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Bellio smartphone cycling bell hits Kickstarterbellio bell 4.jpg

Bellio smartphone cycling bell hits Kickstarter

Another cycling bell hits Kickstarter, but this one is a bit different
by David Arthur @davearthur
Wed, Feb 08, 2017 09:42
16

From humble origins to an unloved accessory, the bicycle bell has been enjoying a surge of interest in recent years with a spate of new designs hitting Kickstarter that all look to launch the bicycle bell back into the spotlight. The latest to seek your funding support is the Bellio, but this one is a bit different. 

It’s not actually a bell. What you get is a wireless Bluetooth button mounted to the handlebars that is linked to the Bellio smartphone app. Hit the bluetooth button and the app rings like a traditional bicycle bell. 

- Shoka Bell hits Kickstarter - a customisable bell that is also a light and navigation aid

“We have taken the traditional bike bell and raced it into this century, and we think you are going to love it! You can shout! You can sing! But we all know that a bell on your bike is the best way to let people know you are coming up behind them fast. Damn fast!,” shouts the company on its Kickstarter page. 

The Bluetooth button fits any size handlebar using a silicone band. The battery is claimed to last a year. The smartphone can be stored in a jersey pocket or fitted on the handlebars, we’d imagine you’d get a better response with the phone mounted to the bars.

- The Knog Oi bicycle bell we’re all going to want

The company is seeking AU$85,000 funding and at the time of writing has hit AU$650 from 12 backers. Check it out here www.kickstarter.com/projects/340874591/bellio-the-bike-bell?ref=recs

So what do you think? Yay or nay?

bellio
cycling bell
Bells
Kickstarter
David Arthur @davearthur

David worked on the road.cc tech team from 2012-2020. Previously he was editor of Bikemagic.com and before that staff writer at RCUK. He's a seasoned cyclist of all disciplines, from road to mountain biking, touring to cyclo-cross, he only wishes he had time to ride them all. He's mildly competitive, though he'll never admit it, and is a frequent road racer but is too lazy to do really well. He currently resides in the Cotswolds, and you can now find him over on his own YouTube channel David Arthur - Just Ride Bikes. 

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16 comments

Avatar
nortonpdj | 7 years ago
0 likes

Oriental head of state visiting his tailor again.....

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gthornton101 | 7 years ago
0 likes

*checks calendar*

 

nope, not April 1st!

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Danger Dicko | 7 years ago
0 likes

So many things wrong with this.

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HowardR | 7 years ago
0 likes

O brave new world.....

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dave atkinson | 7 years ago
1 like

The stretch goals are my favourite bit

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Bez | 7 years ago
1 like
Quote:

"But we all know that a bell on your bike is the best way to let people know you are coming up behind them fast. Damn fast!"

So it's for wankers.

Slow down, don't assume you're not coming up behind someone whose hearing works, and don't expect everyone to jump out of your way when they hear your bell any more than you'd jump into the hedge when some doglobber in a car comes hurtling up behind your bike with their horn blaring.

I mean, I know you don't *have* to use a bell like that, but if that's the sales pitch then simply slowing down and saying "morning!" is a far better solution.

Avatar
DrJDog | 7 years ago
2 likes

They should make a voice activated bell that rings when you shout 'Oi!', or say 'excuse me'

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StuInNorway | 7 years ago
1 like

Fabulous, now we can have an expensive gadget for people to ignore / pretent not to hear instead of a low cost one . .  Because unless it can make a sound like a train horn, some people just won't notice ! (Even at that in some cases I'm doubtful) Just one example - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qOGJnAfyGks

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Kendalred | 7 years ago
1 like

So replacing something that can be the size of a 50p piece for something that can be the size of the iPhone 7, just to be able to make a 'ting' sound at short notice?

Am I missing something here? The Emperor needs to get new clothes, methinks!

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brooksby | 7 years ago
2 likes

Quote:

“We have taken the traditional bike bell and raced it into this century, and we think you are going to love it! You can shout! You can sing! But we all know that a bell on your bike is the best way to let people know you are coming up behind them fast. Damn fast!,”

Just because you can, doesn't mean that you should...

I'm more than happy with a direct analog physical connection between the button I flick and the bell making the sound, thank you very much.

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davel | 7 years ago
2 likes

Is it restricted to their bell tone(s)? That seems like a missed opportunity to me to add probably the only redeeming feature... if you could choose your own sample.

Being able to play the Jaws music or Queen's Bicycle Race as you approach peds and their dogs might at least have novelty value.

As it is, this replaces the traditional bell on the handlebars by removing your phone from its safe place and sticking it on your handlebars (mount presumably not included) instead... alongside a wireless button...? A solution looking for a problem if ever there was one.

Avatar
Dr_Lex replied to davel | 7 years ago
0 likes

davel wrote:

Is it restricted to their bell tone(s)? That seems like a missed opportunity to me to add probably the only redeeming feature... if you could choose your own sample.

Being able to play the Jaws music or Queen's Bicycle Race as you approach peds and their dogs might at least have novelty value.

[...]

 

I'll go with Leslie Phillips saying "ding dong!" 

 

(One for the younger readers, obvs)

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nopants | 7 years ago
2 likes

Almost everyone I know rides with their phone in their jersey. This will be really handy for letting people know you have just gone past them...

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Pub bike replied to nopants | 7 years ago
1 like

nopants wrote:

Almost everyone I know rides with their phone in their jersey. This will be really handy for letting people know you have just gone past them...

...especially as sometimes there will be a delay from pressing the button to the phone stopping the other things that it is doing to respond to bluetooth, load the sound and then play it.

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dgmtc | 7 years ago
1 like

“We have taken the traditional bike bell and raced it into this century, and we think you are going to love it! You can shout! You can sing! But we all know that a bell on your bike is the best way to let people know you are coming up behind them fast. Damn fast!,”

Exactly, a BELL is still best. Not a smartphone and app.
Why would anybody even write about this nonsense...

Avatar
kcr | 7 years ago
5 likes

Truly, we are in the end times, when cheap, simple, reliable technology is replaced by a smartphone and a wireless button.

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