Ding Ding... ring my bell!!

[Amber Valley Guy]

I gave up on bells, as mentioned above, some walkers can't hear them due to age/hearing range loss, others have earbuds/headphones on, some of those that do hear you (eventually ) accuse you of ringing your bell 'aggressively' or start doing the (usually older women) dance when they can't decide which side of the path to be on, you just can't win. Now it's 'on your right (or left)', ,'excuse me', 'bike', followed by a 'thanks', 'cheers' etc. Whilst the more experienced walkers just step to one side without breaking stride.

 

[Binhill1]

I gave up on bells, as mentioned above, some walkers can't hear them due to age/hearing range loss, others have earbuds/headphones on, some of those that do hear you (eventually ) accuse you of ringing your bell 'aggressively' or start doing the (usually older women) dance when they can't decide which side of the path to be on, you just can't win. Now it's 'on your right (or left)', ,'excuse me', 'bike', followed by a 'thanks', 'cheers' etc. Whilst the more experienced walkers just step to one side without breaking stride.

Funny thing is I walk a lot as well. I look behind me probably a lot more than I need to . More if I have some music on
( Bone conducting ) . I think I probably have to be a bit more aggressive to folk that are negative when I'm cycling meaning if they are nasty just stop and say what's the problem etc etc .

 

[Jeffsy29]

+1 vote for Timberbell.

There's not much substitution* for pre-warning in low-visibility sections or fast descents when you don't have time to react and think "oh....I should ring my bell now" + reaction-time of the recipient which takes way-longer than you'd imagine.

Caveat on the Timber: I'm on my 2nd one after first Timberbell muting "clutch" started slipping and would start ringing all the time on-trail. Gen1 Timber looked much like the OG poster's bell in the middle of the photo (slimmer clasp design). The revised model is visibly stouter (wider/thicker clamp), more robust switch mech. Website backs this up: "It’s built stronger, and all parts are now completely modular, including the cable and clapper ringer system. If anything wears out or breaks, you can replace it quickly and easily."

The Knog Oi Classic came OE on my street bike which is just fine since I'm not hanging onto the grips for dear life and I've got lots of visibility to time my "Dings" as I approach folks.

* Awareness bell (gorgeous, handmade, cool tone) and Trail Chicken™ (a trail-side conversation starter no doubt) might give Timberbell a run for it's money.

 

[TheSnowShark]

My childhood memories

 

[p3eps]

My childhood memories


View attachment 141928

Or rolling over a coke can and getting it stuck behind the fork to create a motorcycle noise!

 

[p3eps]

Caveat on the Timber: I'm on my 2nd one after first Timberbell muting "clutch" started slipping and would start ringing all the time on-trail.

I think that's what happened to mine. It would ring with some of the bigger bumps even though it was locked. My V4 one doesn't do that at all (yet!).

 

[Astro66]

I've been inspired by this thread. And since getting my new bike, I travel at a much greater pace, so I needed a bell for some of the tight twisty terrain, with a series of blind corners, I ride.

After reading the OP. I thought I'd try the 10 pound cowbell type bell the author tried. After seeing his split. I have added a tie to it, to keep it secure. It also completely stops it moving, when you unlock and lock it.

So far working well. No head-on collisions yet .......

Oh BTW. I hate the look on my cockpit. But I have to put safety first.

 

[Polar]

I hear a lot of good things about Timberbell so I bought it to see how it works for my use. First I mounted it around the stem since it looked best, but then the pendulum is down on one side so the sound was a little muffled so I moved it up to the right side of the handlebar since there was the best space. Very happy with it, I just wish it had made as good a sound when it was mounted around the stem.

 

[Astro66]

I've been inspired by this thread. And since getting my new bike, I travel at a much greater pace, so I needed a bell for some of the tight twisty terrain, with a series of blind corners, I ride.

After reading the OP. I thought I'd try the 10 pound cowbell type bell the author tried. After seeing his split. I have added a tie to it, to keep it secure. It also completely stops it moving, when you unlock and lock it.

So far working well. No head-on collisions yet .......

Oh BTW. I hate the look on my cockpit. But I have to put safety first.

View attachment 142030

Ok ....... The Cheap Chinese CowBell failed second ride. There is a cable holding the clapper inside the bell. The clamp on the end of that cable let go, and the clapper fell out.

I completely disassembled the bell and repaired it properly. It shouldn't fail again. But it was poorly designed. I would not buy it, unless you pull it apart and secure everything properly.

 

[Astro66]

Ok ........ another update on The Cheap Chinese CowBell .

The Ebay site offered me a full refund, if I changed my negative review. I told them, "No", the review stands, they can keep the money.

We have to stop taking refunds to remove negative reviews on products that are clearly never going to work properly. Some people won't complain and it's how they can make money selling poorly made products.