I like bike bells, they help make ramblers move out of the way and (usually) stops them grumbling (a bit).

But I need a new one for my new bike, has to be loud and cheerful-sounding, not electronic (ffs), not too chunky and ideally it would be not too ugly.

What’s the STW recommendation on bells these days, then?

MOOOOOOOOOOOOOOVE

The Rock Bros knock-off from Amazon serves me fine – a few tweaks with pliers sometimes needed on the wire thumb lever as well as a spot of grease on the pivot

I have an ebay £4 Rock Bros bell on my towpath gnarr bike. It emits a cheery ting ting which always pleases me, and it echoes nicely under the bridges of which there are 16 each way on my route. I do prefer to shout a greeting first though if the walkers are just on the path.

I do prefer to shout a greeting first though if the walkers are just on the path.

STRAAAAAAVAAAAAA!

I have bought a few PDW bells for myself and for presents and I love them. Look good, nice clear ring

I have one of these, its a cheerful loud ding, and most importantly, unobtrusive when installed. You won’t notice it when looking the bike.

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Aluminum-Bell-Ring-Safe-Horn-Bicycle-Bike-Cycling-Handlebar-Alarm-Loud-Warning-/152471173762?var=&hash=item237ffd7a82:m:mhPrBYGKI2-pvQxNvq7spTg

KNOG Oi https://www.knog.com.au/bike/accessories/oi-bike-bells/oi-bike-bell-small.html

Some reviews aren’t great, but I like mine, the hammer bit might be a bit flimsy if you caught it, but I like the noise it makes, it’s virtually invisible on the bars and does the job. Might not be loud enough on busy city commute maybe, but just to give a horse rider or walker advance warning on a path or back road it’s perfect.

Those free ones they used to put on bikes can be bought for less than a quid
Amazon
Any colour you can think of. Small, ping nicely.
Not sure why you’d pay more for a bell.

(or free from LBS (less colour choice the only downside 😉 ) )

My LBS gave me one for free. It works and was free.

https://www.merlincycles.com/hornit-db140-cycle-horn-56101.html

Don’t forget to use a video camera to get footage of victims’ responses! 😆

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g0ul9DYnZM8[/video]

I have 3 of the rock bros bells (spurcycles knock off)

Good price for a good bell, even though it’s a blatant copy

I really rate the Timber! bell from Cyclorise

I use Shimano brakes, ramblers hear me from several miles away and dive into the hedges with hands over their ears 😉

I quite fancy getting a Knog Oi. There’s a lot of ebay rip-offs around of this bell & also the spurcycles one.

Another Timber bell user here.

I prefer the band on version having used both.

I like the bells that attach to a headset spacer, it saves space on the handlebars.
This one has a nice ping. http://www.laxzo.com/acor-headset-spacer-integrated-bell-with-black-clamp-12521-p.asp

Another for Rock Bros

stumpy01 – Member
I quite fancy getting a Knog Oi. There’s a lot of ebay rip-offs around of this bell & also the spurcycles one.

I’ve got a Knog Oi. It lives on the shelf in the garage… It’s a thing of beauty, superbly discreet on the bars. And the sound is… harmonic? It has a quality to it, the sound lingers much longer than the ping from a standard bell. It’s a very polite sounding ping.

But it’s just too quiet. I ended up having to slow down behind pedestrians because I had to get that close before they could hear it. Definitely a case of form over function.

I currently use one of the cheapo ones pointed out by DezB above on one side for pedestrians, and an AirZound on the other side for cars (and pedestrians with headphones in 😈 )

Thanks all, am favouring the Knog … Spurcycles is nice but too expensive, and I couldn’t put a knock-off on my bike.

EDIT – just read Will’s post above now I am unsure again.

I used to have an old skool honker on my commuter, it was great but died from too much rain, shame really, it was loud and noticeable! and quite amusing too

I like the timberbell but it needs to be able to be rung like a normal bell, so you can use it on the road too

Trigger bell is pretty good too imho.

Spurcycles is nice but too expensive

Oh come on this is Singletrack.

I’ve got two.

I have two Spurcycles. They are nice.

Bell comparison

Interesting wee tale here. Basically, Spurcycle cocked up.
I bought one of the kickstarter bells, wouldn’t mind some more, but the cost is off-putting- so far I’ve resisted RockBros, but might get one sometime for comparison.

Another Timber beller here. sometimes I leave it on when there’s no-one around, it’s just a jolly sound! 😀

Not as good for round town though, unless your roads are rubbish or you don’t mind waggling your bars if someone’s about to step out.

Looking at the article, vinnyeh, it looks like you might get 5 rides out of it.

interesting article, cheers vinny.

Cannot recommend the Knog Oi. Certainly it looks nice and it makes a nice sound but 6 months down the line the spring is deformed so that the hammer isn’t straight and is far enough from the bell that it doesn’t always ring if you strike it.
Currently on the shelf waiting to see if Knog will honour the warranty.

Another timber user here, lives on the rigid mtb. Apart from a niggle with it sometimes getting stuck when fully retracted, i really like it. Good sound that people seem to hear well, and nice and…jangly.

Also have a PDW king of ding II on the town bike and that’s good too, reverberates for some time after ringing, but not as easy to reach as the timber.

Not as good for round town though, unless your roads are rubbish or you don’t mind waggling your bars if someone’s about to step out.

I assume you have played with the angle of the bell on the bar to try to find the spot where it jangles the right amount around town?

Knog. Oi. just No.
Bought two as kickstarter project, tried one on my road bike (less room on bars).

Just too quiet and wobbly (the hammer mechanism).
Sold the still in box one to someone locally, and eventually offloaded the used (lightly) one as well, on eBay.

Spurcycle all the way. Don’t mind paying for nice things made well that serve a purpose.

Timber! Bell for trail riding.
Switch it in approaching walkers.
Kelp your hands on the bars and not worrying about ringing the bell. Are you close enough for them to hear, are you too close, will them jump.
All they hear is an increasing tinkle and look around to see you in plenty of time.
Then…flick the switch off for blissful silence.
Winner.

faustus – Member
Another timber user here, lives on the rigid mtb. Apart from a niggle with it sometimes getting stuck when fully retracted, i really like it. Good sound that people seem to hear well, and nice and…jangly

Is yours the bolt on version?

Has to be a Spurcycle doesn’t it?

Something to put on my Christmas list.

Normal man – Yes it is, i have to take a bit of care to not flick it to the very last click setting, otherwise it doesn’t always release…

My rock bros bell has been very reliable so far. 90% as good as the real thing for 15% of the price. You miss the longer last ring and the warm feeling of smugness, that’s it

faustus – Member
Normal man – Yes it is, i have to take a bit of care to not flick it to the very last click setting, otherwise it doesn’t always release

Thought so. I’ve got both but it’s only an issue with the bolt on version.

Got a Timber for my birthday (clamp on). Very good – made for a very subtle but hassle free and friendly crossing of Loughrigg Terrace on a sunny day (usually clogged with gormless walkers).

The slight variation in sound seems to be heard by everyone – my commuter has a high pitched normal ping type bell that seems too high a frequency for oldies to hear.