Bells on bicycles – Since when?

Whistleing seems to be the preffered method of French roadies…some of them old fellas have it down to an art.

I once got a “wheres your bell” on the forth and clyde canal.

emptied the airzound for her.
😀

mandatory to have an audible warning device in Victoria, Aus

locally lots of signs on shared paths like this one
so walkers expect you to ring – and unlike the UK get quite a lot of thank yous
still get the large groups with some jumping right and then stepping back left to be with their buddies

here is a handy reminder – would like to think that the legal code is phrased such that the punishment for inadequate belling is a jolly rogering

edit but of course the law doesn’t apply to anyone wearing pro team or cycling club kit

would like to think that the legal code is phrased such that the punishment for inadequate belling is a jolly rogering

😯

don’t look at urbandictionary for a definition! 😡

but of course the law doesn’t apply to anyone wearing pro team or cycling club ki

*is exempt then 😆

ipod > bell.

Can you get quick release bells?

EDIT yes you can. I might get one for MTBing if my route includes a significant amount of mixed use trail.. hmm..

Problem with modern bells is they are a harsh ding that people see as “get out of my way!”.

<pedant mode>

Problem with modern bells is they are a harsh ding that people see hear as “get out of my way!”.

</pedant mode>

I agree though, older/proper bells were a lot more ‘friendly’ in their sound, and easier to interpret as ‘just letting you know I’m here’ rather thana full on ‘get out of my waaaaaay’ that the modern little bells that require furious dinging to make any kind of noise.

No mention of pedal or wheel reflectors here…
https://www.gov.uk/rules-for-cyclists-59-to-82/you-and-your-bicycle

I have a bell on my trail bike , for those occasional towpath encounters and when riding amongst the hordes, within two hundred metres of the local forest cafe.
I didn’t want it in the way of other ‘ cockpit’ controls , so it’s mounted upside down close to the stem. It’s more of a bowl to look at than a bell and it fills nicely with mud, water and snot, thus creating a far less aggressive sound . 😉

I bought a DH bike once which came with the “Elf and safety bag” containing reflectors and a bell – there was no way you could actually fit the reflectors with the use of duct tape or the like, but hey-ho, I certainly felt reassured.

This +Horses
Just cannot get by them with some jump & lurch to the side ( or other dramatics) even though I know full well from watching their ears swivel that they have heard me.

Horses don’t know what a dinging noise is, nor a person on a bike, so they get freaked out (doesn’t take much at all to freak out a horse tbh) Announce your presence to the horse. Say hello to it. Ask the rider if it’s ok to pass. Slow down and pass wide. The riders like that and will thank you. 🙂

As a cyclist who also walks on shared paths with my son in a pushchair / rucksack thing, get a **** bell or at least a Hope hub. A bit of warning goes a very long way.

Richardthird ? Yes I agree.

We have one lady who rides her horse on shared trails near us, who I had a chat with in the car park one afternoon. By her own admission and I think, due to past experience, she’s a little anti bike, although she happily accepts that we should all be able to do our thing.
She told me that its probably best to talk to the horse !
Even just calling ‘hello’ or something, from 50 metres behind can apparently make a big difference to how startled they become.
I’ve got to say, that whilst I’m not yet into full on reasoned conversation, with Dobbin, or whatever his name is ( he hasn’t told me yet :wink:) , he doesn’t start behaving like four connected pogo sticks when he hears the crunch of tyres right behind him now !

Interesting reading the comments on the different sounds of bells. That the other advantage of mouth-belling (probably best not look for that on urbandictionary either!)

You’ve got the whole range available, from a rolled r’s “brrring, brrring!” to a standard “bring bring!”, yer “ding-a-ling!”, there’s the “ba-DING!, whatever takes your fancy.

Variable for regional accents, and by tone anywhere from bright, cheery and polite to impatient and a bit sarcastic to absolutely dripping with contempt, depending on your mood and the intended audience.

I think bells went out of fashion along with a cheery wave to fellow cyclists.

Bells are useful in getting peoples attention from a fair distance then they have time to see you, get over the shock of a cyclist being there, have a think, swap sides of the trail with their friends/dog, swap again and finally get into some formation that allows us to pass each other harmoniously. Trouble is easily reachable bar space is at a premium so only have one on my SS (plenty of bar space) and commuter (I tend to pass lots of people on my commute).

I did have a little bell hanging off my saddle rails of my MTB, much to the annoyance of fellow riders, but since getting a dropper post I decided having a chunk of metal bouncing off the stanchion wasn’t a great idea.

Results aren’t always great, ipods etc, you do get the odd person objecting to being “harassed of the trail” or similar and using your voice is a perfectly valid (and more communicative, tone volume etc) alternative, so I wouldn’t say they should be a requirement so…. meh, do what you want.

silently “buzzing” someone is out of order but notifying them of your approach and passing safely is easily done without a bell so “where’s your bell” attacks are pretty pathetic

She told me that its probably best to talk to the horse !
Even just calling ‘hello’ or something, from 50 metres behind can apparently make a big difference to how startled they become.

Yeah, I try to do this or at least make some noise in some other way, like scuffing a wheel or something whilst I am still way out.

Having almost killed a poor old dear once by being irresponsible, I take a lot more care 🙁

horses

Yup, Mrs hh has two of the damn animals – announcing your arrival from a distance back is the best thing you can do for horse and rider.

I was a far distance away from a horse in front once which was turning left at the end of a track and I was going right, so I held back and waited. The thing turned its head and saw me then freaked out, and I was no where near it.

Numerous responses to such questions concerning whether I need a bell or not:
“Do you have a red cross on your door?”
“Are you allowed to talk to me?”
“Where is your carer?”
“Do I need a bell on my trolley in Tesco?”
[Shouted whilst pointing] “STRANGER DANGER, STRANGER DANGER, STRANGER DANGER”

The thing turned its head and saw me then freaked out, and I was no where near it.

They are indeed stupid, feckless animals. And, as I like to remind my wife, make great steaks.

But on a positive note; whatever I spend on bicycles and whatever else pales into insignificance compared to what she spend on them… 8)

…”what she spends on them”

Is that bookies, burgers or vets ?

…”what she spends on them”

Is that bookies, burgers or vets ? [/quote]

😆

Livery, vets, tack, bills, food, the farrier… the list is endless!

I try to do this or at least make some noise in some other way, like scuffing a wheel or something whilst I am still way out.

Good on you! 🙂 Calling out, or talking is usually better than a random mechanical noise – Horses are somewhat used to human voices, so less likely to be spooked. (Although a few weeks ago,I called out as I was coming up behind some horse riders but was obviously too far away for them to hear me. I changed gear before calling again, and that little click of the shifter sent one of the horses into a tap-dance from about 50 yards away!)

For the full nuclear option you need a clown-horn:

Many, many years ago I used to ride horses. One day I was out riding with a friend on some quiet country lanes and a road cyclist (a very rare sight in rural Wales then) crept silently up behind us and unleashed his HA-HEE-HA-HEE! horn. Both horses went absolutely ballistic: Mine took off at a mental gallop down the middle of the road, and my friend’s tried to jump through the gap between an 6′ high hedge and some overhanging tree branches with her still on board.

Once order was restored, we remonstrated with him, and asked him if he would *please* not do that again, but to call out. He stopped, and we went off. A while later, he came right up behind us again, and as if to prove a point, he bellowed “AHOY!” at the top of his voice. Although the horses ‘started’, they weren’t really fazed – it really is much safer.