What 50th birthday bell for bicyclist?

My ahem friend will be fifty this month and his family are asking his wife what to get him.

So what’s the best classic or minimalist bike bell? Ideally to be mount on the stem/stack of a drop-bar setup 😀

PS Half-a-century rant:

Walked the pooch down by the river on Sunday, and yet again get fast and close-passed from behind by bell-less bellends. Walking partner has a genetic bone disease and nerve-disorder (poor balance is one symptom) and one (even minor) collision can mean months of fractures taking time to heal. Finding it difficult to source safe, flat places to help her walk. Even small distances (suitable for crutches). Do these silent dicks-from-behind imagine that dogs and people are psychic/frozen to the spot/expendable/collateral damage for the better good (ie cycling unimpeded) ??

Every day I feel closer to Michael Douglas’s character in th film ‘Falling Down’ 😕

Spur.

+1 for Spur.

+ 1 spur. Don’t be tempted by the Knog Oi! bell. Pale by comparison.

£50 for a 50th birthday. There’s a synergy in that!
Oh. Spur +2

Flame away – Spur rip-off, RockBros on ebay for £6

As an owner of both a knog oi & a spur, get a spur…. the knog is almost useless

And yes, you could buy the fake, but in much the same way you can buy a fake rolex, just because you can, doesn’t mean you should

Spur.

that looks nice! (Heads to youtube to hear if it makes 50 quids worth of epic belling)

*edit – not quite so keen on the paper-clippy lever. Would maybe need to try one. How do they feel in use? As much fun as the rotary ones?

PS Half-a-century rant:

I was given a Timber bell for christmas just so clueless old duffers hear me coming down the prom. I also used it on one MTB ride to annoy everyone which it did admirably

but I do know someone with a Spur bell and they are nicely made. Excellent as a present because you’d have to be insane to pay that much yourself 🙂

clueless old duffers hear me coming down the prom

It was you! What makes you think we’re ‘clueless’? Since when has strolling idly along a prom become a military exercise requiring all senses be ever-alert to imminent ballistic dangers from any (unannounced) direction?

Gods, I’m only half-joking…

I have the Rock Bros Spur cycles copy on my commuter and my Brompton

They’re cheap and ring pretty well. They sound nicer than my old fashioned honker but the honker was louder and more effective at getting people to actually hear it.

I actually now shout (“EXCUSE ME!”), or in the case of the pedestrian who couldn’t hear my shouting but continued to dawdle on a busy section of road and bike path – “HEY!”

+1 Spur. Rockbros is a pale copy[/url].

They sound nicer than my old fashioned honker but the honker was louder and more effective at getting people to actually hear it.

spur. my good lady bought me one for xmas. ace sound.

I’m going to be different and suggest one of these: http://www.lionbellworks.co.uk. I’ve never tried one, so it might be rubbish, but it’s on my list!

Timber bell is great!

My first and so far only Kickstarter – $90 (for two bells) and no regrets. I also bought a Rock Bros one to compare. If set-up right and if stripped of the paint coating – they’re remarkably similar.

I now have 3, one for each road bike and the RB one is on the MTN bike until I can afford to replace it.

I love the ethos, the video and the product – well doen Spur, i just wish you’d filed a patent.

Crane E-NE in stealth black for me. http://www.bricklanebikes.co.uk/crane-e-ne-bell-stealth-black

Half the price of the Spur and good quality Japanese made (been using it for about a year). Sounds good and is also nice and loud in a polite friendly way, ideal when I have to go via town on my road bike (too many tourists!). Wasn’t a bell person before but wouldn’t go without one now.

Love my Spur, although it freaks the b’jeebers out of my dog. It’s a hella long and loud ‘ping!’

You can buy a knock-off of the Spur… Here

I have one – I don’t normally like design ripoffs, but on the basis that I’d never spend $50 for a bike bell, I can’t see too much of a problem. I can confirm that it pings very well…

I have a bell that clips onto my brake cables. Tiny thing and loud enough.

siwhite – Member
You can buy a knock-off of the Spur… Here

I have one – I don’t normally like design ripoffs, but on the basis that I’d never spend $50 for a bike bell, I can’t see too much of a problem. I can confirm that it pings very well…

That’s the same argument people used to make about stealing music and software. The design was by Spur, others have stolen it and produced an inferior copy. If you can’t see a problem with theft and are willing to subsidise those that do, how about a set of Carbon rims marked ENVE?

Spur doesn’t work in the wet, not as well anyway. But maybe that’s common to all of them.

Thanks all, keep em oming!

I like the sound of the Lion and the size/look of the Spur. Knew this wasn’t going to be easy. Oberthinkitits.

*Edit: ‘overthink-itis’. But that typo was so good that I’ll leave it there.

The Crane Ene bell is good. Good volume, nice long ring tone that sounds like an old shop door bell.

https://www.velovitality.co.uk/products/crane-e-ne-bell-polished-brass

I did buy a Rock Bros Spur-copy before knowing of or realising it was a rip-off of the Spur, that £6 was worth spending so I can say here what a poor bell it is. Tinny and quiet, people hardly ever hear it. Wouldn’t bother with another even at the low price they are. The Crane is far better, I just hope there’s not the same accusation of copying there.

jameso – Member
The Crane Ene bell is good. Good volume, nice long ring tone that sounds like an old shop door bell.

https://www.velovitality.co.uk/products/crane-e-ne-bell-polished-brass

The Crane is far better, I just hope there’s not the same accusation of copying there.

The Crane is also a copy of the Spur bell, just not exactly. It’s made with better materials and finish the the RB bell, but not as nice as the Spur.

for a present I’d vote for the Lion and get some suitable wit engraved on it

The timber bell looks nice for shared trail riding, I think I’ll give one a try.

Re the rant, do you ever find ringing a bell makes people jump/stumble/glare at you? Not a lot of cyclists in my area which might be why, I find it easier to slow down and give pedestrians a wide berth.

I used to get mixed reaction of:

a) ring a bell and people act startled and/or moan feeling you were telling them ‘get out my way.’

b) don’t use a bell and get moaned with ‘get a bell’ comments.

That changed when I started using Timber bells. I wasn’t sure at first but it has seemed more of an icebreaker. The general reaction bring they think you are ringing to let them know you are around rather than ringing it at them.

Although it does work better the rougher the path IME.

Re the rant, do you ever find ringing a bell makes people jump/stumble/glare at you?

Not often, I use a shared path near-daily for a good portion of the year and have learned to ‘read’ likely reactions. If possible I usually give a bell-trill (my town-bike has a rotary bell, arguably more friendly-sounding than a single piercing ‘DING’) or two when far enough behind (say 100 feet) to gauge their reaction. This way I have a fair chance not to cause a collision by startling them from close-behind.

Example: I was last year walking with my (elderly-yet-sprightly) father on this same shared path, and when he first heard a bike bell sound behind us he spun half-around (to try and locate the source) inadvertently stepping into the path of (too close and fast after bell) cyclist who had to swerve to avoid a collision with dad.

I asked my father what made him go sideways and he responded that he ‘had never been on a multi-use path before so ‘didn’t know what to expect’.

Those few words subsequently informed my approach. I will slow or even stop until I have made certain that the peds in front are both aware of me and that I’m fairly certain of their intentions/actions to let me pass. I never pass at any speed ie > 5 mph

In shared spaces I think that anticipation, humour and courtesy go a long way. If I’m on a bell-less bike I will call out ‘excuse me’ or ‘ding-ding’ , then while passing say ‘Sorry, I forgot my bell!’. 99% of the time get a smile back so I reckon it can’t be a bad thing. It’s the faceless ‘disconnect’ and dangerous, silent close-passes that really annoy me more than a bell ever could*. Having a vulnerable partner makes me more understanding of other pedestrians having (potential) requirements for space, time and clear communication from me when when I’m biking.

Fit/healthy people (whether jogging, biking, whatever) can often be impatient, thoughtless and even rude without really meaning to be. Likewise if peds are rude I try to take the high road (golden rule) and try and make them smile instead. Costs nothing – reaps personal mental health benefits! We all get glares from time to time. Usually from ignorant parties, but I’d prefer to be sure I hadn’t unknowingly caused it.

As a pedestrian – if a bell is sounded merely 10 feet behind me, followed by a close pass 1-2 seconds later. Just no! As much as I hate silent close passes from behind – a loud bell sounding behind just a second before they close-pass only increases chances of collision. The involuntary human-instinct then is to look for the source of sound/move sideways. Bell should only be early-warning IMO. The rest is down to our civility/humanity.

Phew. It sounded easy in my head!

a) ring a bell and people act startled and/or moan feeling you were telling them ‘get out my way.’

b) don’t use a bell and get moaned with ‘get a bell’ comments.

That is precisely why I bought a Timber bell. I could never be arsed to explain this to people whilst riding though, for obvious reasons. The last person who asked me “have you got a bell?” I just said “no? why?” and he backed off with a “no reason.” Haven’t had this since I’ve had a Timber bell.

^ That Timber Bell is a v interesting concept! Mooooooove over…

Problem is – only time I really need a bell is on a (very smooth) paved shared path in an often windy place. Would it (Timber bell) cut it?

I find it easier to slow down and give pedestrians a wide berth

I do that too, space permitting. Again, I try to read the situation/mood ahead. Dogs? Dogs off lead, on-lead ? Dog owner about to bend over to pickup dog-log? Ebullient/unpredictable schoolkids/students/scallywags/elderly dodders? Toddlers on reins or swervy stabilisers? Amazing how the brain processes such things in an instant. But am always mindful that thimgs can change in an instant. So, yes, slow and wide (if available) is great. If it really is wide. The multi-use path I use is only about the width of a single rail track, so ‘wide’ is rarely an option

From Timber’s own FAQ page:

Does TIMBER work on road bikes?

The short answer is yes, but read on. TIMBER was designed for mountain biking, so the bumpier the ground, the more it rings. The sound of the bell is so crisp and sweet, it makes hikers shuffle to the sides of the trail like Moses parting the Red Sea. And your TIMBER will definitely ring while riding on the road. (It’s great for pedestrian clogged bike paths.) On smooth roads, it tends to ring more when you pedal, and go fairly quiet when you coast. If you need a little extra sound while on the road, you can always give the handlebars a brief shake, or lightly tap the brakes. But we don’t want to mislead you, it wasn’t made for noisy city streets, or urgent signaling situations. A Manhattan cabbie may not notice TIMBER’S ring while he’s screaming into his cell phone over the sound of jackhammers. So if you are riding in heavy traffic with lots of distractions, TIMBER will probably not solve all of your signaling issues.

The Timber bell looks good, can’t help but think they missed a trick not making it sound like a cowbell though

I’m a big fan of the Timber! bell. I ride a lot of shared paths with my (elderly) mum with one gently ting’ling away.

She gets confidence (as a rider) from noticing that people are curious about the sound as we gently ride along behind them, and pretty much most of the time will turn to look from a decent distance away, just to see what is making the sound. With a normal bike bell that wasn’t happening, people would just kinda step to the side a bit without really turning to look.

It makes a better ride for her, as she isn’t having to try to work out what people / dogs / children are going to do as often as she was, and people do seem to find them genuinely less threatening.

As NormalMan says up the page a bit, on a smooth path, a gentle shake of the ‘bars is all that’s required.

(Embrace Michael Douglas’s Falling Down character, it’s far easier in the long run (having now just reached 50)).
😉

I have the rockbros spur copy and it’s good on my commuter bike I think it would be a bit too quite approaching at speed on my mountain bike. If as others have said the genuine ones are much louder then perhaps worth the money.
I’ve just taken my second Oi bell off my bike, utter rubbish, quiet and poorly made however good looking and unobtrusive they may be.
Interesting comments on the Timber bell I was thinking of one but was concerned about those sections of my local rides take me on tarmaced shared paths and it might not be heard.