Bells

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BoldonLad

Not part of the Elite
Location
South Tyneside
Bell is not a legal requirement (in UK), but, we have bells on all of our bicycles.

As others have said, bell or polite "excuse me" works most of the time, but, there are always the odd awkward sod, such is life.

Like @I like Skol , no matter what, we always slow down to be sure, my wife has twice been knocked off her bicycle by pedestrians, who have acknowledged seeing her, but, have still found it impossible to walk in a. straight line. Then, of course, there is the danger of the dreaded extendable dog leads.
 

wafter

I like steel bikes and I cannot lie..
Location
Oxford
IIRC it's a legal requirement for all new bikes to be fitted with a bell, but not for one to be fitted in use.

IMO they're useful think to have as the high pitch is quite distinct above speech etc and they're ambiguous / don't carry any emotive connotations as one's voice might.

one gentleman decided to say where's your bell
The correct response of course being "where's you're f*cking tool?"

Scum-1.jpg
 

I like Skol

A Minging Manc...
IMO they're useful think to have as the high pitch is quite distinct above speech etc and they're ambiguous / don't carry any emotive connotations as one's voice might.
The bell can be quite offensive in the wrong hands!

Was riding on the Monsal Trail earlier this year, just as covid lockdown was beginning to ease, the weather was good and people were on a cycling/get outdoors high after the daily exercise boom. The trail was pretty busy and we were making good progress as a fit family on bikes, but with the obvious regular slow downs and hold ups at the busiest points. Part way along the trail we began to hear a cyclist catching up quite quickly, accompanied by a near continuous Ping.... Ping..... PING..... PING!
I was wondering what his problem was? We were setting a good pace, but safety first so it wasn't going to be a time trial. As he closed up behind us we approached a particularly busy spot, prams, pets, cyclists, toddlers and pedestrians everywhere in all directions. I was just waiting for him to ping that bell one more time to try and hurry me up or encourage me out of his way. If he had done, he would have needed a shoulder length rubber glove to try and ping it where I was going to stick it! :cursing:
Fortunately for him he didn't, but as soon as we cleared the congestion he was off again at crazy speed, pinging his bell and piloting his EBIKE at or above the max legal limit as he rushed past the other more sedate trail users......
 

wafter

I like steel bikes and I cannot lie..
Location
Oxford
The bell can be quite offensive in the wrong hands!

Was riding on the Monsal Trail earlier this year, just as covid lockdown was beginning to ease, the weather was good and people were on a cycling/get outdoors high after the daily exercise boom. The trail was pretty busy and we were making good progress as a fit family on bikes, but with the obvious regular slow downs and hold ups at the busiest points. Part way along the trail we began to hear a cyclist catching up quite quickly, accompanied by a near continuous Ping.... Ping..... PING..... PING!
I was wondering what his problem was? We were setting a good pace, but safety first so it wasn't going to be a time trial. As he closed up behind us we approached a particularly busy spot, prams, pets, cyclists, toddlers and pedestrians everywhere in all directions. I was just waiting for him to ping that bell one more time to try and hurry me up or encourage me out of his way. If he had done, he would have needed a shoulder length rubber glove to try and ping it where I was going to stick it! :cursing:
Fortunately for him he didn't, but as soon as we cleared the congestion he was off again at crazy speed, pinging his bell and piloting his EBIKE at or above the max legal limit as he rushed past the other more sedate trail users......
Much like everything else I guess it's only offensive if used in such a way that reflects the mindset of the moron in charge of it..
 

Drago

Legendary Member
Have a bell, someone will moan its impolite.

Say excuse me, they moan you haben't got a bell.

Taser them, and they call the police.

We simply can't win. However, recently ive started saying "ding ding", mimicking a bell, and this seems to make people smile. So far this tactic is working well.
 

Jody

Stubborn git
but one gentleman decided to say where's your bell, I just shout back I used my voice and carried on cycling

Standard issue. If you used a bell he would say something else.

We simply can't win. However, recently ive started saying "ding ding", mimicking a bell, and this seems to make people smile. So far this tactic is working well.

I like that idea!
 

T.M.H.N.E.T

Rainbows aren't just for world champions
Location
Northern Ireland
It is in NI :whistle: but absolutely nobody knows this so it's between us
 

wafter

I like steel bikes and I cannot lie..
Location
Oxford
It's one of my unachieveable life goals to get one of those comedy traditional bike horns with a bulb on the end, beef it up and plumb it into a high-pressure air source with a switch. This would allow a non-threatening "honk-honk" for the decent folk with a backup option of an aurally-induced brain hemorrhage for the scumbags 👍
 

Oldhippy

Cynical idealist
I had a bell but I always seem to come up behind people with headphones who are oblivious to anything around them and couldn't hear me coming. Very annoying.
 

Slioch

Guru
Location
York
However, recently ive started saying "ding ding", mimicking a bell, and this seems to make people smile. So far this tactic is working well.

I was on a shared use path in York the other year and came up behind a couple and went "ding ding". The guy turned round with a smile on his face and asked in a broad Scottish accent "is that an Aberdeen bell?". We both had a giggle.
 

Ming the Merciless

There is no mercy
Location
Inside my skull
If a bell is required a point of sale and I know reflectors are required are also required at point of sale, why is a front reflector not required but a rear and both side of pedals are when cycling between sunset and sunrise?

Genuinely interested, is it something to do with the reflector dazzling oncoming cars from their own headlights?

You will likely notice a front light that has failed, not necessarily the rear. Reflectors were all ways as a backup to lights. Lights used to be a lot less reliable, especially never readies. The pedal reflectors is only bikes manufactured from 1985.
 
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