I have been riding shared paths for many years without a bell, always managed to alert people of my presence with my voice, failed occasionally with the earphone brigade, got the comment now and again " where's your bell" even though they had heard my voice, well I now have a bell on my new Garmin Edge, I have used it, but still prefer a more friendly excuse me.
Bells !
- Thread starter brommieinkorea
- Start date
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Fastpedaller
Über Member
- Location
- Norfolk
Audible means of approach is in many ways better - a human voice doesn't require moving a hand off a brake.
mistyoptic
Vintage
- Location
- A parallel reality
We have a “Dutch bell” aka “ding-dong”.
Sometimes see folks looking around trying to work out what the noise was but mostly get positive responses
Sometimes see folks looking around trying to work out what the noise was but mostly get positive responses
classic33
Leg End Member
They get you noticed, I found that out when I used it. Downside is drivers start looking for anything but a bicycle.
I know, it sounded like an artic lorry!
classic33
Leg End Member
Nearly bought one of those at a liquidation sale. It was in a scrap bin, and I only wanted the air horn.
PaulSB
Squire
- Location
- Chorley, Lancashire
I always use a bell when I'm gravel riding, off tarmac etc. It works very well, a bicycle bell is instantly recognisable whereas other methods or a shout potentially create confusion as to what is approaching........plus I get sick to death of calling out "cycle." My experience is 99% of people respond positively to a bell and we rarely, if ever, get an aggressive response.
The eardefender folk as those totally engrossed in their phones get passed as soon as it's safe to do so.
As for the reflector point, I don't think I've seen a bike for sale in 30 years fitted with these.
The eardefender folk as those totally engrossed in their phones get passed as soon as it's safe to do so.
As for the reflector point, I don't think I've seen a bike for sale in 30 years fitted with these.
Punkawallah
Veteran
My Taxes at work?
OP
OP
brommieinkorea
Senior Member
- Location
- 'Merica darnit
So, to the pro bell crowd. What's your favorite. The Crane Riten I have puts out 76db and does the bring bring bicycle bell thing. An Arundell Jezebell is the loudest I've found, 80db and sounds better than the Spur cycle , yet still " one ping only".
Shearwater Missile
Veteran
- Location
- Stowmarket
When coming from behind or someone towards me but not looking I will call out Good Morning or whatever from several yards out. If there is no response I will repeat again, obviously closer and finally "EXCUSE ME". I have never had anyone shout or give me abuse. When I did use a bell, it had zero effect and that was right up close. The worst culprits are the ones on their phones, totally oblivious to any sound or anyone around them.
Andy in Germany
Legendary Member
- Location
- Rottenburg am Neckar
We once bought one of those for our cycle commuter tutor after a driver hit him on a road island. The horns is indeed very loud.
Got one, never used. Read that they cause pedestrians to panic, and run all over the place. Conversely I have had those who have unnecessarily flattened themselves against a wall at the ring of the bell.
I tend to mix bell ringing and excuse me 's based on distance from a pedestrian; there was the time a pedestrian did not respond to the bell and in response to the excuse me apologised as they thought the bell was their phone.
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a.twiddler
Veteran
I've found that even the same kind of bell if you come to buy another one because you like the sound can sound different, maybe flatter or duller. I have a cheapo Decathlon one (bought in Asda), the type which has the "I love my Bike" sticker on which I removed, and that's been on my Spirit for about three years now. It's a brring brring type. A passer by even said to their companion as I passed them on a local rail trail recently, "what a nice sound!"
I tried to get another one for the Rans when I bought it but having a rummage among similar bells in store, they didn't sound as good. I ended up buying a large Dutch style Dong-Ding chrome bell (why not, there's loads of room on the Rans bars!). A sort of tribute to the remote controlled one I had on the Linear. I tried several before I picked this one. If you press the lever repeatedly it gives a good warning sound, or you can just give a Dong-Ding, or if you press and hold it down it has a long resonating note which slowly fades away.
I had a Chinese Knog-a-like on my Brompton until it spontaneously disintegrated at the end of last year after three years' use. I replaced it with an old Adie made in England pinger which has been on many bikes over the decades before taking up residence in my bits box. Perhaps it's more appropriate on the made in England Brompton.
Before the demise of Wilko I'd bought a couple of their electric buzzers which are on the bars of the Spirit and Rans. They don't take up much room, run on an AA battery each and make a pleasant chirping sound which seems to get the attention of pedestrians without causing undue alarm and despondency. The bikes themselves are pretty quiet so it's good to have a back up.
There's always the "excuse me!" "coming through!" "mind your backs!" or harrumphing as an alternative.
This is on shared paths, rail trails and such like. On the road, you would need something that makes a lot of noise and probably needs to be big. Airzound and bottle? I did modify a boat horn to fit a bottle cage but it all adds size and weight for the amount of times you might need to use it.
Maybe a whistle and lanyard? Portable, but not readily identifiable as belonging to a bike.
I tried to get another one for the Rans when I bought it but having a rummage among similar bells in store, they didn't sound as good. I ended up buying a large Dutch style Dong-Ding chrome bell (why not, there's loads of room on the Rans bars!). A sort of tribute to the remote controlled one I had on the Linear. I tried several before I picked this one. If you press the lever repeatedly it gives a good warning sound, or you can just give a Dong-Ding, or if you press and hold it down it has a long resonating note which slowly fades away.
I had a Chinese Knog-a-like on my Brompton until it spontaneously disintegrated at the end of last year after three years' use. I replaced it with an old Adie made in England pinger which has been on many bikes over the decades before taking up residence in my bits box. Perhaps it's more appropriate on the made in England Brompton.
Before the demise of Wilko I'd bought a couple of their electric buzzers which are on the bars of the Spirit and Rans. They don't take up much room, run on an AA battery each and make a pleasant chirping sound which seems to get the attention of pedestrians without causing undue alarm and despondency. The bikes themselves are pretty quiet so it's good to have a back up.
There's always the "excuse me!" "coming through!" "mind your backs!" or harrumphing as an alternative.
This is on shared paths, rail trails and such like. On the road, you would need something that makes a lot of noise and probably needs to be big. Airzound and bottle? I did modify a boat horn to fit a bottle cage but it all adds size and weight for the amount of times you might need to use it.
Maybe a whistle and lanyard? Portable, but not readily identifiable as belonging to a bike.
MontyVeda
a short-tempered ill-controlled small-minded troll
- Location
- Lancaster... the little city.
On the rare occasion I use my bell, it doesn't seem to have much of an effect. It rings and they might look up into a tree, wondering if it was a wind chime they heard, but it's a little 'ping' bell, not a proper dring-dring bell.
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