Got my hands on a Timber! bell Saturday and tried it out yesterday. It turned out to be a really useful but of kit. I guess from the walkers point of view, it’s a gently increasing tinkle rather than either being too far away or making them just as its already on top of them. It was a sunny bank holiday weekend and we were riding somewhere that we expected to be busy so lots of exposure. Not a single grumpy person was found. I also reckon a greater proportion of people we encountered even moved aside to let us through. Being able to switch it off at the flick of a switch is a huge plus as well.

Yeah, they’re a bit more expensive than a normal bell but I think it’s money well spent. Not having someone ranting at me makes for a much better day out for all.

I’ve never been able to bring myself tp putting a bell on my bike but I have always been amazed here in Germany when I’m with mtb friends who have one how it works like Moses parting the seas with German hikers.

I must admit I’ve added a bell to my lefty 29er which I use on greenways, cycletracks were angry dog walkers and families congregate, my mate who rides a road bike on the same track has been told off by said angry dog walker for riding his bike.. Lol he asked her which part of cycletrack did she not understand

I used my timber yesterday for the first time, warned walkers on the trail perfectly & got turned off for the remote/tarmac bits in between. 100% success rate with those not wearing earphones. Love it

I just have a cheap £2 bell on my Zero. People get a lot less startled by it than a shout. Generally just a much nicer way of alerting people to your presence. Not sure why you wouldn’t use one if you are on routes shared with walkers alot.

Yeah, I’ve been resistant before. Either they ring constantly over rough ground or you have to continually tinged them. These things seem like a great answer.

“Those wearing HEADPHONES” make for a muggers paradise!

When on a greenway/share use path be considerate to others users .says it all really

Oooh I hadn’t heard of these before and quite fancy one! Are they available in the uk, if so, where?

Cyclorise is where I got mine from.

Timber!

Thanks Onzadog.

That’s good to hear, as I’ve ordered one. They seem like a really good compromise and less pushy than ringing a bell explicitly.

Doesn’t a Hope Pro 2 do the same thing?

@qwert – you can turn off the sound from these 😀

@qwert – you can turn off the sound from these

Turn the pedals.

Hope hub? In theory yes, but in reality, it’s only mountain bikers who recognise the sound. Low frequency stuff doesn’t seem to travel as well as the tinkle of a little cow bell.

Does it only work if you’re going over bumps?

I find a normal £2 bell works fine. Start with a couple of polite “ting ting” from a fair way back and then again nearer to them if it hasn’t worked first time. Whether using a bell or my voice plenty of advanced warning seems to work best.

I’ve started to consider walkers like horses – unstable, unpredictable, prone to over reaction whatever you do. “See walker think horse” to borrow from that Scottish cycle safety slogan.

Oooh, does it double up as a bear bell?

Couldn’t you just ride behind one of these?

I guess it would double up as a bear bell, yes.

I like that, but I have a lion bellworks one…..it’s surely the king of dings!

Even headphone knobs generally hear me

I’ve had mine 4 days and no bear attacks so far, so yes I’d say it works as a bear deterrent

^^^ Ha ha ha!

yup.. I like it too 🙂

I’m a bit of a bell fascist and have got into heated arguments on here before with people that consider themselves too cool for a bell..
One of the standard arguments trotted out is that bells make pedestrians angrier, which is mostly nonsense except on very rare occasions..

Yesterday I experienced one of those occasions whilst pootling home along the seafront with my dog after an afternoon on the beach..
A group of female youfs aged maybe 13/14 on holiday from midlands at a guess were just loitering about on the shared use path so i gave them a little ting ting as I approached in the bike lane..

I was met with pure anger!! 🙂

YOU should be getting out of OUR **** WAY.. was the opening line with loud sweary variations on the theme til we were out of earshot

Bells make angry people angrier but there isn’t much you can do about that.

I used to ride with a bell but found people didn’t really hear it till I was within earshot of speaking to them so I didn’t bother refitting it when I changed bars.

Didn’t someone fit a cowbell under their seat so that there was a constant low jingle all the time?

Thepodge, that’s essentially how these work but with the ability to switch it off for use a trail centres or wide open tracks with a good view.

Even angry people seem less angry.

Also noticed that cyclorise are doing 15% off them at the moment.

19 quid!!!

A 1.99 cat bell from pets at home does the same job.

A 1.99 cat bell from pets at home does the same job.

Not really as you can’t turn it off. And anyway, riding with a cat on your bars is a nightmare… 😉

Just fit some bar ends and stick two on there!!

Hope hub? In theory yes, but in reality, it’s only mountain bikers who recognise the sound.

In practice though, Hope hubs do work very well – most people recognise the sound immediately without having to look. Most people have of course ridden bikes with freewheels themselves.

If on a climb I backpedal for a second to alert them to my presence – does work. If moving fast on a downhill I slow down, have hardly ever not been heard or seen.

This only works out on trails though where it’s quiet. In a busy city a big bell is required.

I’m not sure if they’ll irritate others or not (if they think you are constantly ringing it at them) but I love the idea and the look. So with the discount offer till tomorrow afternoon (and a credit in my PayPal account bring a hole) I’ve taken a punt on one.

If nothing else it’ll really annoy on of my riding buddies who complains about my Hope hub loads already 😆

I tend to leave mine active as I pass and a little way beyond just so people don’t think I’m constantly ringing at them. Odd as this may sound, it doesn’t come across as a driven, or activated bell, it sounds like a small free acting bell (which it is).

I’ve used a normal bell on the shared trails around here (Mines and Mineral Tramways) and have had 99.9% positive reactions from non-cyclists, particularly from walkers (“How lovely! A cyclist with a bell!”) who appreciate the warning; slowing right down and smiling always helps too. Only exception was one toff who thought that me ringing meant I wanted him to get out of the way (he was right tbf) and took exception to that – I just said I was warning him I was there so he didn’t jump into the hedge but he should feel free to do so anyway.

Got a timber bell from the US (ordered 2 to mitigate the postage) and tried it on the Quantocks Saturday and local trails yesterday – 100% positive reaction but the joggers with headphones are a problem for sure. I have also learned – happily not the hard way – that you shouldn’t ring the bell at horse riders!

The fact you can turn them off is a huge bonus but I have still heard the tinkling in my dreams……and one walker said she thought there was a herd of goats behind her, but then she was downwind of me.

And anyway, riding with a cat on your bars is a nightmare…

Your doing it wrong if its on your bars…

[video]https://youtu.be/WTLsAnxUwzQ[/video]

I tend to leave mine active as I pass and a little way beyond just so people don’t think I’m constantly ringing at them. Odd as this may sound, it doesn’t come across as a driven, or activated bell, it sounds like a small free acting bell (which it is).

They may simply think it’s an escaped big cat – you know, a cheetah or a mountain lion – following them down the trail. Either way it seems like a win, so I’ve ordered one.

I’ve actually been using one of the cheapo Chinese copies of the Spurcycle Bell – forgive me, but 40 quid for a bell is ridiculous whether it’s hand-made by American artisans or not – and a quick double ping on that is pretty effective works with most folk, though remarkably there are still plenty of older walkers who can’t hear it.

Or pretend not to, presumably because they derive huge levels of pleasure from asking me where my bell is. I have a new response to that question which goes: ‘Don’t start that.’ Anyway…

I just say ‘briiiiinnnngggg-briiiiinnnnnggggg’ from a respectful distance.

I don’t quite understand why doing a bell impression is so much worse than having a bell, but the looks you get are priceless.

I want to try a Timber!

A few of us bought mini cow bell things while out with Ciclo Montana – Mark uses one on the trail to alert animals that he’s coming along – they work pretty well stuck on a Camelbak, but can’t be turned off so can be a bit irritating.

This looks like a good idea….

Bells are a bit marmite, some love them, some hate them

I’ve trained my kids to ding the bell on my brompton as they sit in front of me. People turn around look, sometimes with a frown, sometimes not, but when a 3/4 year old little boy/girl smiles at them and shouts thank you, 100% have responded positively. Either smiling, laughing, and commenting nicely.

Unfortunately, when I ding and say thank you it doesn’t always result in the same reaction

The spur cycles bell sounds ace, but it’s very pricey

I need to get a 3/4 year old child for my bars, LBS or online?