Post by underdog on Aug 3, 2008 23:07:07 GMT -5
In my constant search for stuff for my scooter, I came across the iHome2go Model iH85 Bicycle Speaker System for your iPod. First, let me start off by saying that this is not made nor marketed for scooters. It is a speaker system that you can attach to your bicycle and listen to your iPod while riding. Even though it is not for scooters, I decided to look into it anyway to see if it could be adapted to a scooter. For those of us who want to listen to tunes while riding our scooters without having to wear headphones, this may be the solution.
The iH85 is a water-resistant iPod speaker case that clamps to your bike frame. The iH85 consists of a main unit, an AC adaptor, a mounting bracket, a remote control that is mounted on your handlebar, 3 iPod inserts and a carrying bag. The idea is to mount your main unit in the mounting bracket to your bike. The mounting bracket is similar to a water bottle bracket that you use on your bike. It comes with a couple of screws to mount to the frame of your bike. Unless you want to drill holes into your scoot to mount the bracket, it is not practical for a scooter. What I did was to put the iH85 in its carrying case and hung that from my helmet hook inside my seat. I did have to add some cardboard to the bottom of the carrying case so that the iH85 would stick out a little and the speaker would not be covered. I mounted the remote on the handlebar of my scooter and went riding. Since this is made for bicycles, my first concern was whether I would be able to listen to my music on my scooter with the motor noise, the wind noise and while wearing a helmet. The iH85 can be played pretty loud, so I was able to listen while riding near 40 mph. I wore a ¾ helmet and had no problems hearing the music. When my new full face helmet arrives, I will update this review, but from what I can tell, using a ff helmet will not interfere with listening.
Since the remote is mounted using an included clamp that is placed on the handlebars, this may not be practical if your scooter does not have a handlebar like the one on the Met or on a bicycle. This may not be a problem since you will be listening to your music on your iPod, you should like all the songs on your list!
The MSRP of the unit is 49.99. I did find it on ebay for $39.99 plus shipping. It was the least expensive price I found. Here is a link to the store: stores.ebay.com/Hotdigital-Club
The negatives that I found with this unit were few and did not make me regret my purchase. First, the iH85 is large and quite heavy. It weighs 1.5 lbs without the iPod. This makes it impractical to put in a cup holder that is attached to your scoot with suction cups. It may also not fit into standard bicycle water bottle holders. Second, it only works with ipods. It does come with adapters to use just about any iPod made. I used it with a first generation nano. The third negative is that it does not charge your iPod while it plays. It runs on four AA batteries. So your music will last as long as the charge on your iPod or the batteries. I did not find this to be a problem since I had it playing for several hours. It does come with an ac adapter that will charge your iPod, but obviously cannot be used while riding your scooter.
Overall I would recommend the iHome iH85 for anyone who already has an iPod and wants to take their music with them while scootin’ around town.
Pros: price, listen to your music while scootin’
Cons: size/weight, only works with ipods.
The iH85 is a water-resistant iPod speaker case that clamps to your bike frame. The iH85 consists of a main unit, an AC adaptor, a mounting bracket, a remote control that is mounted on your handlebar, 3 iPod inserts and a carrying bag. The idea is to mount your main unit in the mounting bracket to your bike. The mounting bracket is similar to a water bottle bracket that you use on your bike. It comes with a couple of screws to mount to the frame of your bike. Unless you want to drill holes into your scoot to mount the bracket, it is not practical for a scooter. What I did was to put the iH85 in its carrying case and hung that from my helmet hook inside my seat. I did have to add some cardboard to the bottom of the carrying case so that the iH85 would stick out a little and the speaker would not be covered. I mounted the remote on the handlebar of my scooter and went riding. Since this is made for bicycles, my first concern was whether I would be able to listen to my music on my scooter with the motor noise, the wind noise and while wearing a helmet. The iH85 can be played pretty loud, so I was able to listen while riding near 40 mph. I wore a ¾ helmet and had no problems hearing the music. When my new full face helmet arrives, I will update this review, but from what I can tell, using a ff helmet will not interfere with listening.
Since the remote is mounted using an included clamp that is placed on the handlebars, this may not be practical if your scooter does not have a handlebar like the one on the Met or on a bicycle. This may not be a problem since you will be listening to your music on your iPod, you should like all the songs on your list!
The MSRP of the unit is 49.99. I did find it on ebay for $39.99 plus shipping. It was the least expensive price I found. Here is a link to the store: stores.ebay.com/Hotdigital-Club
The negatives that I found with this unit were few and did not make me regret my purchase. First, the iH85 is large and quite heavy. It weighs 1.5 lbs without the iPod. This makes it impractical to put in a cup holder that is attached to your scoot with suction cups. It may also not fit into standard bicycle water bottle holders. Second, it only works with ipods. It does come with adapters to use just about any iPod made. I used it with a first generation nano. The third negative is that it does not charge your iPod while it plays. It runs on four AA batteries. So your music will last as long as the charge on your iPod or the batteries. I did not find this to be a problem since I had it playing for several hours. It does come with an ac adapter that will charge your iPod, but obviously cannot be used while riding your scooter.
Overall I would recommend the iHome iH85 for anyone who already has an iPod and wants to take their music with them while scootin’ around town.
Pros: price, listen to your music while scootin’
Cons: size/weight, only works with ipods.
