Automatic Bell

t4tomo

My bell has gone onto auto / hands free mode. Its one of those standing etxernal pinger type one but a combo of whta must be a weakish spring and Londons streets mean that whenever I hit a bit of rough road it rings, making me seem like one of thiose demented old ladies who drive around the countryside in old Morris Oxfords tooting their horn at every corner.

I had to apologise to a geezer last night I was following through a left turn as he gave me a dirty looking thinking I was deliveratley ringing it at him!

Can you stiffen the spring up anyway? I'm loath to chuck it away as it is useful in town with all teh dozy pedestrians around.

Wooliferkins

Spring fails Hooke's Law Est morte, time for a new bell

Agent57

Wooliferkins wrote:

Hooke's Law

The Wikipedia page for that just melted my brain. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hooke%27s_law

SimonAH

Get a Mrs Merton wig and problem solved!

Headhuunter

Bells are for losers. I just yell at idiot peds... Nothing rude, just something like "'scuse me, coming through" or "mind yer backs" etc. They usually look and take evasive action although I have to say some of them are so phased out that they don't notice me bellowing at them, however I don't think a bell would be any more noticeable to those peds who have zoned out of life and are walking on auto pilot....

rick_chasey

Agent57 wrote:

Wooliferkins wrote:

Hooke's Law

The Wikipedia page for that just melted my brain. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hooke%27s_law

Haha, that brings back first year mechanics. Modelling those hospital swinging doors.

Was the first time I modelled something which churned out an i value halfway through.

t4tomo

Headhuunter wrote:

Bells are for losers. I just yell at idiot peds... Nothing rude, just something like "'scuse me, coming through" or "mind yer backs" etc. They usually look and take evasive action although I have to say some of them are so phased out that they don't notice me bellowing at them, however I don't think a bell would be any more noticeable to those peds who have zoned out of life and are walking on auto pilot....

sometimes yell if no time for bell, but a yell could be from anyone at anyone, a bell ding immediately tells the idiot there is a bike somewhere so if they are on the road most assume its heading for them and they tend to respond better.

Also think a bell ding is a bit more polite / better etiquette than yelling

Confusedboy

[quote="

Can you stiffen the spring up anyway? I'm loath to chuck it away as it is useful in town with all teh dozy pedestrians around.[/quote]

And I thought I was a poverty stricken skinflint. Chuck it away, in such a way that it cannot be retrieved, spend the huge amount of cash needed to put a deposit on a new one. And chuck that out if it does not perform properly and buy another one.

ince

I often call out that I'm going to pass on the cycleway. I will also let them know which side I am going to pass them on, 'coming past on your right' for example. Its surprising how many people this confuses!

t4tomo

Confusedboy wrote:

And I thought I was a poverty stricken skinflint. Chuck it away, in such a way that it cannot be retrieved, spend the huge amount of cash needed to put a deposit on a new one. And chuck that out if it does not perform properly and buy another one.

I'm a proud Yorkshire - genetically careful with money

shouldbeinbed

I'm another voice user. no need to yell, a polite good morning and which side you're intending to go is more helpful (IMO) than a non directional ting ting, that doesn't carry above an ipod.

I also think a bell is a more arrogant way of doing it.

ting ting = get out of my way peasant, you're not important enough for me to deign to speak to.

ThatBikeGuy

prj45

Headhuunter wrote:

Bells are for losers. I just yell at idiot peds... Nothing rude, just something like "'scuse me, coming through" or "mind yer backs" etc. They usually look and take evasive action although I have to say some of them are so phased out that they don't notice me bellowing at them, however I don't think a bell would be any more noticeable to those peds who have zoned out of life and are walking on auto pilot....

Evasive action? Intimates that if they don't you're going to strike them right?

prj45

ince wrote:

I often call out that I'm going to pass on the cycleway. I will also let them know which side I am going to pass them on, 'coming past on your right' for example. Its surprising how many people this confuses!

I ride with somebody that does this. He still hasn't learned that if you bark "coming by on your right" that many peds will jump ... to their right.

"Coming by on your left" when you're actually passing them on their right would get it right more often!

Either that, or slow up behind them and pass them slowly like what you orta!

MichaelW

Bells are compulsory on all bikes sold in shops. There must be squillions that people have removed. I have a couple of spares but they are for replacements when mine breaks.

I prefer bells to shouting, people seem to hear what they want so "watch it" transmogrifies into "you sh1t" in the ears of an aggressive drunk.
Pedestrians even get miffed at my little ting-a-ling bell when I ring it and when I dont.
Maybe I should call out something like "morning vicar"; how can you possibly get angry at that.

As for people leaping from one side of the road to the other, that is normal human behaviour, probably dating from caveman instincts to avoid a charging rhinoceros.
The one I dont get is a couple or group who split apart so you have to ride between them. Is this to confuse me with multiple targets so I dont know who to aim for?

Headhuunter

prj45 wrote:

Headhuunter wrote:

Bells are for losers. I just yell at idiot peds... Nothing rude, just something like "'scuse me, coming through" or "mind yer backs" etc. They usually look and take evasive action although I have to say some of them are so phased out that they don't notice me bellowing at them, however I don't think a bell would be any more noticeable to those peds who have zoned out of life and are walking on auto pilot....

Evasive action? Intimates that if they don't you're going to strike them right?

Well of course it's evasive action, the idiot has walked out into the street in front of traffic without looking. If I have time to shout I have time to brake so I'm not going to hit them, but I expect them to get out of the way....

meanredspider

My bell is yet another piece of crap that I've bought from my LBS (Alpine Bikes) - works fine in the dry but in the wet (when the peds have their hoods up and can neither hear nor see me coming) it makes all the ringing noise of a bee bumping off my lid....

As I almost only ever need to use it on the Kessock bridge (40T lorries one side, 40m into the N Sea the other), I'd kinda like it to be better.

Love that horn. I have a genuine one from the 30's in my garage inherited from my grandfather. It's over a foot long and makes a foghorn toned Parp Parp. No sure it would bling my Cayo though....

t4tomo

I had a horn on my bike in the 80's, but they aren't great when you need them in a hurry, and difficult to use a brake and parp a horn simutaneously, wheras I can brake and "thumb ding" a bell.

jeremyrundle

Fix a bell! get an air horn.

Origamist

ince wrote:

I often call out that I'm going to pass on the cycleway. I will also let them know which side I am going to pass them on, 'coming past on your right' for example. Its surprising how many people this confuses!

How not to cycle on a shared use path (go to 1 min 20sec and mute it):

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n3uvfySjjSY

t4tomo

jeremyrundle wrote:

Fix a bell! get an air horn.

Airhorns on bikes are for sad tw ats who take pleasure from needlessly scaring pedestrians.

Airhorns on cars, used appropriately, are fandukesofhazardtastic