Bells

General cycling advice ( NOT technical ! )
roberts8
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Joined: 20 May 2011, 9:14pm
Location: Surrey

Bells

Post by roberts8 »

I have just read the suggestion that bells on bikes should be compulsory. I regularly use a shared path and have a bell on one bike and ring it when approaching pedestrians and most don't hear it because they are wearing ear phones. If the bell law was serious then headphones would need to be banned, I do wonder who thinks these ideas up.
mattsccm
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Re: Bells

Post by mattsccm »

One of my bikes has a bell. That one gets used round the gravel family trails and the bells does help if "Morning" doesn't.
Nothing works for dimwits with head phones.
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gaz
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Re: Bells

Post by gaz »

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foxyrider
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Re: Bells

Post by foxyrider »

Much like 'running lights', helmets and registration schemes, the 'dimwits' behind compulsory bells will of course be automotive lobby and their self serving associates, the ramblers.

I was thanked by a couple of walkers for shouting a warning yesterday, they would, in my experience have ignored a bell.
Convention? what's that then?
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scottg
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Location: Highland Heights Kentucky,, USA

Re: Bells

Post by scottg »

Try one of these, they do need to pumped up every few days.

https://www.amazon.com/Delta-Cycle-Airz ... B000ACAMJC
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Mike_Ayling
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Joined: 25 Sep 2017, 3:02am
Location: Melbourne Australia

Re: Bells

Post by Mike_Ayling »

scottg wrote:Try one of these, they do need to pumped up every few days.

https://www.amazon.com/Delta-Cycle-Airz ... B000ACAMJC


Yes, that will get their attention!

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hamster
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Re: Bells

Post by hamster »

roberts8 wrote:I do wonder who thinks these ideas up.


I think it's the Daily Mail, along with their genius ideas like compulsory registration, etc.
Cycling it on its list of hates along with immigrants, the EU etc.
simonhill
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Location: Essex

Re: Bells

Post by simonhill »

I see my bell as much to warn other cyclists as pedestrians. I regularly use a seafront cycle path that has a very mixed set of cyclists. When I come up behind slower cyclists I ping my bell to alert them and then overtake knowing that they are aware of me.

There are plenty of much faster cyclists who fly along and give no warning. As it is very much a leisure path they run the real risk of people wandering across the fairly narrow path and being hit.

A couple of pings or an oral warning eg "coming past on the right" is both sensible and safe. Unfortunately, I see these speedy overtaking cyclists who give no warning as neither sensible or safe and often downright reckless. I guess many of them think a bell to be an unnecessary addition to their multi pound steeds.
goddardsharon482
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Joined: 27 Jun 2018, 4:00pm

Re: Bells

Post by goddardsharon482 »

Can anyone recommend a decent 'non-ping' bell? With mine I find it nearly impossible to apply the correct amount of 'ping force' - either too much and it scares the living daylights out of people, or too little and the clapper misses the body of the bell altogether, resulting in no sound!
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mjr
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Re: Bells

Post by mjr »

goddardsharon482 wrote:Can anyone recommend a decent 'non-ping' bell?

Adie and Widek still sell some good rotary bells into this country and the more practical local bike shops here even stock them. I think it's £5 or so for an Adie. Basil sell ding-dongs which are also fairly mellow but more expensive.
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Bez
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Re: Bells

Post by Bez »

If the bell law was serious then headphones would need to be banned


We'd also need to ban deaf people, of course.
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meic
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Re: Bells

Post by meic »

automotive lobby and their self serving associates, the ramblers.
A rather unlikely alliance.
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Tangled Metal
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Re: Bells

Post by Tangled Metal »

Bez wrote:
If the bell law was serious then headphones would need to be banned


We'd also need to ban deaf people, of course.

And gossiping people so deeply into their own conversations.

I've had to ring and ring and shout and shout before one couple of mature ladies out for a communal power walk. The only power activity was talking. I've been stuck behind them a few times unable to get past other times I've just got tired of waiting I just close passed them. If they'd given me grief I was fully prepared to argue my pov. They didn't even notice me passing!
simonhill
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Re: Bells

Post by simonhill »

goddardsharon482 wrote:Can anyone recommend a decent 'non-ping' bell? With mine I find it nearly impossible to apply the correct amount of 'ping force' - either too much and it scares the living daylights out of people, or too little and the clapper misses the body of the bell altogether, resulting in no sound!


My little pinger bell finally gave up the ghost. Went to Halfords today as it was on the way (after haircut and before Aldi) and tried to buy a pinger. To answer your question, they had lots of different bells so you may want to take a look. 10% discount if CycleUk member.

Unfortunately, they only had coloured pingers on display, so I asked the bloke behind the counter. He said hang on a mo, delved into a drawer and pulled one out. How much I asked - "free" he said, "its a spare we had lying about". Result.
Cyril Haearn
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Re: Bells

Post by Cyril Haearn »

meic wrote:
automotive lobby and their self serving associates, the ramblers.
A rather unlikely alliance.

Maybe not, think of the munro and hewitt baggers, and twitchers
They drive great distances to walk a few hours, the tragedy of driving walkers
A bit perverse I think
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