quicker and cheaper than any other mode of transport. I was a student and didn’t really have a lot of spare cash so a bike was the most cost effective way to get around. Slowly after a few long rides I started to really grow to love the sport and eventually became hooked. For me ultra-distance challenges and races appeal as they test you both physically and mentally." "How did you come up with this cycling challenge and what was your goal?" "I do a lot of fundraising for a children’s school which looks after kids with cerebral palsy and other motor based disorders. The Pace Centre is a charity which looks after these 107 kids and their families with the goal to offer them the best education and opportunity in life. This year (2020) was the 107th edition of The Tour De France so I wanted to do something to support Pace around the Tour. My original plans were changed because of the global pandemic we are in but I’m incredibly pleased I managed to make something work. In the end I cycled the length and width of the UK." "What was this cycling challenge about?" "The rules were simple, to cycle a minimum of 107 miles every day that the 2020 edition of “The Tour De France” was on, It meant I could have rest days when the pros did as well but also meant I was cycling further than the total distance of The Tour" "Tell us the toughest part and what sustained you to finish the challenge?" "The challenge overall was incredibly tough. I intentionally made it as hard as I could! The weather conditions weren’t the best, especially in Scotland and the continual impact of riding 107 (plus) miles every day for 20 odd days meant there was a huge build up of fatigue. With about three days left to go, I knew I was physically pretty done but mentally I always knew I would finish it. The challenge was for a more than worthy cause and thinking of the children my fundraising supported was enough to keep me going." "What’s your advice to people who want to undertake a similar cycling challenge?" "Train for it, work with a coach and understand that there will be failures and issues. Be prepared for the mental battles you will have, not just the physical ones. These kinds of challenges ultimately become eating contests. You have to consume so much food to keep going - it sounds great being able to eat that much, but actually it is hard work. The more fuel on the fire, the longer it will last." "Does listening to audio on your cycling headphones help your motivation?" "Massively so. With AfterShokz headphones cycling time passes more easily. I listen to music and podcasts throughout my rides. It’s a great way to focus and keep motivated, especially on the longer sessions. I also find it a good way to distract and occupy my mind which is so important in ultra-distance cycling. I’m someone who often doubts myself so being able to keep that at bay is important to me." "Why did you choose AfterShokz cycling headphones?" "A big reason was the safety aspect, being able to hear what is going on around me whilst riding is incredibly important. Bluetooth bone conduction headphones means my ear canal is not blocked so I can still hear ambient noise. Another one is that I’m part deaf, so normal headphones never sound too great. The bone conduction technology in Aftershokz cycling earphones really does help me hear music a lot better than I have before." "You’ve been using AfterShokz Aeropex headphones for 8 hours a day - how do you like them?" "They’re a great product! A lot of the time people ask if they are comfortable to cycle with, especially when you have glasses, the headphones and the helmet straps. I have never found this an issue and in all honesty I often completely forget about them, they have a really secure fit. If they are so comfortable you can forget you are wearing headphones, that means it is a fantastic product! The BlueTooth connection is totally reliable and the sound quality excellent, they really are my most-trusted wireless earphones." "Tell us one thing you really like about Aeropex cycling headphones?" "For me the big thing with all Aftershokz products is the bone conduction technology. Like I mentioned previously, being part deaf I have often struggled with the sound quality coming to my ears. The bone conduction technology has honestly changed how I listen to music and podcasts. When I first tried them I asked my friends to suggest a bunch of songs to listen to and it really blew me away." "What would you like to see improved in the next generation of cycling earphones ?" "One thing I’d love to see improved is the battery life. It’s already incredibly good, with hours of playback, but for multi-day bike-packing trips where I may not be able to charge anything for several days it would stop me worrying so much about how much I can listen to music." "Lots of people ask how to wear bone conduction headphones cycling with a helmet, can you tell us the best way to wear them?" "I get asked this one a lot too. For me the best way I have found is first of all to put on your helmet and do up the strap. Then put your Aftershokz wireless headphones on over the strap then, finally your sunglasses. That order seems to work perfect for me and I have no issues! It's another reason they are the best headphones for cycling!" "You seem like a bike rider who enjoys a cycling challenge! What’s your next goal?" "This is literally my most hated question as everyone likes to know what’s next haha! I take most of December off from cycling with Christmas and my Birthday. I think it’s incredibly important to have a break in the winter months, to maintain winter cycling motivation and to stay motivated for the rest of the year. With the current global pandemic travel plans for 2021 may be a bit restricted, much like this year but fingers crossed I can make a few of the ideas I have in place happen!" Find out more about Aeropex cycling headphones and buy yours here

2021 is approaching fast! We appreciate all of our customers and look forward to seeing you all again this upcoming season. We are very happy to share with you some of the things that AfterShokz is proud of in 2020. PRODUCTS In 2020, we released two products, OPENMOVE and OPENCOMM. AfterShokz explored the possibilities of bone conduction, allowing bone conduction to be used in more areas of our lives. With up to 683 patent applications, be ready for the mind-blowing bone conduction headphones next year! We've expanded our market up to 55countries, you can now purchase easily from big channels like Costco / Bestbuy / Mediamarkt / QVC, etc. Our customer review rating has now hit 4.7 on Amazon We established new official websites in Germany and Netherland. We sold nearly 2M products. AfterShokz hopes to bring youmore convenient sales services. SOCIAL We enthusiastically serve 791,382 fans on various channels, providing customers with the latest brand information. In difficult times, we’ve held 3 Strava Challenges in 7 different countries with over 331,655 participants. We’ve held 17 Facebook Lives, hoping that everyone can still maintain a healthy and positive attitude and be able to face difficulties. MEDIA AfterShokz products are endorsed by Forbes, The Guardian and many other global media in 2020. “The Aftershokz headset is a breath of fresh air and keeps ears cool and hearing sharp.” “This is great from a safety perspective and comes with surprisingly little compromise on sound quality, which is excellent.” “AfterShokz headphones are comfortable to wear for several hours at a time, including with wraparound sunglasses.” "The Aftershokz headphoneare the best bone conduction sports headphones you can buy right now.” We are looking forward to another successful year in 2021! Hope that we can still accompany each other to grow together in the future.