Nice bell
 

Knog is already making enough off sales of existing products to fund startup of this themselves.

I believe there is a thread about this in the Road forum.

I like it. I'll probably buy some, when they get to market. Cool.

Why does a company like Knog need a Kickstarter? I thought that this was for small businesses just getting started?

Legit question, though we don't know Knog's financial position, but the spirit of the thing seems a bit off. You'd think Knog sells enough units they could leverage their market position for very favorable terms from a large Asia manufacturer...but I didn't read the Kickstarter page, so who knows what they want the money for.

One thing for sure: they're getting a whole lot of money, $340k right now, off a $14k goal! At those volumes, they should be very well positioned to launch the product and make a tidy profit.

I feel like they are testing the waters with it, seeing who would be interested in it before they release it. That is not how this works.

That's what Knog essentially said on the kickstarter page. I agree, that this is not how kickstarter is supposed to work but I guess if it works that good for them then it's ok.

Looks a little too "loopy" for older (pre-2000) bikes. I'd rather go with the Spurcycle bell on my road bike.

I own the Spurcycle bell. Funny thing, I noticed that older people did not react to it. Then I got a cold, and actually lost my high frequency hearing range. I would ring the bell and I could not hear it due to the hearing loss. When I would go to a piano, I found that I could not hear the top six keys as they were too high pitched. When I watched the video of the "oi" bell, I could hear the pitch clearly. I sent in the money to Knog, so I could get the bell as soon as possible.

At last! We can be safe without looking like Freds!
I always thought there was a segment of road cyclists who were elitist morons. Now my suspicions are confirmed.

On the one hand, yeah, this isn't really what crowd funding was for.

On the other hand, I want one anyway.

Now this is a pretty cool bell that also does not take up lots of real estate on the bar. I've backed them for 2 bells.

And with an established company like Knog, you're less likely to have a kickstarter go belly-up. And probably the people that pay through the Kickstarter will get a reduced price over those that wait for retail.

GH

Ahem. I said that in jest.

Also, Morover, my objection to bells has always been aesthetic, not philosophical.

hmm, I have a Spurcycle and haven't found that. There are definitely overtones in addition to the core sound, but it is generally a very loud bell. Also, the core sound it not particularly higher than other bells, but to my ears is certainly more resonant. The Knog does seem to have a lower core pitch.

Aesthetically I find the spurcycle just right. No, I don't work for them and I paid for the bell myself. Here it is - Spurcycle Bell

Video about the development of the bell - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3n2LeRyyUoM

Listen to the tests of the spurcycle on youtube and compare it to the sound of the Knog. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6YekLHo7yP8 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jBb7AGMrfco

Compare the striking mechanism, it looks as though the Knog may use a plastic striker. I would hope that is not the case.

Get what you want, having said all that, the spurcycle is a LOT of money to spend on a bell. I wonder how much the Knog will cost? It makes a nice ring.

I mounted an early 1980 era aluminum bell on my aerobars with a tone that generally has the walker/bicyclist respond with a wave and/or move over before I get to them. Apparently the tone is pleasing to their ears as it is also with dogs.

Right? But I guess asking for $15k and getting a third of a million.. Apparently there's a market out there for curved metal.

To me, function trumps all other consideration, but I also appreciate form, and prefer to have both whenever possible.

This bell looks like a grand slam on both form and function.

I agree, that bell is so attractive and low profile, I'd buy one when they're available. In fact I tried to DIY based on the general idea yesterday, and it's harder than it looks to get a good ring so I'll keep an eye out for the production model.

Really? Having spent a day of DIY, you couldn't pull it off? Looking at it, I was pretty sure the CAD modeling and different prototype bell metals and sizes were just smokescreens to throw people off how easy it really was.
[/snark]

The right one to ask is the pedestrians. "Would you move away if you hear this sound?" :rolleyes:

90% of pedestrians have headphones in anyway. I stopped using a bell and calling out my presence. It is a waste of time.

Didn't have the right piece of brass for a good sound, but I did improve on their striker using a wound steel rod and metal piece in-line with the bell curvature instead of sticking out with that plastic. It's not worth spending time to find a better sounding metal strip though.