Cycling asks a lot of you. You're tracking traffic lights, reading road surfaces, listening for cars merging too close, and hearing your riding partner call out a hazard ahead all at the same time. Your ears are doing real work out there.
Which is why plugging them with earbuds has always been a bad idea on a bike and why more cyclists are looking for something better.
The Earbud Problem Is Bigger Than You Think
It's not just uncomfortable to ride with sealed earbuds. In many places, it's illegal. Several cities and countries have laws restricting or outright banning headphone use while cycling, because acoustic isolation removes the auditory cues that keep riders safe horns, sirens, the sound of a car accelerating from behind.
"Transparency mode" on premium earbuds doesn't really solve this. It's a filtered, processed version of your surroundings, not the real thing. In a split-second situation on the road, that difference matters.
Open-ear audio gives you something the earbuds can't: your music, your navigation, your call delivered right to your ears, while everything happening around you stays fully audible. You hear both. At the same time.
Flash by Reebok: Built for the Road
The Flash by Reebok is a sport-performance frame with HiFi open-ear audio, designed from the ground up for active outdoor use. Put them on and they feel like sport sunglasses lightweight, close-fitting, easy to forget you're wearing them. Until your phone rings mid-climb and you answer it without touching anything.
Here's what actually matters when you're on a bike:
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Open-ear audio. Traffic, fellow riders, navigation cues you hear all of it, alongside whatever's playing through the speakers.
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IPX water resistance. Rain rides, puddle spray, post-ride rinse. Covered.
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Secure sport fit. Stays put on descents, over rough terrain, and at speed. No adjusting mid-ride.
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Bluetooth hands-free. Calls, music, voice assistants all without reaching for your phone.
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Mirror sport lenses. UV protection and glare reduction built in.
Navigation You Can Actually Use on a Ride
Here's something cyclists don't always think about until they try it: turn-by-turn directions through your ears instead of a screen.
Handlebar phone mounts work, but they add clutter and they tempt you to glance down which is exactly the moment you don't want to take your eyes off the road. With the Flash paired to a navigation app, directions come through the speakers near your ears. "Turn right in 200 meters" arrives the same way a passenger's voice would. Your eyes stay where they belong.
Who the Flash Is For
- Road cyclists riding in traffic who need full situational awareness
- Commuters who want music and navigation without compromising safety
- Gravel and trail riders who need to hear the terrain around them
- Touring cyclists navigating unfamiliar routes, hands-free
If you ride outdoors and you're currently using earbuds, the Flash is a direct upgrade both for safety and for how much less gear you have to manage.
A Couple of Questions We Hear From Cyclists
Can you actually wear smart glasses while cycling?
Yes and for outdoor riding, open-ear smart glasses like the Flash are arguably the safest audio option available. They don't block ambient sound, so you stay aware of everything around you. They double as sport sunglasses. And you're not managing a separate headphone setup on top of your eyewear. A lot of cyclists find the combination more practical than anything they were using before.
Do they stay on during a ride?
The Flash uses a wrap-style sport-fit frame designed to stay secure at speed. Unlike earbuds, there's nothing to fall out of your ear mid-descent the glasses either stay on the frame or they don't, and a properly fitted pair stays on. For high-intensity riding or aggressive terrain, that matters.
The Bottom Line
You don't have to choose between your music and your safety. The Flash by Reebok gives you both open-ear audio, IPX-rated protection, and a fit built for the road.
Shop Flash by Reebok →
Why Cyclists Are Ditching Earbuds for Smart Glasses in 2026
Cycling asks a lot of you. You're tracking traffic lights, reading road surfaces, listening for cars merging too close, and hearing your riding partner call out a hazard ahead all at the same time. Your ears are doing real work out there.
Which is why plugging them with earbuds has always been a bad idea on a bike and why more cyclists are looking for something better.
The Earbud Problem Is Bigger Than You Think
It's not just uncomfortable to ride with sealed earbuds. In many places, it's illegal. Several cities and countries have laws restricting or outright banning headphone use while cycling, because acoustic isolation removes the auditory cues that keep riders safe horns, sirens, the sound of a car accelerating from behind.
"Transparency mode" on premium earbuds doesn't really solve this. It's a filtered, processed version of your surroundings, not the real thing. In a split-second situation on the road, that difference matters.
Open-ear audio gives you something the earbuds can't: your music, your navigation, your call delivered right to your ears, while everything happening around you stays fully audible. You hear both. At the same time.
Flash by Reebok: Built for the Road
The Flash by Reebok is a sport-performance frame with HiFi open-ear audio, designed from the ground up for active outdoor use. Put them on and they feel like sport sunglasses lightweight, close-fitting, easy to forget you're wearing them. Until your phone rings mid-climb and you answer it without touching anything.
Here's what actually matters when you're on a bike:
Navigation You Can Actually Use on a Ride
Here's something cyclists don't always think about until they try it: turn-by-turn directions through your ears instead of a screen.
Handlebar phone mounts work, but they add clutter and they tempt you to glance down which is exactly the moment you don't want to take your eyes off the road. With the Flash paired to a navigation app, directions come through the speakers near your ears. "Turn right in 200 meters" arrives the same way a passenger's voice would. Your eyes stay where they belong.
Who the Flash Is For
If you ride outdoors and you're currently using earbuds, the Flash is a direct upgrade both for safety and for how much less gear you have to manage.
A Couple of Questions We Hear From Cyclists
Can you actually wear smart glasses while cycling?
Yes and for outdoor riding, open-ear smart glasses like the Flash are arguably the safest audio option available. They don't block ambient sound, so you stay aware of everything around you. They double as sport sunglasses. And you're not managing a separate headphone setup on top of your eyewear. A lot of cyclists find the combination more practical than anything they were using before.
Do they stay on during a ride?
The Flash uses a wrap-style sport-fit frame designed to stay secure at speed. Unlike earbuds, there's nothing to fall out of your ear mid-descent the glasses either stay on the frame or they don't, and a properly fitted pair stays on. For high-intensity riding or aggressive terrain, that matters.
The Bottom Line
You don't have to choose between your music and your safety. The Flash by Reebok gives you both open-ear audio, IPX-rated protection, and a fit built for the road.
Shop Flash by Reebok →