A friend mocked me today for having a bell on my bike as we rode past some pedestrians.
It is a low profile design with a surprisingly long lasting ring to it. Personally I find it much easier and less awkward to ring a bell in advance than creeping up on people and shouting EXCUSE ME, SORRY, THANKS!
Your thoughts...
I removed the bell added at a service some time ago. I believe it’s a legal requirement? Anyway, in case of need, I approach the obstacle, slow down, and say “DING?” in a suitable tone of voice. This invariably works.
I find that a bell doesn't give enough information. People hear it and then panic and don't know where to go. I prefer to call out, in a nice friendly voice, and say hello and tell them which side I will pass them on. They then know where to expect me to go and therefore where to move to, if at all.
I also think a bell sounds rude and demanding.
I am a very small woman, so I guess my system has the advantage of me not seeming in any way intimidating, I don't know if people with gruff, male voices are as well received when calling out to people? People generally do appreciate the clear directions from me.
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> I also think a bell sounds rude and demanding.
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I use a Knog Oi on all of my bikes, including my XC race bike. It's small, light, has a nice tone and gets me a lot of smiles when racing!
I started using one when cycling with my daughter and it's been a revelation.
I’ve found bells, polite excuse mes don’t work most of the, yobs, people who don’t like cyclists, or who are too important etc etc just glare, don’t move or grudgingly move so slowly you end up stopping to wait for them to reluctantly step off the cycle path or road.
One year, to my utter shame, I fitted new brake blocks and….. and…. they, they, squealed. Now, while I died inside the remarkable thing was people just moved and there was no emotion, political or personal feeling attached to the noise. Only I’d better move, quickly. I wave a cheery morning, or apologise for being a useless mechanic and everyone was happy, briefly. Obviously I’ve had to fix them and move cities to avoid the ridicule and scorn of my biking friends but for a while it was beautiful🤣🤣
Cheers
Toby
> I believe it’s a legal requirement?
I'm some countries like Australia, yes.
I'm the UK we just need an audible warning of approach. Apparently voice is fine for this.
I have a bell on my committee bike, but not on my other bikes. Sometimes I think an air horn wouldn't be enough, other times the bell is too much.
> I believe it’s a legal requirement?
AFAIK a bike has to be sold with a bell attached, but there is no legal requirement to have a bell on your bike when riding it.
Unless this is an urban myth that I've fallen into the trap of believing
The same as reflectors I thought. Probably some ridiculous EU do-gooding - trying to stop us dying like free stupid people moan moan... The government has probably burnt that law, and will slowly and expensively replace it with a good British law saying the same but just doubling the price of new bikes.
I'd be sorry to see the bell end
> I removed the bell added at a service some time ago. I believe it’s a legal requirement? Anyway, in case of need, I approach the obstacle, slow down, and say “DING?” in a suitable tone of voice. This invariably works.
Another possibility is to say “NEPOMNIACHTCHI?” in a suitable tone of voice.
(Chess-playing cyclist's joke.)
>”Knog Oi”
I had one of those but the classic doesn’t withstand high use on busy shared foot and cycle paths. The little spring goes out of shape and it ceases to function. The deluxe version looks more robust with its snap gate type spring but they are pretty pricey. I’m um-ing and ar-ing about whether or not to replace with the deluxe or go with a less sleek, cheaper solution.
Either way, I find a bell pretty useful on busy paths…
> I believe it’s a legal requirement?
It is in Norway and only bells are allowed, alternatives are illegal. You also "shall" have a white/red reflectors front/rear and white or yellow on the pedals. Lights "shall" be attached to the bike and flashing lights "shall" flash at minimum 2Hz. You also "shall" have two working brakes, one front, one rear.
Needless to say, none of this is enforced.
My order of preference is squeaky front brake followed by polite "hello", then pling the bell. I'm usually quite patient but people strolling along with noise cancelling headphones glued to their ears get passed at close proximity - petty, I know!
> I also think a bell sounds rude and demanding.
Yes. I either give enough space to not need any warning, or slow enough so I can say excuse me,or whatever. Demanding people move with a bell seems rude - imagine the response if a car driver expected cyclists to move out of the way on hearing a horn!
I used to have a zound air horn on my commuter bike - much better than a bell.
> Anyway, in case of need, I approach the obstacle, slow down, and say “DING?” in a suitable tone of voice. This invariably works.
I say 'Ding-Dong' in a Leslie Phillips tone of voice.
This invariably doesn't work.
Claimed to be the world's loudest bike horn https://hornit.com/products/v3-db140
> Claimed to be the world's loudest bike horn https://hornit.com/products/v3-db140
Bit over the top for pedestrians though...
> AFAIK a bike has to be sold with a bell attached, but there is no legal requirement to have a bell on your bike when riding it.
> Unless this is an urban myth that I've fallen into the trap of believing
I believe you’re right. Similar rules I think may apply to having a rear ( maybe also front ) reflector, and also pedal reflectors and those weird ones attached to the spokes. For all these I think dealers must only sell a bike if it ticks all these boxes, but the purchaser can remove them if they wish. For example, as I never ever cycle in the dark these days I don’t believe I need reflectors.
As a boat-dweller, I strongly prefer the use of bells on the towpath. They carry far more than voice, and by the time someone's close enough to make understood 'sorry, coming past on your left' it's often too late to efficiently get out of the way. With a bell, I can hear it, step aside in good time, gesture acknowledgement to the preferred side and usually not have to stop or look around or otherwise break step.
> Yes. I either give enough space to not need any warning, or slow enough so I can say excuse me,or whatever. Demanding people move with a bell seems rude - imagine the response if a car driver expected cyclists to move out of the way on hearing a horn!
I thought that but pedestrians prefer the bell.
> Yes. I either give enough space to not need any warning, or slow enough so I can say excuse me,or whatever. Demanding people move with a bell seems rude - imagine the response if a car driver expected cyclists to move out of the way on hearing a horn!
Cycle paths are a shared space, and a bell is not a demand, but rather a jolly call to let a pedestrian know a bicycle is on its way.
> I find that a bell doesn't give enough information. People hear it and then panic and don't know where to go. I prefer to call out, in a nice friendly voice, and say hello and tell them which side I will pass them on. They then know where to expect me to go and therefore where to move to, if at all.
> I also think a bell sounds rude and demanding.
> I am a very small woman, so I guess my system has the advantage of me not seeming in any way intimidating, I don't know if people with gruff, male voices are as well received when calling out to people? People generally do appreciate the clear directions from me.
Interesting I get the exact opposite feedback from walkers on MTB trails who comment and say they like the bell because they know exactly what's happening in advance. But maybe that's because it's singletrack so there's no confusion which side I'm passing on, they just step off the trail. But they prefer it to shouting because they know it's a bike.
> I use a Knog Oi on all of my bikes, including my XC race bike. It's small, light, has a nice tone and gets me a lot of smiles when racing!
I use this bell on my commuter. I commute on shared-use paths, and I find that dinging the bell gives people a much more clear warning that I'm behind them than squeaky breaks/clicking my gears/saying excuse me. I very rarely get bad feedback about using it. The tone is very nice, not too aggressive, but rings for quite a long time.
My only bugbear with this particular bell is that it's quite similar to one of the common message notification tones used on iPhones, so a subset of people check their phones rather than stepping aside
Mine is more of a ping than a ding. A subtle difference I'll admit, but definitely a difference.
As a towpath cyclist I ping loads of people. I've found that the optimum distance to ping ratio is 2 pings, about 10 seconds before I reach them - close enough to hear, far enough not to startle them and give them time to step left, then right, then separate so one's either side of the path.
> I've found that the optimum distance to ping ratio is 2 pings, about 10 seconds before I reach them - close enough to hear, far enough not to startle them and give them time to step left, then right, then separate so one's either side of the path.
...leaving you just enough room to get through between them, provided their dog doesn't suddenly decide that it wanted to be with the person on the other side of the path after all (extra points if the dog is on an extending lead that's been left unlocked). I started noticing this during lockdown, I presumed because many people weren't actually that used to walking for exercise, but it still persists. It takes a lot of willpower to make myself say "thank you" when people are so being polite, but incompetently so.
My bell of choice is an 80mm Dutch-style two tone ding-dong bell - like this one .https://www.dutchbikebits.com/index.php?route=product/product&product_i... only black. It took a bit of head-scratching to get it fitted to the handlebars in my eMTB but it was worth it. Do a gentle ding - pause - dong and it sounds quite friendly. If someone is being unreasonably obstructive or just not paying any attention whatsoever then you can switch to rapid-fire dingdongdingdong mode. It's quite good at penetrating headphones as well.
On the mtb, I also get people thanking me and commenting on how nice it is to hear a bell etc.
You (all of us), can't win. I used to have a bell and no matter how far back, or close I rang it it would make people jump and annoy them, or they would move but be really disgruntled that they had been alerted by a bell (giving dirty looks or saying that you made them jump). The polite, 'excuse me can I get past' is /was marginally better, but often followed up with 'you should have a bell' (so I am startled and very annoyed).
Having a noisy hope style free hub is the best option. Just approach slowly and freewheel and let the free hub gently alert the sheep who will then politely move (often to opposite sides thus almost blocking the track)
I keep wondering if I can get something that sounds like the trams in Manchester. That little toot always sounds so friendly and never fails to make me smile.
> I also think a bell sounds rude and demanding.
Interesting. I find that a bell often gets me disapproving looks on the Union Canal cycle path or in the Pentlands but a call of "Bike coming" in a friendly voice generally gets a favourable reaction.
> As a boat-dweller, I strongly prefer the use of bells on the towpath. They carry far more than voice, and by the time someone's close enough to make understood 'sorry, coming past on your left' it's often too late to efficiently get out of the way.
As someone who cycles without a bell, I'd have said that if a pedestrian needs to efficiently get out of my way then I'm doing something wrong - I'd either give them a wide enough berth that they can carry on as they are and letting them know that I'm there is basically just politeness, or slow right down to walking pace and wait for them to work out where they're going at their leisure. But then, I mostly plan to avoid mixed-use pavements and suchlike anyway.
> Another possibility is to say “NEPOMNIACHTCHI?” in a suitable tone of voice.
The Metropolitan Police Cycle Task Force have actually introduced this as standard practice for their mounted members. They´re calling it the London system.
I cycle a lot on an old disused railway, flat enough for even me to get up speed and wide enough to safely pass at a reasonable speed if everyone is considerate.
I use a small bell for advance warning, most pedestrians happily call back dogs/children and it gives them time to do the 'bike dance' so I can pass without worrying about anything stepping out infront of me. For those that don't (let's not forget deafness, as well as headphones) I still have time to slow down to a walking speed, and verbally request that they go single file so I can pass safely.
It goes without saying that I always acknowledge people for giving way.
As a walker I hate it when cyclists don't give me time to react. I want to avoid puddles/nettles before stepping to one side, not leap to avoid getting squashed or jump out of my skin when they silently overtake.
Lucky to have lived by several great shared use paths (old railways) in North Wales and Chester/Wirral. Have tried bells, squeaky breaks and just talking over the years and have found that whatever you do some people will behave negatively.
Been told to 'get a bell' when I approach slowy and say 'good morning'. Been accused of being demanding when I ring the bell from far off. Ringing the bell when too close sometimes feels like it might lead to a heart attack with some of the more elderly path users.
Always difficult to judge the appropriate distance these days as everyone wears hidden ear buds when walking their dogs. Best to keep a smile at all times.
Yes for bells!
I also have a very loud free hub which is mostly just embarrassing but seems to help when approaching pedestrians.
I don't think a bell is rude. Its purpose is to alert people to your presence. I'll use mine even if there's enough space to pass pedestrians as they have a habit of weaving around unpredictably.
The trick is to sound the bell well in advance. It gives the pedestrian enough time to work out what's going on and act accordingly. I find last minute warnings are a waste of time.
The ones that come with bikes are crap. The best ones are the proper Dutch crown bells that go "rring-rring" and cost only a few quid.
I've long thought cars should have a non-aggressive-sounding noise as well as the horn, signifying "I'm here, just so you know" rather than "move or you're going to die". Manchester trams do, there's the friendly toot or an almighty scream when someone runs out in front.
> I'm here, just so you know
That's the only thing horns are supposed to be used for.
And almost always not what they're actually used for (as I read somewhere once, essentially a non-verbal 'fu ck' variant, typically, 'get out my fc uking way' or 'what the fc uk are you doing?')
Problem being that the horn sound is very aggressive.
Just use sintered pads, the banshee screaming will have people jumping for cover in the next county 😂
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> It goes without saying that I always acknowledge people for giving way.
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I am off cycling for 6 weeks in Europe shortly and I shall be paying close attention to peoples attitudes to shared spaces there.
My suspicion is that British people are not really very good at sharing, and more interested in their own rights and asserting them, and have much less interest in other peoples rights.
Saying 'thanks' or a raised hand as you pass is hardly a big deal, but generally makes everyone feel warm and appreciated, so more likely to repeat their considerate behaviour, rather than focus on their legal rights.
Maybe that reaction is because I'm British, but given that I only cycle in the UK surely it's correct that I confirm with the culturally normal manners of acknowledging people who have made an effort to make things easier for me?
That said, I'm not sure where you've been in Italy, but my experience on walks in the northern Dolomites is that it is just as common to say 'hi', 'thankyou' or 'excuse me' (in a language of your choice) there when passing someone on a narrow path as it is here.
> Saying 'thanks' or a raised hand as you pass is hardly a big deal, but generally makes everyone feel warm and appreciated, so more likely to repeat their considerate behaviour, rather than focus on their legal rights.
> Maybe that reaction is because I'm British, but given that I only cycle in the UK surely it's correct that I confirm with the culturally normal manners of acknowledging people who have made an effort to make things easier for me?
> That said, I'm not sure where you've been in Italy, but my experience on walks in the northern Dolomites is that it is just as common to say 'hi', 'thankyou' or 'excuse me' (in a language of your choice) there when passing someone on a narrow path as it is here.
My XC bike, which mostly gets used as a commuter has a bell. My road bike doesn’t.
Logic to this is that the former is much more likely to be on shared use space or in the city centre where pedestrians randomly walking in front of you is much more common.
> Not all cars with roof racks full of bikes behave as well as one would assume they would around cyclists. Most odd.
I'm coming to the conclusion that some people are just bad at sharing space, regardless of what form of transport they are using.
> As someone who cycles without a bell, I'd have said that if a pedestrian needs to efficiently get out of my way then I'm doing something wrong...
When the towpath isn't wide enough for a person and handlebars...I'd personally rather just be able to step aside and keep walking off to the side while they pass. It's hard to do that when the first warning you have is when the bike is already on top of you. Personal preference, but the further away I hear the bike the less time we both waste negotiating each other. But I spend a lot of time walking down narrow towpaths, and usually because I have somewhere to be rather than because I fancy some fresh air.
Agreed. Also if I think I've got the whole path to myself I'm terrible at meandering along in my own dream world, a friendly advance helps both parties to avoid any collisions (or unintended swims).
> I have a bell on my committee bike, but not on my other bikes. Sometimes I think an air horn wouldn't be enough, other times the bell is too much.
I have a wooden gavel on my committee bike
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> Last year I bought a new bell, a very traditional one, that sounds like a bike bell, and it has been a revelation. People smile when I ring it, some even comment that it is nice to see and hear a bike with a bell.
> IMHO a problem nowadays are the rubbish bells bikes come with I assume by law, that make a tink tink sound, and that many people just do not hear, and if they do, they do not associate the noise with a bicycle in the vicinity.
> Since buying my new bell I cannot recall a "get a bell" shouted at me incident.
> Ringadingaling.
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I am after a decent bell. Which one have you got?
Thankfully I have the casting vote on it.