BobbyG

Close call on the way to work today. I am at Willamette and Prairie. Although a quiet residential street, Prairie is the only north/south thru street in this neighborhood. And I believe if you are coming south (like this driver) this may be the first stop sign you encounter. In the morning the sun is behind me and I anticipate drivers not coming to a complete stop and I also anticipate he possibility they won't see me (or see me and not stop). Over the last 20 years on this route, out of scores of encounters at this intersection, this is the third panic-inducing close call, and I think the closest, or at least the fastest approach by a car at this intersection. I mean...he wasn't gonna stop. The fish-eye lens makes the distance look a little farther than it was.

I've been using Delta AirZound Airhorns for 23 years and this is just another example of how well it can work. I was wearing a yellow high-vis jersey. And I was not running my lights (which I do at night and on cloudy and rainy days), but he didn't have to see me, just hear me.

Since the rise of cell phones and now, smart phones, the advantage of grabbing the attention of a driver whose eyes are not on the road is undeniable. That may or may not have been the case here, but it does happen more and more.

By the way...If I were to continue straight another 700 yards/meters I would be at the new employee entrance at the US Olympic Training Center, here in Colorado Springs. However I turn south a block before the OTC and pass the velodrome as I ride through Memorial Park. I'm about 2.5 miles into my 9 mile commute here.

mcours2006

Yeah, I can see that the driver was about to plow through. I don't have a horn, so I might have just slowed down enough to give myself enough time to stop in case the idiot does not.

Did you bleep out the expletives?

alan s 

That's fairly typical for around here. Close is when you have to skid or swerve to avoid being hit.

rumrunn6

you were in shade. good argument for using daytime strobes

JReade

I'd be outta juice in the horn after a week. People love to race right to the stop sign around here.

hueyhoolihan

i have avoided situations like this many, many times over the years without the use of an air horn. NTTAWWT.

hueyhoolihan

if i weren't so old and set in my ways, today's strobes and rear lights would be something i would probably buy. when riding my motorcyle i have recently seen a number of cyclists, seemingly a mile away, solely by virtue of their magnificent led lighting.

did i mention i'm cheap (exacerbated by a fixed income) too?

rumrunn6

prolly why I don't have an Airhorn & still yell at cars w my fist in the air

BobbyG

On this, my main bike I ride the hoods and the button is under my left pinkie. The bell is under my right thumb. On my old drop-bar roadie I spend more time on the uppers (where I have a set of interrupter brake levers) and the button is next to the stem, next to my left thumb. The bell is on the stem and my right thumb rings that. On my strait bar MTB commuter the horn button is also next to my left thumb, and the bell is next to my right thumb.
I have a 500 lumen Niterider MiNewt that I run in flash mode when it's overcast or raining (and of course solid at night). It's always in my backpack...I'm thinking I may start using it.
You pump this one up with a pump. 80psi on the older plastic ones, 100psi on the newer metal ones. I get about 20 seconds on the plastic and 30 seconds on the metal. They pump up from zero in about 10 pumps with a floor pump, and 80psi is easy with my mini frame pumps, the last 20psi to 100 is a little tougher, but I now have a frame pump with a foot that you can step on. I kneel on my left knee, hold the pump steady with my right foot and it's not too bad. Much better for my 55-year-old back than a traditional frame pump. (Although with those I use the "charleston" method where I hold my knees outside my hands and use both to squeeze the pump. All my pumps have integrated psi gauges.
I have become more wary and cautious over the years. I can't remember the last time I had to do that...but then there's always the ride home!

sweeks

I've been using one of these for several years. It is a *very* effective tool for getting cars to notice a bike; also the occasional pedestrian or even another cyclist. It does not include a force-field, so the horn-equipped rider still has to leave an "out". But where there is a little wiggle room, it really gets attention. The most spectacular reactions have been from cars jumping their turn at 4-way stops, cars not stopping for a right turn (coming from my right) when I have the right-of-way, and cars merging into my lane. They really don't expect a noise that loud from a bicycle, and I think they may suffer a momentary doubt about whether there is another car they haven't accounted for. The reaction is usually a hard application of the brakes.

I have mine on the handlebar of my commuter bike, where it's easily reached with my left thumb. I can brake and use the horn simultaneously. I keep it pumped up to 80 PSI using a floor pump I keep at home. Sometimes I go for 2 weeks or more between topping-offs; sometimes I have to pump it up every couple days.

My only complaint about this device is that it doesn't work well in the cold, even when it's fully charged. So I don't put it on my "winter" bike.

It's a very useful safety device.
Steve

BobbyG

rhm

I used one for a year or two. In NYC (midtown Manhattan) it was useful mainly for moving pedestrians back onto the sidewalk (they like to stand in the bike lane and check their texts while waiting for the light to change, leaving little room for bikes). The thing was loud, but even so, pedestrians tend to ignore it.
I never replaced it after the mount broke.

Chuck Naill

I've been looking at this horn. Anyone have experience with this horn as a dog deterrent?

Bike Gremlin

I prefer to stop/slow down, than rely on the horn to make me safe - both on a bicycle, car, or motorcycle.

This Sunday, on a motorcycle with 2 lights up front, I was still invisible to drivers from side streets, because the sun was low behind me. In a distance of about 10 km ride, 2 drivers had pulled, then raised a hand to apologize for not having seen me. Slowed down before the intersections, ready to stop/swerve.

Jim from Boston

Thanks for the comments. I've always wondered how quickly one could react to activate, meanwhile braking as well. I'm unclear though as to where the "bottle" (air reservoir) is carried on the bike. Water bottle cage I presume, though from pictures I've seen the connecting hose looks short.

noglider 

I can't tell from the video that the driver was not about to stop at the stop sign.

BobbyG

Works mostly by surprising dogs so that they break stride. Scares smaller dogs and works great to clear squirells.
I put the bottles under the top tube.

On the black bike you can see the white button on the lower handlebar...when I'm on the hoods (most of the time) it is under my left pinkie.

The black bike has the newer metal cannister which works well in the winter. The other two bikes have the older (but lighter) plastic bottle.

hueyhoolihan

no. but, i suppose you could throw it at them.

Jim from Boston

On a recent thread about dogs, I posted:The Air Horn seems it would be effective in the situation as I described.

Chuck Naill

I live in a rural area where I am learning people have these big dogs because they are afraid. The dogs bark and that give them peace. The problem also is they chase bicycles. I hate to give up some of my favorite runs, but it's probably for the best. As someone said, it's not the bite, but the potential fall resulting in physical harm and damage to the bike. It is not uncommon to have a pack chasing. I was hoping your experience was that the horn stopped them in their tracks.

sweeks

You have to leave yourself some wiggle room. For true "panic" stops, you are probably not going to use the horn. My experience is that with practice it becomes easier; the button has to be conveniently located.

On my folder, I've found that the best place for the reservoir is a water bottle cage zip-tied to the back side of the rack. Otherwise it could be attached to a frame tube.
Steve

SHBR

In China, at the best of times I got a 50% success rate with the airhorn mentioned by the OP, most here are immune to loud noises.

I find its better to apply the brakes, or plan an escape route, rather than fumble with a bell or a horn.

Falcon3

+1. Bicycling and motorcycling, my thought has always been if I have time to reach for a horn, I had time to reach for the brake, and I should have been planning on that person to pull out/slam on brakes/swerve into me/whatever.

Plus if you just honk, you're expecting the other person to realize who is honking, and then take a proper evasive action after orienting to the noise. That's a lot to expect from another person, especially when you're putting your safety in their hands.

Bike Gremlin

+1 from my (motor)cycling experience. In motorcycling world, there's also lore that "loud pipes save lives", but it's far from working in practise.

Trying to stay visible, always having an escape route is the only thing I've come to rely on. Hell, it's often even better - if they don't see you in time, that they don't notice you at all.

The only time I use a horn (on a motorcycle, I'd never bother with that on a bicycle - less is better IMO) is to prevent risky situations in the first place: like sounding a horn before trying to overtake someone, to make sure they look in the mirror and see me coming.

Like Noglider said, from that footage, I can't tell whether the driver was about to stop, or not. And there was more than enough time to swerve and slow down a bit, and check if you're seen, or not.