Best bicycle bell?

Bruce W.1 said:

I'm outfitting my new touring bike and it needs a bell. The diameter of
my handlebars with tape is about 1.10"

I don't like the bells I find in stores around here. Rather than a
single ding I'd like it to have a classic and loud cha-ching sound.

There are at bunch of bells at Amazon. Can anyone recommend one? What's
your favorite bell?

Thanks for your help.

Ah, now here's a thread to my liking! The soccer moms in my area like to
jog in the bike lanes side-by-side in order to enhance the talking
experience. And they run with the traffic in order to better view the
coastline and make it less likely they will see a cyclist coming up from
behind. So while I might like a big ol' air horn to move them aside so I
don't need to dart into traffic, I think a bike bell that sounds like a
bike bell would work as well, and would be less-likely to cause a
cardiac seizure in the joggers.

I have prodded the bells at the LBS's and not found any really to my
liking. There are plastic gorillas and chickens and hamburgers that I
would be proud to sport on my handlebars, but they don't sound like a
bike's bell. A bike bell, in my view, should sound like a bike bell, so
folks will know exactly what is coming up from behind.

That said, I have seen transparent colored bells that do ring-ring, like
a bike bell should, and my wife has a pink one on her black and pink
comfort bike.

-- mike elliott

Mike Rocket J Squirrel said:

Bruce W.1 said:

I'm outfitting my new touring bike and it needs a bell. The diameter
of my handlebars with tape is about 1.10"

I don't like the bells I find in stores around here. Rather than a
single ding I'd like it to have a classic and loud cha-ching sound.

There are at bunch of bells at Amazon. Can anyone recommend one?
What's your favorite bell?

Thanks for your help.

Ah, now here's a thread to my liking! The soccer moms in my area like to
jog in the bike lanes side-by-side in order to enhance the talking
experience. And they run with the traffic in order to better view the
coastline and make it less likely they will see a cyclist coming up from
behind. So while I might like a big ol' air horn to move them aside so I
don't need to dart into traffic, I think a bike bell that sounds like a
bike bell would work as well, and would be less-likely to cause a
cardiac seizure in the joggers.

I have prodded the bells at the LBS's and not found any really to my
liking. There are plastic gorillas and chickens and hamburgers that I
would be proud to sport on my handlebars, but they don't sound like a
bike's bell. A bike bell, in my view, should sound like a bike bell, so
folks will know exactly what is coming up from behind.

That said, I have seen transparent colored bells that do ring-ring, like
a bike bell should, and my wife has a pink one on her black and pink
comfort bike.

-- mike elliott

Around here the rule is that everyone runs/walks/cycles/skates to the
right, and faster traffic (bicycles) is supposed to pass slower traffic
carefully, when it is safe. I've found that a simple "passing on your
left, please" gets them out of my way, and I don't have to worry about
the weight and expense of a big ol' air horn. Saying "On your left,
please" actually works better than a bell of any kind, IME.

If you're determined to go fast why can't you just ride in the road?

mark

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

Quoted message said:

Mike Rocket J Squirrel said:

Ah, now here's a thread to my liking! The soccer moms in my area like to
jog in the bike lanes side-by-side in order to enhance the talking
experience.

If you're determined to go fast why can't you just ride in the road?

The OP *is* in the road: in the bike lane. The damn joggers have simply decided
to take it over.

--

__o Kristian Zoerhoff
_'\(,_ [email hidden]
(_)/ (_)

Bruce W.1 said:

I'm outfitting my new touring bike and it needs a bell. The diameter of
my handlebars with tape is about 1.10"

I don't like the bells I find in stores around here. Rather than a
single ding I'd like it to have a classic and loud cha-ching sound.

There are at bunch of bells at Amazon. Can anyone recommend one?
What's your favorite bell?

Thanks for your help.

I think the ones you're thinking about are the ones with the ratchet /
spring mechanism. I wouldn't get one as the ratchet or spring
eventually gets gummed up and or corroded and then your bell is kaput.
When I went shopping for my bell my search criteria consisted of sound
loudness, longevity and style. I chose a dinger type bell. It's
ridiculously simple. The hammer is built right onto the spring, you
just pull back on it and let go. It whacks the bell and makes a ding.
It's loud enough to get other cyclists and pedestrians attention. My
guess is that if you're riding over 35kmh the bell won't do you any
good because by the time anyone heard it you'd probably already konked
them. Anyway, I bought the one that's shaped like and looks like a
baseball.

Kristian M Zoerhoff said:

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

Quoted message said:

Mike Rocket J Squirrel said:

Ah, now here's a thread to my liking! The soccer moms in my area like to
jog in the bike lanes side-by-side in order to enhance the talking
experience.

If you're determined to go fast why can't you just ride in the road?

The OP *is* in the road: in the bike lane. The damn joggers have simply decided
to take it over.

--

__o Kristian Zoerhoff
_'\(,_ [email hidden]
(_)/ (_)

Dear Kristian,

And sometimes there is no road, just a bike trail, but the damn
fishermen have simply decided to take the it over:

http://www.filelodge.com/files/room19/497501/065%20blocked%20path.jpg

If you look closely, you can see a white plastic bucket, almost
invisible in the sunlight, just beyond the open tackle box. There are
six fishing rods.

The path is 8.5 feet wide. It's 13.5 feet from the edge of the path to
the water at this point, the closest that the path comes to the pond.

If you come around the corner from which the picture was taken, a
slower recumbent with panniers can block your view of a similar empty
folding chair, set sideways across the path.

When you call out on-your left to pass the recumbent and the recumbent
promptly swerves left to block you (he's just avoiding the chair),
swerving back onto the right side of the path will lead you into a
near-accident.

On Wednesday, a deputy district attorney decided to drop a truly
bizarre charge after seeing that picture and a few other photos.

But I've seen worse. I once stopped and yanked a metal stake out of the
same path and threw it into the Arkansas River. The idiots who had
pounded it into the asphalt for their game of horsehoes wisely kept
their distance.

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

http://www.deltacycle.com/product.php?g=1 Air Zound

Bruce W.1 said:

I'm outfitting my new touring bike and it needs a bell. The diameter of
my handlebars with tape is about 1.10"

I don't like the bells I find in stores around here. Rather than a
single ding I'd like it to have a classic and loud cha-ching sound.

There are at bunch of bells at Amazon. Can anyone recommend one?
What's your favorite bell?

Thanks for your help.

In article <[email hidden]>,

mark said:

Around here the rule is that everyone runs/walks/cycles/skates to the
right, and faster traffic (bicycles) is supposed to pass slower
traffic carefully, when it is safe. I've found that a simple "passing
on your left, please" gets them out of my way, and I don't have to
worry about the weight and expense of a big ol' air horn. Saying "On
your left, please" actually works better than a bell of any kind,
IME.

People must be brighter in your neck of the woods. "On your left"
around here results in the person stepping to their left, or looking
over their shoulder and swerving in front of you, or looking off into
the distance to see the fascinating geographical feature that you've
kindly pointed out to them. But it doesn't get them to move over and
let you by.

I ride on the roads. It's safer and less aggravating.

Kenny wrote:

[snip]

Quoted message said:

My guess is that if you're riding over 35kmh the bell won't do you any
good because by the time anyone heard it you'd probably already konked
them. Anyway, I bought the one that's shaped like and looks like a
baseball.

Dear Kenny,

Hmmm . . . "konked" and "looks like a baseball . . . the classic
umpire's dilemma:

6.08
The batter becomes a runner and is entitled to first base without
liability to be put out (provided he advances to and touches first
base) when --

[snip]

(b) He is touched by a pitched ball which he is not attempting to hit
unless (1) The ball is in the strike zone when it touches the batter,
or (2) The batter makes no attempt to avoid being touched by the ball;v
If the ball is in the strike zone when it touches the batter, it shall
be called a strike, whether or not the batter tries to avoid the ball.
If the ball is outside the strike zone when it touches the batter, it
shall be called a ball if he makes no attempt to avoid being touched.

8.02
The pitcher shall not --

[snip]

(d) Intentionally Pitch at the Batter.
If, in the umpire's judgment, such a violation occurs, the umpire may
elect either to:
1. Expel the pitcher, or the manager and the pitcher, from the game, or
2. may warn the pitcher and the manager of both teams that another such
pitch will result in the immediate expulsion of that pitcher (or a
replacement) and the manager.
If, in the umpire's judgment, circumstances warrant, both teams may
be officially "warned" prior to the game or at any time during the
game.
(League Presidents may take additional action under authority provided
in Rule 9.05.)
Rule 8.02(d) Comment: To pitch at a batter's head is unsportsmanlike
and highly dangerous. It should be-and is-condemned by everybody.
Umpires should act without hesitation in enforcement of this rule.

http://mlb.mlb.com/NASApp/mlb/mlb/official_info/official_rules/pitcher_8.jsp

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

Tim McNamara said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

mark said:

Around here the rule is that everyone runs/walks/cycles/skates to the
right, and faster traffic (bicycles) is supposed to pass slower
traffic carefully, when it is safe. I've found that a simple "passing
on your left, please" gets them out of my way, and I don't have to
worry about the weight and expense of a big ol' air horn. Saying "On
your left, please" actually works better than a bell of any kind,
IME.

People must be brighter in your neck of the woods. "On your left"
around here results in the person stepping to their left, or looking
over their shoulder and swerving in front of you, or looking off into
the distance to see the fascinating geographical feature that you've
kindly pointed out to them. But it doesn't get them to move over and
let you by.

I ride on the roads. It's safer and less aggravating.

Dear Tim,

People must be brighter in your neck of the woods. "On your left"
around here results in each person grabbing the other and starting a
wrestling match as they try to force each other to safety on opposite
sides of the path, irritated leave-me-alone waves from cell phone
users who don't even look up, and--my favorite--anguished screams of
"Slow down! Look out for my dog!" as if the bicyclist should stop to
see whether the illegally off-leash mutt about to explode from the
nearby bushes will try to defend its screaming owner by sinking its
fangs into the bicyclist's leg.

I ride about five miles every day on a rural bicycle path because
there isn't any road. It's dangerous, but entertaining.

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

Mike Rocket J Squirrel said:

Bruce W.1 said:

I'm outfitting my new touring bike and it needs a bell. The diameter of
my handlebars with tape is about 1.10"

I don't like the bells I find in stores around here. Rather than a
single ding I'd like it to have a classic and loud cha-ching sound.

There are at bunch of bells at Amazon. Can anyone recommend one? What's
your favorite bell?

Thanks for your help.

Ah, now here's a thread to my liking! The soccer moms in my area like to
jog in the bike lanes side-by-side in order to enhance the talking
experience. And they run with the traffic in order to better view the
coastline and make it less likely they will see a cyclist coming up from
behind. So while I might like a big ol' air horn to move them aside so I
don't need to dart into traffic, I think a bike bell that sounds like a
bike bell would work as well, and would be less-likely to cause a
cardiac seizure in the joggers.

You say that as if it were a bad thing.

Quoted message said:

I have prodded the bells at the LBS's and not found any really to my
liking. There are plastic gorillas and chickens and hamburgers that I
would be proud to sport on my handlebars, but they don't sound like a
bike's bell. A bike bell, in my view, should sound like a bike bell, so
folks will know exactly what is coming up from behind.

That said, I have seen transparent colored bells that do ring-ring, like
a bike bell should, and my wife has a pink one on her black and pink
comfort bike.

Bike bells now ping, they don't do the brrrrrrring thing with a thumb lever
anymore. It doesn't matter the ped and roller traffic in my neck of the woods
has an mp3 player going and can't hear a damn thing.

Ron

Tim McNamara said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

mark said:

Around here the rule is that everyone runs/walks/cycles/skates to the
right, and faster traffic (bicycles) is supposed to pass slower
traffic carefully, when it is safe. I've found that a simple "passing
on your left, please" gets them out of my way, and I don't have to
worry about the weight and expense of a big ol' air horn. Saying "On
your left, please" actually works better than a bell of any kind,
IME.

People must be brighter in your neck of the woods. "On your left"
around here results in the person stepping to their left, or looking
over their shoulder and swerving in front of you, or looking off into
the distance to see the fascinating geographical feature that you've
kindly pointed out to them. But it doesn't get them to move over and
let you by.

I ride on the roads. It's safer and less aggravating.

About once a year "on your left" gets me the fat lady tourist on a
rent-a-bike swerving sharply to her left. I treat this as a test of my
reaction time, bike handling skills and overall brake system
performance, and resolve once again to stay on the roads until the
tourists are gone from the bike paths. "*Passing* on your left" seems to
make things a little clearer to the more obtuse variety of tourist, and
I haven't had too many problems since I started using this phrase.

mark

In article <[email hidden]>,

RonSonic said:

Mike Rocket J Squirrel said:

Bruce W.1 said:

I'm outfitting my new touring bike and it needs a bell. The diameter of
my handlebars with tape is about 1.10"

I don't like the bells I find in stores around here. Rather than a
single ding I'd like it to have a classic and loud cha-ching sound.

There are at bunch of bells at Amazon. Can anyone recommend one? What's
your favorite bell?

Thanks for your help.

Ah, now here's a thread to my liking! The soccer moms in my area like to
jog in the bike lanes side-by-side in order to enhance the talking
experience. And they run with the traffic in order to better view the
coastline and make it less likely they will see a cyclist coming up from
behind. So while I might like a big ol' air horn to move them aside so I
don't need to dart into traffic, I think a bike bell that sounds like a
bike bell would work as well, and would be less-likely to cause a
cardiac seizure in the joggers.

You say that as if it were a bad thing.

Quoted message said:

I have prodded the bells at the LBS's and not found any really to my
liking. There are plastic gorillas and chickens and hamburgers that I
would be proud to sport on my handlebars, but they don't sound like a
bike's bell. A bike bell, in my view, should sound like a bike bell, so
folks will know exactly what is coming up from behind.

That said, I have seen transparent colored bells that do ring-ring, like
a bike bell should, and my wife has a pink one on her black and pink
comfort bike.

Bike bells now ping, they don't do the brrrrrrring thing with a thumb lever
anymore. It doesn't matter the ped and roller traffic in my neck of the woods
has an mp3 player going and can't hear a damn thing.

I have a fine brass bell that makes a pleasing sound;
typically the folks I approach become aware of me and act
predictably. I loud hail people from 50 m, saying things
like "Hellooo", "Behind you", or "Coming through, you
oblivious excrescence." Sometimes I will hail; come up on
a earphone wearing, side-to-side, roller skater at speed;
and brake right down to matching speed before said roller
skater acknowledges me. That stirs it up. By the time it
exhausts one breath in remonstrance I am a receding dot on
the horizon.

But those are paths, and I accept the hazards by choosing
to ride them. I do not accept bicycle riders going the
wrong way on the roads.

--
Michael Press

"Mike Rocket J Squirrel" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Bruce W.1 said:

I'm outfitting my new touring bike and it needs a bell. The diameter of
my handlebars with tape is about 1.10"

I don't like the bells I find in stores around here. Rather than a
single ding I'd like it to have a classic and loud cha-ching sound.

There are at bunch of bells at Amazon. Can anyone recommend one? What's
your favorite bell?

Thanks for your help.

Ah, now here's a thread to my liking! The soccer moms in my area like to
jog in the bike lanes side-by-side in order to enhance the talking
experience. And they run with the traffic in order to better view the
coastline and make it less likely they will see a cyclist coming up from
behind. So while I might like a big ol' air horn to move them aside so I
don't need to dart into traffic, I think a bike bell that sounds like a
bike bell would work as well, and would be less-likely to cause a cardiac
seizure in the joggers.

I have prodded the bells at the LBS's and not found any really to my
liking. There are plastic gorillas and chickens and hamburgers that I
would be proud to sport on my handlebars, but they don't sound like a
bike's bell. A bike bell, in my view, should sound like a bike bell, so
folks will know exactly what is coming up from behind.

That said, I have seen transparent colored bells that do ring-ring, like a
bike bell should, and my wife has a pink one on her black and pink comfort
bike.

-- mike elliott

I like the big bell that comes with the Eastman Roadster bikes
http://s27.photobucket.com/albums/c163/earlwb/Eastman%20Roadster/?action=view&current=b941cbe5.jpg&refPage=&imgAnch=imgAnch9
it is all metal, no plastic that I can find, it is about 2.5" in diameter
too. It is a replica of the old Raleigh Bike bells from many years ago. The
lever makes about ten strikes on the bell bowl as you pull it.
It makes a great chaaachinnnng....sound. yellowjersey.org is the place to
get them from at $9.95 each.
Bike Parts USA http://www.bikepartsusa.com has this Chinese version that
they sell
http://www.amazon.com/Pyramid-Ding-Dong-Silver-Bell/dp/B0006ZTEFG/sr=1-151/qid=1159525491/ref=sr_1_151/002-1934531-6053655?ie=UTF8&s=sporting-goods

On Fri, 29 Sep 2006 05:09:55 GMT, mark <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Tim McNamara said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

mark said:

Around here the rule is that everyone runs/walks/cycles/skates to the
right, and faster traffic (bicycles) is supposed to pass slower
traffic carefully, when it is safe. I've found that a simple "passing
on your left, please" gets them out of my way, and I don't have to
worry about the weight and expense of a big ol' air horn. Saying "On
your left, please" actually works better than a bell of any kind,
IME.

People must be brighter in your neck of the woods. "On your left"
around here results in the person stepping to their left, or looking
over their shoulder and swerving in front of you, or looking off into
the distance to see the fascinating geographical feature that you've
kindly pointed out to them. But it doesn't get them to move over and
let you by.

I ride on the roads. It's safer and less aggravating.

About once a year "on your left" gets me the fat lady tourist on a
rent-a-bike swerving sharply to her left. I treat this as a test of my
reaction time, bike handling skills and overall brake system
performance, and resolve once again to stay on the roads until the
tourists are gone from the bike paths. "*Passing* on your left" seems to
make things a little clearer to the more obtuse variety of tourist, and
I haven't had too many problems since I started using this phrase.

There's a fair bit of antipathy to other road/path users in this
thread.

For me, if there's room to pass safely (*not* just with a few inches
to spare), I just ride by and say nothing. And if there's not and I'd
like the person in front to make room, it seems to me the proper
phrase is "Excuse me" or some such request. Mentally, I'm asking to
pass, not telling someone I'm passing. Different attitude on my part.
To the listener the difference might not be clear, but it's the right
attitude to have.

--
JT
****************************
Remove "remove" to reply
Visit http://www.jt10000.com
****************************

Bruce W.1 said:

There are at bunch of bells at Amazon. Can anyone recommend one?

Don't they have sample mp3s of each?

mark said:

Around here the rule is that everyone runs/walks/cycles/skates to the
right, and faster traffic (bicycles) is supposed to pass slower traffic
carefully, when it is safe. I've found that a simple "passing on your
left, please" gets them out of my way, and I don't have to worry about
the weight and expense of a big ol' air horn. Saying "On your left,
please" actually works better than a bell of any kind, IME.

The road I am describing has too much ambient noise for voices to carry
well. There is surf in the right, and fast, continuous highway traffic
just over the thin white painted line on the left. In addition, I
distrust any phrase that uses the words "right" or "left," because I
generally cannot tell the one from the other without thinking about it.
I also know people who cannot tell the difference between clockwise and
counter (or anti) clockwise, and who must employ mnemonics such as
"righty tighty, lefty loosie" when confronted with threaded objects, but
who have no trouble with right-left. Yet I know which way to turn a bolt
without thinking.

My right-left insensitivity is so poor that on Class 1 bike paths I have
on occasion called out "On your left," before passing a mid-path
pedestrian on their right. Not until my error is pointed out to me do I
realize my mistake and come to understand the look of confusion I
glimpsed on the face of the pedestrian as I passed. So calling out "on
your left," seems inherently risky to me because there simply isn't
enough time for me to process those words and translate them into
directions. What if one of the joggers is equally clueless? A tragic
amount of carnage would ensue.

The distinctive high-pitched "ching-ching" of a bicycle bell carries
farther and is more likely evoke the results I desire, in my mind.

-- mike elliott

mark said:

Tim McNamara said:

In article <[email hidden]>,

mark said:

Around here the rule is that everyone runs/walks/cycles/skates to the
right, and faster traffic (bicycles) is supposed to pass slower
traffic carefully, when it is safe. I've found that a simple "passing
on your left, please" gets them out of my way, and I don't have to
worry about the weight and expense of a big ol' air horn. Saying "On
your left, please" actually works better than a bell of any kind,
IME.

People must be brighter in your neck of the woods. "On your left"
around here results in the person stepping to their left, or looking
over their shoulder and swerving in front of you, or looking off into
the distance to see the fascinating geographical feature that you've
kindly pointed out to them. But it doesn't get them to move over and
let you by.

I ride on the roads. It's safer and less aggravating.

About once a year "on your left" gets me the fat lady tourist on a
rent-a-bike swerving sharply to her left. I treat this as a test of my
reaction time, bike handling skills and overall brake system
performance, and resolve once again to stay on the roads until the
tourists are gone from the bike paths. "*Passing* on your left" seems to
make things a little clearer to the more obtuse variety of tourist, and
I haven't had too many problems since I started using this phrase.

A "good morning" or "excuse me" usually works. They usually figure it'll be on
the left so I won't mention the side unless there's a question, like a crowd all
over the place.

Ron

John Forrest Tomlinson said:

There's a fair bit of antipathy to other road/path users in this
thread.

I agree, John: sharing the bike lane without confrontation is a good
goal, and that's why I like the idea of a bike bell.

When I hear something called out from behind that sounds challenging or
bossy I have to process the words and consider the tone of voice before
I can determine whether further attention or action is required. I am
more likely to be irritated by that than if I hear a bike bell ring, the
meaning of which is, to me at least, unambiguous and
emotionally-neutral. So it seems to me that a bike bell will accomplish
lane-sharing with lower risk of feather ruffling than other methods, and
that's why I want to get a good one.

-- mike elliott

Mike Rocket J Squirrel said:

John Forrest Tomlinson said:

There's a fair bit of antipathy to other road/path users in this
thread.

I agree, John: sharing the bike lane without confrontation is a good
goal, and that's why I like the idea of a bike bell.

When I hear something called out from behind that sounds challenging or
bossy I have to process the words and consider the tone of voice before
I can determine whether further attention or action is required. I am
more likely to be irritated by that than if I hear a bike bell ring, the
meaning of which is, to me at least, unambiguous and
emotionally-neutral. So it seems to me that a bike bell will accomplish
lane-sharing with lower risk of feather ruffling than other methods, and
that's why I want to get a good one.

-- mike elliott

I tried using a bike bell a few years back, it really didn't work too
well. As I approached one group of pedestrians from behind I rang the
bell and they seemed oblivious, continuing to spread out across nearly
the full width of the two-way bike trail. As I squeezed past on the left
one of the pedestrians remarked "I thought I heard a bike bell".

Back to "passing on your left, please" and staying on the roads during
tourist season.

mark