Bells & Horns

Irri_Tant

looking for one that's the same size as a regular front light but can scare the living daylights out of the other party

what have you got or seen that fits the bill?

jeremyrundle

Airzound

I have one, but I have learnt that whilst it is PERFEFCT for car drivers and vans who pull out or carve you up I use a BELL for pedestrians (except the ones who allow a dog on a 30' lead to cut you up).

I did scare a ped who stepped off the pavement without looking to walk round others, straight into the road.

rf6

Airzound is what you need, bleeding loud!

danlikesbikes

+1 for the Airzound http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YYkBHGurj-I

jeremyrundle

Works well on women drivers at roundabouts who pull out

(Fully paid up member MCP)

ride_whenever

I find the brakes tend to work better, accompanied by howling (discs) and a loud freewheel.

iwearshorts

jeremyrundle wrote:

Airzound
I did scare a ped who stepped off the pavement without looking to walk round others, straight into the road.

I can relate to that, got punched by a startled pedestrian once after I gave him a toot on my ahooga horn. Perhaps I should have just crashed in to him?

cyberknight

rf6 wrote:

Airzound is what you need, bleeding loud!

+1

Do i repeat do not try it out in an enclosed space ( like a shed ) you will be deaf .............

andrewc3142

+1 for brakes and possibly a loud freewheel

Don't have a bell and can't say as I've ever felt I needed one.

Horns don't make any difference when it matters and those cyclists who endlessly ding their bells at peds are intensely annoying.

jt1984

Interesting you feel you that way andrew3142, I have found that when cycling down shared pedestrian/cycle paths and people are just wandering all over the place, a light ding on my bell and a frindly hello or excuse me usually works. However I came up behind 2 old dears with shopping bags on wheels and after a good deal of dinging and a louder than usual hellooooo, one of the old biddies turned round and exclaimed; "I wondered what that bell was" !!!!

andrewc3142

In Woking we have shared space in the town centre for peds and cycles (local controversy as you might imagine). As on canal paths I always assume I give way to peds and work around their wanderings without any need to make a noise about it. Not really rational, but I find bell-dinging comes across more as get out of my way than a polite warning. Maybe others don't find it so.

jeremyrundle

andrewc3142 wrote:

In Woking we have shared space in the town centre for peds and cycles (local controversy as you might imagine). As on canal paths I always assume I give way to peds and work around their wanderings without any need to make a noise about it. Not really rational, but I find bell-dinging comes across more as get out of my way than a polite warning. Maybe others don't find it so.

I bought an airzound, people here said it is rude, I have found it right and agree with them now, I only use it on morons who walk in the road not looking and drivers.

Since I fitted a bell I have had polite "sorrys" and even comical comments, maybe it is because I am older, but people "intelligent ones" move over with politeness now.

Thanks to whoever said, a couple of months back don't use it on peds, I took your advice and it works.

Initialised

I find if I ring the bell (it broke a while back and I haven't missed it very often) the peds either stop and turn or side step into your path. What's needed is a line in the highway code stating that on hearing a cyclists bell the peds must step a particular way. This could stop the confusion, like how standers on the escalators in London's Tube generally adhere to "stand on the right" on all escalators but pedestrians from other cities where there's no such habit just stand anywhere so the in a rush get blocked like cyclists on shared paths.

Putting a note on each Blue Cycle Path sign advising pedestrians to bear right could work like the signs on the escalators in London.

cyberknight

jeremyrundle wrote:

andrewc3142 wrote:

In Woking we have shared space in the town centre for peds and cycles (local controversy as you might imagine). As on canal paths I always assume I give way to peds and work around their wanderings without any need to make a noise about it. Not really rational, but I find bell-dinging comes across more as get out of my way than a polite warning. Maybe others don't find it so.

I bought an airzound, people here said it is rude, I have found it right and agree with them now, I only use it on morons who walk in the road not looking and drivers.

Since I fitted a bell I have had polite "sorrys" and even comical comments, maybe it is because I am older, but people "intelligent ones" move over with politeness now.

Thanks to whoever said, a couple of months back don't use it on peds, I took your advice and it works.

I do not have to deal with peds thankfully as my commute has only 1 bit of cycle/footpath that runs along the A38 in Derbyshire and i do not think i have ever seen anyone walking on it so for me the airzound is fine, if i had to deal with a situation like that i would shout politely

jeremyrundle

Who do you blame the "sheep" pedestrians or others.

We have a cycle path in Tavistock that runs along side a small canal into town, the other day I noticed that righht by the red cycle sign the council had placed a sign "No cycling", but ONLY at ONE end of the cycle path :?

If you come in to town you can ride it appears, but going out you can't.

What would a pedestrian make of it, I am confused.

As for where to stand, I learnt as a child, we drive on the left so walk on the left, up stair, down stairs and on travelators.

I am more concerned with *^%*&^*& morons wi9th dogs off leads or on 30' leads. Almost hit one the other day, it would have come off worst.

jeremyrundle

andrewc3142 wrote:

In Woking we have shared space in the town centre for peds and cycles (local controversy as you might imagine). As on canal paths I always assume I give way to peds and work around their wanderings without any need to make a noise about it. Not really rational, but I find bell-dinging comes across more as get out of my way than a polite warning. Maybe others don't find it so.

Absolutely MORONIC "shared areas" did you know that according to the RNIB and RNID NO ONE ever asked them for their views on blind and deaf being forced to share with cyclists or cars in shared areas, that is a fact.

badwolf

Perhaps someone with a helmet cam could do a HORNBLASTERS video - cycle style

cyberknight

like this?

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_DTvnktd4qM

not me btw and i do not condone any actions in the vid..

andrewc3142

jeremyrundle wrote:

andrewc3142 wrote:

In Woking we have shared space in the town centre for peds and cycles (local controversy as you might imagine). As on canal paths I always assume I give way to peds and work around their wanderings without any need to make a noise about it. Not really rational, but I find bell-dinging comes across more as get out of my way than a polite warning. Maybe others don't find it so.

Absolutely MORONIC "shared areas" did you know that according to the RNIB and RNID NO ONE ever asked them for their views on blind and deaf being forced to share with cyclists or cars in shared areas, that is a fact.

Well, I don't find it a "moronic" idea and from what I can see it seems to be working very well. There is an extensive consultation process going on right now, with options of shared area, segregated lanes or no cycling in the centre. So the RNIB and RNID can make their views known, as can others, eg those who take small children into the centre.

Just because people can cycle there, doesn't mean they have to or that they do cycle fast or dangerously.

Nigel Bennett

What gets me annoyed is those twonks who ride on the (non-shared) pavement and then have the temerity to ring their bells at peds to get out of their way. (Doesn't Mummy let them ride on the road?)

Don't carry a bell myself; I find that calling out "Ding! Ding!" (or "Beep! Beep! as the mood takes me) plus a "Thank you" usually generates smiles all round.

jeremyrundle

Nigel Bennett wrote:

What gets me annoyed is those twonks who ride on the (non-shared) pavement and then have the temerity to ring their bells at peds to get out of their way. (Doesn't Mummy let them ride on the road?)

Don't carry a bell myself; I find that calling out "Ding! Ding!" (or "Beep! Beep! as the mood takes me) plus a "Thank you" usually generates smiles all round.

Oh how I agree with what you say.

As for andrewc3142, you are missing the point.

There are dozens of pedestrian/cycle/car setasides where they were agreed and built with NO consultation or requested input.

The problem with healthy sighted people is unfortunately they can not see it from the perspective of the blind and deaf. Until it happens to us we don't think of it. I havew spent a day with the RNIB wearing a blindfold in a controlled environment, I was scared to death.

http://www.rnib.org.uk/getinvolved/camp ... paces.aspx

Next time you are in such an area, get a friend to hold your arm, now close your eyes, and walk from one side to the others shops, bet you will NOT know where the pavement ends and starts, let alone if a bike is coming or from where.

and MOST impoirtand how would YOU train a guide dog where a non existant pavement ends :!:

wgwarburton

jeremyrundle wrote:

...As for where to stand, I learnt as a child, we drive on the left so walk on the left, up stair, down stairs and on travelators.

However, in London you are invited to keep right on the escalators, and on a canal (the waterway itself, not the towpath) you should keep right (Maritime rules of the road- the "IRPCS")... though I'd advise against trying that on an unadapted bicycle... :-)

I am more concerned with *^%*&^*& morons wi9th dogs off leads or on 30' leads. Almost hit one the other day, it would have come off worst.

Ever the tolerant one, Jeremy... perhaps it would be wise to cycle where people don't walk their dogs? I find I rarely encounter them on roads.
If you're using a shared-use path, you should probably expect to have to make allowances for dog-owners, since they are one of the groups with whom you are sharing.
Or am I missing something?

Cheers,
W.

jeremyrundle

Yes it says here "dogs to be kept on short leads at all times"

Again, no consideration for the blind, people in wheel chairs and elderly.

http://road.cc/content/news/25887-boy-s ... y-dog-lead

"Ever the tolerant one", perhaps that is the problem with society today, more people don't care than do. And if you dare to complain you are in the wrong.

wgwarburton

jeremyrundle wrote:

Yes it says here "dogs to be kept on short leads at all times"

I'm not sure what you mean by "here". It sounds like you're talking about a very specific location. I don't recall coming across a sign like that (and I think it would be unenforceable- in Scotland, at least, where the legal requirement is that dogs should be under control and it's not possible to insist on keeping them on a lead).

Again, no consideration for the blind, people in wheel chairs and elderly.

Are you referring to unleashed dogs or cyclists? I would have thought cyclists would be the bigger hazard to those groups.

http://road.cc/content/news/25887-boy-s ... y-dog-lead

A very unfortunate accident, that appears to have happened on a road, bizarrely enough. I wouldn't have thought it was a sound base for making policy, though.

"Ever the tolerant one", perhaps that is the problem with society today, more people don't care than do. And if you dare to complain you are in the wrong.

Are you advocating intolerance? That's not a position I have a lot of sympathy with, I have to concede... but each to his(or her) own, I guess...

Cheers,
W.

jeremyrundle

Here as in Tavistock park

I am advocating intolerence of the ignorent people who only care about themselves and not others or the brainless who do not even KNOW that their inconsiderate actions spoil it for others even to the point of causing danger for instance the likes of the car driver who parks on a pavement even by only a few inches on the kerb.

Phate

Don't really have a need for a bell or horn tbh, most of my commute is on the road with about 3/4 of a mile on a cyclepath which has a white line splitting the pavement in half, one side for peds and one for cyclists! Generally works ok and a squeak of the brakes moves the more gormless over to the right side!

XmasTreeOnWheels

I have an Airzound AND a 'ding-ding' bell. If I am politely letting someone know I'm coming, I use the ding ding. If the ped has earphones in and is about to cross the road without looking, or a driver has cut me up, I use the Airzound. Taking each situation on its merits. Much more fun with the Airzound though! But discretion has to be used.

hfidgen

I find a horrendously squeaky front brake does wonders - it means I get to stop and it scares the **** out of whoever has just pulled in front of me.

I can then do the baleful stare and perhaps if they have really done something stupid - unleash the full power of sarcasm on their sorry hinds.

shouldbeinbed

i find bells to be the most patronising and condescending things, ting ting saying get out of my way bcause I'm coming through anyway but haven't got the common courtesy to speak to you or let you know which side I'm planning on going by.

its like the gentle amused correction that the snooty aunt puts onto your kids or the polite one upmanship where you know someone has taken the rip but done it so smarmily they can't be bantered back with. someone that just instinctively thinks they're better than you and has the rights over you.

whats wrong with actually speaking to people and interacting with then on a human level, isn't that one of the joys of a bike, you're in the world not shut away from it in a tin box


bells = hateful things (room 101 - irrational hatred of mine)

although i may have overnanalysed it

wgwarburton

shouldbeinbed wrote:

i find bells to be the most patronising and condescending things, ting ting saying get out of my way bcause I'm coming through anyway but haven't got the common courtesy to speak to you or let you know which side I'm planning on going by.

Sorry, I completely disagree! A cheerful Ting! Ting! (or "bring-bring") is a reminder of bygone days and the big advantage is that people automatically associate it with a bike, so that they know what to look for when they wake up from their reverie.

I find people are often already stepping sideways while they turn round to see who's coming, and a smile and a thank-you then works wonders.

If you blow a horn it sounds aggressive and if you shout, it's almost as bad. Plus, they don't realise that you're on a bike- the initial response is a negative "why is someone shouting?" and by the time they've turned round to look you're on top of them, exacerbating the negative impression.

its like the gentle amused correction that the snooty aunt puts onto your kids or the polite one upmanship where you know someone has taken the rip but done it so smarmily they can't be bantered back with. someone that just instinctively thinks they're better than you and has the rights over you.

No, I don't really see it that way. The intention is to let people know you're there, not to demand passage! The key is how you act once you have their attention.

whats wrong with actually speaking to people and interacting with then on a human level, isn't that one of the joys of a bike, you're in the world not shut away from it in a tin box

If you wait 'till you're close enough to talk, it often surprises people, again a bad start and made worse by the fact that you've clearly had to slow down to walking pace, so they are now in a position of having inconvenienced you...

What do you propose? I'm assuming a shared-use path, here (that might be where I'm going wrong?), so both groups have every right to be there. If people know you're approaching in good time it makes for easier and safer passage for all..
At the moment, I think that a bell is the best way to achieve this, as described above. It's not perfect, admittedly but in my experience seems to cause the least friction.

Cheers,
W.