Video First Look: Knog's Oi bicycle bell

Following a massively successful Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign, Knog’s Oi bicycle bell is now hitting the shelves of bike shops across the country. And we’ve just got our hands on one to review, here’s a quick first look before we hit the road.

The bicycle bell hasn’t changed much since it was first invented in 1877, but there’s something of a renaissance occurring at the moment, with a focus on smart and compact design bringing about a new generation of bicycle bell that you wouldn’t be embarrassed to fit it to your bike. The Knog Oi is just one of a number of options for compact and sleek bicycle bells.

“We wanted to reinvent what the humble bicycle bell was,” says Knog founder Hugo Davidson. “We wanted to design a product that was sympathetic to all bikes, that looked great on vintage bikes, all the way through to road bikes.

Knog has designed a circular bell that wraps around the handlebar, with a single bolt clamp to keep the aluminium and nylon product in place. No problem if you have a tangle of cables out the front of your bars, the Oi bell can sit over two cable outers quite happily. 

Not only has Knog sweated the details when it comes to the aesthetics, it also apparently carefully considered the sound it makes when you ding the spring-loaded actuator. 

“Our bell actually has several pitch tones - one core and several supportive higher tones to ensure it's unmistakable and safely heard,” says Knog.

Have a listen to it in our video above. What do you think of the sound? We’ll find out if it’s loud enough when we hit the road and find some busy streets and see what sort of reaction we get from other road users.

It’s available in two sizes to fit 22.2 and 23.8 - 31.8mm handlebars, and four colours, including the copper finish we’ve got, and costs £15.99. It’s available from all good retailers now. More info at www.silverfish-uk.com

Were you a Kickstarter funder of the Oi bell? How have you been getting on with it?