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Bicycle Sounder / Noise-maker: For continous aural-visibility, soundprint, hear-me-coming full time bell/horn/roar

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  • March 24, 2015 at 10:05 pm #23587
    timtak

    For a longest time I have wanted an electrical/electronic
    sounding, sounder, noise-making device that would make a sound
    all the time that my bike is in motion, to improve car and pedestrian
    awareness of my presence when cycling in towns. Broom Broom.

    Does anyone know of any such product?

    It should be about as loud as a small motorbike and not sound too much like a horn because I don’t want to annoy people. A horn sounds like it is calling out to people, I want more of a noise.

    A sound like that of an electric bike would be cool and appropriate

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l1WZSghnh5M
    but any sound would do.

    Mechanical devices like playing cards
    https://youtu.be/CT2EIL-5bKA?t=2m40s
    plastic bottles
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LKe_VVJL8Mk
    or the kids “Spokester”
    http://spokester.com/
    “Turbospoke”
    http://www.turbospoke.com/
    Spokey Dokes

    would I think add too much resistance I think, so I would like an electrical / electronic noise-maker.

    The Wiko Noise Maker has a button that looks like a rev guage. It is not available where I am.
    http://www.wilko.com/bike-parts+accessories/wilko-nee-naa-noise-maker-bicycle-red/invt/0344489

    There is however a product for fitting on scooters to make them louder

    It’s Official . . . Loud Bikes Save Lives


    Loud bikes do save lives, especially in comparison with our SILENT ‘push’ bikes.

    Why does this not exist already?

    Tim

    PS How does one find ones own posts to road.cc? I have asked this question somewhere before, years ago I think.

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  • February 28, 2026 at 2:07 am #1206939
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    timtak

    Ten years later and I would still like a sounder for my bicycle.

    Electric cars have them. Their drivers don’t seem to be saying “I like the silence of my electric car, I am going to turn it off”

    There is a guy with a bell on the back of his bike but Japanese roads are so smooth that his bell does not make much noise.

    August 30, 2019 at 12:36 pm #839007
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    Tom_77

    Way, way back when I was

    Way, way back when I was young, all the cool kids had these. I think you can still get them.

     

    August 29, 2019 at 1:19 pm #839005
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    hawkinspeter
    timtak wrote:
    STOP PRESS
    Unfortunately the light / siren I mention above died on its second outing in drizzle. It is not waterproof and therefore not suitable for a bike ridden in all weathers.

     I tend to pedal all the time so a noisy freewheel hub will probably not work. I have considered freely hangng bells and will look into them agian. I have no rodent buddies.

    Have you considered leasing?

     

    August 29, 2019 at 1:00 pm #839003
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    timtak

    STOP PRESS

    STOP PRESS
    Unfortunately the light / siren I mention above died on its second outing in drizzle. It is not waterproof and therefore not suitable for a bike ridden in all weathers.

     I tend to pedal all the time so a noisy freewheel hub will probably not work. I have considered freely hangng bells and will look into them agian. I have no rodent buddies.

    August 29, 2019 at 12:33 pm #839001
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    ktache

    There is always the Timber!

    There is always the Timber! bell.

    August 29, 2019 at 11:06 am #838999
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    hawkinspeter

    I’ve found that the

    I’ve found that the occasional chirruping, squarking and chattering of my squirrel buddies make enough noise to warn pedestrians of my imminent arrival. Also, older, clicking knees come in handy at times.

     

    August 29, 2019 at 10:31 am #838997
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    Sriracha

    My freewheel makes enough
    My freewheel makes enough noise all on its own. Seriously, I just need to stop pedalling and pedestrians hear me coming. If not I just pedal backwards to up the volume even more, usually does the trick.

    As a warning of my approach it works really well because it is a noise they associate with a bicycle, so they know what it means.

    Furthermore, it is not seen as aggressive in the way a horn or bell might be, there is no sense that I am “papping the horn at them”.

    It does irritate me that it is so loud, I did not notice the same during the test ride, but it’s the first thing I noticed when I took delivery. So I just have to keep my cadence going!

    August 29, 2019 at 8:44 am #838995
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    timtak

    My homemade sounder never

    My homemade sounder (of 4 years ago) never reached fruition but I still wanted one, and recently, for other reasons, I purchased a LED light which uses a 18650 cell and has a mini, and fairly quiet, “police” siren in the cap. As an alarm it is pretty useless because it is too quiet, but as a sounder, to make a cyclist more discernable, to other cyclists and pedestrians at least, I think it is at an appropriate level.

    The (high) pitch of the siren also distinguishes it from car sounds so that one can still hear cars coming with it turned on. I guess that the low volume level will allow it to be used for a long time on one charge. It is annoying though. I think I will only turn on the siren occasionally, such as when undertaking cars in a traffic jam on a shopping street, or in a tunnel.

    This is the ali link of a similar product (the supplier that I purchased from is out of stock). No affiliation.
    https://www.aliexpress.com/item/32911998007.html?gps-id=detail404&scm=1007.16891.96945.0&scm_id=1007.16891.96945.0&scm-url=1007.16891.96945.0&pvid=1c6131e4-d553-460f-9d59-eac729397378

    March 29, 2015 at 5:18 am #838993
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    timtak

    They said it could not be

    They said it could not be done 🙂 But here it is http://youtu.be/t7B423gHPjw The 6 sound horn (the all black horn shaped type in my video above) runs on a single AA battery. That means a 9V horn is being powered by a 1.5v battery for a long life sounder. The sound is a little quiet (and too loud with 3v) The case may fit two AA batteries in parallel or perhaps yes, with a bit of chiselling a C sized battery which holds 8000 mAH – the equivalent of about three AA cells and two full 1850 charges! The alarm has been on for more than 1 hour and it still is meaningul. Yes, even at 2 hours it should warn pedestrians of my approach. It should last at 5 hours on a C battery. I am only in town for about 20 minutes of my normal route and it is only during rush hours, or when I am in a rush, that I would want to use it, I think, So it should last about 15 rush hour rides or about 3 weeks on a battery. I ordered one of these push switches http://www.aliexpress.com/item/New-2pcs-Locking-Latching-Push-Button-Switch-For-Car-Trucks-Boat-12mm-Black-12V-Free-shipping/32279427155.html It is far from ideal. It would be far better if I could choose the sound – the buzzer sound is best rather than the syren sounds. I wish it ran from a 18650 and were an option of the 6 sound horn that I have. If I were keener and bought the right push switch I could achieve that. I tried powering it with a 4.2 volt 18650 but it was too loud.

    I still have not got around to making this and have mislaid the switch. Another switch ordered.
    http://www.ebay.com/itm/BLUE-12mm-Car-Boat-Locking-Latching-Push-Button-On-Off-Switch-3A-125V-1-5A-250V-/281688899632?hash=item4195f78030:g:sIMAAOSwBLlVUHTv

    March 27, 2015 at 2:07 pm #838991
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    John Smith

    timtak wrote:I am not sure

    timtak wrote:
    I am not sure how much noise would be needed but as much as a scooter I was thinking. Perhaps cars don’t hear scooters either.

    Trust me, cars don’t hear motorbikes with loud exhausts half the time. My motorbike is quiet, but I have friends with loud exhausts, the only difference is that I find their bikes annoying. People still don’t see them. I suspect that is the case with a bicycle, you would find the noise irritating, but other people would not notice you more. Also I suspect you would eat through allot of batteries. Making a loud noise takes allot of power.

    March 27, 2015 at 10:53 am #838989
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    Matt eaton

    Maybe this is a symptom of
    Maybe this is a symptom of where/when I ride but being heard by pedestrians is way down my list of priorities. Making sure that drivers are aware of my presence is much more important.

    Having thought about this a bit more, if my bike (or me) were making a constant sound it would obscure my own ability to hear what is going on around me, which can be quite useful. I’ve thought about getting a horn and using it when negotiating roundabouts etc. This thread is making me give it greater consideration.

    March 27, 2015 at 10:41 am #838987
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    bashthebox

    I’m so going to get hit by a
    I’m so going to get hit by a pedestrian on my next ride now, aren’t i?

    March 27, 2015 at 10:41 am #838985
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    bashthebox

    This thread is doing the
    This thread is doing the image of cyclists being angry crazed weirdos no end of good.
    Can you get a Zorb ball that will fit your bike in it? I think that would make it safter for both rider and pedestrian, and you couldn’t fail to see it coming. Maybe fill the ball with those little jingling balls pets and babies chase around too. Oh and have a man with a flag in front of you at all times, blowing on a whistle.

    March 27, 2015 at 9:49 am #838983
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    severs1966

    A good old-fashioned “brrring
    A good old-fashioned “brrring brrring” bicycle bell, but somehow amplified to produce 90dB(A) at a distance of 1 metre.

    If i build them, does anyone want to buy them?

    March 27, 2015 at 9:19 am #838981
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    timtak

    Yes… After I posted my last
    Yes… After I posted my last post it occurred to me that I don’t need to be loud enough to be heard by car drivers so much as pedestrians and other cyclists. Which is not very loud.

    I do quite a lot of shouting (today I mended my 6 sound horn, so I may be doing less). But perhaps it is me that is easily embarrassed. I find it a little difficult to shout as I go along. Self-conscious. I am not sure why. I need a bleeper.

    I am going to try and attach a 6 sound horn, which usually uses 9V to a 3.7 volt battery and see if it still makes a noise as mentioned above. If it does then I predict is should make a fairly quiet but pedestrian hearable siren sound, and last for quite a while. I will report back.

    This also runs on 9v so a 3.7v battery might make it suitably not-too-loud
    http://www.aliexpress.com/item/Motorbike-Alarm-Beeper-warner-Security-Bicycle-Lock-NEW/560104530.html

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