Just ordered the bolt on from ST. 😀
I got the band on one. I recommend that you don't. It slipped unless I wrapped some tape round the bar. Still slips a bit, but it's OK. Otherwise echo what everyone else says, but the slipping is a bit disappointing for the money.
Jeez, is this how busy the trails are darn sarf, you need a constant bell? 🤔🤣
Jeez, is this how busy the trails are darn sarf, you need a constant bell?
On Saturday I rode one of my local trails where the only people I've ever seen on it was a couple where she was having a wee while he took pictures.
I had to stop for about 30 people coming the other way and 2 leisure cyclists and a girl with big earphones in front of me.
It's bloody mental out there at the moment . Everyone and their 5 dogs with their sullen kids are out for a walk.
she was having a wee while he took pictures
Not sure which way to interpret that statement 🙂
Not sure which way to interpret that statement
Yes you are.
It’s bloody mental out there at the moment . Everyone and their 5 dogs with their sullen kids are out for a walk.
Agreed. To hell with all the wholesome hand wringing "oh but isn't it lovely to see so many people realise the Joy's of the outdoors".
No it bloody isn't. The sooner the Johnny Come Latelys bugger off back to the pub/telly/whatever the better.
@dannyh - I've noticed that when the weather's been worse there are less people out and about. So either go out when the weather is rubbish or I've found going out early or late means it's quieter. Went out for a run at 6:30 this morning and there was no bugger around. Doing the same route from 11am - 6pm and it's mega busy.
It’s bloody mental out there at the moment . Everyone and their 5 dogs with their sullen kids are out for a walk.
Aye, and not only that, it's beginning to get all a bit "Get of my (bit) of land" I've seen more signs pop up on trails in the last few weeks than I have seen in perhaps that last 10 years. Folk are getting angry and resentful. and the trail network is getting busier and busier, and being used by folk who normally wouldn't be seen anywhere near them, have no idea about ROW or controlling their animals, and TBH riding just too damned fast inappropriately.
Stay safe folks.
she was having a wee while he took pictures
Not sure which way to interpret that statement 🙂
Let’s just say he wasn’t taking pictures of the countryside !
You've convinced me, bolt-on Timber Bell ordered 🙂
I find people take offence to a manual bell ringing if.
a. You’ve left it waaaaaay to late
b. You don’t slow down while passing.I.e its the bell plus attitude
This. Also, as someone who walks a lot (and sometimes as a carer with a vulnerable individual who would fare very poorly/life-altering fashion in a collision with a bike/rider) I will add that people not using bells on shared paths is a major gripe. Because (anecdotally, IME) the ratio of those who do vs don’t use a bell (of any type) at any time are so skewed that when I hear one it’s a genuine surprise that someone could be arsed/considerate.
We were biking some trails north of LA last year and there was a box of these bells at one trail with a sign to please take a bell and use it on these trails. The local residents had arranged these apparently.
Like others have said I've always taken the view that ringing a bell is akin to honking your horn in your car. So for the 2 miles that I go alongside the canal on my commute I've always just said morning, afternoon etc. to let people know that I'm there.
I've only had one idiot that blatantly ignored me and when I asked him if he could hear me he started ranting about a bell and how it was a legal requirement. That was a fun discussion and clear evidence that you can't beat stupid. Rode off in the end saying ding ding and wishing him a lovely day 🙂
But yeah since lockdown lots of my local riding now takes place on shared paths so I've decided to invest in a Timber Bell. Anyone know how long it normally takes to get stuff delivered from the STW shop? Can't believe I'm excited about a bell.
My delivery from STW was pretty quick - I think 3 days but might have been over a w/e.
My mini review;
- Doesn't ding on smooth surface. Hard to do the handle bar jiggle as am using it on a bike with a child sat in front of me. Will try angling it as suggest on this thread.
- I got the band on version. Comes with two sized o-rings. Using the smallest one it is sort of suitable for the 'fat' part of the bars near the stem but still rotates when you try and flip the switch. Is way too loose to position the bell on the thinner bit of the bars near the grip (though the radius of the band suggests it is meant to be positioned on the thinner part of the bars). Am I missing something? The larger o-ring must be far too big for even 35 mm bars, suggests I am missing something as does see pointless.
- The switch is very stiff. Combined with the loose fit is is a real faff to switch the switch as the thing just tries to rotate.
Somewhat underwhelmed to be honest.
nickc
Subscriber
Me with BellPed: why do all cyclists insist on having a bell, it’s really annoying and makes me jump, what’s wrong with just saying hello?
Me without a bell
Ped:I didn’t hear you when you just said hello like that, why don’t you have a bell?
Me with timber bell
Ped:I didn’t hear you when you just said hello like that, why don’t you have a bell?
Me: I do, [ting-a-ling], I've been ringing it [at you]
ped: oh is that what that was? It doesn't sound like a bike bell, you need a proper bell.
me: uh huh, [take your headphones out, and where is the dog you're carrying the lead for but is no where to be seen?] good afternoon!
Jeez, is this how busy the trails are darn sarf, you need a constant bell? 🤔🤣
It's brilliant for stuff that has blind downhill bends - Hayfield campsite descent for example. It doesn't give you carte blanche to go steaming into the blind right-hander like an idiot, but at sensible speeds it means walkers aren't quite as likely to stampede when you do appear at a reasonable, stoppable speed.
I avoided the band-on bell because I wasn't convinced it would grip the bar well enough to be able to switch it on and off without it slipping
Proper bolt on version is ace, no slippage. Thankfully haven't used mine in a while but all my riding is at night in the dark so most folks are at home and I have the outdoors all to myself 🙂
I love my Timber Bells! Both Christmas presents! 😊😊😊
Damn, I ordered the band-on version, I'll have to see how it goes. Wanted it so I can swap it between MTB and road bike.
Band on timber bell user here - no problems with slippage.
Am very impressed with its positive effect on the pinballing walkers that have filled the woods during lockdown.
Much less aggressive than a normal bell or shouting, people seem to respond well to it. I think they think I have it on all the time because I set it going when I see them in the distance and they approve of cyclists constantly ringing a bell like lepers.
Band on timber bell user here – no problems with slippage.
The security of strapped on things depend on bar material IME. After long experience with those flimsy Garmin rubber band mounts, I can confirm that what works on say anodised alu does not work on resin coated carbon!
Charlie from the merch shop here.
Band on or bolt on: if you have a lot of bikes and don’t want to buy a lot of bells. Go for the band on.
I am restocking the merch shop tomorrow so we don’t run out.
If you think a bell ain’t cool on a bike... check this out. I take one out with me when I’m running/jogging/crashing around like a sack of poo. It makes me look like a turbo dick... but it works just as well as it does on a bike.
Charlie, we need some video evidence of you running whilst dingalinging at the same time!😁
As someone had already said, I'm also excited to get this thing!
Lock down has odd effects on riders I think.😋
I’m not making my bike sound stupid to accommodate the 10% of dog walkers that don’t want to share the trails. The grumpy ones will be grumpy whatever yo do.
Well I received mine this morning. Just fitted it between conference calls. I'd ordered the band-on bell, but I've received the bolt-up bell. So popped it on the MTB to see how it goes. So far so good. It would be better if I had a single clamp for brakes/shifter or brakes/dropper lever as it's a bit too far inboard. I'll take it out for a run later this afternoon and see how it goes.
Mine just arrived.
If you order a band on one and have 35mm bars remove the foamy bit and use the shorter band and it seems to fit pretty well.
Re mounting I use the largest supplied band and mount it round my stem spacers. Sits nice and tight, faces forward for maximum effect, easy to flick on and off, keeps it out of the way and gives it a bit of angle for the clapper as mentioned above.
Rode with mine for 1st time today. Seems to get attention well - riverside was busy but everyone heard plenty of time and moved. Definitely seemed better received than previous manual one.
Noticed that how tight I had bars held/ pressure on them affected the action of it. Mainly on smooth path and if lightly held bars it rang well enough to be effective but if gripped/ weighted bars more less ringing. Not sure if anyone else said/ noticed this.
Mine arrived today (yesterday now) cheers guys!
Looking forward to trying it as soon as the bike is back together.
Noticed that how tight I had bars held/ pressure on them affected the action of it. Mainly on smooth path and if lightly held bars it rang well enough to be effective but if gripped/ weighted bars more less ringing.
It’ll have the secondary benefit of reminding me to loosen the death grip on the bars then 😄
Mine arrived yesterday, not had time to fit it yet.
First ride out with the Timber Bell this morning.
Big win = horses. A bridleway I ride goes straight through the middle of horse paddocks. I usually ride mega slow because some of the horses are pretty oblivious until you are level with them and then they freak. Today they were all stood up already looking my way with a "who the **** is that look". No spooking.
Probably 75% of the foot sloggers were ok with it and appreciated the advanced warning.
The other 25% had the same sour look they would probably have had on their faces anyway. No actively negative feedback.
Overall I think it is going to be a good purchase, but time will tell, I guess.
In terms of actually working and 'feel' it seems like a quality item.
Mine does seem to freak sheep out, I think they prefer you to just roll past silently.
Got mine on now. Can confirm that the band on version isn't grippy on renthal alloy bars! Doesn't really bother me though, the ability to swap between bikes is more important and it stays in place when riding along, just need to grab the whole thing when clicking the switch, not a problem.
It definitely attracts attention, although I felt like I got some looks as though people were thinking "alright, you only need to ding once!"
I like it, the paths round me are so busy at the moment that it's ideal for making sure my daughter doesn't just ride into unsuspecting people!!
“alright, you only need to ding once!”
That's what concerned me. I've never yet had a bell that satisfies pedestrians: they're too loud/too quiet/don't sound like a bike bell/ make them jump ...
I fear this would just annoy people in a slightly different way.
I got my band on bell a couple of days ago and used it on the ride to work this morning. Seems pretty good. Band does allow some slippage, but still easy to stablilise the bell with thumb while switching it on/off with a finger.
Wish I had had it on my other bike for the pre-breakfast ride where I got bitten by a dog this morning. It was the kind of incident that the bell could have prevented - woman walking up the track who I saw from quite a way back but who didn't hear me until her dog charged out of the bushes and bit me on the calf. If she had known I was there she would perhaps have been able to control her dog/it might not have reacted in the same way if not taken by surprise.
So I've used mine a couple of times now. I ordered the band on but received the bolt on which based on the comments above I'm happy about.
I use a track that has lots of walkers, doggers and horse riders on, to get out to the edge of the Peak District. Generally it's worked really well and people have heard me coming from a way back. Do have to give the bars a wiggle sometimes to ensure people have heard you.
Only issue I've had once was a couple of dogs kept following me, chasing is too strong a word they were soft as anything, until I turned the bell off. I can only assume that they had a toy at home that also had a ring to it.
So overall 👍
A great bit of kit. After being unsure about the band on version due to some of the comment I bought the bolt on version. It definitely changes how people respond to you out on the busy trails at the moment. I guess that it’s because you’re not taking them by surprise.
Didn’t take long to perfect the ‘bar shake’ technique on smoother trails either.
It’s not cheap but it’s a nicely made quality item.
I assumed that I’d only be switched it on when approaching people of on blind corners but the sound it makes is not at all intrusive so I just leave it on most of the time.
All in all I’m pleased enough with it that I’ll be buying another for my other bike.
I’ve had mine on for a few weeks now. It’s a lot more polite than a traditional bell and has managed to extract a few smiles from people when they see the bar wiggle. All positive except for one miserable old duffer.
On a section of quite overgrown and disused bridelway, I came out into a bit of a clearing from some trees, old duffer 20 metres away coming towards me, I stop to make room for us to pass safely with a polite “Afternoon!”
His reply was along the lines of “This is a footpath! Shouldn’t be on a bike!”
“It’s a bridelway.”
“Hmmmf! You should have a bell on that bike!”
“I have.” Wiggles bars, ting-a-ling!
“Well I can’t hear it, I’m deaf anyway!”
“Bye”
🙄
To those who asked,
1, Can fix a loose bell by installing a Tiny ziptie around the wire that holds/just above the ‘dinger’, this takes up the slack when switched off.
2, a drop of chain oil helps on a stiff thumb switch.
Cheap versions are available on AliExpress £7 ish.
I have been using my Timber Bell all week. I like it. Everyone I’ve meet so far has been ok with it.
Yep, been using mine a while now. I love it.
Does sound a little,erm, "emasculatiing" but that's abbot the only "negative."
Really pleased with it.
Just got mine from Charlie@singletrack - fitted it between calls, looking forward to seeings its effect on walkers. At least they'll never have a valid reason to say "why haven't you got a bell?"
Does sound a little,erm, “emasculatiing” but that’s abbot the only “negative.”
You need to embrace your inner tinkle.😉
Clicky for tinkley
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