Bells..

[wafter]

A casual exercise in time-wasting since it looks like this post will represent the extent of my productivity today

First thing to go on my road bike was the bell, since I'd have no use for it riding on the road and all.. Now I have a more versatile bike I find myself sharing space with pedestrians a lot more (tow paths, bridleways etc) so a bell would be handy. I have a couple of cheapies lying around that do the job, but can't help looking at higher-end options that would perhaps be more in keeping with the bike.

Two that have caught my eye so far being:

- Timber Mountain Bike Bell - a switchable continuous bell that makes a constant racket to avoid the need to constantly operate it, in the interest of putting the hands to better use on rough terrain.

- Knog Oi Luxe - Novel and clean slimline design but bloody expensive and not-great reviews..

- Spurcycle Original - Really nice looking and sounding compact unit; fapping fifty quid though!


Were monney no object it'd be the Spurcycle without a doubt but I can't bring myself to part with that much for a bell. I did consider some of the cheaper Chinese knockoffs but they don't sound as nice and are most likely inferior in other ways..

If you like bells, which bells do you like?

 

[rogerzilla]

The Knog Oi breaks within months and is expensive.

 

[BoldonLad]

Cheapo simple bell does the job. Why pay more? But, each to their own

 

[wafter]

The Knog Oi breaks within months and is expensive.

Thanks - your thoughts echo the reviews I've read. It's off the list; a shame really as I really like the compact and novel format.

Cheapo simple bell does the job. Why pay more? But, each to their own

Ta - usually you get what you pay for and the more expensive ones unsurprisingly look and sound nicer, as well as presumably being better built.

I'm with you on the cost though - as usual it's a case of diminishing returns (in terms of value) and I certainly couldn't justify some of the asking prices!

 

[ColinJ]

@Littgull splashed out on a really nice (expensive!) bell. It has a very long ring time which helps to catch the attention. I can't remember what type it was but I'm sure that he will eventually notice that I have tagged him, and will appear below to tell you!

 

[OllyB]

Disappointed to read about the knog, I’ve just fitted two 😂😂they were quite finicky to fit, ie the bell would not actually work if the casing touched anything ie the cables, but after some degree of fiddling it does sound good and if you don’t have much room on your handlebars it’s very slimline. I’ll now wait for them to fail........

 

[DaveReading]

Mirrycle Incredibell - beautiful pedestrian-friendly sound, bought mine from the US via Amazon 5 years ago, worked out at just under a tenner.

SJS do them nowadays for for about £6.

 

[Fab Foodie]

I have a pdm Alexander Graham.
Though sonically, a real ‘flying pigeon’ bell is hard to beat....

 

[MontyVeda]

the inexpensive single-ping bell i got from Wilko about 15 years ago is still going. Didn't think it'd last since the tiny spring rusted in no time, but it's proved me wrong.

 

[CanucksTraveller]

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".

 

[Racing roadkill]

Hornit. 150+ dBs is loud enough to wake up the doziest of dozy motorists / peds with headphones on absorbed in their phone.

 

[Rickshaw Phil]

Lion bells for me. They look and sound classy and make people smile. I like the "ding-dong" style bells too, which also make people smile (or jump), but they are quite big and don't fit with my current handlebar setups.

When Planet X had them on offer I got an Ohgi bell to try, which looks very like the Lion but it just doesn't sound as good - more like an overgrown "ping" bell

 

[Littgull]

@Littgull splashed out on a really nice (expensive!) bell. It has a very long ring time which helps to catch the attention. I can't remember what type it was but I'm sure that he will eventually notice that I have tagged him, and will appear below to tell you!

I took early retirement 3 years ago and we decided to do without a car (which we haven't regretted one bit).
However, I did splash out on a very expensive Thorn Mercury Rohloff bike with the work pay off. As it was a once in lifetime chance to acquire 'the bike of my dreams' I didn't hold back when speccing out the accessories. Hence I chose a very expensive bell (£55!). Hugely expensive but has proved a great investment and worth every penny. It has a very pronounced ping that sort of 'lingers in the air'. It has proved an absolute boon on towpaths, shared cycle paths and quiet narrow lanes.
It is a Spurcycle bell referred to by the OP @wafter -https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/bells-horns/spurcycle-bell-black-dlc/

A year later I also bought another bell that I saw for sale by chance in a bookshop in London, would you believe? It's a Basil bike bell and was a lot cheaper at £8.99 - Amazon product ASIN B00NZ48XCAView: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Basil-50420-Portland-Brass-Bell/dp/B00NZ48XCA/ref=sr_1_7?dchild=1&hvadid=79920777521813&hvbmt=be&hvdev=c&hvqmt=e&keywords=basil+bike+bell&qid=1589490503&sr=8-7
. A really loud resonant ping but rather large and not very aesthetically pleasing but it does the job very well and is very solidly constructed. It is fitted to one of my other bikes.

 

[fossyant]

Rockbros copy of the Spurcycle bell. £50 is outrageous for a bell. I have 2.

 

[Levo-Lon]

The Knog Oi breaks within months and is expensive.

Only if you buy the cheap shitt eBay Chinese copy.

I have 3 wife has one all work perfect and no problems.

The 2 crap ones I bought for a fiver each lasted about a week ..