Bells..

[MontyVeda]

Strangely , I rode Porty Prom today and rang my bell to let other know I was there.
One guy jumped about , arms out ranting about me having plenty room to get by, as if I had wanted him to move out my way.

Fannies everywhere !

if there's plenty of room to pass, I don't bother ringing my bell.

 

[Brads]

The Prom was busy so it was needed. He was just being a fud tbh.

 

[BoldonLad]

Strangely , I rode Porty Prom today and rang my bell to let other know I was there.
One guy jumped about , arms out ranting about me having plenty room to get by, as if I had wanted him to move out my way.

Fannies everywhere !

As you say, there is always one, sadly, idiots are universally present

In general, I find most walkers appreciate a "let you know I am there ping" of the bell. I know I do, if I am walking (oddly, I do walk AND cycle, not at same time).

 

[Venod]

Strangely , I rode Porty Prom today and rang my bell to let other know I was there.
One guy jumped about , arms out ranting about me having plenty room to get by, as if I had wanted him to move out my way.

Fannies everywhere !

Got himself into a bit of a flap then.

 

[Brads]

B'doom tish !

 

[Littgull]

if there's plenty of room to pass, I don't bother ringing my bell.

Me, likewise.

 

[DCBassman]

No one seems to get grumpy when i use my bell... It's only on CC I've read that some consider them aggressive.

This. Never a problem.

 

[Venod]

This. Never a problem.

With me it is my problem, I always think (wrongly so it seems) that ringing a bell is saying get out of my way I am coming, I use excuse me as I consider it a politer way, I have been asked on occasions where my bell is, I will continue using excuse me.

 

[BoldonLad]

With me it is my problem, I always think (wrongly so it seems) that ringing a bell is saying get out of my way I am coming, I use excuse me as I consider it a politer way, I have been asked on occasions where my bell is, I will continue using excuse me.

I tend to do both. Ie, a single “ping” when about 4 metres away, then a “thank you”, “good morning/afternoon”, or other pleasantry as I pass.

I tend to ride with Mrs @BoldonLad, I sometime extend my greeting to include the information that there are two of us, particularly if the walker looks like a “wanderer”.

I have never conducted a scientific poll, but, my estimate is 95% find this agreeable, 5% are grumpy, to some degree. I can live with that.

 

[Inertia]

Maybe it’s the area but I’ve cycled to work for years along a towpath and never had any incidents or been accused of aggression. I use the bell on blind bends and at a distance to alert someone I was approaching. I wouldn't use it close up, if they didn’t respond or notice me I would slow right down, smile and just speak to them, “excuse me.“

The advantage of the bell is that I wouldn’t have to slow right down when passing as if they were alert they usually moved to one side.

if you are worried they might move into your path in response to the bell, you are either too close or moving too fast. Give yourself, and them, time.

 

[wafter]

Crikey - I didn't expect this to generate such a response; (evidently wrongly) assuming that most would view bells as un-necessary and old fashioned

Thanks for all the suggestions - that's a fair amount to wade through so should keep me out of trouble for a bit

Did your CdF not come with a bell? Maybe my LBS fitted mine, I just assumed they were standard. 🤷‍♂️

I like the ones that are free and go "ping".

Yup, it was supplied with one which (once I've got the mount to move the speedo) will be fitted; at least as a stopgap. As a bit of a gear tart I do like nice things however - it's a constant battle given that I'm also as tight as a duck's arse

Hornit

Thanks - that look pretty offensive

Don't understand why anyone apart from staying legal would want a bell, it just promote the aggressive cyclist image, get out of my way, coming through, whats wrong with slowly down & asking people to move?

Tbh I think bells are about as emotionally-neutral and innocuous as you'll get - the alternative being to shout which I think is less likely to be heard and is more likely to sound aggressive - particularly if you're tired / out of breath / in a foul mood..

You can't win with walkists. I have bells on 3 of my 4 bikes. I try to use them first at a distance, so as not to appear "aggressive", then I use them again as I close in if they haven't reacted, and again if still ignored. I'll only resort to a call-out if they are still ignoring me, by which time there is not way they are reacting anything other than surprised and annoyed (usually they're on a call or listening to music).

If you DON'T ping them then you get "where's your bell?". My bell-less bike has a very loud freehub which I use with some success to alert walkists and, in fact, never generates any negative reaction.

The bells I do have are cheap ones - whatever I can find that is small, the right colour and has a moveable pinger (ie you can move where it sits around the circumference of the bell to help nestle it up against other controls on the bar and be reachable from the grip).

Someone earlier mention the Spurcycle bell and also the Rock Brothers copy. I was all set to pick up a cheap copy, then I read an article about the designers of the original and how they have essentially (through naïvity mostly) been ripped off by having their design copied and mass-manufactured. This doesn't sit well with me, so I didn't order one. That said, I didn't put my money where my mouth is and order an original either.

I agree - single ping from a good distance usually does the trick tbh; if not I just keep ringing it with increasing frequency as I get closer until they pay attention.. round here a cycle bell certainly seems to elicit some primal-fear-like reaction as those who do react usually do so very quickly with an amount of terror in their eyes

When I don't have a bell it's an "excuse me please" or authoritative "passing on your right" when I get close enough to be heard, which I think is closer than necessary with a bell. Those who move get a "thanks" or similar as I pass; those I have to squeeze by are treated to less charitable vocabulary..

I'm ambivalent about the Spurcycle bell too - on the one hand in principal I have IP theft; on the other IMO £50 for a bell is theft of a different nature..

The correct response to walkers moaning about the ping of a bell should be, "OK, I'll get an Air Zound instead". Those are noise terrorism.

I thought about building one of those, before I realised that unsurprisingly someone had beaten me to it. I reckon they could be genuinely useful on roads though; plus who doesn't like to scare the crap out of the odd ignorant pedestrian now and then?

That's why I like (and have) a timber bell. it's just a more convenient version of the miniature cow bells for bikes you find so popular in the Alp bike parks

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VAbzmlURNjY

I certainly like the idea of this (and the fact that it can be deactivated too). When I first read about them I thought they'd sound a bit more like an actual cowbell - in which case I reckon I'd be sold


Certainly some interesting points raised... Personally I've never viewed the sound of a bell as aggressive (especially listening to some of the nice, sustained, almost mellow isochromatic(?) examples on youtube). I can appreciate the arguments being made though and of course those who look down on cyclists are never going to take kindly to the sheer insolence of our suggestion that they might like to get out of the way..

Perhaps the answer is an assortment; a comedy clown air horn for the good days and an interal-organ melting bass-canon for the bad

 

[MontyVeda]

How about a kazoo on a lanyard... a bit of Steptoe & Son for the older folks and maybe a blast of Seven Nation Army for the youngsters as you approach?

 

[carlosfandangus]

Funny you should mention that, last week I did come across a couple, they appeared to be experienced cyclists, they both had a whistle on a lanyard around their necks

 

[MontyVeda]

Funny you should mention that, last week I did come across a couple, they appeared to be experienced cyclists, they both had a whistle on a lanyard around their necks

swanny whistles i hope

 

[Racing roadkill]

Funny you should mention that, last week I did come across a couple, they appeared to be experienced cyclists, they both had a whistle on a lanyard around their necks

I sometimes use an old style copper’s whistle. It works.