Ding, Ding! Bell or No?

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Though some folks on bikes know what it means, most pedestrians have no clue what "On your left" means. Why should they? I too never heard it until I started being a cyclist.
Mostly what they hear is "mumble mumble LEFT!" anyway, and they obediently jump to their left.

Much better to call out "Bicycle!", "Nice day!" or "Passing you!". I think calling out just about anything is better than "On your left".

[Catrin]

Though some folks on bikes know what it means, most pedestrians have no clue what "On your left" means. Why should they? I too never heard it until I started being a cyclist.
Mostly what they hear is "mumble mumble LEFT!" anyway, and they obediently jump to their left.

Much better to call out "Bicycle!", "Nice day!" or "Passing you!". I think calling out just about anything is better than "On your left".

I tend to only say this on the rare occasions I am actually passing another cyclist. That does't happen very often. For pedestrians I generally say something like "Good Morning", "Coming up behind you" or anything else that comes to my mind. They generally thank me and, so far, have not jumped in front of me

I've a friend who does not literally know her right from her left - so I think about her. She knows her cardinal directions, and is a Visiting RN who does a great job - but her brain really stumbles over "right" and "left". She has to stop and think it. Something about how her brain works, so even if English is someone's first language, they still may not realize what you are saying for a few seconds.

[OakLeaf]

I think we can all agree that what peds/cyclists ahead need to be told is "Hold your freakin' line!" and/or "Single file on a two-way MUP!" But (1) it's too much for some people to comprehend, and (2) it seems rude to say it even without the expletive.

So we say something that at least has a chance of communicating to them which side we intend to pass on. I get that a lot of people can't understand it, but I don't know how else to communicate it. To someone who's walking down the middle of a lane (and I don't mean just MUPs, there are as many wrong-way runners and walkers as there are wrong-way cyclists in my area), a bell or horn doesn't even have a chance of telling them which side they're about to be passed on.

The bottom line is that no matter how important the workout or the rider we're trying to impress, unless you know that the person you're passing has acknowledged you and knows which side you're passing on, you just have to slow down to barely above the speed of the person being passed, and give them the same three feet we demand for ourselves, even if it's on a MUP and it means going into the dirt, even if it means stopping behind them and waiting until traffic clears in the next lane. Yep, it's a PITA. Especially when there's lots of traffic. But anything else is dangerous.

[PamNY]

Though some folks on bikes know what it means, most pedestrians have no clue what "On your left" means. Why should they? I too never heard it until I started being a cyclist.
Mostly what they hear is "mumble mumble LEFT!" anyway, and they obediently jump to their left.

Much better to call out "Bicycle!", "Nice day!" or "Passing you!". I think calling out just about anything is better than "On your left".

I agree. I never heard "on your left" till I started cycling.

Especially when I'm in a very jumbled situation and I know there are tourists -- like the esplanade/World Financial Center area or the Brooklyn Bridge -- I tend to say "Hello!" That's an English word most people know, and I hope it sounds friendly. I might use the bell as well.

Typically both the peds and I are moving slowly and they turn around to see what's up and it all works out.

I sometimes chuckle at these discussions -- with such a diverse group, we cycle in very different situations, after all. There can't possibly be a hard and fast rule that works for everyone.

[luv2climb]

I'm pretty much out of handlebar read estate, plus the bell clamp didn't want to play nicely with my drop bars; the clamp wasn't large enough.

So, I unscrewed the bell mount assembly, chucked it, and screwed the bell + ringer arm directly into the downtube shifter boss.



When I had my tuneup this winter, I asked the mechanic if I was asking for trouble with this arrangement, because the bell screw is shorter than the screw that was originally in that location. He said nope, it was fine, and if it wasn't, I'd have known immediately.

I had thought about ordering one of those headset spacer + bell mount combos from Velo Orange, but since this solution was free and works just fine, I'm sticking with it. I do occasionally reach down and make sure that the bell is still firmly screwed on. I should probably Locktite it down.

After reading this thread and the other one I started, I decided it was time to put bells on my road bike and my Sirrus hybrid.

Most bells don't fit the 1 1/4" diameter handlebars on the road bike, but the tiny Incredibell Adjustabell does. This might work for you. Here's a picture of it on my road bike (click to enlarge):



The hybrid got a spare Incredibell Brass Solo I had in my parts bin. It has a very nice tone to it (click to enlarge):

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

The clamps that come with bike bells often aren't big enough to clamp around a tube. My husband got a black circular clamp like a hose clamp, and we used that to clamp my bells on the bikes. We cut a little piece of bike inner tube to use as a cushion/liner, so the clamp wouldn't dig scratches into the handlebar or head tube. Also holds it still better.

[Velocivixen]

The clamps that come with bike bells often aren't big enough to clamp around a tube. My husband got a black circular clamp like a hose clamp, and we used that to clamp my bells on the bikes. We cut a little piece of bike inner tube to use as a cushion/liner, so the clamp wouldn't dig scratches into the handlebar or head tube. Also holds it still better.

That's a fine idea! Could you give more detail about the hose clamp? I want an Incredibel "Duet" bell, which is loud and sounds great, but wont fit on the handlebars.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

That's a fine idea! Could you give more detail about the hose clamp? I want an Incredibel "Duet" bell, which is loud and sounds great, but wont fit on the handlebars.

Basically, it's just a flexible metal band with tabs on both ends with holes to tighten closed with a nut. We cut pieces of black rubber to both grip better and protect the bike tubes...the rubber is starting to crack now from the winter in the garage, but still works fine...
These show the bells on both my bikes- one on the handlebar and the other on the vertical portion of the stem:

[Velocivixen]

Thanks Lisa! I think we have "twin bells" because my Crane looks just like that! Great photos. Very creative thinking too. Thanks for the photos- better than a thousand words. I think a trip to my local hardware store is in order now.

[PamNY]

Lisa that's so cool. Now I want a new bell.

I have enjoyed this thread. If I see a Pez dispenser, I am definitely announcing my find, even though I'm a solo biker.

[Trek420]

Here's another way of attaching the bell:

[Velocivixen]

@ Trek420 - that's also a great idea! I may just try that as there is a lot of stuff on my handlebars.