Tried It: WindBlox bike helmet wind deflector

These bicycle helmet accessories are, as promised, easy to install and swap between. 

First up a disclosure: Windblox sent me these for free to try. They are not otherwise paying me for this review. Also the links are Amazon affiliate links, and a I'll earn a small commission if you click them and then buy stuff. 

These are shaped sleeves that fit over the straps of a bicycle or skate helmet to block out the wind and the cold. For those of you with a short attention span, let me give you the TLDR version. The standard Windblox do a good job of reducing wind noise at high speeds and would be a good gift for a cycling enthusiast that already has everything. The winter ones didn't do as much to reduce wind noise, but they are an A+ warmth bonus. 

The first ones I tried were the standard version. They're basically a sleeve that fits over the helmet strap in front of your ear. A bit of stiff foam inside the sleeve creates a windbreak right in front of your ear. The stiff foam side goes against your head--I had them facing out at first and that doesn't work. 

As I rode around at normal cruising-around-the-neighborhood speeds, I didn't hear a difference. Still had the normal amount of whooshing, and pulling them away from my head caused no appreciable change. They were, however, entirely unobtrusive from a comfort standpoint. But when I actually got some speed going downhill--speeds that any serious cyclist would cruise at or above on a rail trail or some such thing--then the difference became apparent. 

The higher frequency wind noises were almost entirely gone. My ability to hear the rest of my surroundings, things like traffic, doors, sirens in the distance, was greatly improved. As soon as it warms up, these are going back on my helmet--the winter version is staying on for now (see below).

Being totally honest, wind noise hasn't been a big concern for me on the bicycle thus far. On my motorcylce though, absolutely. Back when I had a Honda Shadow 600, I wore a proper DOT helmet. But a LOT of motorcycle riders wear something not much different than a skate helmet with a fake DOT sticker; I don't endorse that practice, but the Windblox would make that a nicer experience. 

If you have a serious cyclist to buy for, this would make a good gift for them. The Serious Cyclists™ I know are hard to buy for because they've already gotten themselves all the gadgets they need and the real gear is beyond gift price ranges. These are affordable, and I've never seen them before so I doubt most people have them.

The winter ones though, that's what I'm legit excited to have. Instead of just blocking in front of your ears, the stiff foam is a U shape. It's earmuffs that velcro on to your bike or skate helmet, and they are just the coziest. In Baltimore, it's always a battle for me: do I bother to put on a cowl or balaclava, or do I just deal with cold ears?

These will carry me through most of my winter riding with toasty ears. For some reason they didn't reduce wind noise much at high speeds, but I don't care because my ears were warm and comfortable. Like the standard versions, they have an unobtrusive fit. Because the black ones Windblox sent match my black helmet, they look like they came as an optional accessory for the helmet.

And that is actually why if these are intriguing you, you may want to get them soonish. Both the standard version and the winter version feel and look like things that should come with a nice new helmet from a good manufacturer. It wouldn't surprise me at all if Giro, Smith, or some other helmet company came along and bought Windblox to give themselves a competitive advantage. 

So, in summary: The standard Windblox do what they say and cut down a lot of high-speed wind noise. For the casual cyclist, they wouldn't make a big difference. But for anyone that goes fast, they would. The winter ones are a really nice upgrade to my helmet and could completely replace all the various cowls and other things I've bought just to keep my ears warm on the bike in winter. At $16 and $20 as of this writing, I think they're a good deal.