Rich recently did a tweet about his bell and how vaguely exciting it is. Looked beautiful craftsmanship and it's from Decathlon with a nice ring tone (according to him who's heard it in the flesh so he'd know)...

Anyway, I'm getting dangerously close to getting one. Loud clicky freehub doesn't seem to do it anymore. Add to that the fact that sometimes having a 'muzlamic' shout 'mourning' whilst you're having your quite sunday evening stroll, can become quite irritating to people.

So what do we have. Smaller is better. Classy is good. I seem to remember there's meant to be a really posh one for £40 but an equally posh copy of the posh one for a few quid...

Cheapo one from Decathlon. £1.50 I think. I didn't have a bell fitted for years and now I much prefer it to shouting " excuse me" . Seems friendlier somehow.

This is a copy of a posh one, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't though, we've got a couple. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/353315728905

These are junk https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/284164177059

That one I sent you the link to has a lovely sound. It's noticeable the positive reaction you get from people with a nice-sounding bell.

I had a Spur Cycles bell which was a true work of art but I sold it because it was far too nice for me to be responsible for. Tend to use a Timber these days as I think people find the random gangling less 'pointed' than a normal bell.

https://cyclorise.com/collections/timber

Prettt sure the price on these was about £50 last time I checked. I suppose (since Rich pointed out the cheaper Spur cycle copies break and th proper one is £50) I'd best get one ordered then shall I...

The human voice can be as soft or as loud as you want and weighs nowt. I also thinks it's a lot less strident than a bell which many folk find objectionable.

Richpips wrote: ↑Sat May 08, 2021 6:24 pm This is a copy of a posh one, sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't though, we've got a couple. https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/353315728905

Can confirm that this is quite good. Nice sound indeed. Quite high pitched though, and you have no control on the "volume", it's either a full on gling or nothing at all. After 2 years or so, when tried to move it to another bike, the rubber thingy that is part of the mount fell apart. I assume that without moving it around at all it would have still worked perfectly fine.

ScotRoutes wrote: ↑Sat May 08, 2021 6:40 pm The human voice can be as soft or as loud as you want and weighs nowt. I also thinks it's a lot less strident than a bell which many folk find objectionable.

Erm... not my human voice. I've been pulled up by my son that when at the masjid praying/reading quitely (in a whisper) I disturb his prayers. Been described as a foghorn many times in the past. On the Mary Townley Loop (first time about 10 years ago) was the only time my voice failed me when trying to call the rest of the riders that they'd gone wring way. It was blustery in the moors and they were at least about 200m away.

My voice is good for the 'call to prayer/Adhaan' but then with speakers these days I worry I might blow the mic

Bell... that's truly the way forward for me as I have no regulator (though i do try and getting better with age).

i use my voice,

morning if it is in the morning
afternoon in the pm
or plain old hey up sometimes.

Timber Bell (bolt on, not band on) on my mtb. Plus a normal Bell on my mtb. Plus my voice

That's on my most used bike. Timber Bell is ace and a really happy sound

I think it's gonna be a vote between the 'Rich' bell and the Timber. Decisions decisions...

This is the one btw https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/classic-b ... R-p-312035

Timber bell, seems to please/placate even the most ardent/miserable walker.

I’ve got a few of the Spur copies. Work well but sometimes too high-pitched for old ladies.

Round here the human voice doesn’t always cut it with the “haven’t you got a bell?” brigade.

There are times when I wish I had an air raid siren strapped to the bars.

Thanks for the info. I have just ordered one of the eBay jobs for my commuter.

I have a lovely spur cycles bell, must be posher than Stu because I’m fine with ownership and it makes a nice sound. However I’d really like a jousting Lance to deal with the runners who need to drown out the scary sounds of nature on the cut with headphones . Many times I’ve been stuck behind the knobbers who are totally oblivious to their surroundings, bells, shouting etc fails to rouse them.

Wot no Knog?

Wot Steve says above. Runner with headphones who couldn't hear a plane crash let alone a bell tone. Grrr.

I used to use a bell - just a cheapy that came with a bike - and had a few people turn and shout things like "don't you ding you bloody bell at me - you don't own the path". And I've called to people that I'm coming past on the right to have them shout at me "don't you own a bell". You can't win but on balance I think slowing down and talking is better round these parts than binging something.

Similar here, though leaning towards where's you bell recently so I got a cheapo one, it broke.

Thinking about it, I think I've been asked where my bell is more in the last 12 months than the last 20 years of cycling.
Which seems odd to me.

What about one of these for the hard of hearing?



https://www.sjscycles.co.uk/bells-horns ... able-horn/

My partner bought me an electric horn style thing in the name of safety. The first review I read about it contained a warning that using it could lead to violent altercations with other road users as the reviewer experienced. I pressed the button on the horn and even got angry with my self. It was like cross between a rape alarm and the soundtrack to the death star battle in Star Wars and ear bursting loud.
It got sent back straight away. Ghandi would have punched me out if i had used that on him on a cycle path.

I too have regularly experienced the "don't ding your bell at me" crowd.

I have a bulb horn on my wee singlespeed 26er. That never fails to raise a smile.

I live in canal towpath country, I find that giving a nice “excuse me” from about 50m back is the best.... However I did have one numpty last week telling me that I should have a bell, his already puce face went a deeper shade of gammon when I pointed out that as he hadn’t heard me saying, then shouting, excuse me 5 times then he wouldn’t hear a bell

I’ve had an Alexander-Graham for a few years now and it was worth the high price.
https://www.condorcycles.com/products/p ... raham-bell

It’s quite a high pitch so it can be heard from quite a distance away. I got it after several accusations of aggressive bell ringing.

The 5 quid decathlon bell has a really nice sustained tone

https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/520-bike- ... R-p-145316

Just noticed the price of spur cycles one

Never ceases to amazes me what people seem prepared to pay for stuff.

I’ve a Timber. No one has ever complained about that but it fails to alert quite a lot of folks. I suppose those are the ones who are oblivious to talking or normal bells as well - not a fault of the bell itself.
It’s pretty good on particularly crowded sections of trail because of the continuous sound.