So, the choices are endless and prices range from pennies to £100’s. But which really are the best headphones for ROAD running.
I’m not being anti-social it’s just that I know my training will have solo runs and I just get bored. So I need new headphones. Please let me know your thoughts. I’m not too fussed about price if I know I’m getting something worthwhile.
I don’t really want to cut other sounds out completely because I’ll be running to/from the office a day or 2 a week.
Well, I just use the £5 Kitsound ones from Tesco. Then when they inevitably die after use & abuse, it’s no biggie.
Airpods for me, even though they make you look and sound like a twat 
I originally got some Sony’s that had brilliant reviews but the sound quality was terrible and they were huge, so got the Airpods, I’ve had no problems even doing reps in them. Also pair with my Garmin if I don’t want to take the phone.
I think there’s a few ripoff versions now but no idea about sound quality or battery life on them.
Jeff
I got some Powerbeats wireless Pro from work and they are absolutely tremendous. At £219 though I certainly wouldn’t be buying a pair myself and am praying I don’t lose them!
Similar to Jorgan, cheap JVCs for about £6, they go in your ear but have a hook that goes over the top so really secure when running.
I sweat a lot so can’t imagine using anything that covers my ears and don’t think anything would last long, however expensive.
Thanks for the replies. I used to do just the standard cheap ones but I’ve been through a few pairs and feel that I’m just wasting money now, so started looking at the more expensive options. Just unsure of the actual value in spending that kind of money.
Also looked at those Aftershokz bone conduction ones - wasn’t sure.
The AirPods have the best score on Which so it may be an option - even with the twat factor 
I also sweat a lot so I am worried the airpods will be history at some point, preferably before the warranty runs out. I was also spending money on cheap ones that didn’t stay in or got irritating and broke quickly.
Jeff
I don’t own airpods, but the gf does. I have tried them just lying on the beach, and can’t see how they’d be secure when running. The fact you can’t change the fit means it’s surely hit and miss in that front. A colleague at work has them and says they’re useless for running (for him) for this reason.
I have jabra elite active 65. They’re awesome. Best fit I’ve had with earbuds after trying the various tips. The twist to lock process of putting them on works nicely. I’ve run hundreds of kms in them and they’ve not come close to falling out.
A quick double tap and you can switch between passive noise cancelling and an active noise pass through. It effectively uses the speakers in the buds to let you hear the outside world. Good for running on busy streets, or ordering a coffee and speaking with a server without removing them.
They can connect to two BT devices at the same time as well.
I sweat loads, and not a single issue so far.
I got them on amazon prime day for £107. They were the same price during black Friday. You can definitely get them well below the £170ish rrp
I’ve got a pair of Aftershokz Trek Titanium. I’m very impressed. The sound quality it decent and you’re not blocking out the external noise. I think they were just under £100. I couldn’t see any real benefits for spending more on the higher spec models.
Been using Aftershokz for 3 years, now on 2nd pair as originals died after 2 1/2 years.
Sound quality is OK, get a bit of vibration with bass heavy tunes turned up loud. Fit is excellent, easy to forget you have them on. Microphone works well for calls on the move.
Managed to pick 2nd pair up for£59 on Amazon, seem to be back to £69 now
Yes, I agree that the lack of options around fit is probably limiting, I hated all previous Apple earplugs, they were uncomfortable and most just never got took out of the box but these work for me.
I’ve done reps at sub 4min\K pace and they stayed in place fine even when I got sweaty, I was pleasantly surprised with that.
Bit of an expensive thing to try though if they don’t work for you, but then I had the same for the Sony’s, I did get some of my money back by selling them.
Jeff
These Aftershockz ones are coming in at £53.99.
I use Jaybird Run, I have had them for 2 years and they still work well.
They fit securely and don’t fall out, these are the only in ear headphones I have used that fit securely, however, ones that go round the back of your ear also stay in place, but are less comfortable. For me the fact that they are completely wireless is a big plus. They are also really convenient for taking calls while running, just press the bûtton on the right headphone to answer and hang up. They claim to last 4 hours, however, after about an hour I get a message that they have 20% battery left, however, this is misleading, I regularly run 2 hours plus and the battery has been fine. I also love the case that acts as a charging case, this provides plenty of capacity to charge headphones several time without plugging into power.
So I was originally looking at the Bose Sound sport but the Jabra seems to be looking better than those.
The aftershokz were still an option because being able to hear and the fit over the ear.
Might sleep on this decision 
Another vote for the Jabra’s. They managed to survive a trip through the washing machine after I inadvertently left them in the back pocket of a cycling jersey.
Also like that you can change volume and skip tracks directly from the headphones
Found a pair of Jabra’s on eBay for £90 new. Ok they’re red but for that price I’m not fussed. I’ll let you know how they go.
London marathon training can commence.
AirPod Pros, had AirPods before they were ok, not great at staying in. The new pros are a much better design and more attuned to fitting with the different size ear buds. The noise cancelling is also very good.
HVE. Business trip to Paris next week so will try them on the plane. Instead of my Bose overears
I’ve actually stopped listening to music running now; unless it’s a long run in IM training. No gadgets/phone or anything is nice. Just the watch. The best are those early morning runs where you get the dawn chorus.
It’s been a few years since I have, hence the request.
The planned training runs to the office are through rather dull and traffic filled areas of Warrington so I’d prefer the distraction.
Warrington dull?