Handlebar + bell

[mark a.]

My new school run routine takes us along the canal towpath. It's a pretty and popular route, so I'm having to use my bell way more than I ever have in the past. The bell that came with the bike is just out of comfortable reach of my thumb. Any ideas on how to improve it?




The bike is a Tern GSD e-cargo bike - it's fantastic. As you can see, though, the handlebars are pretty busy already, with the gear shift indicator on the right and the Bosch control unit on the left, and, crucially, the bell quite far inboard from the right (Ergon) grip.

Will one of the silicon-band mounts squeeze under the gear indicator, does anyone know? Is there such a thing as a long-reach bell striker? All the bells on my other bikes are on the left, but I can't see how I would fit one with the big Bosch thing in the way, unless anyone has any good ideas (the bend in the bars would prevent me from moving the unit too far anyway).

Bonus points for brass bells (they sound nicer) and ones that sound decent even in the wet (this one barely works with rain on it). Thanks!

[reohn2]

Can the Bosch E controller not be moved to the middle and the bell mounted on the left side?

[reohn2]

Alternatively you could mount the Bosch E controller on one of these:- https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/MTB-Bike-Fla ... 153962d3bd to make room for the bell on the left

[mark a.]

Can the Bosch E controller not be moved to the middle and the bell mounted on the left side?

I suppose it could, but it's quite nice to be able to easily flick it in and out of higher power modes when zipping up a hill or through traffic.

[Winders]

Maybe trim down a grip slightly and install a Knog Oi bell?

[Brucey]

could you not put the bell near the brake lever? This would push the shifter ~1cm further away but maybe the shift paddles are still long enough?

Another solution might be to make a special bracket that mounts the bell somewhere else, eg. on a brake lever clamp bolt?

cheers

[mattsccm]

My bell lives o the seat post. As its used to warn people of my existence it is rung before I get to them and my hand is back on the bars before I get close.

[Brucey]

on my dropped bar bikes I typically have a bell on the stem. The usual method of use is that whilst using the left hand to work the bell, I am covering the front brake with the right hand. Folk often just don't hear you coming if you ring the bell even twenty yards away, and any closer than that you are into full emergency stop mode should they do something odd (having heard you or not).

I wouldn't choose to have the bell on the right side unless I could ring it whilst covering the front brake. Bell designers have not caught up with this idea, and bells are always designed to be worked using the thumb above the handlebar, whereas you can still use the brake effectively if you thumb is still below the handlebar. If you fit most bells below the handlebar, they just fill up with water....

The Bosch controller seems to be (for the UK) an inherently stupid design; it is laid out so that it can only sensibly be fitted to the left handlebar, which makes most sense if the front brake lever is right next to it. In the UK you have to run with brakes the wrong way round or struggle to mount a bell that you can use at the same time as the front brake. Duh.

cheers