I’ve added a pair of Shokz OpenRun Pro 2 headphones to my cycling kit. Two things sold them to me. The first is the battery: Shokz rates them at up to 12 hours of playback, which covers even my longest days in the saddle without a top-up. The second is that they don’t block your ears. When cycling, being able to hear what’s coming up behind you matters, and with these I still hear the traffic as clearly as my music or podcast.
Why open-ear matters on the bike
The OpenRun Pro 2 sits in front of your ears rather than in them. Sound reaches you through bone conduction, with a small air-conduction speaker added for bass, so your ear canals stay open. On Kent’s lanes that means I can still pick up a car approaching from behind, a tractor round the next bend or another rider calling out, while the music carries on.
Battery life for long rides
Twelve hours is up from ten on the original OpenRun Pro, and it was the deciding factor for me. Reviewers note you get closer to ten hours if you listen near full volume, which still covers a big day out. If I forget to charge them, a five-minute quick charge gives around two and a half hours, and a full charge takes about an hour over a standard USB-C cable, so there’s no proprietary charger to lose.
Key features
- Battery: up to 12 hours of playback and up to 10 days on standby
- Quick charge: 5 minutes for about 2.5 hours; full charge in about 1 hour via USB-C
- Sound: Shokz DualPitch, pairing bone conduction with an air-conduction bass speaker
- Weight: 30.3 g, light enough to forget about under a helmet
- Water resistance: IP55, fine for sweat and rain showers (not for swimming)
- Connectivity: Bluetooth 5.3 with multipoint, so it can stay paired to my phone and watch at the same time
- App: Shokz app with preset and custom EQ modes
- In the box: headphones, USB-C cable and a carry bag
- Sizes: Standard and Mini
Where to buy
I bought mine from the Shokz store on Amazon UK for £169, the standard UK price. They come up on offer there from time to time.