A nice looking bell
 

Someone posted this over on the CR list. Thought I'd add it here. Very nice looking product.

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/...ade-in-the-usa

I saw this the other day. It looks like a nice bell but, alas, at the moment I don't think any of my bicycles have bells. I would have to think long and hard about putting bells on any of my bicycles.

I want overengineered shoelace tips....titanium would be a start

Looks like this is a popular idea, they already have $244,000 pledged on a $20,000 goal.

somewhat over-engineered, and I have a hard time believing this bell beats my beautiful old French aluminium bell in terms of function and looks I have mounted now on my urban bike, but cool nonetheless...

Mine don't either, D. But I'm thinking it might be a good idea over on the Rail Trail, where I ride mostly.
The little copper and brass ones are cool, but I like what these guys have done with this. Over engineered
maybe, but it looks like a quality product. I like quality products. Now, if it ends up selling for forty five
bucks, well ....

Fresh take on the classic Crane bell. Interesting to see innovation in clamp, size and suitability for modern bicycles. You may remember coverage of Peter Sagan's bell in the 2012 Tour de France: http://westrivercycles.com/cannondale-panic-bell/

I'm in on this one.

It has become so busy on our paths, roads and lanes that this should become sop here in the Twin Cities.

Very nice looking product!

I think they did a great job with that bell, well thought out and executed, I'd buy one. Its great to see pride in USA craftsmanship in these days of Chinese junk.

Your mileage will vary (most assuredly), LOL

I'm down on this too. Good to see folks making things like this.

By the way, I'm sure I could research it and find out but, how does this kickstarter pledge thing work? Of course, they won't collect all two hundred grand in pledges, but say you pledge fifty bucks. When and how do they collect? At the end of the pledge deadline do they then solicit payments based on pledges?

I was happy to see that they are being manufactured by Bevin Brothers, http://bevinbells.com who have a long history making bells here, going back almost 200 years. I always like seeing well crafted products which have a real attention to detail and style.

When they reach their goal, in this case they already have, they take their payment. I'm setup to do payments through Amazon on Kickstarter. There may be other options. So in this case if you pledge for the bell, they will likely take your payment immediately because it is fully funded.

Then they will have a goal delivery date. Since most people haven't a clue about new product development, they will miss that date. A good person will inform you about the delay before the delay actually occurs.

Then, in theory, your item comes in the mail. I have pledged for the Orp bike horn and a stainless multi-tool.

I hope the bell does well. I like the design.

I like it a lot, and many of my bikes have bells. I'd be likely to try one assuming a reasonable price (under $30).

Thanks Iab. Looks like that Orp horn will really clear them out of the way! 96 db. Yikes.

I'm wondering, Aaron. At a minimum $35 pledge to receive a horn, I presume that will be their offering price, or close.

Generally, if a Kickstarter reaches mass market, and to clarify, this bell's $200+K is not mass market, the price could come down. I have seen Kickstarter items lower their price after they have moved successfully to the mass market. The current $35 "price" covers development costs in addition to production costs. Development costs can be significant, and any smart person on Kickstarter would want to cover those knowing after the Kickstarter experience, their product could die.

That said, price is determined by what the market will bear. If they go mass-market and people are willing to pay $35, they would be fools to lower their price. It is not like they could raise their price to $40 without backlash.

Next time I have a spare $35 around I might just have to pick one up. Working for a US based cycling component manufacturer, I like to back other US manufacturers when I can.

I'm a big fan of bells .. every rail trail deserves one. Here's a design that caught my eye a few years ago from Denmark.

http://sogrenibikes.com/index.php?ma...&products_id=2

While I was attracted to the simplicity of the design, I'm not confident of what the sound would be like. Plus, for the cost, it kind of looks like it was put together with leftovers from my plumbing box. Rootboy could do better!

Here's another Kickstarter project I've been following, a magnetic bike light. Seems ideal if you have multiple bikes and are looking for a way to interchange them easily:

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/...e-lanes-worldw

Scott

Brass Sogreni bells sound good, the other materials less so. They are expensive as hell and the spring on the hammer wears out quickly so soon you'll be going dingdingdingdingdingding on every pedal stroke.

That clamp looks great. I have Incredibells on my all my bikes but my main road bike just because I can't fit anything on the oversized (31.8) part of the bar.

looks pretty sweet. i always try to buy US made stuff, but $35? damn. i have a $3 regular 'brriiingg brriingg' bell now its fine. and i think people respond better to those anyway since they're more recognizable for bikes.

You can pick up a "Smart" looking Hello Kitty bell for only $7.50, and people who buy this also buy a $650.00 Diamondback Hybrid....at least this is what my quick search came up with! :-) It MIGHT look smart on my Pink Bridgestone! :-) but I have enough people saying snide things about it!

I really liked the video showing the manufacturing process. Might get a standard version, and put the high buff polish on it myself.

I really liked the video showing the machining processes. Everything machined by hand except for the CNC sheet metal cutouts for the straps. I'd gladly pay $35 for one.

I'd buy one for sure. Looks good, sounds good and if it keeps the crazies and hippies out of my way on the paths around me, I'm in.

That ^^^^ but when it comes to sound the Japanese brass bells can't be beat. JMHO.

The Crane is a modernization of an earlier bell by Reiche, in turn.

Almost agreed to one, then I realized either the clamp would interfere with by cables exiting the tape or if I moved it closer the stem, the cable would rest on the bell, making it Dunk instead of Ding :(

Thank you, I hadn't realized that! Great to know we can still buy a bell with St. Christopher on it.
http://reich-cycle-bells.de/en/classic-line.html

Looks like a nice product and they seem to hit off to a great start.

I used to despise bells on bikes but these days are a must have. For the daily rider, I use a cheapo china made IncrediBell knockoff, - fleabay $1.99 includes shipping! I picked a not so obvious black color. Subtle enough for warning pedestrians, often getting in return a nice smile or wave from them :) For the heavy city traffic, forget about it. I'm thinking of going 100db remote air horn attached to my camelback - facing rearward.

For the vintage bikes, I hunt for those older german Reich bells. Beleive it or not, one can still score them on fleabay in the $20 - $25 range. Beautiful embelished stampings and they sound rich.