Custom Made ear plugs question?

[BTBR]

I had some custom made earplugs done by Green Leopard yesterday, 10/10 for effort and attention to detail I have to say.

One question to those that already wear them or similar types, can you describe how they feel when you are riding?

My problem is that I have quite sensitive ear canals and are quite prone to swelling up if messed abouted with, so after 2 or 3 hours of trying earplugs in & out they had started to get tender to say the least.

On my 70 mile ride home, I noticed that when ever I looked over my shoulder, prior to overtaking etc, the earplugs seemed to go in that little bit further? Plus they were started to irratate me, prehaps I just need to get used to having my ears blocked up with a wedge of silicon......dunno??

The next plan of action is to leave my earlpugs out for the next few days to let any swelling or tenderness subside, then try them again.

If not any better then its back to Green Leopard to have them maybe reshaped or even remoulded.

Any thoughts?

BTBR

 

[Reggie]

Hi BTBR,

I had a pair made at the NEC bike show and have worn them many times without complaint. I find them very effective and comfortable in use. I also have sensitive ears and have had three ear operations (that's 3 operations on one ear and not 3 ears!), so if anyone was likely to have problems it would be me.

I've always been happy with the fit of the ear plugs and have never felt like they've moved in place.

regards

Reggie AKA the Cameraman

 

[GSmonkey]

I'd just give 'em time....takes a bit of getting used to. In the end you'll find them much more comfortable than the squishy disposable ones. They don't offer quite as much sound attenuation, but you don't know you've got tham in.

 

[Jimb]

BTBR

1. Do you have speakers in your lid ?

2. Have the plugs been made to fit inside your ear bowl ??

3. How long is the canal part, it should only be as long as the first bend in the canal.

When moulded we always make them bigger than the final size, materiel can always be cut off but can't be put on.
I make the ear bowls slimmer for bikers to allow the gristle to flex a bit when the lid is on.
If its a bit long then it can be cut back a bit and 1mm makes a lot of difference, leave it a few days then try 'em again if you get irritaition go back to your supplier and they'll fix it.

Jim Brown - Green Leopard Sheffield

 

[BTBR]

Re: BTBR

1. Do you have speakers in your lid ?

2. Have the plugs been made to fit inside your ear bowl ??

3. How long is the canal part, it should only be as long as the first bend in the canal.

When moulded we always make them bigger than the final size, materiel can always be cut off but can't be put on.
I make the ear bowls slimmer for bikers to allow the gristle to flex a bit when the lid is on.
If its a bit long then it can be cut back a bit and 1mm makes a lot of difference, leave it a few days then try 'em again if you get irritaition go back to your supplier and they'll fix it.

Jim Brown - Green Leopard Sheffield

Jim

In answer to your questions:-

1) Yes I do, and the outside edge of the ear plugs were cut down a couple of time coz the Autocom speakers were pushing against them.

2) Not sure what you mean about the depth? When Aiden was fitting them, he pushed the little piece of black foam/spronge with the two bits of thin string attached, in quite deep, in fact it seemed to go in a hell of a long way in if thats what you mean??

Plus, they are bloody tight to "screw" in to situ, but that now might be due to the canals being swollen and thus narrower?

3) From the outer face of the plug, to the tip of the plastic tube for the filter is 24mm, if that means anything?? But I would agree I think that they need to be cut back a little.

Thanks for the help Jim

Cheers

Alan

 

[BTBR]

Does this explain any better??

Hopefully, a picture will detail it better?

 

[cookie]

i too found my custom plugs (not green leopard BTW) were very uncomfortable at first. made my ears tender.

i got used to them after a few rides and they are fine now.

 

[sparkplug]

I don't think the measurement is going to be helpful as everyone's ears are different!

I think it is normal to have a bit of soreness to start with. I find that if I've had a cold and ride for more than an hour or two they can be a bit sore by the end.

They should be snug when you screw them in but they shouldn't hurt as you push them into the ear canal.

My advice would be to stick with it for a while to see if you do get used to them but if they are still hurting you after a few weeks get them altered!

 

[steve silk]

Make sure you don't put in the wrong way round, (upside down, back to front, left in right, right in left)

 

[BTBR]

Make sure you don't put in the wrong way round, (upside down, back to front, left in right, right in left)

Arrrrr...that must be the problem then, I have been holding the pointed end and forcing the large flat area in first?

BTBR

 

[Noel]

Give Green Leopard a call and check with Haydon see what he says, top company he would not be pleased if your not.

 

[garyfzs]

Dont just push them in, if you luck at them they have a natural curve to them, i turn them in the direction of the curve as i fit them
Gaz

 

[BTBR]

Well I used them today for the first time since the weekend, they did feel a lot better I have to say.

Still quite tight to get into place though, but a bit of spit always helps does'nt it??

My journey to work is only 18 miles so its still to early to make up my mind, but I still think that a liitle bit needs to be cut from the overall length and the "plug-in" bit just shaved down a touch. As I am quite concious that when they are in place they are expanding the walls of the ear canal outwards, on a longer journey I suspect that this will aggrevate them.

We'll see..........

Saying all that, I am still as pleased as punch with them and the level of service from Green Leopard, its just a fine tuning exercise now thats all.

BTBR

 

[bgregor]

Still quite tight to get into place though, but a bit of spit always helps does'nt it??

Not a good Idea.

Spitting is the worst thing you can do. I remember an article a few months back in the Ride mag saying that using some spit can cause ear infections and lead to other problems.

 

[Deleted account rno]

bgregor..like the Avator. Where did you get the pic?

 

[boundless]

The ear canal is a bit of a tricky zone that our illustrious heritage has bequeathed us.

There's two inbuilt design problems that have a direct bearing on the amount of discomfort you might get from wearing a foreign body inside this part of your anatomy for any significant part of any one fine day.

First off the canal, which contains a fair amount of skin and gristle (and hopefully a central column of air) is contained absolutely within a fairly long but hopelessly rigid containment vessel, namely the bone of your skull. It's a tunnel into the squishy parts inside your head and if the smidgenest amount of swelling occurrs there's just simply nowhere to accommodate the expansion. Result: unfeasibly horrid pain.

Secondly there's a delicate transport system designed to prevent old dead skin accumulating within the canal which would result in blockage and thence deafness. This transport system is very canny when it works and basically involves an almost magic conveyor belt of liquid wax moving endlessly outwards. Unfortunately however this waxen conveyor belt is easily upset by a whole host of variances from the normal ideal climate. Excessive amounts of salt, water, dust and plain ordinary poking about will cause the wax conveyor belt to have a hissy 'Longbridge Friday'. Result: unfeasibly horrid pain. It's called otitis externa.

Some people get it often; some rarely. It depends on the ratio of your skin shed rate to the amount of spare space capacity in your tunnels. If we were to all snorkel three times a day in the Dead Sea for a week without rinsing regularly with fresh water, then we'd all get it: unfeasibly horrid pain.

The remedy? Respect what lies within. The wax transport system needs only three things:-

A. A dry clean environment for a significant portion of the day.

B. Prompt removal of any noxious chemicals that stray in, especially hygroscopic ones (eg salt).

C. Not on any account to be poked or scraped internally with anything sharper or smaller than your own elbow.

Go figure.

That said; I've had Ultimate Ear 'squidgies' permanently in for many hours everyday since Christmas and so far it's hasta la vista to the unfeasibly horrid pain. (Part of it may well be that they are much easier to keep scrupulously clean in between insertions than cheaper types. Reinoculating yourself every morning with the previous days stale wax, as happens with the (ahem) disposable foam type wasn't nice and it wasn't clever.)

 

[bgregor]

bgregor..like the Avator. Where did you get the pic?

I was on holiday 2 years ago in south Germany. I happened to be walking past the gardeners shed in the complex and saw this calendar on the wall with this picture. I thought my mate would like a copy as he is a landscape gardener, so I went back for my camera.
I was right he did like it, I had to print up 2 A4 size pictures and Laminate them so he could put them up in his trailer and shed.

I then thought it would make a good Avatar, and I have had a few comments about It since I started using it.

 

[BTBR]

The ear canal is a bit of a tricky zone that our illustrious heritage has bequeathed us.

There's two inbuilt design problems that have a direct bearing on the amount of discomfort you might get from wearing a foreign body inside this part of your anatomy for any significant part of any one fine day.

First off the canal, which contains a fair amount of skin and gristle (and hopefully a central column of air) is contained absolutely within a fairly long but hopelessly rigid containment vessel, namely the bone of your skull. It's a tunnel into the squishy parts inside your head and if the smidgenest amount of swelling occurrs there's just simply nowhere to accommodate the expansion. Result: unfeasibly horrid pain.

Secondly there's a delicate transport system designed to prevent old dead skin accumulating within the canal which would result in blockage and thence deafness. This transport system is very canny when it works and basically involves an almost magic conveyor belt of liquid wax moving endlessly outwards. Unfortunately however this waxen conveyor belt is easily upset by a whole host of variances from the normal ideal climate. Excessive amounts of salt, water, dust and plain ordinary poking about will cause the wax conveyor belt to have a hissy 'Longbridge Friday'. Result: unfeasibly horrid pain. It's called otitis externa.

Some people get it often; some rarely. It depends on the ratio of your skin shed rate to the amount of spare space capacity in your tunnels. If we were to all snorkel three times a day in the Dead Sea for a week without rinsing regularly with fresh water, then we'd all get it: unfeasibly horrid pain.

The remedy? Respect what lies within. The wax transport system needs only three things:-

A. A dry clean environment for a significant portion of the day.

B. Prompt removal of any noxious chemicals that stray in, especially hygroscopic ones (eg salt).

C. Not on any account to be poked or scraped internally with anything sharper or smaller than your own elbow.

Go figure.

That said; I've had Ultimate Ear 'squidgies' permanently in for many hours everyday since Christmas and so far it's hasta la vista to the unfeasibly horrid pain. (Part of it may well be that they are much easier to keep scrupulously clean in between insertions than cheaper types. Reinoculating yourself every morning with the previous days stale wax, as happens with the (ahem) disposable foam type wasn't nice and it wasn't clever.)

boundless,

What a reply!..... truly excellant, that certainly explains things a whole lot better, guess I need to chuck the cotton buds away then.

I sent my earplugs back to GL last week to have them reworked and have the length cut down a little, just need to get them returned and we'll try again.

Thanks again

BTBR