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I'm having to squeeze in rides wherever I can fit them at the moment, and sometimes that means local stuff (some of which is a bit cheeky) at times I would otherwise avoid. I'm thinking I should really stick a bell on.
So - what's reasonably sturdy, low profile and makes a nice noise? I'd sooner not have one that sits atop the bars as I do occasionally turn my bike upside down.
Knog Oi looks like a possibility, anything better?
the Knog bell is junk - quiet and the hammer mechanism is very fragile. Avoid
I've got something similar. Its actually a squeaky beaver horn, but theres no way on earth I'm putting those 3 words into google 😀
Rockbros
Timber bell is effective (if a little annoying) if you want people to hear you coming. Only really works on rough surfaces though.
I use a Timber! bell when I use one. It's a little bell that rings all the time, with a switch to stop it. When I'm riding on shared trails I'll often leave it on so others can hear that something is coming without me having to actually ring a bell "at" them.
Timber! Bell is perfect for this. It has an on/off switch on a mini cow bell. Pleasant sound, no handed operation and switchable. Perfect.
It's been well reviewed on here.
Timberr bell here too, recommended for the same reasons. Sometimes I switch it on to enjoy the dingling just for myself. It's quite a cheerful noise!
Edit:
Only really works on rough surfaces though.
There is that. You can give the bars a little wobble or shimmy the bike under you if you're standing.
The Knog Oi is rubbish - they just fall apart.
I've replaced mine with the knock offs from Ebay which are much more robust, and don't ding all the time.
fourth for the Knog Oi.
pish.
I bought two, sold both (one used, one BNIB).
+1 for advising against the Knog. It's utter garbage. Far too quiet! I do like the look of those Timber Bells, IMO it's a bit pricey for a bike bell!
Can't go wrong with a Crane IMO. Nice and classy tone with a sweet sustain to it.
I like the look of the Timber too but does it only work as a "passive" bell with the on/off modes or is there a manual 'ping' option?
Just in case you didn't get the message re Knog Oi! don't bother, bag o' shite!
Very happy with my Spur Cycles bell, a bit spendy though.
APF
So I'm getting a bit of a vibe about the Knog Bell... Think I might avoid that one.
I love the look of the Spur one (and some of the Cranes too) but they're a bit more than I want to spend, to be honest. Especially since they'll probably get bashed to poop.
The Rockbros is a Spur copy right? And the Oi copies are, well, Oi copies. But very cheap. And better.
Hmm.
Timber or spurcycle for the win. Walkers seem to really like the timber, I've had a number of complimentary comments. I think it is its gentle, happy, I am here, vibe rather than an aggressive make way tone from a normal bell.
I do like the idea of the Timber! Is it like a cowbell kind of noise?
spur cycle is the only bell that works, imho.
I've got a Rock Bros, which is a lovely ding, on the Arkose.
I've got a Timber on the Solaris, which I prefer as I don't feel like I'm dinging AT folk. If that makes sense.
Heh, just popped in to recommend avoiding the Oi!. Far too quiet. £15 down the drain. 🙁
Timber here too, much prefer it to normal bells that seem to shock people. The Timber lets them know from a distance away and gradually gets louder as you get closer. As said above if the terrain is not quite bumpy enough just wiggle the bars a bit as your getting near to someone.
Brick lane bikes do a very nice Spur clone (might be a rebadged Rockbros), it makes a nice noise that sounds less offensive than some others, and can be mounted in various places: above/below handlebars, stem or steerer tube. Good choice of colours too.
Has anyone yet mentioned how pony the Knog Oi is?
<reads thread>
Right-o; carry on!
I have a Coghlan's Bear bell for rides I know will be super busy. Works well and is a lot cheaper than the timber!
I prefer a bell on the headset spacer, it saves space on the bars. This one from Acor has quite a nice ping, and cheap enough.
I have a cheap one from... halfords I think? It looks like something you'd fit to a tricycle, but it's loud and so, so cheerful- I don't like the single "PING" ones, they sound a bit shrill and assertive to me, I've had way better responses from pedestrians since I switched to this one. rdidididinging-rrrdingigingin.
My e*thirteen freehub seems to do the job.
I have a spur cycles copy from rock bros. First one died, new one works fine, currently on my brompton
I have a generic thing on my MTB and it works surprisingly well, and hasn't died. I'd get a timber if you could also use it like a normal bell
Just to buck against the trend, I don't mind the Knog Oi I have on my cross bike. It's been on a couple of years and still works, and seems to get people's attention much more easily than the (much louder) PDW brass bell I have on my commuter.
I've also got a Lezyne brass bell (the flat one, but I expect the dome shaped one is the same) that I like the best. Mainly because I can take if off easily enough if I'm not going to be riding shared use paths.
I have a Knog Oi on the gravel bike. Works fine is more than loud enough hasn't fallen apart and looks discreet. It did jingle constantly on the first ride but I just tightened it up a touch and has been flawless ever since. I would buy another.
Spur.
Expensive? Not for the quality.
got a timber. great on your own. really really really annoying in a group (you know who you are)
ive taken mine off tbh
timber bell, the erratic ding a ding ding is easier to position than a normal bell, bit more polite too when heard at a distance.
I like the look of the Timber too but does it only work as a “passive” bell with the on/off modes or is there a manual ‘ping’ option?
You can kind of shake the bars slightly to make it more noticable. The early ones wore so that the on/off mechanism slipped and you couldn't reliably turn the bar off, which was pretty bloody annoying. I modded two using strips cut from a zip-tie, but it was a pain in the backside involving surgery to the bell with a sharp knife and some basic ingenuity. The newer ones are supposed to have a modified mechanism with a spring detent so it doesn't wear as fast.
The cheap knock-off copies of the Spur Cycles bells just seem all sorts of wrong to me. Basically ripping off someone else's design with inferior components. There's a story about the impact on the original company on erm, Cyclingtips:
Must.......re.......sist
Just buy a cheap one from Evans, Halfords or your LBS. As long as it makes a noise. Personally I’m liking that Chipmunk that Binners recommended. That or ride with an actual cowbell around your neck!
timber bell for the win. peeps actually hear it!