The Crane E-Ne Revolver bell has a lovely tone, its unusual rotary mechanism means you can fit it wherever on your handlebar suits you best, and it’s very nicely made with a machined aluminium clamp and a brass dome.

Japanese bell maker Crane is renowned for the volume and tone of its bells, and the E-Ne Revolver is no exception. When you turn the outer knurled ring it produces a sequence of multiple cheerful ching-ching sounds that are as polite a way of announcing your presence as I can think of, and certainly a lot better than the single ‘ping’ of many cheap bells with a conventional striker.

> Buy now: Crane Bell E-Ne Revolver for £30 from Brick Lane Bikes

The musicality of the Revolver’s tone comes from the dome being made of brass, though that’s not obvious because it’s painted black. Other Crane models are available in less sombre tones, but I think what Crane’s doing here is keeping it low-key because this is a bell that lends itself to stealth deployment.

The great thing about this rotary design is that you don’t have to prod a lever to make the bell ring, so you can put it anywhere on your handlebar, left or right, above or below. On my round-town flat-bar bike I put it under the bar, next to my thumb, so it’s really easy to actuate.

The only thing that limits your placement options is the 25.4mm, 10mm-wide hinged aluminium clamp, which comes with a rubber shim for 22.2mm bars. Crane suggests you just use half of it if you’re fitting the Revolver to a drop bar’s 23.8mm section, but if you want to fit it by the stem on a bar with a 31.8mm centre, you’re out of luck. Crane really needs to offer a version with a 31.8mm clamp.

2021 Crane Bell E-Ne Revolver – Stealth Black 3.jpg
2021 Crane Bell E-Ne Revolver – Stealth Black 3 (Image Credit: Farrelly Atkinson)

The clamp’s held closed by a single dome head M4 screw that takes a 2.5mm hex key. I’d prefer a Torx head at such a small size – they’re less likely to cam out and get damaged – but that’s a minor niggle. In fact, to persuade it to fit over the bar tape at the end of my handlebar I fitted a longer bolt with a 7mm hexagon head and that also worked fine.

> Buyer’s Guide: 6 of the best bicycle bells

Given that you can get a single-ting basic bell for two quid, £31.27 for the E-Ne Revolver is undeniably expensive. While there are spendier bells, there aren’t many, and they’re even more esoteric, like Van Nicholas’s £85 titanium bell or the £49.99 US-made Spurcycle bell.

With the Spurcycle you’re paying for high-precision US manufacturing (which is why lower-quality Chinese copies are a third the price) and the Van Nicholas bell is titanium with all the extra material and machining cost that implies. The E-Ne Revolver’s price comes from its being made in Japan and being, well, generally really nice; it’s a lovely thing that Just Works and feels like it’ll carry on doing so indefinitely.

Verdict

Easy-to-use bell with a really nice tone

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Crane Bell E-Ne Revolver – Stealth Black

Size tested: Fits on 22.2, 24.0 and 25.4mm OD bars

Tell us what the product is for and who it’s aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

It’s a handlebar-mounted noisemaker designed to attract the attention of other road users.

Crane says:

A tough bell with a rotary striker.

– Compact 50mm brass dome for a bright and resonant ring

– Aluminum striker and clamp

– Operable from multiple positions on the handlebar. Wheel turns clock-wise or counter-clockwise. Easily click off multiple dings or a single ding

– Fits on 22.2, 24.0 and 25.4mm OD bars

– Stealthy matte black finish

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
9/10

Very nicely made.

Rate the product for performance:
 
9/10

Very easy to use, with a friendly tone and loud enough for shared-use paths and the like.

Rate the product for value:
 
5/10

It’s expensive, but it’s very nice.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

It goes ‘ching!’, people hear it and so realise you’re there. Job done.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

The rotary mechanism that makes it compact, tidy looking and versatile as far as placement goes.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

I’d kinda like a polished brass and aluminium one. I don’t dislike the all-black colour scheme as such, but options are always nice to have.

How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?

The E-NE revolver is undeniably expensive, costing more than even high-end bells such as the Granite Cricket or Canyon Ring Bar End Bell. However, it’s cheaper than the CloseTheGap HideMyBell that Anna tested, and has similar stealth credentials if you’re crafty about positioning it.

Nevertheless, this is an expensive bell, for your best bike. If that bike has a black frame, black wheels, black bar tape and black, well, everything else, so much the better.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your overall score

This is a marvellous little bell that only loses creds for not having a clamp that allows it to fit next to the stem.

Overall rating: 9/10

About the tester

Age: 55  Height: 5ft 11in  Weight: 100kg

I usually ride: Scapin Style  My best bike is:

I’ve been riding for: Over 20 years  I ride: Most days  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: commuting, touring, club rides, general fitness riding, mtb,