Ding, Ding! Bell or No?

[Velocivixen]

I love a good bell, and I have a good bell on my hybrid. I ride where there are people walking dogs, jogging, kids, etc. and my very loud Crane brass bell let's them know I'm coming. I still call out, as I get closer to people, "passing on your left" so I don't startle anyone.

My only issue with my bell is that it looks more like a bell you'd see on a cruiser bike. My hybrid is sporty looking and the bell looks like one of those pictures you see titled "What doesn't belong here?". I had an adjustable Incredibell Bell by Mirrycle, but it broke, so I returned it for the Crane.

I don't have a lot of room on my handle bars and the Crane, although, really loud and functional takes up a lot of room.

So....do you have a bell? Why or why not? Favorites?

[OakLeaf]

I have a bell that came installed on my hybrid - I don't know what brand it is or even whether it was installed by Trek or by the LBS.

I leave it there, I use it for politeness' sake, but eight times out of ten, people ignore it. That's why I have a loud bunny-shaped squeeze horn right next to it. (Which only gets ignored about two times out of ten.)

On the roadie, I just holler, which is louder than either of those in any case (and it's also easier to modulate the volume and tone, so the pass-ee can tell whether I'm being polite, or whether I'm exasperated from hollering at them for the third or fourth time).

Not having a noisemaker on the roadie is less because of a lack of room on the bars, than because I rarely ride the roadie in situations where I'd need one (frequent passing of people who aren't experienced cyclists who know what to do when someone hollers), plus there's really no place to put any noisemaker on drop bars where I wouldn't have to reach for it.

[Velocivixen]

I love the idea of a horn!

[Eden]

I have an irrational hatred of those cheerful little dingy bells...... I would be more than happy to melt them all down... (no I don't have one on any of my bikes).

[hebe]

I have one on my hybrid (plain small black tinny), but took the one off my mountain bike. Most of the time I just shout/call out, and if anyone didn't hear me shout they probably wouldn't hear the bell either. I think that bikes sold here have to be sold with a bell.

I think Electra have some pretty bells.

[PamNY]

Bells are required by law and common sense where I live (I suppose another sound device would be legal; I don't know for sure). Whistles do not satisfy the legal requirement

I have a largish, clunky bell right now. Incredibells are fairly small and don't look too bad; I'm going to get one eventually.

[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.

[jelee1311]

I don't have a bell on my roadie I'm not sure it would do much good. Badgercat that is the cutest stinkin bell ever. I might entertain having one if I had one like that or maybe a lady bug because my bike is black and red.