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I need to add something to a secret Santa list, my commuter bike could do with a bell.
Whats best to alert dog walkers from 1km away! Preferably steerer tube mounted I think as bars quite cluttered.
I rate the Crane bells, good quality and long-reaching sound/tone but not silly £
PDW Alexander Graham Bell, works well, fits on steerer.
Granite Cricket bell is good
https://www.merlincycles.com/granite-cricket-bell-with-cowbell-mode-241736.html
My experiences with bells are that 50% of pedestrians will get angry when you use it and the other 50% angry when you don't. A bulb horn works better than a bell. It's strident but nobody seems to mind as they mostly smile or laugh.
We endured a rant from a walker about how one of our number was a 'good' cyclist because he had a bell. We were too polite to point out that if he kept his idiot dog under control we wouldn't need bells.
" just because you ring your bell doesn't mean I'm going to move"
Just a one off, must people are more than happy with my Timber.
I have a rockbros one - its very good and eases the way. I've only once had a walker complain about me using a bell, I get thanked often
Crane E-Ne bell
Ah, missed the steerer part, think Crane do steerer mounted ones though
Timber bell every time - its jolly continuous tinkle seems to be less aggressive than a struck bell. Also, don’t bother with the cheap knock offs on AliBaba, I bought two, they’re pretty poor.
A bulb horn works better than a bell. It’s strident but nobody seems to mind as they mostly smile or laugh.
This is the correct response.
People seem to love my £1.99 bulb horn & It's louder than a bell.
Singletrack Timber Bell is my favorite. Gentle, persistent, loud enough. Though I was told on one Manchester canal that it was a ‘girly sounding bell’. 🤷🏻♂️ that seems OK to me. The folks heard it.
I've just got an Acor headset spacer bell off eBay for about £8 or something. It's great, and my daughter says it looks cool!
I use a Trigger Bell mounted on the grip on my bikes, it's not the loudest but means I don't need to move my hand. Might not be worth the compromise if your cockpit controls setup means you can get a normal bell right up to the grip.
This might be worth a laugh for £26 but I've resisted the temptation: https://www.wiggle.co.uk/hornit-db140-v3-bike-horn
This guy isn't helping himself with said horn, or with his approach in general, but it's worth a watch
Headset spacer bell with a simple ring. They’re much of a muchness but work fine. Assuming your stem isn’t slammed of course, or it’s not a giant carbon 1 1/4” diameter. Planet X?
I have a rockbros one – its very good and eases the way
I've got a rockbros one. If you hold down the button it changes the noise effect. The whistle is rather loud and often makes people jump. The clown horn is my personal favourite.
I only use it when I'm bike packing or have the mac ride on as mini D laughs when he presses it. The rest of the time I just shout hello.
Its goes inside a silicon cover that you use to attach it to the bars. Seems to keep the water and dirt out. Battery life is also pretty goog.
+1 to the Singletrack Timber Bell. Much more likely to get a smile and has the bonus you can just leave it going when on a busy shared path.
I’ve got a rockbros one. If you hold down the button it changes the noise effect. The whistle is rather loud and often makes people jump. The clown horn is my personal favourite.
I only use it when I’m bike packing or have the mac ride on as mini D laughs when he presses it. The rest of the time I just shout hello.
Its goes inside a silicon cover that you use to attach it to the bars. Seems to keep the water and dirt out. Battery life is also pretty goog
Because of this review...ive just ordered one ....gonna be clown horning the Surrey hills now..lol
I like the Timber bell too. The latest, version 4 one, has a slightly higher tone than the earlier ones, which means it's not quite as mellifluous as the original, but slightly more noticeable for walkers, I think. The only downside round here is that the inside of the bell sometimes gets coated with fine grit and muffles the sound slightly. I like that the sound isn't at all strident, tends to make people smile.
This guy isn’t helping himself with said horn, or with his approach in general, but it’s worth a watch
That guy is a bell.
I'm yet to find a bell I'm completely satisfied with. Most of the cheap ones are junk. Timberbell has been my favourite so far, people respond well to the friendly tinkle, although they don't always hear it on shared paths.
Either the https://singletrackmag.com/shop/timber-bell-v4/ or the Trigger Bell v6 from Amazon https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B00NZVQ49M/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1
I really liked my timber bell until the lever broke off and now can't swap between modes. Not sure if there's a decent fix for it
Preferably steerer tube mounted I think as bars quite cluttered.
Somethiing like the Knog Oi! doesn't clutter up the bars much at all - I've got copies of it on all bikes. Not the loudest but loud enough. Fits between grip and brake lever clamp, with dinger front-facing for protection rather than rear-facing.
Annoyingly, one of the cheap pingers that came with a new bike is my most effective.
I have a nice Brass Lion bell but people often assume its their companions phone notification, or just look at the sky wondering what the noise is. The sustain is so long they don't associate it with a bell!
Timber bell is pretty good for busy areas but I don't find it as easy to use for the odd ping, I think there is another brand that has a constant tinkle as well as a ping function.
My experiences with bells are that 50% of pedestrians will get angry when you use it and the other 50% angry when you don’t.
And they are often the same person - who just hates cyclists existing.
Timber Bell is good, but nothing works on the tools who walk around with air buds in. Frankly, having the shit scared out if them or being flattened needs to happen for them to learn.
This bell from decathlon is a bargain at £4.99
https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/520-bike-bell-silver/_/R-p-145316?mc=8200975
It's got a really pleasing tone/pitch that resonates much longer than other bells I've had.
It's also pretty small and can be mounted upside down for a stealth look.
I really liked my timber bell until the lever broke off and now can’t swap between modes. Not sure if there’s a decent fix for it
I don't know if it's available in the UK, but I sourced the spare parts kit for the new Timber Yew (modular) bell from Timber Bell in the US. It contains basically everything apart from the actual brass bell and you can use it to completely rebuild your old bell to the latest Yew spec. I did it partly out of curiosity and because I preferred the slightly deeper tone of the earlier bell to the latest, slightly sharper one.
The kit was 10 USD plus shipping, but they mentioned that the UK importer had ordered some of the kits, so they may be obtainable in the UK - maybe drop them a line.
Timber Bell is good, but nothing works on the tools who walk around with air buds in. Frankly, having the shit scared out if them or being flattened needs to happen for them to learn.
Yeah, let's run 'em over to emphasise how cyclists are thoughtful, responsible people rather than angry twunts who think they own shared-use trails 🙂
Cheers BWD, I'll drop them a line. Seems a shame to bin the bell due to a plastic part that would cost peanuts to make