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bells on bikes

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  • August 19, 2018 at 2:22 pm #28860
    bonnie

    Just put a bell on your bike easy peasy saves lots of aggro i would rather hear a bell than someone skidding on gravel and frightening me which has happend on tow paths please spare a thought for walkers some can be awkward but then so can cyclists as i have encounterd.

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  • August 20, 2018 at 2:48 pm #925661
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    vonhelmet

    My single speed has a halo

    My single speed has a halo clickster on it at the moment. That gets people’s attention. Freewheel for a moment and everyone turns to see what the racket is.

    August 20, 2018 at 1:36 pm #925659
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    kil0ran

    I tend to progress from

    I tend to progress from Excuse Me through Oi to Look Out to Ouch. But equally I tend to ride at a speed I can stop easily at if I’m sharing some crappy shared-use path with pedestrians. It’s the headless ones stepping in to the road I’m most wary of. Definitely not moving my hands from my brakes to ring a bell. I might use it when I’m a few seconds away just to see if they’re paying attention but that’s more on rural roads round here that don’t have pavements. 

    August 19, 2018 at 11:55 pm #925657
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    fenix

    I prefer to talk to people –
    I prefer to talk to people – you can alter your volume and tone. . Easier and I’ve both hands covering the brakes.

    Anyone who’s skidding on gravel isn’t going to use a bell. Sensible riders don’t skid. Our tyres are too valuable.

    August 19, 2018 at 5:37 pm #925655
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    Anonymous

    How will we know it’s you so

    How will we know it’s you so that we can ring it, rather than one of the people who don’t like cyclists ringing bells at them, or one of the deaf people like me who can’t hear them and would prefer it if cyclists just slowed down a bit and kept their distance? Perhaps you could help us by wearing a tabard with suitable instructions, in several languages, on the back.

    August 19, 2018 at 5:35 pm #925653
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    Anonymous

    Just wear a bell when you’re

    Just wear a bell when you’re walking, it’s easy peasy, whilst you’re at it wear a helmet too and some hi-vis garments, oh and lights during the day. If not you’re showing no consideration to others, how on earth can anyone see/hear you coming otherwise.

    August 19, 2018 at 5:25 pm #925651
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    ktache

    Some pedestians react by

    Some pedestians react by randomly jumping either left or right upon hearing a bell, apparently believing that you are cycling right at them, whereas you are only notifying them of your presence.  And beacause they are walking down the middle of the shared path they have a 50% chance of jumping in front of the cyclist.

    August 19, 2018 at 5:21 pm #925649
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    TheHungryGhost

    Mungecrundle wrote:

    Mungecrundle wrote:
    I’m also looking forward to the time when someone uses their horn aggressively”

    I was riding along the bus/cycle lane, and the road was blocked by a car pulling out of a side road trying to push into traffic.  The driver of this car, and the driver of a car on the main carriageway, who obviously wasn’t keen on letting the other driver pull in, were having a horn blowing showdown.  I pulled up on my Pashey, which has a lovely two tone brass bell, and decided to join in, much to the amusement of passing pedestrians.

    Even more surprising, the car pulled back a few feet to let me pass.

    August 19, 2018 at 5:13 pm #925647
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    Mungecrundle

    Bells are OK but you have to
    Bells are OK but you have to plan ahead to use them. In an emergency, shouting ‘Oi!’ is both quicker and more effective.

    I use my bell almost as a pre warning, warning. It is pretty weedy to be honest, can’t see how anyone could take offence at it.

    I’m also looking forward to the time when someone uses their horn aggressively, then I pull level at the next lights and as they wind their window down to spout some crap about road tax, I can ding my weedy bell, and say “Ha, how do you like that?”

    August 19, 2018 at 4:38 pm #925645
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    EddyBerckx

    No one takes any notice of
    No one takes any notice of them else they see it as an aggressive command to get out the way. On road bikes (this is predominately a road bike based site in truth) you can’t easily reach most bells without taking one hand off the bars/brakes.

    This means you need to do it with plenty of notice or risk crashing into someone if they don’t move out the way. If you have plenty of time anyway you can simply slow down, go round them and maybe call out excuse me or something? It’s not cut and dry.

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