140 db bicycle horn
 

For all you city folk,
From the BROL Forum,,

Hope I'm not reposting..

http://www.thehornit.com/#!prettyPhoto/0/



:thumb:

If you're not running at least 135db horn, you are just not safe on a bike. Might as well hang up the day-glo and take up shuffleboard...

I dissagree completly,

I ride a motorcycle, I have never once used my horn, never needed it, 1st street bike on the road in 1979,,,
On my Recumbent,,never once needed a horn,,but In the city traffic with pedestrians ,,,maybe.

If I ever get hit, Its because I didn't see THEM..

I play a deadly game called, 'I'm Invisible',,, It's never let me down yet XD

I have an Airzound horn on my commuter and I use it quite often. Just yesterday it was to get the attention of the bus driver who pulled past me on the left and then started sweeping into the bike lane towards a transit stop. It's also good at deterring pedestrians from running across the street against the light, stopping idiots from pulling out of side streets, driveways, and parking lots, and it's awesome for sneaking up and scaring the pants off the valets in front of my apartment building (we're friends, so it's all in good spirits.)

Totally worthless unless mounted in pairs along side of the helmet and has an automatic mechanism to keep sounding off every few seconds when approaching every intersection just like a diesel locomotive crossing through an unprotected crossing. Must be accompanied by a 700 lumen rotating strobe light on top of the cyclist's helmet.
Anything less is unworthy of a Real Serious True Cyclist™

:roflmao: I want video of this when you get it all worked out! hehehehe
Sounds like something you'd see on a Conan O'Brien sketch.

I agree that riding defensively can be a lifesaver. However, the problem is that we are invisible. I was waiting to make a left turn at a light this afternoon (in the middle of the lane, just behind the stop line, wearing bright yellow) and a car came around a corner and headed straight for me, with the driver looking straight through me, until I shouted. At the last moment she veered away. The only way I can put this together is that her brain must have been saying "Is there a car there? Nope. OK, I can go there."

140 dB would have been very useful.

Ok I'll be the stick in the mud and mention that 140db can and will cause hearing damage, even for very short amounts of time.

Not to mention that thing sounds nothing like a traditional car horn. I think it would be more distracting than helpful.

Isn't that the "mission" of cyclists who strive to attract attention to themselves by whatever means they think necessary?

I am considering the purchase of one. One of those things that you don't need often---but when you do, You NEED it.

yeah you'll go deaf if you use it very often

Well I just ordered one last night, so I'll let you know what I think in 2-3 weeks.

I don't know if car horns approach 140db but I'm sure some do. I also am sure that the average driver is separated from his/her horn by a considerable distance, windscreen and other assorted car bits. You'll be bent right over the thing... enjoy. I, like an earlier poster, have never used a horn in anger. Not car, not motorcycle not bicycle. I noticed a few of those peds in the video, after they got startled by the horn kept walking in the same direction as before. The horn didn't warn them as much as frighten the bejesus out of them and piss them off royally. If that's how you want to get your kicks who am I. There is this thing called Karma though, and some time from now when you are in the audiology clinic waiting room to see about your hearing loss, maybe you will remember all the fun you had spiking the pulse rates of innocent pedestrians and other road users.

H

*disappointed* I was expecting something with a large bell megaphone and air tanks.

The Hornit is a fantastic bicycle horn. I've been using it for several months and it has saved me more than once from being hit by motorists. In fact, several weeks ago I tried to setup a group buy on the forum for the Hornit and no one showed any interest. Too bad since the group buy rate was half of what the bicycle vendors are charging.

The trigger cable for the Hornit is at least a foot long and allows you to place the horn anywhere on your handlebar and well away from your ears. A few short bursts is all that is needed to get the attention of motorists. It also looks very professional and is very compact. I ordered the Airzound before I saw the Hornit and returned the Airzound because it looked like a horn a kid's bicycle would have not to mention the water bottle like reservoir to hold the compressed air takes up additional space.

When I lock my bicycle up, it takes two seconds to remove the Hornit off it's base to secure it. I've also had it out in the local heavy rains without any problems. Get one soon before the price goes up. :thumb:

And when you are in the physical therapy waiting room to see about your repetitive stress injury maybe you will remember all the fun you had wagging your finger at others.

I've had two close calls on the road in the last 2 weeks. I'm sitting here writing from my house, as opposed to a hospital bed, because the driver 2 days ago awoke out of her trance just in time. Honestly, I'd have felt a little better about the experience if this had happened a few milliseconds and a few feet earlier. As for the earlier incident (a "right hook"), riding defensively avoided a major problem, but the ability to signal my location might have prevented the incident altogether.

TO ALL:

Seriously, the Hornet Horn is pretty sweet. Got it a few months ago to mount on my road bike for long distance rides. I have an air horn on my mtn bike. They are completely different.

The Hornet is low profile, battery operated and offers to different setting. I have been testing it for a while. Did a ride with a bunch of folks in NYC and the horn did well.

The trigger system rocks. You can mount it anywhere, unlike the air horn. I have it mounted right underneath my hoods.

End of the day, the Hornet offers something different and it does work.

You've just solved my Airzound bottle mounting problem.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...500_AA300_.jpg

I want something that plays Dixie like the General Lee, but at 140+ db. :)

I want someone to narrate my commutes, along with freezeframe moments and, "Now Kookaburra knew she was in a heap o' trouble..." as I jump my bicycle over a cop car.

I like how this guy handles it...

The main criticism of the Hornit I've read is that it does not sound like a motor vehicle (MV) horn. A lot of motorists might think that odd tweety sound is something other than a horn. In fact, it might further distract the motorist who is already in the process of backing out of the drive without looking, R/L hooking you, etc.

The only thing many MV operators respect is larger MVs. As a bicyclist, I think you get the best results if you can look and sound like a MV. Use bright headlights, and get a horn that sounds like a Ford F150 etc.

We all have a built-in horn; most folks recognize the sound/meaning of a scream.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D2_wnQBKnj4

Thanks, I just shot coffee all over my monitor at work. :)

Florida ? I think even semi automatic weapons discharges are just part of the landscape,
like the Alligators. and often ignored..

This puppy is loud enough that it probably provides reciprocal schmuck protection. It ought to get an oblivious driver's or pedestrian's attention , but it's loud & unpleasant enough that you wouldn't want to subject yourself to it through gratuitous use. Easy to mount & to remove. It is a bit difficult to find a convenient ergonomic place to mount the button or "trigger" on moustache handlebars, at least given how I place my hands. I'll have to see how my solution works under emergency conditions.
My biggest criticisms so far have to do with the two sound levels. There is a button that toggles between the two levels, but there is no indicator for what your current setting is. Both sounds are loud enough that you can't really tell which is which by volume alone. The documentation that comes with the horn isn't helpful for this. On their website they do say that the oscillating sound is the 140 dB"Road" setting, while the single pitch is the 130 dB "Park" setting.
Will give field updates as they happen.