Sena S1 Smart Bike Helmet Review: Listen to everything

one of the The most important feeling we have as cyclists is our hearing. Whether you are on a group ride, where other riders are calling for road and traffic hazards, or if you are alone, keeping your ears away from vehicles or other riding behind us, our ears are almost as important as our eyes.

Bone conduction headphones (sitting outside the ears and delivering sound through vibrations) have been around for some time. But Sena, based in Irving, California, has been riding a bicycle helmet on a comprehensive speaker. Their latest product, S1, blends Sena’s audio technology with the aerodynamic advantages many road cyclists crave.

Windproof

The Sena S1 has a sleek shell look that fits, and feels the Aero Road helmet that has flourished over the past decade. It’s smooth, with a quintet front vent and a pair of backs to keep your head cool. Its mixture of flat and glossy finishes gives the helmet a modern contrasting style that can be seen at home in the Tour de France.

Its light is only 360 grams and costs $229, and it costs like a high-end aviation helmet, although it comes with a pair of speakers and microphones, Bluetooth connectivity, built-in taillights and Sena’s proprietary mesh networking system and can communicate with other cyclists.

I tested the Sena S1 on one of the stupidest rides I’ve done in a long time: that is, when I set out to ride on a quarter-mile or about a quarter-mile asphalt track near my home. (I’m not completely Crazy. I swear I’m doing another story. Fortunately, I have a Sena S1 in my office.

I never really got any type of headphones when I was on the bike for several reasons. First, safety. I love hearing what’s going on around me, especially when riding on the road. Second, in my case, hearing the wind in my ears, birds chirping above my head, tires cruising smoothly on the sidewalk or bending dirt beneath the wheels, is part of the cycling experience, like a rotating pedal. Third, we live at an age, and in this era we are all subject to constant content attacks. Bikes are my shelter, and there is no Instagram reel or popular podcasts to find me.

Photo: Michael Venutolo-Mantovani