Experiences using bells?
 

I had a conversation with an occasional riding friend a while back. She suggested using a bell instead of calling out "Passing on your left", because it is a friendlier sound and not so aggressive to pedestrians.

So I tried one. My experience on a busy MUP was that few if any even noticed the bell. I think it was just part of the background noise and people were oblivious to it, not realizing it was directed at them. When I call out to them, however, I usually see something to indicate my warning registered. They give me a wave, move to the right a little, or sometimes even give me a thanks for not blowing past them without warning.

Just wondering what others experiences have been with bells. Any more success than I've seen?

Get a louder bell. Brass bells are significantly louder than aluminum.
I've had good results with my bell on MUPs, except with the ipod folks.

I use a bell to good success every day here in very loud NYC. I use a Crane brass bell, which is very loud. I usually ding it a couple times as I'm approaching people it almost always causes them to look back and get out of the way. It's often even effective when people are wearing headphones, though I have to ding a little more. The only times people don't react, I think they're just intentionally ignoring me with a tough guy attitude--it's almost always teenagers or young guys who do this. I just keep ringing it and go around them.

edit: these are the bells I use. http://www.amazon.com/Crane-Suzu-Lev...rane+bike+bell These bells are A LOT louder than the ones with the striker on a little spring.

Try a cowbell :thumb:

I have an old rotary bell on my bike. Everyone hears it on the MUP except for the iZombies. I usually ring it when I'm far back and then say "on your left/right". My MUP is pretty lightly-traveled though.

This is the one I have - http://www.amazon.com/Bell-1006628-B...ords=bike+bell

It does ding when going over bumps, but for $5 I can't complain.

Airzound.

People will notice and move.

Thanks, I have a Crane bell right now, but it is the one with the dinger on a spring. And it rings when I go over bumps, which annoys the heck out of me.

Effective I'm sure, though perhaps a wee bit of overkill!

My experience with calling out or dinging bell is that 50% of MUPpets jump into your path when you alert them and the other 50% have headphones in, so don't hear a thing. ;)

OK, maybe that's exaggerating the size of the first group a bit, but not much.

Never tried one, but thinking on some of the paths I have ridden I get the feeling that where it would seem most useful is where it would also be most apt to be ignored. Not in a mean way, just thought of as part of the background noise.

I am with the OP on this one. My experience has been, that bells are useless.

Someone behind me used a bell once and my first reaction was to stop and reach for my cellphone...

People heard mine, but their reaction was pretty random. I took it off after a while.

For the most part, people here my Incredibell Omnibell, but I'm going to replace it with one from crane for looks when I get my bike put back together. For a long time, I had an Air Zound on my bike, but I only used it on cars and found that my voice worked as well to change behavior (i.e. not at all), and I thought it was kind of ugly, so I took it off.

My first week riding on a MUP, Every single time without exception that I call "passing on your left" they move to their left and look at me! Now I just slow down and coast by without saying anything. Sometimes I scare them but it is better then almost hitting them. I doubt a bell would be any better however, I have never used one and would honestly feel pretty embarrassed having one on my bike.

I used to say nothing as well...
But recently I started trying "Passing By" or "Coming By"
Haven't had anyone move to the wrong side yet and 9 out of 10 times I get an appreciative thank you.

I have recently started using a bell on the Fort Worth Trinity Trail. "Passing on your left" wasn't getting the job done. Now I start dinging the bell quite a ways back and keep dinging until I get a reaction or get close enough to call out "on your left." I will usually still call out "on your left" but more calmly and more politely. Some people react to the bell and some to my voice and some people still just jump randomly. But the bell and a call out works better than either alone.
I just wish the cyclists would announce their presence.

I have had much better results with my bell than voice announcements. I can use it farther away, which gives folks a bit more time to react. Reactions tend to be to move to the right instead of the less than predictable response to voice commands. Folks with earbuds in are lost to the word, i.e. nothing works on them.

-G

This is the bell on my main bike. I put bells on my bikes because South Carolina, VC says a bell or sounding device is required in this state. There has already been a thread on bells. In the other thread someone else from SC posted that a Judge in SC ruled that the cyclist only had to give a voice warning. Regardless of what some Judge ruled or said that is not what the Laws said. Section 56-5-3480, reads a bell or sounding device (I think the Judge was wrong ruling voice as a sounding device). Anyone with even half a brain should know that when the legislators wrote this law they were not thinking of a person’s voice as a sounding device. If your voice is what you use for a warning I have no problem with that. However, in this state, you have to have a bell or some device (the law does say no whistles or sirens). There is no reason a person could not use both the bell and their voice.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8285/7...648deceb65.jpg
Bell04 by My Bike Pictures, on Flickr

Depends greatly on the bell and the circumstances. I find a loud bell very useful here in NYC.

I have found that a bell is widely recognized and appreciated on MUPs.

And, seriously, embarrassed? Why on earth would you be embarrassed by having a bell? Hell, Peter Sagan rides with one.

While riding on MUPs, which I don't do any more but used to do a lot, my experience was that the majority of people either didn't hear the bell or reacted in an unpredictable manner, such as jumping into my path or turning around startled. Only a minority moved over to the right.

Bells can be annoying and make people jump. I just call out a freindly "hello", or sometimes "bicycle".

I have a brass bell, can't remember if its a Crane or not but it works well for me. I ring the bell along with a 'good morning or evening' along with 'on your left'. Haven't been ignored yet and when they move over I'll say. 'Thank you' on the way by.

This is the bell I have on my bike. I originally put it on for single track trail riding, but I always get thank you'd from the walkers and joggers on the MUP and trails. It constantly jingles while I am riding so people will notice it from a ways away (except the Ijoggers). I gave come to find it quite soothing and miss it when I ride my road bike.