The Best Portable Speaker On The Trail

There are tons of new portable speakers coming out on the market for our iPhones, Androids, and Mp3 players. Lately the quality is getting better and better as well as more affordable. I know most iPhone users will stick with their garden of accessories (anything with an "I" in front of it) and not stray too far away. Well there are some pretty good speakers out on the market today with Bluetooth connectivity, rechargeable batteries and they will come in all shapes and sizes. What is the best speaker for out on the trail? What is the loudest? What batteries last the longest? Well, I have not tried all of them but I have been through a few and also have heard a couple in action from friends comparing speakers. I will talk about some different portable speakers and what may be the best application for listening to some tunes out on the trail. I will start with the best value and go from there.

X-Mini II Capsule

X-Mini II
In my opinion for the price the X-Mini II is a great value. This little ball can throw out some serious sound for around 20 bucks. A 40mm driver, rechargeable batteries and able to chain up multiple speakers makes this a great buy. It's rated an 11 hour run time but I would say 7-8 hours on full volume. As most portable speakers this will require some custom installation (it's worth it) to get this to mount somewhere on your mountain bike. This would be a great speaker for a XC or trail riding unless you can come up with a tank proof mounting setup then I would say all mountain riding as well maybe some light DH?

Goal 0

Goal 0 Portable Speaker

My Green Goal 0

Now my personal favorite is the Goal 0 portable speaker box. This is one loud durable portable speaker setup and can be picked up for around $25 - $35 dollars. It's covered with a rugged weather-resistant material. The material  surrounding this wooden speaker box holds 2 full range speakers. The Goal 0 has a zippered opening to store your phone or music player and to protect it against any damage. This also has a convenient cinch-able shock cord for strapping it down to your bars, frame, or gear bag. Me personally I like to keep my goal zero in my hydration packs cinch-able pocket. This as well is rechargeable and can chain multiple speakers to it. It has USB charging and rated 11 hours of playback on full volume. This is the all-around performer in my opinion. How loud is it? Well... it got the cops called to my apartment because the neighbors complained of loud music blasting from my patio. Yup...I showed the officers where the music was coming from and they laughed...then made me turn it down. These speakers Rock! Goal 0 also makes a fold-able solar panel that recharges all your USB gadgets and a car charger port so you will never be without tunes on the trail.

Cycling Sport Speaker (MB-S100)

Cycling Sport Speaker (MB-S100)

Now there are tons more I have not mentioned as I have not had a chance to use them but one that caught my eye that reminds me of the Ihome type water bottle speaker is the Cycling Sport Speaker (MB-S100) yes this is the only name I have found this by. I do not even think you can get this retail yet in the US as I only see it coming from China wholesale sites, but I want to check it out. The Cycling Sport speaker is in the shape of a water bottle and comes is a few various colors to accent your bike style. I don't recommend this setup for an aggressive rider unless you can tie or strap down the bottle to the cage then it should be good to go for some heavier trails. This water bottle of course has a rechargeable battery (charged via USB). It is able to function with phones, mp3 players, microSD cards, and yes FM radio. The speaker looks big, it can be held in a water bottle cage, and has a carry bag. I have not heard this speaker yet but the reviews I have read are all saying this can produce some clean sound from MP3 and WMA files. Like I said earlier I have not found anyone selling this speaker yet. I am very interested in hearing what this speaker can do as well as how long the battery will last and how clear the FM radio comes in. It will sell for around 50 bucks but I hope this can out blast the competition as they are not the first to come out with a water bottle shaped speaker. I do think a first by incorporating a FM radio.

I'm sure there are some portable speakers I should have mentioned but for what I have seen and used these two speakers stand out very nicely among the rest for mountain biking. Obviously there are a few ways to get tunes on the trail; ear buds, headphones, and portable speakers. I prefer speakers for safety reasons and the fact that your riding buddy (or buddies) get to jam out to the same tunes while still aware of outside noises and dangers. Besides how cool is it to be charging down the mountain with some Slayer blasting out in the trails. Awesome! I wonder when the Cycling Sport Speaker will be available for the US?

Feel free to leave a comment and let us know how your listen to your tunes on the trail.