I have the same reaction, even if I have to ring repeatedly. The advantage of a bell as I see it is that most people react to human speech directed at them by engaging with the speaker... without even thinking about it. So when you say, "On your left," the first reaction most people have is turn their head to the left (and often the body follows, which is the worst possible reaction). The bell is a mechanical greeting with no invitation to respond. Therefore any response is voluntary- a greeting or a thank you from the person being passed. This seems so much more civil than saying, "On your left," which is often said with a tone of voice that connotes, "GETTHEHELLOUTTAMYWAY."

I too have this bell and it does clear the path usually. though not so much with earphone plugged pedestrians. want to get the airzound just to scare the bejeezus out of the really clueless ones.

I have the same type of bell like yours on my secondary ride. On my primary ride I use the old style bell like the one in the video except mine is chrome and shiny. I find my oldstyle bell to be most efficient in clearing the MUP or warning downtown pedestrians of my impending arrival.

I've only had to use my bell once - so far. I had to "ping" someone who was blocking the sidewalk ramp I was about to go through. I loved her reaction though. Without looking my way she moved a nano inch away from the ramp.

I had to do a tight turn on my trike to avoid hitting her. Idiot!!! God forbid I inconvenienced her talking to her friend on the street.

Most of the time though I don't have to use the bell. People give me a wide berth. A trike is hard to miss and I'm not exactly breaking any speed records anyway. People usually have plenty of time to get out of the way by the time I go by them.

God forbid a pedestrian blocks your access to a side walk...

Lighten up, Francis. Riding a trike in Miami takes some major cojones and I'm willing to concede that the sidewalk is the best option at times.

For some reason switching gears seems more effective to alerting people that I am approaching compared to the bell.

LOL. Staring to sound like chipcom

(/me lightens up)

Off Topic -

mikeshoup - God forbid a pedestrian blocks your access to a side walk...

Actually, she was doing more than blocking my access to the "side walk", She was really blocking the exit from the crosswalk, which I, as a pedestrian, had the same legal right too, just like her.

She was blocking the ramp, which is the same as blocking the exit from the crosswalk. If a cop was around and was really, really, really bored, she would have gotten a ticket - not me.

In Florida, a cyclist can use the sidewalk for riding (probably because most of the sidewwalks are so underutilized). When the cyclist does exercise this option, he/she has the same rights and olbigations as a pedestrian. This means that I can't block the crosswalk, which is what she was plainly doing. However, It seems that I also have the added obligation of having to walk my bike across the crosswalk, which I do.

Frankly, whether or not I can ride the sidewalk I'd be the first one not to do so if the sidewalks were even moderately used. They are not, in my neck of the woods.

Ironcially, I meet more cyclists on the sidewalk than pedestrians.

Doohickie - Lighten up, Francis. Riding a trike in Miami takes some major cojones and I'm willing to concede that the sidewalk is the best option at times.

Thanks for the defense Doohickie but for the record I don't live in Miami. I just live in another car conjested Florida suburb where there is little room given to cyclists with two wheels, never mind those with three wheels.

OnTopic -

bmt074 - For some reason switching gears seems more effective to alerting people that I am approaching compared to the bell.

I'm curious, how does switching gears alert people? Errrr. my trike is one speed so I can't imagine this. I just naturally slow down when I see a pedestrian ahead.

Are you just saying that you're slowling down enough for people to spot you?

I find that AirZound matters little in city traffic. There is so much honking going on already that no one cares. But distracted or zombified pedestrians? Oh yeah! They ignore the bell but the horn touches their deeper selves

I just got a new bike that came with a cheap pinging bell, I wasnt using it at first but I passed some lady riding on her back in the middle of the path, I passed her on the left then she yelled at me "next time say 'on the right'!!!!" Umm...

So about a minute later two ladies are walking side by side in the middle of the path so I decide to use the bell. One of them just freezes and just becomes baffled. I pass on her left and she starts telling her friend (quite loudly) that she thought she had dropped something. And then she said "man all these bikes are really throwing me off"