Quoted message said:Sorry if this has come up in this NG before, but a quick scan hasn't answered my question. I am
thinking of investing in an 'airzound' horn for my bike but I'm not sure whether the kind of
volume given out by this gadget is legal... Has anyone got any idea?
It's awesome - liable to cause little old ladies to drop dead with fright. Death by air zound
probably breaks some law, if it happens.
The air zound requires a Schreader valved pump.
I'm glad I have an air zound, just for its sheer amusement value, but I don't have it mounted on my
bike now, and I do have a bike bell.
I think the air zound is too loud to get into using it as your automatic quick response to any
situation - shout instead. Thus you can only use the air zound for situations you see developing a
few seconds in advance. Essentially you are then luring the poor unsuspecting motorist into being
the air zound's victim, which is unsporting.
Regarding bells, they are only useful on off-road bike paths. On the busier off road paths an air
zound is tempting, but inadvisable. I have a bell that Sustrans sent me free, for spending too much
money with them. It goes "ping", instead of the traditional "trrrrrrr". Fairly frequently people
under 40 fail to recogise that the sound is a bicycle bell, or anything relevant to them, and people
over forty are too deaf to hear it. The deaf ones always then berate you for not using your bell.
For shouting, my all purpose instinctive cry is "watch it". That alerts without being too
confrontional, hostile replies, if any, being nothing but "you watch it." When shouting, even if
terrified, keep you voice low pitched. Don't let your voice rise to an anguished squeak"
Jeremy Parker