Meet Nello, the stylish magnetic bicycle bell

Small enough to take up hardly any space on your handlebars, but loud enough to be heard, the Nello is a €20 magnetic bicycle bell created by a Milan-based designer for Palomar, a long-running company that branched out into the cycling world in 2013 with its Lucetta magnetic bike light.

How loud is the Nello? The company claims it’s capable of producing up to 90 decibels of sound with every ring. That’s equivalent to a Boeing 737 taking off or a motorcycle at 25 ft. So reasonably loud then. Loud enough for other road users to hear on the busy city streets is another thing though, that's something we would have to test ourselves. Operating the bell is a simple matter of lightly tapping the top. 

The Nello is mounted to the handlebars using a magnet that attaches to a plastic bracket fixed to the handlebar That means it’s easily removed, so when you arrive at your destination you can remove it. Nello provides three different ring tones, and changes every time you mount the bell to the handlebars. It’s powered by two CR2032 batteries and the bell is weather resistant.

“A “sounding” little ball that fastens easily to the  bike’s handlebar by means of a simple support – supplied with the bell. Once arrived at destination, Nello may be pulled off and slipped into a pocket. To ring Nello all you need to do is touch the bell’s head,” explains the company.

The Nello costs €20 and is available, in a choice of three colours, from www.palomarweb.com/product/nello/