When a Bike Bell Rings…
…Nothing happens at all.
Nope, absolutely nothing. Even with the loudest, biggest bells I can find nobody hears me coming on my bike.
I’d get a horn, but I really don’t want to contribute to the stress of the city. It would make much more sense to do the reverse.
Incredi-bell on the right side for peds, Airzound on the left for motorists, coyotes and peds with earbuds.. I ride a trike, so I can slow down and say hi just as I’m passing by. The Incredi-bell is so loud I ring it about twenty paces back, or if it’s crowded, I ring it much closer behind them with a finger over the bell to dampen the noise. It is still quite audible.
Yes! Exactly! I love this post! The ineffectiveness of a bell made me get a hornit. On less busy roads it probably won’t be necessary, but when I go closer to downtown Chicago? We’ll see how it goes. Haven’t really use it yet. Hope that it works!
I put air horns on my motorcycle for this very reason….I may mount a set I’m ‘Steampunking’ to my bike as well!
Sure makes them sit up and take notice!
In the Netherlands, bike bells are used by cyclists on the “Fietspad”, which is any bike infrastructure, to alert cyclists to move over so a faster cyclist can overtake a slower cyclist. There is never a need to use them with pedestrians because they are given their own walking paths and do not use the fietspad.
Here in the USA I use my airzounds to warn motorists who are doing something dangerous in my line of travel. I rarely use my bike bell. It startles pedestrians and motorists can not hear it.
My Pashley Roadster Sovereign came factory equipped with a two-tone “ding-dong” bell. Quite nice. The bell sounds a minor third. For those like myself who are Army veterans, the minor third is the first two notes of “Last Post,” so this brings back memories.
Here is a very nice bicycle bell review:
http://www.aviewfromthecyclepath.com/2010/11/testing-and-recording-bicycle-bells.html