This surprised me
 

Hokay… so a little back story is necessary but I'll keep it brief.

When my twins were young I bought a few Bell brand bells for their bikes. They're both sixteen now and my daughter is the only one to continue leisure riding. My son prefers his myriad skateboard collection. Anyway, during a bit of cleaning my son presented me with his old bicycle bell. On a lark I mounted it to my 510.

My 400 has a cool brass Crane bell. Single note, clear as a Crane.

The 510 wears that old Bell, with the grinding ring sound most of us grew up with.

Guess which one gets the preferred response out on the rides. Yup. Grindy-Bell.

I guess I'll be that "one in every crowd"

This sound?

Expensive bike bells are now a 'thing,' but I'm not sure that they are any more effective at actually alerting people to your presence.

My commuter bike came with a bell mounted between the stem spacers. It doesn't sound as nice as a Crane or Spurcycle bell, but the price was right and people can hear it just fine.

You're not alone. My 'best' bell is the one on my townie/path bike, it was a giveaway from the city Park Authority at a trail safety event. 2", plastic-bodied, but nice, loud and clear 'ring-ring'.

It's that nice classic sound everyone recognizes as 'Bike!'

The 1" single-ping on my commuter, not so much. I have a couple of the Bell bells (lol) on some of the other bikes, but just don't have the real estate on that bike for a 'better' bell.

FiftySix: Yah, that's exactly the one.

Koyote and Ironfish653: The Bell bell earns the reaction I'm hoping for. The Crane might require a second ring (or more) because more often than not the folks to whom the ring is directed think the pretty sound is emanating from the skies above them. I have no idea why.

I've been riding my knog bell for about 3 years and I can't imagine doing anything else. It's mounted right where my thumb hits it and it does. I had great fun this morning along the MUP ringing away when meeting the local kids bike camp who were out on their daily ride. Love those kids.

Behold: The Crane Riten.

Yep. The Knog bells are perfect, in my experience. Can barely notice 'em on the bars (good [aesthetics]), and yet their tone/volume appears to be just right. So for me, the perfect poseur's* 'bell'.

Mine has not yet failed to elicit an appropriate response.

*That is self-referential. I like to think of myself as a 'pserious pcyclist'. Fantasy, I know, but we are all entitled to a little bit of harmless self-delusion.

woooo thanks Now I know what I'll get next

I had one of those. It broke in less than a week.