Cycling UK Forum

deliquium wrote:................ resonance is awesome

Can I combine two threads here?
viewtopic.php?f=15&t=73260

Mrs Mick F came home from work this afternoon and I took her to see/hear my new bell .................and then rang it.
Her hearing aids rang out and she sort of "objected" !

Mick F wrote:

Bell.jpg

Never mind the (nice) bell - look at that awesome lugwork!

Thank you!
I had the frame made for me by Mercian in 1986. 531c throughout. Mercian Vincitore.

It had a refurb for its 21st birthday.
Cost me a total of £285 in 1986 ............. and £425 for the refurb!
That's inflation for you.

Test ride complete!

I played at ringing it - when no-one was about! - and the sound is wonderful. The bell doesn't rattle and it's not in the way, and when I want to ring it, it only needs a stroke to catch the striker. Much easier to use than something you have to press or flick.

I nearly had a chance to ring it "for real" as I was nearly home, but the walking chap I was rapidly approaching from his rear, turned off. Oh well, I'll no doubt use it soon.

Mick F wrote:One day, riding along, dinging away, approaching a group of people, dinging away lots and lots, they never heard me until I was almost on top of them. Eventually one of them turned round and saw me and said, "I wondered what that ringing noise was!"
Hopefully, the new bell will be heard in time.

Hi,
Thats the point they'ed never heard a bell before, or not for some time, how many bikes do you see with a bell anyway
I have a bell on all mine, i dont think its ofensive, if you use your voice what would you say Even the suggestion you are there or even if they turn in time you dont have to slow down, is normally met with scowls, blank looks and they carry on blocking the road even
This Cateye Comet old model works well.

I've got the cheap mini pinger supplied with the bike on my recumbent. Most cyclists up here seem to have a bell and use it - often as a greeting to other cyclists. I do find mine doesn't work very well in the wet - it's mounted vertically on my USS bars. I think it gets water in it and that stops it resonating.

PaulCumbria wrote: I think it gets water in it and that stops it resonating.

I think you are right; if the gap between the edge of the bell and the housing is too small, water can pool there with exactly that effect.

cheers

Following Mick's ringing endorsement (sorry! ) I've just ordered one. I'm fed up of hearing 'Where's your bell?' when I call out a polite warning of my presence and the little ping bell I had for a while was utterly useless. The Lion bells make such a lovely sound and I expect I'll forget about the cost eventually!

PaulCumbria wrote:I've got the cheap mini pinger supplied with the bike on my recumbent. Most cyclists up here seem to have a bell and use it - often as a greeting to other cyclists. I do find mine doesn't work very well in the wet - it's mounted vertically on my USS bars. I think it gets water in it and that stops it resonating.

My experience as well. I use mine all the time on shared sections of my commute and on canal towpaths. My cheap ping bell is mounted upright on the bars and it also doesn't work in the rain. I'd be interested in whether Mick's new deluxe bell works better in the wet.

geocycle wrote:............ I'd be interested in whether Mick's new deluxe bell works better in the wet.

Rain today, and I was doing other stuff so never cycled. Sorry. Would have been a good test!

However, I doubt the wet would effect the ringing much, as the bell is a free-standing bell in the open air and doesn't have a housing.

The weather has turned damp now after a long dry spell .... yes it rained today .... but I plan to ride tomorrow no matter what the precipitation is doing. I'll report how the bell sounds after I get back.

Yep, a wet rainy ride this morning. Hammered it down for a while. During the rain, I tried the bell as requested.

It was "dampened" a little bit, but not much. The sound quality or volume didn't seem to be affected, but the ringing wasn't sustained for as long of course due to the water droplets. As soon as the rain stopped, normal service was resumed.

Mick F wrote:Yep, a wet rainy ride this morning. Hammered it down for a while. During the rain, I tried the bell as requested.

It was "dampened" a little bit, but not much. The sound quality or volume didn't seem to be affected, but the ringing wasn't sustained for as long of course due to the water droplets. As soon as the rain stopped, normal service was resumed.

Thanks Mick, looks like a nice addition to the bike and pleased it works adequately in the rain. Will consider buying one at some stage.

pedalsheep wrote:Following Mick's ringing endorsement (sorry! ) I've just ordered one. I'm fed up of hearing 'Where's your bell?' when I call out a polite warning of my presence and the little ping bell I had for a while was utterly useless. The Lion bells make such a lovely sound and I expect I'll forget about the cost eventually!

If you can call out a polite warning you're far too close and the majority of people will here a bell, even a cheap pinger, at many times your shouting distance.

Mick F wrote:Yep, a wet rainy ride this morning. Hammered it down for a while. During the rain, I tried the bell as requested.

It was "dampened" a little bit, but not much. The sound quality or volume didn't seem to be affected, but the ringing wasn't sustained for as long of course due to the water droplets. As soon as the rain stopped, normal service was resumed.

We should recall the tradition of all good engine drivers, who would always have a rag at hand to operate and polish their brass controls

MikeF wrote:If you can call out a polite warning you're far too close and the majority of people will here a bell, even a cheap pinger, at many times your shouting distance.

I disagree,I've never had any problems making my(polite)voice heard.
I have however had the odd person(maybe one in a few hundred) complain that I didn't have a bell when I haven't used one,I've then stopped and explained that a bell isn't law and that I feel a polite human voice is far more acceptable to the vast majority of people.
Everyone I've stopped and explained as to why I've no bell we've part with smiles and on a few occasions had a good chat about various things.
I've only ever had one person get really snotty,she was part of a group of three dogwalkers and even one of the others had a word with here about her attitude,which was what I can only describe as vitriolic and along the lines of "you cyclists,you're all the same......."

Another point is that the human voice is instant in an emergency,say if someone should step from behind a bush/wall/off the curb,etc without looking.In such situations there's no time to fumble for a bell which can't be to hand on some handlebar set ups.
In fact it was that kind of fumbling that made my mind up to remove bells from all my bikes,as on a couple of occasions I'd wasted time going for the pinger and missing it,then ended up shouting somewhat louder than I would have liked,leaving people possibly with the feeling I was angry at them.
Removal of the bell gave me only one option in such situations,so no dithering and fumbling.
I'm also £15+ better off too