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I am looking for input / experiences in regards to rider to rider communication without the use of cell phones. As my husband and I age, we find that we are saying "what, I can't hear you" far more than we would like as we comment on something while out riding. I am looking at a system called Terrano-x; it was formerly known as Cardo BK and uses bluetooth. Is anyone familiar with this system or have other suggestions? Thanks in advance for your insight / suggestions! ~MaTadams
a couple of friends who have cb radio permits ride with the radios clipped to their shouler and communicate that way.
Sena systems are well regarded among the long distance crowd, though I haven't done any B2B comm myself.
Bluetooth itself has a very short range - 10 meters or so - which means BT alone would work on a tandem or between rider/passenger on a moto, but wouldn't be much use for riders on separate bikes (unless you actually wanted to call each other on the phone). But some of the newer BT systems can also do "Universal Intercom" protocol with a firmware tweak, basically a walkie-talkie band, with a range of a mile or more.
AFAIK most of the headsets out there are designed for moto helmets, so you might need to modify them a bit to mount to a bici helmet.
On an organized ride I did in july a canadian couple were using Cardo/Terrano-x. I talked to them about it at a rest stop and they said it had a line of sight range of around 400 meters. They said it had very good clear audio even with the ear speakers away from the ear (so you can hear cars etc. around you) easy to use voice activation and good noise canceling abilities. One of them also used it to Bluetooth to their phone, the reason it also has bluetooth, and she said that worked well too. The two downsides were cost and the battery life as the ride was a 16 to 19 hour one and battery life is good for around a 7 hour ride so they couldn't use it the entire ride. Being designed for bicyclists and vented bicycle helmets probably makes it better than those made for motorcyclists. I’d buy it from someone who had a good return policy (amazon etc.) just in case you don’t like something about it.
personally i wouldn't want someone else to hear some of the words i occasionally use on a difficult climb :)
Thank you, marni, OakLeaf, and rebeccaC. You have brought up some good points and given my things to research / consider.