R&G DIY Moulded Ear Plugs - Review http://www.bikechatter.net/media/reviews/photos/thumbnail/320x320s/fd/03/56/4578_41djtM2IhhL.-sl500-aa300--1337690222.jpg

We should all be taking care of our ears while riding, actually it is often overlooked, R&G offer a DIY custom mouldable ear plug so Leigh grabbed a set and started wearing them to see how they stack up against his previous ones.

Initial Thoughts 

More and more helmets are offering higher levels of ventilation for overall rider comfort, usually this equates to additional wind noise and has the potential to cause a wide number of long term hearing problems. With each helmet review we add that people should be wearing ear plugs, actually a lot of riders I have met over the years do, one thing that seems to come up though is which ones to choose and why.

There are varying levels of sound deadening within the ranges of foam and silicone plugs on the market but the main premise is to cut down on both the boom of low frequency resonance and ingress of loud sounds that cause your ears to ring. Let's be honest, riding a motorcycle is noisy business, loud exhausts, wind noise, even having GPS navigation, and let's also be honest that we like to hear a lot of what is going on around us.

Construction

The most popular misconception about wearing earplugs is that they make you feel isolated inside your helmet, removing road noise or other cues that alert you to potential dangers on the road, actually most earplugs will only stop the extremes of sound that cause lasting damage, but, will allow you to hear other ambient sounds - albeit at a reduced, muffled level. With this in mind I would urge each and every rider to find a set of ear plugs they are comfortable with and wear them religiously while riding.

The R&G earplugs are a different take on the standard squidgy foam types on the market, I am sure we have all tried a set of plugs that were nice and another that didn't really fit well or remain comfortable throughout the duration of a ride, this is where the urge to remove them comes in. What R&G have done is provide affordable access to a basic version of a custom moulded plug, you know the types that singer have made for their in ear monitors, very similar to those. The idea is that you mix two part silicone putty together which activates the mixture and allows you to fit into your ear canal and surrounding for a snug, custom fit.

The mixing process is very quick, and surprisingly straight forward too, mix equal portions of the two compounds together until they are a uniform colour and then break into two sections, one for each ear. They supply enough of the mixture to create a test earplug, this allows you to either get a feel for the mixing and fitting process if this is not something you have ever tried before, or, if like me, to have a little kept back which I will come to later. From starting the process you need to set a few minutes to one side, you will also want to make sure you are not going to be distracted by someone yapping in your lug hole as the setting of the compound is the most important part.

I have mixed two part compounds together before so just decided to get straight to it and make both ears up, I guestimated the amount of each part to mix and got squishing, before you begin you should make sure that your ears have been cleaned as per the instructions as once mixed you have to apply the compound into your ears.

Mixing, as I have already stated, is very simple, no massive amount of work or concentration required in order to get a streak free lump of goo. Now comes the odd part, putting said goo inside your precious ears, actually there is nothing to it, you take your little ball and gently push and mould it into the ear canal and then, most importantly, around the entrance to your ear as instructed - making sure you fill enough for a good, tight fit.

Once fitted the mixture is just left in while it sets, this can be a really surreal period so stick with it, your ears will likely squeak, you may feel like the inside is horribly sticky and wet, it isn't as bad as it feels though so persevere for the time recommended. During my setting period my plugs didn't feel particularly nice if I am honest, too intrusive, I will get to that shortly.

In my case I went ahead and gently removed the plugs after the correct setting time and the first thing I noticed was the compound went deep into my ear canal, essentially though, in my quest to make sure I had a good fit I had been overzealous in my application and had kneaded more and more of the mixture into my ear canal than required. Looking at the length of the piece inside my ear I would suggest that I had used about 30% extra in each ear than would have sufficed, refitting them was awful, they felt like they would prod my brain as they followed the contour of the ear canal.

Before you get weirded out, don't. The solution to this problem was so simple, I snipped off the majority of the internal part of the plug and left a decent sized stump (see pictures) I also smoothed off the cut edges while I was at it. Refitting them now is bliss and simplicity itself, nothing feels as though it is reaching into my ear and once the external seal is made the comfort and noise reduction is excellent. You still hear all the sounds around you but as much reduced levels, almost like holding your head underwater while someone speaks to you.

Because the seal around the outside of your ear is so good you can pop them in and bang on a helmet without much consideration of them falling out, however I have found that my left ear comes out every time I take off a helmet and inevitably bounces off under mine, or someone elses bike. Getting back to how much of the mixture I used, if I had a second pack I would do the same again but not push it as far into my ear, I would also make sure that I built up a bit more of a ridge around the outside of my ear as one of the thing sections has ripped slightly - it is this I believe causes the left plug to drop out.

Also, with just under half of the mixture still available I would be tempted to make another batch and before allowing it to harden, push inside the ear canal section a pair of in ear headphones, allowing them to dry and holding them in place if required. Often I find that on long journey's such as motorway miles I wear my iPod, while a lot of my in ear monitors have a decent seal to keep out road noise there are a few that are not particularly brilliant - the R&G Moulded Plugs would solve that. All I would do is fit them, allow them to set and once hardened properly, pop the headphone section out and drill a bore hole for the sound the travel into the ear canal - job done!

These are not the prettiest colour you can find, just a pink blob really so you won't get the same effect as a singer with clear or coloured IEM's but they do the same job for considerably less money.