when warning people of your presence you dont want to scare them to death, you want them dancing out of the way with a nice smile on there face as you pass by...
Agreed, jags!
I am...a bell-collector. Yes, it's true. Wherever I travel, if I see an interesting bicycle bell in a store, the proprietor
will make a sale! Friends also bring them home to me as souvenirs. I've found the most interesting ones in The Netherlands and on eBay. To meet your needs, I would suggest...
1) A Chinese Spinning Bee Bell. The bracket and central ring and striker stay mounted to your handlebars, while twin domes rotate with each press of the lever. It makes a sort of dual-bell trill that makes people smile, and it rings for quite awhile if you give the lever a good press. See:
http://luxlow.com/products-page/bells-horns/bell-retro-spinner-bee-bicycle-for-vintage-cruiser-bikes/2) Something like the Dutch Goofy Tomato bell, with bobbledy eyes that roll with every bump. That has a cheery single "ding!", but it is the sight of it that brings smiles (more to the rider than observers unless stopped at the time, which sort of offsets the need for a bell. It is a bit dangerous, as the bobbledy-eye effect is a little hypnotic). The kids' section of department and variety stores as well as bike shops have the best examples of this sort.
3) Maybe the best bell for the purpose is not a bell at all, but a novelty squeeze-bulb horn. The Cheeky Parrot pictured on the right in the photo below is mounted on the front of my tandem. When squeezed, it makes an "
Eeep! Eeep!" sound that really
does draw smiles and positive comment on the bike path, especially from pedestrians. I think it is because it goes back to the squeaky toys of our infancy and dredges up happy memories from wherever they're stored in our brains. Even dogs like it, 'cos the sound resembles their squeaky toys. A panic-fueled squeeze results in a pretty loud tone that can be heard some distance away. Alas, years of faithful service have dulled the Cheeky Parrot's plumage, but he still sort of matches the Mercedes-Benz Glasurit red paint on the tandem. I resisted such a thing for years (a Cheeky Parrot and Danneaux's Tandem did not seem a viable mix) but finally relented after finding people just did not respond (at all or well) to a conventional bell of any sort; on passing, they waved without using all their fingers and were
not in a cheery frame of mind. Cheeky Parrot saved the day, and all are smiles again. Of all my bicycle mounted warning devices, this is the most well-received and has never, ever been greeted with other than a delighted smile, so that gets my recommendation for you. See:
http://www.amazon.com/Pyramid-Bicycle-Squeeze-Polly-Parrot/dp/B000AO9PJSSJS Cycles carry similar things here:
http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/widek-giraffe-animal-squeezer-prod4936/...and here...
http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/widek-lion-animal-squeezer-prod4934/...and in the Sumo Wrestler version here...
http://www.amazon.com/Pyramid-Bicycle-Squeeze-Horn-Wrestler/dp/B000WY3Q8CPyramid and Sunlite/Co-Union make them as well in a great variety of styles...
http://www.google.com/products/catalog?hl=en&safe=off&q=pyramid+bicycle+squeeze+horn&psj=1&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.r_qf.,cf.osb&biw=1440&bih=726&um=1&ie=UTF-8&tbm=shop&cid=16686219068164735663&sa=X&ei=Xod8T6DdB4eZiQK6mbWgDQ&ved=0CHEQ8wIwBwI just have no idea where or how you'll find room to mount it. Perhaps on an accessory bar? See:
http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/page/find/?name=accessory%20bar&page=14) Lacking one of the above, you might like something resembling the bright, trilling ring of a Gazelle bell. They're pretty standard issue throughout Europe and should be available by mail order if not in a local store. They are also cheap, but not cheaply made, adding to their virtue.
I recorded and digitized the sounds of the various bells and tried to attach them here for you. Alas, the sound files were simply too large to make it through the server, and sounded terrible when compressed. Oh, well. I'd still suggest either something trilling and bright in a conventional bell or a squeeze-bulb "novelty" horn for the best results. The big "Dinnnnng-Donnnng" bells I have aren't as well-received. They never fail to bring comments saying they sound like the floor indicators on old elevators, with comments like "Next floor, ladies lingerie, housewares, and mens furnishings". Fun for me at first, but it gets old the tenth time you've heard it and doesn't really work as well as the Cheeky Parrot.
Hope this helps. Please let us know what you end up with...
Best,
Dan.
