bell really needed in Manhattan?

bikemh said:

I plan to be in Manhattan this weekend, and have never biked there. I
want to go for a quick 10 mile ride on Sunday morning, starting at the
upper east side.

I've read that technically the law requires it, but do I really need a
bell or horn? I'd rather not spend part of today going to some store to
get one, which I would never use again. OTOH, I don't want to risk
getting a high-priced ticket.

What are you doing riding a bike without a bell? Sheer lunacy! LOL Get
a little stem mounted mini, you'll be amazed at how handy it is, and
you can ring it just for thrills. FWIW, all the serious roadies, not
the poseurs, around these parts are bell users. They're on all my bikes
whether or not they're light single speeds, or full featured urban
schleppers.

bikemh said:

I plan to be in Manhattan this weekend, and have never biked there. I
want to go for a quick 10 mile ride on Sunday morning, starting at the
upper east side.

I've read that technically the law requires it, but do I really need a
bell or horn? I'd rather not spend part of today going to some store to
get one, which I would never use again. OTOH, I don't want to risk
getting a high-priced ticket.

I work in Manhattan. You would be the first cyclist that I ever saw
with a bell. Have a good ride.

Joel

Solomander said:

bikemh wrote:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I've read that technically the law requires it, but do I really need a
bell or horn? I'd rather not spend part of today going to some store to
get one, which I would never use again.

This I don't understand. Why would you never use it again? Even if you come
from a place which doesn't require them, which is unlikely, they are useful
to have.

Quoted message said:

I work in Manhattan. You would be the first cyclist that I ever saw
with a bell.

You certainly aren't looking very hard. Plenty of NYC cyclists have them.

Don <www.donwiss.com/joyrides> (e-mail link at page bottom).

In article <[email hidden]>,

Solomander said:

I work in Manhattan. You would be the first cyclist that I ever saw
with a bell.

It's hard to see the details when two subjects pass each other at great
speed! 😉
--

In article <[email hidden]>,

bikemh said:

I plan to be in Manhattan this weekend, and have never biked there. I
want to go for a quick 10 mile ride on Sunday morning, starting at the
upper east side.

I've read that technically the law requires it, but do I really need a
bell or horn? I'd rather not spend part of today going to some store to
get one, which I would never use again. OTOH, I don't want to risk
getting a high-priced ticket.

If the wording of the law says "audible signaling device" or
something to that effect, I'd think one's own voice could
fill that bill.

But you might be surprised -- a bell really can be useful at times.

I have a Cateye Super Mini, myself. It's quite discrete & dainty.
It's diameter isn't much more than the thickness of an handlebar,
so I've got my bell mounted facing back (toward me.) That way it's
hardly noticable, so I'm less uncomfortable with the shame of having
a bell on my bike, and it doesn't distract from the rubber bulb horn
audaciously occupying the other side of the handlebar :-)

Someone mentioned mounting a bell on the stem. I guess that would
work, but I've got my bell mounted near where my left hand usually
is, so I can actuate it with just a flick of the thumb, instead of
fumbling around for it, only to find it when the need is long past
(or passed.)

Speaking of archaic bicycle laws, there was a time in some
jurisdictions when the bottom portions of rear bicycle fenders were
required to be coloured white, or to have a white stripe there.
That was back when bikes & fenders were mostly coloured black, most
bikes had two speeds (go and stop) and Jobst Brandt was a kid :-)

You can still see those "border collie tail" fenders in old
photos & movies, and on some vintage bicycles.

cheers,
Tom

--
-- Nothing is safe from me.
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca

Tom Keats said:

Someone mentioned mounting a bell on the stem.

I did, and it works great on quill stem bikes with drop bars:
http://tinyurl.com/lk8es

My utility bike with flat bars has a chrome mini bell up top and proud
next to the shifter.

Quoted message said:

Speaking of archaic bicycle laws, there was a time in some
jurisdictions when the bottom portions of rear bicycle fenders were
required to be coloured white, or to have a white stripe there.

I've had a couple old bikes like that, and my old Nexus hubbed city
bike got a white stripe painted onto the aluminum fender for that retro
look.

"bikemh" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I plan to be in Manhattan this weekend, and have never biked there. I
want to go for a quick 10 mile ride on Sunday morning, starting at the
upper east side.

I've read that technically the law requires it, but do I really need a
bell or horn? I'd rather not spend part of today going to some store to
get one, which I would never use again. OTOH, I don't want to risk
getting a high-priced ticket.

I have a cute little ding type of bell I put on my MTB.
On my roadster I have a big bell with a mult-iring handle actuator and it is
great.
I think they are a hoot. Good conversation starter too.

Earl Bollinger said:

I have a cute little ding type of bell I put on my MTB.
On my roadster I have a big bell with a mult-iring handle actuator and it is
great.

Every time I hear one of those I get the urge to say, "Good morning,
Mr. Leach, have we had a busy day?"

Bill in Utah, Faking It

__o |Weaning our nation from fossil fuels should be understood as
_`\(,_ |the most patriotic policy to which we can commit ourselves.
(_)/ (_) | -Robert Redford

Earl Bollinger said:

I have a cute little ding type of bell I put on my MTB.

Someone described those as "pathetic 'ping' bells". Certainly the one
I have fits into that category.

"Andrew Price" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Earl Bollinger said:

I have a cute little ding type of bell I put on my MTB.

Someone described those as "pathetic 'ping' bells". Certainly the one
I have fits into that category.

"pathetic ping bell" that is a interesting name for them.
I never heard of that before.

Bells are interesting, it seems nowadays when you use one the people have a
tendency to turn around to look at you and veer off in front of you.
Plus some people seem to jump out of their skins when you roll up on them
and ring the bell.
I guess the English are smart enough to know what to do.

bikemh said:

I plan to be in Manhattan this weekend, and have never biked there. I
want to go for a quick 10 mile ride on Sunday morning, starting at the
upper east side.

I've read that technically the law requires it, but do I really need a
bell or horn? I'd rather not spend part of today going to some store to
get one, which I would never use again. OTOH, I don't want to risk
getting a high-priced ticket.

On my Steel Surly Pacer I just snap the brake cable on the top tube
and it rings like a boat bell.

Earl Bollinger said:

Bells are interesting, it seems nowadays when you use one the people have a
tendency to turn around to look at you and veer off in front of you.
Plus some people seem to jump out of their skins when you roll up on them
and ring the bell.

On the main multi-use trail that I like to use, which fortunately is
mostly away from noise, I use my brake levers to warn pedestrians that I'm
coming. Give 'em a slight pull inward, not enough to slow the bike, and
then let my fingers slip off so that they flip back with a clanking noise.
Works as well as a bell, and better than hollering "on yer left" at times.

Bill

__o | When a stupid man is doing something he is ashamed of,
_`\(,_ | he always declares that it is his duty.
(_)/ (_) | - George Bernard Shaw

I have bells on my bikes. They are useful on trails that you share with
pedestrians, skateboarders, etc., somewhat useful on roads with lots of bike
traffic, and not very useful on other roads. Some pedestrians have loud
radio bugs in their ears and don't hear anything; most react favorably to
bells, somewhat moreso than to voice warnings.

I'm from Milwaukee and have done limited riding in NYC. Bells were
certainly useful on the Hudson River trail and the Brooklyn bridge.

"bikemh" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I plan to be in Manhattan this weekend, and have never biked there. I
want to go for a quick 10 mile ride on Sunday morning, starting at the
upper east side.

I've read that technically the law requires it, but do I really need a
bell or horn? I'd rather not spend part of today going to some store to
get one, which I would never use again. OTOH, I don't want to risk
getting a high-priced ticket.

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden]

Quoted message said:

On the main multi-use trail that I like to use, which fortunately is
mostly away from noise, I use my brake levers to warn pedestrians that I'm
coming. Give 'em a slight pull inward, not enough to slow the bike, and
then let my fingers slip off so that they flip back with a clanking noise.
Works as well as a bell, and better than hollering "on yer left" at times.

Not quite adequate when their brain is flooded b/n too iPod buds. 🙂
--

=v= Read this:

http://www.cars-suck.org/blog/2005/11/many_a_true_word_spoken_in_jes.html

My take is that, unless you are on a greenway or unless you've got
one of those really loud bells that sounds like an old phone ringing,
nobody's going to hear you in Manhattan. On the other hands, cops
do their stupid ticket blitzes from time to time over [censored]
violations like that.
<_Jym_>

Artoi said:

In article <[email hidden]>, [email hidden]
wrote:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

On the main multi-use trail that I like to use, which fortunately is
mostly away from noise, I use my brake levers to warn pedestrians that I'm
coming. Give 'em a slight pull inward, not enough to slow the bike, and
then let my fingers slip off so that they flip back with a clanking noise.
Works as well as a bell, and better than hollering "on yer left" at times.

Quoted message said:

Not quite adequate when their brain is flooded b/n too iPod buds. 🙂

YMMV, but when I do it, it usually works.

Bill

-----------------------------------------------------
| When the power of love overcomes the love of power |
| the world will know peace. |
| -- Jimi Hendrix |
-----------------------------------------------------

In article <[email hidden]>,

Quoted message said:

=v= Read this:

http://www.cars-suck.org/blog/2005/11/many_a_true_word_spoken_in_jes.html

My take is that, unless you are on a greenway or unless you've got
one of those really loud bells that sounds like an old phone ringing,
nobody's going to hear you in Manhattan.

The sound doesn't have to be loud to be noticable -- just incongruous
and out of the ordinary.

cheers,
Tom

--
-- Nothing is safe from me.
Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca

Ron Wallenfang said:

I have bells on my bikes. They are useful on trails that you share with
pedestrians, skateboarders, etc., somewhat useful on roads with lots of bike
traffic, and not very useful on other roads. Some pedestrians have loud
radio bugs in their ears and don't hear anything; most react favorably to
bells, somewhat moreso than to voice warnings.

I agree totally. All four of my bikes have bells, and I get
quite a few people responding very favorably when I ring a
warning rather than the usual "on your left", which can often
result in the person going left!

At least if they don't understand what the noise is, they stop
or turn to see what's going on behind them.

I actually like the single "dinger" but it gets muffled too
much when I wear gloves during colder seasons. The "ringer"
works better overall, although I would prefer the simple "ding
ding" better.

SMH

Quoted message said:

=v= Read this:

http://www.cars-suck.org/blog/2005/11/many_a_true_word_spoken_in_jes.html

My take is that, unless you are on a greenway or unless you've got
one of those really loud bells that sounds like an old phone ringing,
nobody's going to hear you in Manhattan. On the other hands, cops
do their stupid ticket blitzes from time to time over [censored]
violations like that.
<_Jym_>

I'm all for cracking down on bikes that get ridden on public streets.
I wouldn't require lights mounted during the day, but if you want to
share the road, then requiring two brakes or one on a fix, a sounding
device, and front and rear lighting at night is fair enough.
Enforcement needs to be consistent. I've been out with friends in
Gothenburg at night and stuck w/o lighting on my ride. They made me
ride close between them to stay safe. As much fun as we were having,
bicycle safety was no afterthought or joking matter. Americans want to
solve the bike safety problem with helmets, which are effective for
some accident to be sure, but they'd be much better served by altering
behavior.

This lack of bike enforcement has spawned groups like Critical Mass,
which are the worst bicycling advocates imaginable. Defiance, anarchy,
and arrogance, the three most common things experienced on a CM ride,
are not going to do a thing to promote more ridership. Of course there
exists a right to assemble, but there's no right in the American
constitution to tie up traffic and cause motorists to idle and use more
gas, to make some sort of bizarre political point. That's right
Massers--your little displays of conceit actually cause more emissions.

/rant