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Prompted by seeing the merch advert from ST on Facebook, thought I'd stick it up here too.
In short - if you ever ride trails shared by other users (walkers, families, ramblers, horse riders etc etc), this particular style of bell is as indispensable as a dropper post at making your ride more fun.
Bought this recently off of here, as my other wee thumb bell mount was knackered.
A normal bell 'TING', or indeed a rapidly back-pedalled hope free hub, can make people jump out of their shoes and be perceived as a little aggressive. And yes, when I'm walking this can have the same effect on me. Yes, it works, but its not particularly pleasant.
However, this wee Timber Bell ding-a-ling-ing down the trail (e.g. you can turn it on if its a blind bit of Singletrack, or maybe some. distance out as you see a busy bit of bridleway) produces nothing but happy smiles and generous responses.
Really, it's remarkable. It was my riding buddies following me who highlighted it, as they were the ones seeing the reactions more than me at the front. Now I pay a little more attention and they are right. Smiles, courtesy, happiness - even from the most miserable of buggers.
Game changer! (not really joking about that)
I've had one for a while and it's really nice but if path is too smooth you have to give the bars a wiggle to make a noise.
Yeah, got mine on my gravel bike - the only thing it could do with to make it perfect would be a way to manually ring it, for when you're on a smooth bit of trail - shaking the bars from side to side works to a degree.
Yep i total aggree does seem to get the walkers engaging in a much polite exchange of words.
Love mine! Agree on how people react to it: it's just a jolly noise you're making, not directed at anyone, (even if it is!)
And it is a rather jolly sound, sometimes I turn mine on for a descent, just for a little musical accompaniment.
this wee Timber Bell ding-a-ling-ing down the trail
I'm sure we'd all like to play with it
We have a lot of cheeky trails here, with some really nice nadgery downhill tracks that cross walking paths, brilliant bells.
Have one on my bike on my turbo trainer, goes like a bastard when I (try) to sprint, which I find encouraging 🙂
Will it not ting on a smooth road then? Not that the roads here are particularly smooth.
@avedave2 😂
@Watty - not really, there does need to be some bumps or wiggles, other wise the wee clapper just sits there without hitting bell.
I'm perfecting the tiny handlebar wiggle on smooth bits of trail 🙂
Yeah the ding-a-ling needs some vibration to get the clapper hitting the bell, to get it going.
Does anyone know if you can adjust the tension on the bell?
Mine still rings occasionally when fully locked out. And it's constant when not locked.
It would drive me insane ( I need all my bikes to run sliently)and I find a ting ting bell works just fine. The key is to ping the bell when a good distance behind the walkers and then add a polite "thanks" as you pass them.
I regularly get thanked by walkers
It would drive me insane ( I need all my bikes to run sliently)
There is the silencer on it. I find it quieter in comparison to my old bells (couple of basic cateye ones) both of which died after being bounced around offroad ringing wildly before breaking.
Do have to do some random fork bouncing to it working on the smooth paths but on anything more interesting it is good.
You can make it ring on smoother tracks by changing the angle of the bell on the handlebar. If it is at more of an angle, then it is nearer one side, so makes contact more easily.
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
Obviously there are the exceptions to thus rule but the bell is irrelevant its just knobs not liking bikes.
However i love a little tinkle do i might get one.
Also the ne offends me clearly it should be timbre
everyone loves a ding-a-ling 🙂
I now have a Spur Cycle bell on ALL of my bikes; they're remarkably useful.
tjagain...its not annoying, you just flick the lever whilst coming up on walkers and it gentle jingles away so there's no sudden moment they realise you are there. As a plus it keeps in jingling as you pass so it gets a very positive reaction as they don't feel like you've pinged your bell at them. As you ride off you silence it.
On smoother paths, you can leave it turned on and just give the bars a tiny shimmy each time you approach walkers.
However...the lever on mine is less positive now so it often switches itself on which is annoying. And if you are doing a quick offroad descent, its a bit weird hooning down the hill whilst your bell constantly rings a warning to the walkers that are 20 metres off to one side and no where near you!
It doesn't really look like you can adjust it, anyone tried?
I’ve been using the Alpenhupe, which is like the Timber in principle but cheaper, and I’ve not found that I need to “encourage” it to ring on smooth roads. Switching it on and off is a less precise affair than the Timber but once you’ve got the knack it’s just fine.
These bells work great when approaching horses from behind. They’re especially useful at the moment when the rural roads round here are full of people riding horses, cycling or running.
The Alpehupe also comes in a neat fresian paint job 🙂
Ok, I've cracked and ordered a Timber! for canal towpath use - all in a good cause etc. Hopefully it will prevent the surprised jumping into my path that I get from a ting-ting bell. In a perfect world it would also make groups of people stand on one side of the path rather than both sides with a less-than-handlebar width gap but I'm not holding my breath for that.
I'd echo all the positive comments here, I really like mine. After trying most alternative solutions, I'd given up on them all in favour of old man whistling - similar effect and perception to the Timber bell, but a bit harder to do when you're blowing out o' yer arse...
However…the lever on mine is less positive now so it often switches itself on which is annoying. And if you are doing a quick offroad descent, its a bit weird hooning down the hill whilst your bell constantly rings a warning to the walkers that are 20 metres off to one side and no where near you!
It doesn’t really look like you can adjust it, anyone tried?
Same here - I gave it a good clean and it's a bit better at staying turned off, but not as good as when it was new...
If someone has come up with a solution I'd be interested n hearing about it.
Si
Ok, I’ve cracked and ordered a Timber! for canal towpath use – all in a good cause etc. Hopefully it will prevent the surprised jumping into my path that I get from a ting-ting bell. In a perfect world it would also make groups of people stand on one side of the path rather than both sides with a less-than-handlebar width gap but I’m not holding my breath for that.
I think even Moses had that problem, so don't hold your breath...
Quite a few YouTube videos showing these being ridden. They seem to be really effective.
But yeah people still stand both sides of the path/trail 🙄
However…the lever on mine is less positive now so it often switches itself on which is annoying. And if you are doing a quick offroad descent, its a bit weird hooning down the hill whilst your bell constantly rings a warning to the walkers that are 20 metres off to one side and no where near you!
It doesn’t really look like you can adjust it, anyone tried?
I was able to prise off the top cover on an older one and put a dab of superglue where the little plastic knobble on the switch was. It'd worn down so didn't connect with the little teeth to stop it self actuating.
Timbr bells on both our bikes. One of the best upgrades I've done.
Every bike I've had with a Timber bell has been stolen. Which is annoying, because it's a really useful bell and much less aggressive than a standard 'ting' bell which often gives you all the sarcastic comments from pedestrians/other trail users you could require.
Big fan of the thing, have three of them. The early ones had a mechanism that wore and meant the lock-out switch started to slip - as above. I opened up the case and used the end of a zip-tie to increase friction. Works fine. The later versions, according to the manufacturer, have this fixed.
The only other issue I have in the Peak is that grit accumulates on the inside of the bell and muffles the sound when conditions are damp and you're off-road. I've perfected the art of rotating it 180˚ and rinsing the inside with water from my hydration system while still riding along.
I also have a 'ping' bell fitted for the benefit of the hard of hearing / folk with ear buds rammed into their lug-holes 🙂
Read thread, ordered bell 🤑🔔
I broke the casting between the bell and the plastic handlebar end. I guess I could send it back as the manufacturer say they will repair......Or I much just buy another.
Very useful on shared paths!
Agreed, it's really very good. Just gets on with it's job without making a fuss. Would be good if it had a separate dinger, I know you can wobble the bars but you then need to unlock it first. I just use a normal bell in combination
Agreed, it’s really very good. Just gets on with it’s job without making a fuss. Would be good if it had a separate dinger, I know you can wobble the bars but you then need to unlock it first. I just use a normal bell in combination
The double dinger*. You're welcome, Timber.
*Or the double dong ding-a-ling?
Or maybe the 'More wood? Timber! Bell'.
Me with Bell
Ped: 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?
On all my bikes- ace.
Love it
But on the bikes that don't have it I just say 'ding ding' as I come up behind people. Nearly always raises a smile
I'm considering one of these but I don't know which mount to go for.
Does the bolt on version open up fully so you can get it on and off without pissing around with grips and brakes etc?
Or, if not, does the band version stick well enough to the bars to be easily operable without slipping?
Ta!
I got the bolt on version, it opens up enough to go over the bars without taking everything off.
Just make sure that the o-ring is seated correctly if using the QR one as it can ping off and you don't notice the bell has disappeared until you need it.
Great bells but as with all others has no effect on the people who would rather be in the countryside and block out the sounds of nature by wearing earphones
Bolt on version it is, then!
I'm thinking this will come in useful on quite a lot of the trails I ride from good bit to good bit.
You won't beat the "Alexander Graham bell" from Charlie on here,big brass thing, doubles as a headset spacer.
Best ting ever!
I should have done this at the beginning, but just in case you can't find it, I'll leave this here:
https://singletrackworld.com/shop/timber-bell/
^^ If I order from that link will ST get a kick back mate?
You've convinced me to get one op!👍
STW sell them in their own shop so just get one from them.
Ah, great, I'll go get one from there. Cheers!
Bolt on or the rubber band version guys?
Anything I need to know? It'll only be fitted to one bike, not moved around.
Bought from the STW shop. My birthday shopping......started.