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The power of the bicycle bell

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Old 04-30-10, 12:10 PM
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The power of the bicycle bell

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Old 04-30-10, 12:15 PM
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This is awesome
I go to china in a week, I gotta try this
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Old 04-30-10, 01:03 PM
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I have to say, I love that it worked on an escalator. How many people ride their bikes up those?
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Old 04-30-10, 02:14 PM
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I'm amazed that people looked, saw no bicycle, and still moved over!

Paging Dr. Pavlov. Dr. Pavlov, please report to the lab, your test subjects are ready.
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Old 04-30-10, 02:37 PM
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I only wish MY bell had the same effect. Sometimes, I might as well not even have it.
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Old 04-30-10, 04:09 PM
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almost bought a unibell yesterday
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Old 04-30-10, 04:40 PM
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Im surprised someone didnt smack that boy upside the head.
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Old 04-30-10, 05:13 PM
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Originally Posted by sooprvylyn
This is awesome
I go to china in a week, I gotta try this
Pretty sure that's Japan
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Old 04-30-10, 05:33 PM
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I had a hottie ring her bell at me when we passed on opposite sides of the street. Powerful
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Old 04-30-10, 05:34 PM
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That was awesome! I especially loved the escalator and store aisle scenes. Unfortunately, we in N. America seem way too desensitized to noise in general to react to a simple bicycle bell, or at least that's been my experience when using my bell. Or... maybe it's the IPods that everyone's wearing. In any case, here's my next planned purchase to announce my arrival:

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Old 04-30-10, 09:19 PM
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Originally Posted by irclean
That was awesome! I especially loved the escalator and store aisle scenes. Unfortunately, we in N. America seem way too desensitized to noise in general to react to a simple bicycle bell, or at least that's been my experience when using my bell. Or... maybe it's the IPods that everyone's wearing. In any case, here's my next planned purchase to announce my arrival:

after getting honked at all the time, I'm definitely picking up an Airzound. now would AMZN just raise the price $1 so I can get it with free shipping :-)
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Old 05-02-10, 04:11 PM
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Originally Posted by irclean
here's my next planned purchase to announce my arrival:
One of my best purchases ever! Not used for pedestrians very often though - only the cel-phone talking oblivious jay-walkers, who ignore my bell or shout, and end up dancing like a startled school-girl after a blast from the horn. But on a shared path, the usual response to a bell is to do a frightened jump, and take a step into the only part of the path where I could possibly get through. I've long ago stopped using the bell, and just slip quietly by.
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Old 05-02-10, 05:13 PM
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Originally Posted by truenorth
One of my best purchases ever! Not used for pedestrians very often though - only the cel-phone talking oblivious jay-walkers, who ignore my bell or shout, and end up dancing like a startled school-girl after a blast from the horn. But on a shared path, the usual response to a bell is to do a frightened jump, and take a step into the only part of the path where I could possibly get through. I've long ago stopped using the bell, and just slip quietly by.
Agreed most people will just ignore the bell or jump like idiots into your path. We are not conditioned in this country to move over. Most peds and those folks with those SUV sized baby strollers think the path is only for them and will take up the whole path. I give em a on yer left a couple of times or make some kind of noise that lets them know I'm back there and if that doesn't work I yell "HEADS UP coming through" really loud that really scares the crap out of them. I use this when all else fails I especially like to use this on teenagers screwing around blocking everyone on both sides. I yelled so loud at a kid wearing his earphones that my wife couldn't believe I could yell that loud but it got his attention. I think he soiled himself.
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Old 05-02-10, 09:29 PM
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i need to get a bell.. i know its the law to tell people that your passing them, but it so completely ineffective, and I'm usually low on breath that i don't bother.
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Old 05-02-10, 10:03 PM
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Originally Posted by Toddorado
I had a hottie ring her bell at me when we passed on opposite sides of the street. Powerful
That's only because you were going in opposite directions and she knew you'd be far apart in a couple minutes.
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Originally Posted by bragi "However, it's never a good idea to overgeneralize."
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Old 05-02-10, 10:04 PM
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Originally Posted by irclean
Unfortunately, we in N. America seem way too desensitized to noise in general to react to a simple bicycle bell, or at least that's been my experience when using my bell.
Not me. My bike bell is the ultimate MUP clearer.
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Originally Posted by bragi "However, it's never a good idea to overgeneralize."
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Old 05-02-10, 10:42 PM
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I've been looking at getting either a bell or a massive horn. I don't have to honk so much at cars but part of my riding involves sidewalks that just happen to be popular for iPod-wearing joggers and walkers. I too gave up on saying anything and just either waited (they figure it out eventually), or just riding past them on the grass, off the curb, or something.

Frankly, I don't think a bell would do much here (America), as already stated by others and small horns are just kind of... lame. The horns worth getting aren't really meant for pedestrians IMO. Am I wrong on this? Should I give a super loud honk to some jogger who can't hear me until he pull a white earbud out from his ear?
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Old 05-02-10, 10:50 PM
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Perhaps an AirZound on one side of the bars and a loud bell on the other would be a good compromise. That being said I can quickly run out of room on my cockpit once I add my lights, computer, etc.

Originally Posted by Doohickie
Not me. My bike bell is the ultimate MUP clearer.
What type of bell are you using, Doohickie?
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Old 05-02-10, 10:55 PM
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Sometimes I think it would be better to take the bell off my bike and throw it the person's head.
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Old 05-03-10, 02:54 AM
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Originally Posted by cyclokitty
Sometimes I think it would be better to take the bell off my bike and throw it the person's head.
I like this idea the best
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Old 05-03-10, 04:50 AM
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@mercator
he never said the video was in *edit* china.

Last edited by darkadious; 05-03-10 at 02:44 PM.
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Old 05-03-10, 04:57 AM
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Bicycle bell as we know it is becoming an apparatus of the past due to invention of devices that mostly tampon up ones ear canals. I have attempted to utilise this device, attaching it to my bicycle frame, and the extra few grams on the bicycle did not reciprocate towards the intended effect. Utilising ones vocal cords has proven to be much more practical when applied at intense volume while using an appropriate phrasing techniques.

Future prospects for bicycle bell are not showing any fruitfulness. Only hope for its continuance is evolution into a new device named bicycle musical instrument. This appliance would mount on handlebars with several tunable bells on a single platform.
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Old 05-03-10, 05:59 AM
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Originally Posted by darkadious
@mercator
he never said the video was in japan.
however, he was speaking Japanese throughout the awesome video and everyone on it were also Japanese...

besides, on them can think of doing such craziness without hesitation or second thoughts! don't believe me? try searching for "japanese pranks" off youtube!
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Old 05-03-10, 08:47 AM
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Originally Posted by irclean
What type of bell are you using, Doohickie?
This one. Not a loud bell by any stretch of the imagination. When I use it, I'll ping it from a ways back. If I get any kind of acknowledgment (squeeze to the right, wave, nod, etc.), that's it and I go through. If I don't get a reaction I'll ping again as I get closer. If still no reaction I go into continuous ping mode. Once in a great while I have to throw an "ON YOUR LEFT" in there, but that's maybe 1 or 2% of the time. The bell does the job the vast majority of the time after one, maybe two pings.
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Originally Posted by bragi "However, it's never a good idea to overgeneralize."
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Old 05-03-10, 09:02 AM
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Got the same bell Doohickie. Agree, its fairly effective.

I use my bell any time I pass. Just to let the pedestrians know to keep to the right. Many say thank you.
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