Bike to Bike radios

[just4fun]

Hi there,

i was just wondering if anyone can recommend a basic bike to bike communication system. Im going on a cycling holiday with some friends in the summer and would like some type of hands free system that allows us to talk and hear each other whilst we cycle.

Many thanks

 

[ASC1951]

Try speech. Just speed up/slow down until you can talk to them.

I'm puzzled that anyone would ever want what you are asking for.

 

[Amanda P]

Its not so unreasonable.

Mrs Uncle Phil is only little, and doesn't have a voice like an opera diva. It can be hard to communicate when there's traffic or when moving at any speed. We've come close to rows on account of persistent "What?" "Eh?" "Pardon?" "Come again?" "Say again?" "You did what?" syndrome. It does get irritating.

We test-rode a Hase Pino and found that having our heads close enough to chat without having to wait for a quiet interval to do so was a refreshing and very enjoyable experience.

Radios are something we've considered, although it's one more thing to remember, to replace batteries in, and to carry. But if anyone has a recommendation, I'd like to hear it too.

 

[CycleTourer]

We have used PMR radios to keep in touch for several years now and find them very useful. It has stopped a lot of arguments with my wife. I tend to ride faster than her and she would get annoyed if I got too far ahead, now she just calls me on the radio to slow down. Not only that, it is good for giving directions when you are following each other in traffic in towns and for pointing out things as you go along.

There is more information on the system we use on our website here.

 

[Will1985]

Club runs have managed for years without them...

I can only imagine that they would be useful at campsites or if people want to climb at their own pace, but even then the slower one isn't going to want to concentrate on the radio while putting the effort into getting up the hill.

 

[MacB]

seems an eminently sensible idea to me, a touch of imagination might help solve a lack of understanding as to why someone might want this technology

 

[MacB]

fair enough to look at cost, range and reliability of the technology. I have read several touring blogs where radio hook-ups have been highly praised. The general thing being how much more pleasant it was to be able to cycle along and chat, rather than yelling, repeating and being misunderstood.

 

[Domestique]

The general thing being how much more pleasant it was to be able to cycle along and chat, rather than yelling, repeating and being misunderstood.

Thats what we have found. I am very interested in this.
I dont see the cost as much more than two reasonable 'pay as you go' phones.

 

[summerdays]

Well last summer I can remember waiting at the bottom of a hill for Mr Summerdays ... wondering what kept him ... only to be told we were meant to turn off near the top still it was a good hill. We certainly cycle up hill at differing rates, and sometimes he would disappear out of view. So I could see some uses of them.

 

[Bodhbh]

My experience of cycling with a friend is limited to all of 40miles heading down off the Ridgeway and over to Salisbury via a fairly busy A-road. We had quite different paces and it was a major pain keeping together, given that while looking back you were at risk of drifting into the road. Okay it was a bad choice of road, but still it would have been useful to communicate easily without all the shouting and constant checking. Thought I put him off cycle touring altogether "boring, dangerous and hard-work" iirc was the verdict .

 

[CycleTourer]

I can understand 'Maggots' concerns over the cost with our present PMR set. But there are much cheaper sets out there on the market that do an adequate job. We have tried several sets in the past but some haven't quite stood up to the rigors of touring, the current TTI sets were bought for their quality and reliability and they have indeed proved very good and reliable. It is often a case of you get what you pay for!

When the roads are quiet we do often ride alongside each other and chat without the radios. But when there is traffic on the roads it is safer to ride one behind the other. As others have mentioned it is difficult for the person in front to then chat without having to try and turn their heads and shout, that's when the radios come into their own.

IMO 'just4fun' is quite sensible in thinking about using radios to chat to each other. It must surely be much safer as you can chat away riding in single file rather than as I have seen with some club rides where people were chatting away riding sometimes three a breast or weaving up and down the group to get in on the latest bit of banter!

Yes there is a limited range to the PMR's, but we very rarely get that far away from each other. Also where we were cycling in Iceland last year the mobile network coverage was very patchy and for most of the time the phones were useless. Once you have bought the radios there is no further cost where as with the mobile phones there are the call costs and if you are touring abroad that would work out expensive.

Even with radios you have to get your radio procedures correct. It was quite funny as on one occaision in Denmark we were riding one behind the other and my wife said over the radio "can we stop". Unfortunately she didn't wait for a reply and promptly slammed the brakes on. I was a litle bit closer than I should have been and didn't have time to brake I slammed into the back of her, my front wheel jammed in between her rack and back wheel and I summersaulted over the handlebars. After what was probably a flying twist with pike ended up flat on my back in front of her exclaiming "you could had waited for an answer before slamming on the brakes" with the reply "you shouldn't ride so close" and then both laughed at my bike neatly parked behind hers!