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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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  • March 27, 2015 at 7:56 am #838979
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    hampstead_bandit

    From my constant
    From my constant “interactions” in London with pedestrians stepping into the road without checking for cyclists, I believe pedestrians use their ears more than their eyes.

    Without hearing the engine noise from a motor vehicle, they assume its safe and step out without looking?

    After having a very nasty crash in February at Kings Cross after a hard swerve to miss an absent minded pedestrian, I have taken to shouting very loudly whenever I see anyone hovering on the pavement edge who is not looking at the road – typically this person will be consumed with the activities on their smart phone

    I might come across as an asshole, but the collision cost me £700 in ruined clothing and bike parts, as well as several weeks of healing from nasty cuts / bruises and a bit of whiplash, I’d rather shout to warn pedestrians than collide with one.

    March 27, 2015 at 2:22 am #838977
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    timtak

    I am not sure how much noise
    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.

    March 26, 2015 at 3:34 pm #838975
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    Matt eaton

    I thought about some sort of
    I thought about some sort of sound-making device after a collision (SMIDSY) but concluded that it would only be useful if proactivly used in every situation where another vehicle may need to give way to you i.e. every junction. Things like airzound look good but honking through every junction is likely to result in unwelcome attention.

    Having the bike make a constant noise loud enough to be heard by car drivers in modern, well insulated cars seems like a bit of a non-starter in my mind. It would drive me potty.

    March 26, 2015 at 1:41 pm #838973
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    MKultra

    There a glut of noise makers
    There a glut of noise makers if you look at what emergency services bikes use.

    It’s simply a case that no bugger wants/needs one.

    March 26, 2015 at 1:37 pm #838971
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    timtak

    >Something that jangles on
    >Something that jangles on the bike. A bell maybe.
    Yes. Cow bell, like. Or, here in Japan hikers have bells on their belts, I believe, to warn bears of their approach. That would not use up my Cancellara.

    Dynamos and loose cranks bolts would really slow me down.

    The noise only needs to be intermittent, and on a 18650 battery I think if it were intermittent, it could last at least as long as my lights.

    I would look up white noise maker but I have already looked up “noise maker” and have not had much luck.

    While I can’t sing, I do do quite a lot of vocalisation, not only because I am mad but also because all the electric horns I have tried, like fenix says, they break, so rather than bleep a 6 Sound Horn (here below is my review)

    I shout. The above 6 sound thing from about 4USD on aliexpress is not bad, while it works. If it had a bleep once a second for 100 milliseconds option and ran on a 18650 as opposed to a 9v box battery, it would do. I wish I could get in touch with “Everest” which is the brand. (Hmm. On the 3.7 volts of a 18650 battery it would a lot quieter, about 1/3 the volume, which would be about right, assuming it makes a sound at all. I may try that)

    I live in hope of finding a clicker, beeper etc. The only thing I can think of in 100 yen shops (dollar stores, I am not sure if there is a UK equivalent) is the little rape alarms that run on button batteries. One of those attached to a 18650 would last a while but be far too loud. They don’t sell quiet intermittent rape alarms but perhaps the voltage of the button batteries is higher (as the button batteries may be in series) than a 18650 @3.7v. so it might run longer and quieter both of which is desirable.

    It is really strange to me that nothing exists to increase the road bike cyclists sound-print. The problem may be, in addition to those that like the quiet aesthethic, I believe, that most road bikers are, despite the fact that they even if middle aged like me wear stretch tight lycra, they are nonetheless it seems quite shy and embarrassable, wanting to wear stealth lycra (why are so many cycling lycra pants in black?! I want visibility!), and avoid bike set ups that are not UCI approved and thus look ‘strange’. I have no shame, and for safety’s sake at least, I want to stand out in every way possible. Bleep, bleep, bleep. Nothing jarring. Just bleep bleep bleep, as I pelt along in traffic.

    Tim

    March 26, 2015 at 1:22 pm #838969
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    md6

    playing card, and then MTFU
    playing card, and then MTFU and deal with a minute amount of added resistance

    March 26, 2015 at 12:34 pm #838967
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    chokofingrz

    Set your alarm clock for 7am,
    Set your alarm clock for 7am, but then don’t turn it off, just carry it around all day, ringing.

    March 26, 2015 at 12:27 pm #838965
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    bashthebox

    Sing really loudly at all
    Sing really loudly at all times. Much more fun.

    March 26, 2015 at 12:16 pm #838963
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    gazza_d

    Start talking to yourself &
    Start talking to yourself & shout at pedestrians like a nutter
    Ride harder so you pant noisily like a black dog on a hot day
    Slightly slacken off a crank bolt. That makes an nice creak.

    March 26, 2015 at 11:59 am #838961
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    fenix

    Something that jangles on the
    Something that jangles on the bike. A bell maybe. Electric will just run out of batteries or break.

    March 26, 2015 at 11:52 am #838959
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    MKultra

    Dyno hub and an old fashioned
    Dyno hub and an old fashioned door bell.

    A dyno kicks out the same voltage as a 6v lantern battery that old fashioned mechanical bells run on, you will get a pulsed effect meaning that as you travel faster it becomes a constant trill.

    It would sound like Z Cars and annoy the crap out of you BTW.

    March 26, 2015 at 11:44 am #838957
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    bashthebox

    A white noise maker would
    A white noise maker would probably be best in terms of locating you – not a send baby to sleep noise maker, but something like they have on reversing lorries etc.
    Even so. If I was barrelling down the road making a load of noise I’d expect to get shouted at by randoms… so buyer beware!

    March 26, 2015 at 11:05 am #838955
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    timtak

    Thank you very much. The tire
    Thank you very much. The tire bell gives me something to think about.

    Ideally I would really like something electronic though. I have been searching for bleepers and buzzers and such.

    March 26, 2015 at 7:16 am #838953
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    lolol

    I have one of these on my
    I have one of these on my folder for riding in London, it works really well. I bought many years ago, still going strong

    March 26, 2015 at 6:05 am #838951
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    timtak

    Thank you the replies,
    Thank you the replies, especially for trottify but again, it would add resistance.

    I did try a piece of a fish punnet in the wheels, with the remained of the punnet attached to the rear triangle as a sort of sound box, but yes, I am Fabian Cancellara’s dad, and I want to get as much speed from my legs as I can, so the added resistance was unacceptable.

    It is because I go so fast (well, for me, 21mph) that I want to be heard coming.

    I think that the batteries electronic device that makes a noise of some sort every second or so would last quite a long time

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