Author Topic: Bells  (Read 14379 times)

geocycle

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Bells
« on: December 21, 2014, 10:30:24 am »
An essential but overlooked bit of kit.  I make use of a £3 special but often think it looks tacky on a Thorn.  Lion bell works do a nice one but maybe a bit large http://www.lionbellworks.co.uk I've just seen this from the US http://www.spurcycle.com, not sure I'll pay $39 plus $20 postage but it would be good if there was something similar this side of the Atlantic. Any other contenders?
 

lewis noble

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Re: Bells
« Reply #1 on: December 21, 2014, 12:01:05 pm »
Looks nice, geo, but yes, pricey. I have a Lion bell, fits in middle of spacers on steer tube, set quite low down, but easy to find quickly without looking.

Lewis
 

energyman

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Re: Bells
« Reply #2 on: December 21, 2014, 12:09:09 pm »
I don't like "ding" bells.  I have a Lion but it is not as "friendly" as one I bought recently, a Dutch made one, for 3 GBP from my local bike shop which has the more traditional ring-ring.
I refuse to have one of those air horns which a friend has which scares the pants off pedestrians when fired !

Just found it on the SJS website. The Widek Bibia Chrome Plated Steel Crown Bell @ 4 GBP plus p&p.  It pays to shop locally !
Happy Christmas.
« Last Edit: December 21, 2014, 12:26:26 pm by energyman »

geocycle

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Re: Bells
« Reply #3 on: December 21, 2014, 03:05:38 pm »
I don't like "ding" bells.  I have a Lion but it is not as "friendly" as one I bought recently, a Dutch made one, for 3 GBP from my local bike shop which has the more traditional ring-ring.
I refuse to have one of those air horns which a friend has which scares the pants off pedestrians when fired !

Just found it on the SJS website. The Widek Bibia Chrome Plated Steel Crown Bell @ 4 GBP plus p&p.  It pays to shop locally !
Happy Christmas.


Does the widek rattle? I think I had one that announced my presence automatically which drove me insane! I was probably unlucky.
 

DAntrim

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Re: Bells
« Reply #4 on: December 21, 2014, 04:29:47 pm »
I like the Acor headset bell http://www.velovitality.co.uk/collections/bells/products/acor-aheadset-spacer-bell-black-or-silver, though if / when the Crane Sakura stem mounted bell is in stock will be picking one up, which is a similair lever action.

Carlos

geocycle

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Re: Bells
« Reply #5 on: December 21, 2014, 04:57:21 pm »
Good selection d'antrim, thanks!
 

John Saxby

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Re: Bells
« Reply #6 on: December 21, 2014, 06:18:08 pm »
I like this item from Velo Orange in the U.S., about USD 12 as I recall.  Nice prolonged temple-bell ring, and the brass makes a spiffy contrast with a matte black Raven.  Doesn't work so well in the rain, for some reason, but surely that's not an issue in UK & I? -- I seem to recall reading that rain was perception, not precip  :-)

Andre Jute

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Re: Bells
« Reply #7 on: December 21, 2014, 09:43:38 pm »
Cateye, the lamp and bicycle computer maker, also makes a small, unobtrusive bell which fits on even the most crowded handlebars. I like it because it is easy to fit with all the controls for my Rolloff on one side and the electric motor on the other side. What makes it especially adaptable is that the lever swivels in the horizontal plane, the bell itself is mounted high on the strap, and the strap is narrow, so that you need to find only a little handlebar space, then you can raise the bell over some unused or non-critical part of something else, and move the lever to be under your thumb. (I don't see the point of having to move your hand off the handlebar to use the bell.)



My alltime fave bell. like my altime fave no-tools adjustable stem, is however a proprietary Gazelle item, made by them for hub gear bikes. It is a bell that looks like a hub gear rotary control, to sit on the side opposite your hub gear rotary controller, and, as you can imagine, it is a very clean design, no clutter. Ultra-ergonomic and -intuitive.


Danneaux

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Re: Bells
« Reply #8 on: December 21, 2014, 11:20:42 pm »
Andre,

That Gazelle bell looks remarkably like the Mirrycle Incredibell Gripbell:
https://www.mirrycle.com/gripbell.php
Forum member Il Pardone surely likes his: http://www.thorncycles.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=6173.msg36615#msg36615

I...have a bell collection. Really! See: http://www.thorncycles.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=4118.msg18672#msg18672 There's a non-bell warning device on one of my bikes also: http://www.thorncycles.co.uk/forums/index.php?topic=6173.msg37777#msg37777

All the best,

Dan.

Andre Jute

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Re: Bells
« Reply #9 on: December 22, 2014, 04:34:35 am »
I...have a bell collection.


Good heavens, Dan, you're the only fellow I know with a bell collection who actually has it mounted and displayed.

Danneaux

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Re: Bells
« Reply #10 on: December 22, 2014, 04:46:08 am »
Quote
...you're the only fellow I know with a bell collection who actually has it mounted and displayed.
...and, disturbingly, has left room for future acquisitions and additions to the collection!

All the best,

Dan. (...who is ready to ring in the New Year)

geocycle

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Re: Bells
« Reply #11 on: December 22, 2014, 01:55:00 pm »
That grip shifter bell is very interesting - is that in your collection Dan?  Thanks also for pointing back to the earlier thread.
 

Danneaux

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Re: Bells
« Reply #12 on: December 22, 2014, 04:56:17 pm »
Quote
That grip shifter bell is very interesting - is that in your collection Dan?
Hi Geo'!

No, it isn't in my collection yet, but it came awfully close to finding a place on my Thorn Accessory T-bar! I use drop handlebars, so have my Rohloff shifter is mounted on a T-bar above the stem...and my HB bag mount on another T-bar below the stem. Accessories are divided between the two. In the end, I went with a bell that contains an accurate, fluid-filled compass for general direction confirmation (thus saving the Garmin batteries for that mundane task). Unfortunately, it seems to have been influenced by *something* and isn't accurate in the same location that worked just fine on Sherpa. I need to look into this further, as just a centimeter or two can make all the difference in placement. If the deviation is caused by a magnetized fastener, I can use one of my degaussers to solve the problem.

I've been meaning to record the sound of the bells and put the video up on YouTube so others can hear samples before buying. This is critical with bells. Mirrycle include sound samples of their offerings as part of each description, here: https://www.mirrycle.com/ They've introduced several new models, among them one intended to mount to the stem cap, available as a spring model here: https://www.mirrycle.com/spring.php ...and a striker version, here: https://www.mirrycle.com/striker.php

If I had the room for it and didn't mind the weight, the largest dome bell in my collection would go on the bike for sure. It makes a loud, low, long tone nearly everyone can hear. Lesser bells present a common problem on the bike path: Their pitch is often too high to register with older people and with younger people, both of whom seem to have a higher incidence of hearing loss in that frequency. Partly because of this, I'm finding a "single-dinger" bell just isn't enough, and may switch to one with a rolling peal. The Chinese Spinning Bee Bell is good in this regard. It has dual domes that rotate past the clappers.

Those grip-shifter bells are surely interesting, and the ones I played with on the store display worked well. I found myself wishing for a more rubbery surface to grip if it were wet, but it might not be a problem in practice. For sure, if my Rohloff shifter was installed on straight 'bars, it would be joined by one of these on the opposite side.

All the best in your own bell quest,

Dan.

jags

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Re: Bells
« Reply #13 on: December 22, 2014, 05:45:21 pm »
Dan i must send you over a bell and those buddy flaps never used them and i reckon i never will they might come in handy for some of your projects if you want them let me know but it will be a few months  ;)

anto

Danneaux

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Re: Bells
« Reply #14 on: December 22, 2014, 05:56:00 pm »
PM'd!  ;D

All the best,

Dan.