Customer Reviews

iHome iH85 Bike-to-Beach Speaker System for iPod (Black)

5 star:		(30)
4 star:		(27)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(8)

 

 

My kids LOVE being able to share their music around the neighborhood with this speaker. The biggest drawback is that they can turn it up TOO loud :) The batteries so far have lasted well, I was surprised at how little of the ipod battery was drained. The remote is a nice feature and the cap for the speaker is a good idea. The biggest problem I foresee is remembering to take the ipod out of the speaker when the kids are done using it. Overall a very useful and fun item!

First the bad news:

The Amazon page for this speaker claims compatibility with "all docking iPods"; however, this claim is out of date. There are issues using the speaker with a 3G Nano. (As of this writing, the "better together" feature is recommending buying the speaker with a 3G Nano, so be aware of this issue!)

To physically carry different sized iPods, the iH85 ships with plastic inserts of various sizes. However, the Nano insert only works with the old (no-longer-available) Nano form factor. The Nano you can buy today (3G) is shorter and wider (presumably to accomodate the screen).

If you call them to discuss this issue, iHome will ship you a foam insert which you can use (in conjunction with the "thin iPod" insert that ships with the speaker) to house a 3G Nano. However, this is an imperfect solution. The iPod can still rock forward in the case, and I've found that in the course of my typical ride, the iPod gets knocked off the dock at least one or two times. Probably not good for the connector, and definitely a hassle to stop and fix each time.

This may be good enough if you just want to use the iH85 as a portable iPod speaker, or if you ride only on well-paved roads that don't cross railroad tracks, etc.

Beyond that, they offer no fix. I had some difficulty understanding what the support guy was saying, but I think he indicated that the iH85 is not really supported anymore (though it's still on their web site) as it hasn't, according to him, sold all that well. Per his advice, I will be attempting a DIY solution to better secure the iPod in the case.

The unfortunate thing is, the 3G Nano is the most logical iPod to use with the iH85 speaker. (The classic has moving parts and Apple recommends against using it on a bike or similar vibration-prone environment; the old Nano and the Mini are no longer available; the Shuffle has no docking connector, and according to iHome support, the Touch and iPhone are too large to fit in the speaker case.)

Now, that's a hassle; but other than that, it's a great system.

I had no difficulty mounting this on my road bike, or moving it back and forth between the road bike and my hybrid. It's easy to use though the remote is occasionally less responsive than I'd like. Battery life seems very good. No complaint at all about the audio -- it's perfectly clear to the rider, and apparently if you're riding close behind another bike they can hear it too :)

I love this thing! Doesn't interfere with my ability to hear traffic around me. The design seems very well thought out - sound is good, remote works well, water resistant design. I live in Miami and being a "night person" I've discovered the joy of long bike rides late at night, when the tropical air is cool(er) and there is very little car traffic. Having the ability to listen to music and/or podcasts as I ride - priceless :>) PS I
always wear a helmet and my bike has lights, front and rear, plus a mirror. PPS I paid over $60 for my first one, just ordered a second at the new low price. One more thing: I use my 3rd gen Nano with this unit. I think it was designed before the 3rd gen, but it works fine.

I bought this to go with my brand new Trek Soho 1.0 Hybrid. I use my bike for commuting and exercising, and headphones always make me feel like I am going to be clipped by a truck and I won't even hear it coming, so this product got my attention instantly.
Positives:
-Great, loud sound from a single speaker. Even for audiophiles.(I am one)
-Secures your iPod...in fact, it basically hides it so the common person wouldn't even realize there is an iPod inside
-Wireless remote is extremely handy...mount on your bike handlebar when biking, take it off and use it elsewhere when not biking. Simple but amazing design.
Negatives:
-Size of unit doesn't fit in standard bottle cage; requires the included cage. This means two things if you are biking with it. 1: Your bike has to have two sets of bottle cage holes, or you wont be able to have both on your bike at once. 2: your frame has to be big enough to fit the unit inside the center triangle of your frame. I am a short guy (17.5" frame) and the middle triangle is not big enough to fit my standard water bottle and the unit. Therefore, I had to tie wrap the included cage on top of my top bike bar. This works good for sound while riding, but if I have to stop on a dime, I would slide forward and come to rest on top of the unit, which may prevent me from having children in the future.
-iPod cannot have a case around it: its a pain to remove the hardshell case from around my iPod Video every time I put it in.
-Cannot change playlist while iPod is inside. Minor inconvenience. Just make a large enough playlist and you will be fine.

Bottom line: I use this unit in my apartment just as much as on my bike. Working out in my room, taking a shower, this unit is loud enough to replace a small boom box I normally would use. Combined with the limitless amount of songs on my iPod, it is even better than that. So if you like to ride your bike long distances and listen to music, but don't like the closed in feeling of unsafe headphones, this unit is for you. If you want a $40 portable battery operated iPod speaker to take with you anywhere, this is also for you. A great buy. Do not pass up!

For a small portable speaker, the sound is better than I expected. I also find the volume range to be substantial enough to make it listenable while riding - adding in wind, road noise, traffic, etc. I do like that my iPod is protected in the cannister, and the remote works beautifully. I wish the remote was smaller and could be clipped onto a shirt or jacket, similar to an iPod Shuffle, rather than the handlebar mount (which I just don't like cluttering up my handlebars). I also would prefer that the main unit fit into a standard water bottle cage, rather than having to attach theirs.

I am using rechargeable batteries to run, and will be curious to see the power lifespan.

When all is said and done, this is a nice way and a safe way to listen to some music or a podcast while riding/commuting - which is my primary mode of transportation. Safer than headphones for sure.

I am loving my iHome 2Go Speaker System for my iPod. It sounds pretty good for the size and I love the remote control. I recently used it at Burning Man for a little music in our dome when the surrounding noise was not too loud to drown it out.

The couple of complaints I have for it are

1) while it successfully charges my iPod while it is in the device, it cannot charge rechargeable batteries that way. I know it didn't come with rechargeables, but it is a logical choice for people to use if they will be using the device regularly. An in-device rechargeable battery option would make the unit very sweet.

2) Also related to this is that the unit can run and charge the ipod itself off the speaker's ac adapter, but not run or charge the speaker part. If there are not live batteries in the speaker part, then it will not produce any sound even when it is plugged in. This is silly - the AC adaptor should power the entire device - what if my batteries are low? Heck, why not allow the iPod itself to power the speaker, too? the iPod's power wouldn't last for that long a playing time but it seems to make logical sense to me.

3) Since the iPod is completely hidden and contained within the iHome when playing, there is no way to easily see the current track listing. There could be a display on the remote and that would resolve that issue.

4) The remote uses stupid Cell batteries which are expensive and harder to find and cannot be recharged. The remote unit is plenty large enough for a AAA or even AA battery solution and that would be much better in my opinion due to cost, ease of finding replacements, and the possibility of rechargeables.

5) This complaint is shared between both the speaker and the ipod. The remote and the iPod should both have an option / button to jump between shuffling music and continuing with an album if it chooses a song I love on shuffle and I want it to continue with that album. Removing the iPod from the speaker setup is just too awkward to make this realistic.

This unit was designed a few years ago and was created to fit older iPods. (Definitely not the iPod Touch or iPhone.)

I have verified that the unit works correctly (electrically) with the iPod nano 5th Generation and the iPod Touch 2nd Generation. The remote control works properly and the iPods are charged if the AC plugged in.

But even though the iPod Touch works, it would take some cutting and filing to make the iPod Touch or iPhone fit correctly. Then it would not fit that tightly. I was very seriously considering getting a new 4G Touch and then doing the cutting and making it work. But I borrowed my wife's nano 5G and figured out that you do stop and pop open the ih85 on the trail so that you can change artists or play lists. If you "kind of" made the Touch fit correctly, it would still not be optimal and would feel jury-rigged. When I'm on a long ride I just don't want to mess with anything that is not optimal. So I realized that the Touch is a "no". Besides you would have to cut the bottom off of the tube and that would reduce the water resistance of the unit.

TO USE AN IPOD NANO 5G: The iPod Nano 5th generation has the connection slot on the opposite side as the older 1G and 2G, so the plastic Nano attachment this comes with won't fit. It wouldn't really fit anyway since the shape of the Nano also changed between generations. However you can put the Nano 5G onto the connector and then slip the plastic "mini" attachment over it. The mini attachment won't stop side to side movement but it will stop it from pulling away from the connector. I then cut a piece of foam off of an old mouse pad and put it in between the top of the nano 5G and where it touches the plastic mini attachment. This piece of foam fits above the iPod and holds it very firmly in place so it won't move side to side. When the "mini" adapter is pushed all the way into place it keeps the small foam mouse pad under a constant pressure and the iPod won't move.

Once mounted the unit works exactly as it should and sounds pretty good considering the size of the speaker. I had to use a normal bottle holder on my bike; the one they give you wouldn't fit with two bottle carries since it is longer. A normal bottle carrier with an extra strap holds the ih85 into place works just fine.

The manufacturer apparently stopped making this unit because it just was not very popular. They could easily have made newer adapters for the newer generations of the Nano and Classic. In addition they could have created a round piece that would go in between the top and the bottom of the tube to extend the length so that it would easily fit the iPhone or iPod Touch. If they had done that, then this unit would probably have been much more popular. (I like this unit a lot because I am unwilling to wear headphones of any type while on a bicycle; that is just too dangerous.)

I purchased this product, despite some of the reviews. I rode in the MS150 from Houston to Austin, TX. (180 miles). My team and I loved it! The ride was about 12 hours. My IPOD 2GB Nano lasted, and so did the iHome to Go player.

Mounting was a bit tricky as my 1st bottle cage was near the mounting area for the iHome bracket. I removed the spacers that my 2nd bottle cage had on the top so that the iHome bracket wouldn't interfere. I was able to still use bottle 1 and the iHome together, eventhough they were very close together. I had to buy another bottle holder being that the ride was long and one bottle wasn't going to cut it.

The iHome runs on AA batteries, but I don't believe that the charger included charges the unit; only the IPod. Otherwise, they would recommend rechargable batteries or warn you about the AC adapter.

Volume was great. I could control the music and volume from the handle bar wireless remote included. This allowed me to listen to the music I wanted at the level I wanted to do depending on who was around me at the time.

This device was snug and secure in the cage it comes in. It comes with a cap that covers the speaker when not in use so that you don't get water, sweat, etc. in the speak hole on top.

I rode without ever loosing connection to the IPod. I saw some reviews that were skeptical about the Ipod being upside down. It never bumped out of connection or ever gave me any troubles. I have used this on many training rides and would definately recommend it for bike riding!

Jay M.
Houston, TX.

I have had one of these for the last 4 years and it has worked great. I unfortunately was riding during a heavy rain and forgot to cover the speaker. The fact that it doesn't work so well is my own fault. Riding the Houston to Austin MS150 this weekend and I needed a new one to help me climb the hills. It seems the music takes away the pain from sitting on my bike for 190 miles.

I love this thing and it is such a deal! Sure I had to add some styrofoam to the adapter to keep the ipod in the docking station but it was really no big deal! I loaded up an old ipod with 400 songs and now my ride is soooo much more fun. I did the Solvang Century and turned the volume way up! Some of the old cronies looked kind of irritated that they didn't get their peace and quiet but OH WELL! In fact some tried to ride away from me, but I just stuck to their rear wheel. Hopefully I helped them ride a little faster! :)