following on from sweary northerns below who has a bell on their mountain bike?

Yep. Indispensibell (See what I did there? Did you? Eh? Good, weren’t it? 😀 ).

Canal towpaths, bits of trail where forward vision is impaired by foilage etc, when there are groups of people walking along chatting and that. And when there are horses up ahead.

People seem to appreciate that I have a bell, and i’ve bin thanked many times for having one. it’s polite, courteous and friendly to use a bell.

Weighs bugger all and an important component of all my bikes.

Me too!

Don’t need to. I make people hate me (and cyclists in general) by approaching with the march of the Hope Pro2.

Though I used to have a Cat Eye dinger.. it wasn’t a ring, ringer.. just a pull back and dinger….!

Broke it, never got another one. Sorry 🙁

Yup

I tend to use it mainly on the shared use urban paths / canal towpaths I ride to get to the hills – sometimes out on the hills but rarely.

As elf says it does appear to be appreciated odd tho that seems. Out in the hills its rare to meet people and to have to alert them – depending on the circumstances I might either ping the bell a distance away or speak to them when closer.

it really smooths the way rude tho it may seem to us. Especially good to allow dog walkers plenty of time to control their mutts as it can be herd from a fair distance away

elfin……indeed a fine pun ……my bikes have following a confrontation years ago with a rambler, who said shouting hello from 200 yard back was no good , looking back fai point
also have hope hubs

Hopes here too. No need for a bell. Even less so when there are a few of you with hope wheels. Must sound like a swarm.

People seem to appreciate that I have a bell, and i’ve bin thanked many times for having one. it’s polite, courteous and friendly to use a bell.

elfin speaks the truth.. I used to be incredibly evangelical about it but I see so few people where I’m riding at the moment that there is no need for a bell..

its one of teh things that alienates people – not using bells

I find it interesting the people on here will castigate bikers for going thru red lights on the grounds it gives a bad impression of cyclists but refuse to use bells – which also gives a bad impression of cyclists

I don’t, I got too many bad reactions after using it, so now I go with the polite “Excuse me” or “Afternoon!”, occasionally someone might grumble “You should have a bell” but they won’t say “**** off ringing your bell at me you ****, ****ing cyclists, I’m not getting out of your way you ****, you’d better not try and get past me neither”

like northwind said

I do, and have done for a while. I think it’s a question of perception from the walkers/doggers/horsie types etc. that bikes are ‘supposed’ to have bells, and someone using one is therefore a courteous and considerate trail companion.

A bloody MTBer yelling from 200yrds always will often be considered aggressive, even when that’s not the intention. (own the countryside, riding on the footpaths, didn’t slow down, small dog nearly run over, grumble mutter etc. to fade)

Edit – wow, Northwind posted that while I was typing, I’m really surpised, never ever had that reaction!

Aye, but there’s more than one way to do it, I’m not talking about yelling from 200 yds away but just of approaching exactly like I would it I was going to ring a bell, but using a vocal warning instead.

its one of teh things that alienates people – not using bells

get a grip!

I run at least one red light on my bike almost every day, ride on pavements and wouldn’t ever want a bell on my bike but still manage to be perfectly curteous/polite and give way to both pedestrians and drivers.

i prefer to scare the crap out of people by hooning past them unannounced.

their open mouthed suprise is the perfect condition for them to eat my dust.

GW – I have no issue with running red lights done safely 🙂

Aye, but there’s more than one way to do it, I’m not talking about yelling from 200 yds away but just of approaching exactly like I would it I was going to ring a bell, but using a vocal warning instead.

My experience is by that time it’s too late, and because they’ve not got time to judge your approach speed, they go diving for the side of the trail. I always give the cheery greeting and thanks when I’m passing as well.

No, & never will. There is no requirement for a bike to have a bell.

I find a firm but polite ‘Excuse me’ has the desired effect of alerting walkers to my presence.

only to p!$$ off my mates

I run at least one red light on my bike almost every day, ride on pavements and wouldn’t ever want a bell on my bike but still manage to be perfectly curteous/polite and give way to both pedestrians and drivers.

Blimey. 😯

I don’t, I just talk to people, slow down, comment on the weather “lovely morning” kind of thing and never have any bother. If it is remotely tight I ask if they would mind if I came past (if I am behind them) or smile and chat if facing. Never tear past other trail users on bikes, horses or foot. Walkers seem to be fine with it and horse riders really seem to appreciate me talking to the horses, explaining that I am human really and that they needn’t worry.

Might sound silly but I find a bell a little impersonal, bit insistant, like a ringing phone. They slightly annoy me if I am walking but usually because it seems to be “ding” whoosh as people pass. I guess it is the user not the bell at fault there though.

GW – Member

still manage to be perfectly curteous/polite

It’s true, you’re famous for that.

Oh God, I know it’s wrong but I can’t bring myself to have a bell on my bike (can’t help thinking it would ding all the time off road). I do find the combo of Hope Pro2 and a friendly hello seems to work fine…..

The bell is prefered by walkers and horse riders alike, so I use one. Also thanking them on passing.

It seems to me they would rather jump into a hedge in fright by a loud ‘ting’, then have a quite polite excuse me, very strange!

I find you can ding a bell from much further away that you could call out to them. I have never had someone complain about the bell but I have a little polite ting ting one and always say thanks as I pass.

I can pass literally hundreds of people on the offroad multiuse paths on my way to the hills. I didn’t have a bell on one of my bikes for a couple of weeks and found it much harder work to pass safely and politely as you cannot alert them from so far away unless you shout

It’s true, you’re famous for that.

I got the impression that GW makes a supreme effort to be helpful and courteous and tries to put people at their ease at every opportunity..

one of our young generations shining stalwarts

It’s true, you’re famous for that.

😆

Yes, even on my single ringed DH tyred Bullit. Seldom or never have the opportunity to use the one on the bullit, I just like the funny looks I get from proper ‘factory’ looking DHers when I ring it at the trailhead. Coooooo-eeeeee! 😀

Our local walkers seem to prefer bells than voices and last few years have seen many more local riders use them as far as I can see, although one recently remarked (on our local facebook anti trailcentre nimby page) that some riders use them ‘angrily’. My bell only has one setting, not sure how to ring it angrily or peacefully. 😆

TandemJeremy – Member
I find you can ding a bell from much further away that you could call out to them.

it is possible to adjust your approach speed accordingly so there is no need to shout from anywhere near 200m away? 🙄

I didn’t have a bell on one of my bikes for a couple of weeks and found it much harder work to pass safely and politely

really not surprising from a man who cannot even see that it’s occasionally apt and often makes far more sense to break ones own “made up” rule of always sticking to the L/H side when passing another oncoming pedestrian/cyclist.

So why do people refuse to use one?

Earwiggo: Argument! 😀

Hope freehub for the trails, referees whistle for the towpaths and urban riding – that and a cheery “how d’ya do” or “good day” has always done the job.

So why do people refuse to use one?

refuse? who’s being refused? the lonely bell stand on the LBS counter? or the bell police? or the **** that go around telling people they “need” to get a bell perhaps? 😕
I haven’t refused to use a bell, I simply have no use for one on my bike (along with many other pointless accessories). think I’ve kinda already covered why not.

TJ, you thinking people should and them choosing not to is not the same as them/me refusing to.
I just choose not to. I haven’t met anyone who has ever tried to compel me to use on, so have never refused, just chosen not too.
Reading this has made me wonder if I might try one, but I doubt I will be rushing to fit one tomorrow.
edit-as he said, 26 seconds before me… now where is my Mavis Beacon when I need it…

refused maybe poor choice of words. I find one useful and I wonder why others do not.

I do use a lot of busy multiuse paths when its particularly useful especially when passing people with dogs as I can alert them from some distance away without shouting

GW -using these paths if I slowed down to the point when I could alert everyone I was passing without shouting in plenty of time I would never get anywhere.

I am often thanked for using a bell

Teej; we find them useful, people like GW don’t.

That’s about it really. If they want to be wrong, then just let them.

Dickheads what overtake me (it’s rare) along the towpath what give me no warning they’re coming past get an earful of ‘why don’t you just get a bell instead of being a ****?’

If they choose to be a ****, then so be it.

They should be careful cos one day someone might lose it and propperly batter them to death.

along with many other pointless accessories

What would those be then GW?

Yes, I have one on each of my bikes. Just a small, light unobtrusive thing! They do smooth the way when other people are around…

I use one and have never had a problem, my previous bike just had perenially squeaky brakes which worked just as well.

I have a Bell, I use it regularly.

TBH it’s only really effective perhaps half the time, very often the ditherers will still dither, some people are just bewildered and frightened by the world, at least with a bell having been used they can’t wheel out one of the standard criticisms of cyclists…