DCCommuter

As in so many things, I find myself swimming against the tide in that I like to have a bell on my bike to warn pedestrians and other stray animals. I recently got a new bike with drop bars, and I can't figure out how to mount one. I guess I could put it on the top like a mountain bike, but when I'm using the bell I'm usually using the brakes too, so I like to have it where I can ring it from a braking position. Any thoughts?

randya

I think it's kind of hard to brake and ring the bell at the same time, especially on drop bars. But if you don't want it to get in the way of your hand positions, put it on the stem.

roadfix

Simple. You have two hands. One to brake and the other to ring the bell. It makes no difference where you mount the bell. Most practical spot would be on the bar near the stem or on the stem itself.

hi565

Must be made out of Carbon Fiber though. then you can roll in style!

Boudicca

I have a bell on my road bike, mounted on the center of the handlebars, but I don't think I've ever used it. If I need it, I'm so busy braking or swerving that I definitely don't have time to move my hands to fumble with the bell. I reckon a loud "look out!" is as good as those dumb pedestrians are going to get.

Bekologist

Incredibell right next to where the tape starts, mounted at 4 o'clock on the bar. That way you can ring it with your thumb while you're on top of the bars.

I'm sometimes riding one hand on top, ringing, and the other still in the drops, braking.

MichaelW

You can get bar-end bells.

lisitsa

I've managed to fit in a bell, speedo and light in the tight space either side of the stem, and I tend to use the bell once in a while. Its one of those things roadies sacrifice (like stands) which make their biking experience less preasurable, (no matter what they say otherwise).

Bar-end bells sound like a really good idea.

recursive

I say otherwise.

tippy

My bell is inserted in to the end of the drop bar. I don't spend much time on the drops so the bell is out of the way. Plus, if I see that I'm going to need to ring it, I do my braking before I get to the "bell" range and then ring the bell. This requires less braking WHILE ringing or in the position to ring.

d.tipton

ginger green

If you don't like the look of a bell on your bike - you can easily adapt it to fit under your seat. the only problem is that you need to sit up to ring the bell

catatonic

I say otherwise as well...I don't even mind not having a kickstand.

It might matter once I build up a "shopping" bike (basically a freakshow of roadie meets touring meets mountain meets me!), in that instance though I don't know of any stands strong enough to be considered reliable enough to trust with whatever could be on top of the rack at that moment.

hi565

who needs a bell when you have one of these...


https://store.nycewheels.com/air-zound-horn.html

Thatll really move people...

CdCf

Good luck finding a bell mount that fits around a drop bar...
These ridiculous sizes make me crazy. It would be sooo simple to have just one size for everything. It's not like there's any major difference. Just a mm or two...