Bell? Or Voice?

[Lise]

I was too vain to put a bell on my bike until I saw how well people (pedestrians, in particular), responded to my BF's bell. They "hear" a bell in a way that they don't hear a voice, it seems. Especially folks standing in the street with their car doors open--who KNOWS which way they're going to move, and the bell gets their attention. I went to the LBS and bought a brass bell for the Larkspur toot-sweet. It's brass on a silver bike, and I may get vain enough to change that... I saw some very cute, funny bells at Bike the Drive. Let's see...there was a giraffe, a dinosaur, and a frog!

Like Cindyloo, I start dinging the bell as I approach a blind spot or underpass, so the approaching folks have warning and can get over!

I had never thought of announcing the number of bikes passing....I guess because I've almost always ridden alone. But now that I get to ride with my honey, I'll give it a try!

It is always a challenge to figure out how close I should be before I use my voice. I feel hostile when I yell, and that is a drag, so the bell actually keeps me in a better mood.