Ding, Ding! Bell or No?

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I love my brass bells on my two bikes- they are like miniature versions of those Buddhist monk brass prayer bowls. Such a lovely sound. There is more than one place to strap on a bell as needed.
Nothing I like better than to ding my lovely brass bell when passing by some little kid who is staring at me on my bike like I am so amazing- they love it!!
Remember the movie where they said "Every time you hear a bell ring it means an angel just got their wings"? Well every time i ring my bell some little kid will one day get a bike.

i say anything that makes me feels good and works well, like my bike bells, automatically falls into the 'beautiful' category.

[soprano]

Velo Orange has nice bells.

There's something about a bell that says "bike" when people hear it. I live near a school for the blind. Bell = priceless. (Yes, I yield to blind people trying to cross the street. It's when I'm coming up on someone and don't want to get the white cane tangled in my spokes that I ring.)

[badgercat]

I have a DringDring turtle on my commuter. It was a surprise gift from DBF that he picked up at what has become our favorite LBS, and I completely adore it.

[Aggie_Ama]

I have a very minimal black bell on my mountain bike, it is the Mirrycle Incredibell Bellini Bike Bell. My husband teases me about leaving it on for races but I can't be bothered to remove it. It is a life saver on the trails, very simple and a nice clear noise. I have had many hikers, dog walkers and slower riders thank me for the bell warning.

[PamNY]

Is it unusual for bells (or equivalent) to be required by law? Granted, if you are mostly dealing with cars, it's useless (though I ring mine anyway just for fun) but if you deal with peds or other cyclists, it is essential, I would think.

[crazycanuck]

Supposedly in Western Australia, bells are a legal requirement on a bike. Apparently they can fine you but i've never known anyone that has.

No freakin way am I putting one on mine.

One-hardly anyone has one on theirs & if they do they're a senior
Two-i'll use my voice and say "On your right" or "rider" or biiiiiiiikeeee (if i'm going around a certain corner).
Three-there's no room on my handlebars! GPS, bike light..that's it

Half the freakin time people don't pay attention anyways on some of the bike paths here so why even bother. This is another reason I avoid certain bike paths! I like my detours

I never know if a bell is being rung from behind me or or behind another rider etc.

Same with mtb...I heard "rider" yesterday behind me at our event but it was another rider behind someone else in the distance..

[PamNY]

Two-i'll use my voice and say "On your right" or "rider" or biiiiiiiikeeee (if i'm going around a certain corner).

Do you never deal with people from other countries? It's rude to assume everyone speaks English (IMO).

[oz rider]

Supposedly in Western Australia, bells are a legal requirement on a bike. Apparently they can fine you but i've never known anyone that has.

Legally required here too but most roadies don't have one. The police have a blitz on the inner city commuters every now and again so a lot of those riders have them. I have a noisy hub on the roadie which does the job if I'm on a path, but I haven't seen a 4WD stopped by a bell.

[Eden]

Is it unusual for bells (or equivalent) to be required by law? Granted, if you are mostly dealing with cars, it's useless (though I ring mine anyway just for fun) but if you deal with peds or other cyclists, it is essential, I would think.

Out here it is bell or voice warning when passing - and that is only when on a MUP. I also avoid MUPs when at all possible.....

[Aggie_Ama]

One of the trails I like to ride is a spider web layout. I use the bell at intersections and have again had people thank me. It keeps us all safe. On my road bike my voice is plenty to alert people. I don't use MUP. I will take a picture of my bike set up once the new one arrives. I use a tiny stem and bars but my bell is minimal and doesn't take up any valuable space for me. Road bars there is a shortage of real estate though.

[MomOnBike]

I have a bell and love it. Sometimes I ring it just because I like the sound. It has more serious, adult, boring uses, as well.

On the MUP - I ring when coming up on walkers, joggers, etc. Most have earbuds in, but most acknowledge me and move over. I also call out, as a courtesy.

On RAGBRAI - When DH & I rode RABRAI a few years ago, we'd use our bells as a SLD (Spouse Location Device). Whomever was in front would occasionally ding. If the following spouse dinged back, all was well. If not, maybe we needed to be looking around more.

It is also a compass. I like to tour. A compass is nice to have when in unfamiliar places. Here's a view of my bars on one tour. The compass/bell is right there where I can see/ring it.

[Velocivixen]

Ohhhh, I didn't know they made bike mounted compasses!!! What kind is that? Is it bike specific? I don't have a smartphone and can't afford any Garmin devices, so that is so cool.

[MomOnBike]

I was afraid someone would ask that. I have no idea who made it, or any other helpful details. It was at the LBS and I snagged one, then got another for DH. It is bike specific, so if you want one, ask at your LBS. We've had them a while, I don't know if they are still made, even

Sorry, wish I could be more helpful.

[OakLeaf]

Several options, although it kind of looks like they all come from the same factory in China

https://encrypted.google.com/search?...w=1440&bih=712

The Adventure Cycling catalog was the first place I looked, and I was very surprised that they don't have one.

[Becky]

The commuter has a bell for the section of my commute that's on a MUP. I tried the voice thing, and too many people couldn't figure out what "passing on your left" meant

The commuter's bell occasionally gets moved over to a roadie for large organized rides and tours. I can only say "on your left" so many times, and I prefer to give some kind of notice before passing other riders.

Each of the MTBs has one too. A bell is a nice thing to have going into a blind corner, or coming upon some hikers.