Bike Bells Bill

Steve McGinty said:

I half heard Radio 5 Live doing a piece on this during the lunchtime show today. I note Guy's post
on same from September 02

tinyurl.comcol0Open ↗

Any updates/further views?

Bells used to be compulsory in Northern Ireland, as I remember having to fit one to race there. As
was the custom of the time lightness was all, so I took a drill to my bell which left the "ring"
practically inaudible but induced a high pitched whistle at 25mph or so.

It's only fitting at point of sale, rather than present at all times. Can't say I'm bothered much, I
never found them much use but my Air Zound is altogether more fun.

James

Steve McGinty <stephenmcginty@ntlworld_DOT_.com> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Bells used to be compulsory in Northern Ireland, as I remember having to fit one to race there. As
was the custom of the time lightness was all, so I took a drill to my bell which left the "ring"
practically inaudible but induced a high pitched whistle at 25mph or so.

Did you weigh the bell on a scientific balance before and after taking a drill to it to know how
much weight you'd saved? As I'm sure you are perfectly aware the minute weight saving was almost
certainly not worth the extra aerodynamic drag. I wonder though whether the
psychological edge of having minimised the weight overcame the physical losses of a whistling bell?

--
Dave...

Quoted message said:

Steve McGinty <stephenmcginty@ntlworld_DOT_.com> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>... perfectly aware the minute weight saving was
almost certainly not worth the extra aerodynamic drag. I wonder though whether the

How about if you mounted the bell so that the dome pointed forward. Would this act like a very small
fairing, I wonder?

Love and ridiculous thoughts from Rich x

--
Two fish suddenly swim into a brick wall. Damn! To reply put only the word "richard" before
the @ sign

Dave Kahn said:

I wonder though whether the
psychological edge of having minimised the weight overcame the physical losses of a
whistling bell?

But you get bells *and* whistles all in a single package, which surely represents some sort
of saving...

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch University of Dundee Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Medical Physics, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK net [email hidden]
dundee.ac.uk~pjclinchOpen ↗

Richard Bates said:

Quoted message said:

Steve McGinty <stephenmcginty@ntlworld_DOT_.com> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>... perfectly aware the minute weight saving was
almost certainly not worth the extra aerodynamic drag. I wonder though whether the

How about if you mounted the bell so that the dome pointed forward. Would this act like a very
small fairing, I wonder?

Perhaps the UCI luddites can be encouraged to oppose the Bill.

After all they are sure to ban such technological developments.

John B

I'm still trying to work out how bike bell bills get on a legislative agenda when they can't even pass a law to ban mobile phone use while driving.

(Dave Kahn) said:

Steve McGinty <stephenmcginty@ntlworld_DOT_.com> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

Bells used to be compulsory in Northern Ireland, as I remember having to fit one to race there.
As was the custom of the time lightness was all, so I took a drill to my bell which left the
"ring" practically inaudible but induced a high pitched whistle at 25mph or so.

Did you weigh the bell on a scientific balance before and after taking a drill to it to know how
much weight you'd saved? As I'm sure you are perfectly aware the minute weight saving was almost
certainly not worth the extra aerodynamic drag. I wonder though whether the
psychological edge of having minimised the weight overcame the physical losses of a whistling bell?

As I said, drilling everything was the fashion at the time, chain-rings, seat-posts. brake levers -
it made cleaning your bike a nightmare - the amount of cotton buds it took to clean your
chain-rings...

Regards! Stephen

Peter Clinch <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

But you get bells *and* whistles all in a single package, which surely represents some sort of
saving...

LOL

--
Dave...

Richard Bates <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

How about if you mounted the bell so that the dome pointed forward. Would this act like a very
small fairing, I wonder?

Love and ridiculous thoughts from Rich x

Quoted message said:

As I said, drilling everything was the fashion at the time, chain-rings, seat-posts. brake levers -

Here's a pic to prove the point

bikebrothers.co.ukengers.htmOpen ↗

Regards! Stephen

Peter Clinch said:

Dave Kahn said:

I wonder though whether the
psychological edge of having minimised the weight overcame the physical losses of a whistling
bell?

But you get bells *and* whistles all in a single package, which surely represents some sort of
saving...

Pete.

Hmm.. anyone got a link for the Patents Office?

Regards! Stephen

Richard Bates <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

How about if you mounted the bell so that the dome pointed forward. Would this act like a very
small fairing, I wonder?

To make an effective fairing it would have to be a very big bell. I suppose it's only a matter of
time before an enterprising time triallist fits a pinger to an aluminium fairing and tries to claim
it as a bell. That should cause some head scratching among the officials. The bike ought to go like
the clappers.

:-)

--
Dave...

Steve McGinty stephenmcginty@ntlworld_DOT_.com in said:

Quoted message said:

As I said, drilling everything was the fashion at the time, chain-rings, seat-posts. brake
levers -

Here's a pic to prove the point

bikebrothers.co.ukengers.htmOpen ↗

Looks like he has even drilled a hole in his left leg!
--
Two fish suddenly swim into a brick wall. Damn! To reply put only the word "richard" before
the @ sign

Steve McGinty wrote:As I said, drilling everything was the fashion at the time,

Quoted message said:

chain-rings, seat-posts. brake levers - it made cleaning your bike a nightmare - the amount of
cotton buds it took to clean your chain-rings...

I've still got a set of those Zeus road cranks complete with three long slots in the crank arms and
squillions of little holes over the chainrings.

John B

John B said:

I've still got a set of those Zeus road cranks complete with three long slots in the crank arms
and squillions of little holes over the chainrings.

The tale is told of one Andy Pegg, the Flying Window Cleaner, who later acquired a certain amount of
notoriety as works animal for Mike Burrows' Windcheetah posse, back in his native Yorkshire. With
drilling and slotting and what-have-you being all the rage, Andy had carefully drilled and filed the
fluted regions of his seat post, thereby replacing a substantial quantity thereof with Fresh Air
(tm). Thus equipped, he turned out a for a regular club run. The ride leader cocked a suspicious eye
at the Pegg's machine:

Beryl Burton (for it was she): Bit o' rough stuff today, lads!

By the end of the day, Andy's masterpiece had made like a concertina, and the saddle was a Several
of inches closer to the top tube than was previously the case...

Dave Larrington - legslarry.beerdrinkers.co.uklegslarry.beerdrinkers.co.ukOpen ↗
===========================================================
Editor - British Human Power Club Newsletter
bhpc.org.ukbhpc.org.ukOpen ↗
===========================================================

Dave Larrington said:

John B said:

I've still got a set of those Zeus road cranks complete with three long slots in the crank arms
and squillions of little holes over the chainrings.

The tale is told of one Andy Pegg, the Flying Window Cleaner, who later acquired a certain amount
of notoriety as works animal for Mike Burrows' Windcheetah posse, back in his native Yorkshire.
With drilling and slotting and what-have-you being all the rage, Andy had carefully drilled and
filed the fluted regions of his seat post

Quoted message said:

By the end of the day, Andy's masterpiece had made like a concertina, and the saddle was a Several
of inches closer to the top tube than was previously the case...

In the Engers years my brother did the same to an ordinary alloy pin which collapsed and broke off
at the turn of a club '10', leaving a ragged perch. He crossed the finish line holding the saddle
and remnants aloft, still winning the event in a short 24-something or other.

He then had to ride the 15 miles home - also out of the saddle.

Makes my eyes water thinking about it.

I won't mention his using a 68 tooth drilled ring - on fixed too.

John B

Richard Bates said:

Steve McGinty stephenmcginty@ntlworld_DOT_.com in said:

Quoted message said:

As I said, drilling everything was the fashion at the time, chain-rings, seat-posts. brake
levers -

Here's a pic to prove the point

bikebrothers.co.ukengers.htmOpen ↗

Looks like he has even drilled a hole in his left leg!

Didn't he have his kneecaps removed, allegedly to save weight?

And why do so many 'fast' riders have pointy noses <tries to stretch
nose>?

John B

[email hidden] (Dave Kahn) wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

The bike ought to go like the clappers.

Do I detect a bell-ringing pun? ;-)

David E. Belcher

Dept. of Chemistry, University of York

John B <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

In the Engers years my brother did the same to an ordinary alloy pin which collapsed and broke off
at the turn of a club '10', leaving a ragged perch. He crossed the finish line holding the saddle
and remnants aloft, still winning the event in a short 24-something or other.

He then had to ride the 15 miles home - also out of the saddle.

Makes my eyes water thinking about it.

I won't mention his using a 68 tooth drilled ring - on fixed too.

Seem to recall reading somewhere (think it was an interview with framebuilder Ken Bird) that Alf
Engers himself used a plastic (prob. Nylon or Delrin??) headset to save weight - apparently they
were absolute pigs, and prone to seizing up. Still, during that era, if you got bored with TTing you
could always use the bike as a cheese grater ;-)

David E. Belcher

Dept. of Chemistry, University of York