Spurcycle Compact Bell?
 

Anyone try it? I'm thinking about one on my flat bar hybrid bike as I ride on a lot of paved trails that can get busy at times. I know the original gets good reviews but it may be too much for my bars.

Thanks.

They’re beautiful to look at, especially as compared to cheaper bells.

the few that I’ve tested were somewhat musical...

one cheapo I have is perfectly harmonized with itself and seems to make people smile when I ring it, another cheapo I have is horrendously out of tune with itself and garners sneers.

All of the Spurs sound refined but less loud than either of my cheapos and almost monophonic compared to my nice cheapo.

The bell is the same, so should be good.

Thanks for the replies. I don't mind spending extra for quality over playing roulette and probably spending more trying to get a good cheap one. I just don't want some huge bell on my bars but something I can still alert folks with when needed.

The original Spurcycle bell and the compact one are the same size

so it's unlikely that one would be too much for your bars, and the other wouldn't.

The mount is simpler and will only fit on modern flat bars near the grips.

I mount mine on the stem, hanging down, so it is unobtrusive.

I do not like them, They do not have the sound that carries,
Give me a Crane.
https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...060b0b72e4.jpg
It can be seen on the left handlebar on my Pro-Tour.

Thanks again everyone,

Yeah, I don't even know if I want a bell but think it could be useful especially coming around corners. I understand it is the same size as the original, just a different mount which I need to help save handlebar room. I have a Quad Lock already on my stem which usually has my phone so squeezing a bell in there won't work. I'll checkout the Crane too. I like the look/design of that Knog Oi bell but the reviews say it doesn't get that loud.

I agree. I bought one (the regular one, not compact) and returned it for a refund after a couple weeks of trying to pretend that high pitched tone was going to be recognizable to pedestrians as a bike bell. It was a nice bell to look at however and only took up minimal space on my handlebar.

What would the bell sound otherwise be recognized as? Its a bell and that sound doesnt naturally exist. If you hear it as a pedestrian, it is clearly not just background noise from woodland creatures so it makes you aware someone is approaching from behind.
Maybe I have been gone from the burbs for too long and there are now sounds that are the same as a high pitched bell so pedestrians there no longer recognize the sound?


The best answer to all this is- ride roads as much as possible and leave MUPs to runners, walkers, and families when possible. That reduces the odds of even needing to use a bell of any kind.

I have six of the original bells and love them. The minimalist design is what sold me, then when I received them I liked the sound. Can't comment on the compact.

The difference between the original and the compact besides the obvious is that one the original is made in USA and the compact is made in Taiwan. Some people care about this, as a Canadian I don't. If it matters to you then you might have your decision.

In my province it is law that every bicycle has a bell, rarely enforced but if you do get pulled over you can get a ticket if you don't have one. Even if I never use it, I at least need it to be compliant with the law. Of course every jurisdiction has it's own laws. If have to buy a bell, then Spur Cycle is a good choice and not the Rock Brothers who ripped off the design and sold it cheaper.

I use this. It mounts on the stem using a special headset spacer. So, it's out of the way. It comes with a silver spacer. I used a black spacer I had for another bell, which was fine but the spring for the clapper broke.

https://www.amazon.com/Crane-Bicycle...0&sr=8-20&th=1

To me it is much too high-pitched and has an unnecessarily long sustain even though it isn't particularly loud. Obviously I am in the wrong here, but to me they missed on all three points. Four, if you include the dull thwack sound the clapper makes when it strikes the bell. Granted it does have a clever mounting system, customizable to any size handlebar and the box it comes in is nice too but as a functioning bell, the bell on the counter at Subway is better.

Probably still work with your phone mount.

I've tried a whole bunch of bells including Crane, etc., & find it odd that someone would find pretty much any other to be better.



https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...35d64856b4.jpg

Oh, the ring is comically long. I totally agree. I will touch mine sometimes after ringing it to stop the sound since I dont need it to continue for 15 seconds.
You definitely arent in the wrong- its an opinion. I like hearing people's views that are based on use/experience.

I love the original and was sad when the new came out and it is made not in America. It is still a fine bell but the original is my favorite flavor (I have like 6 of them at least). I have always found it sounds really good and cuts through a bit more. The Crane bells are also good and you can get some that are handprinted by Japanese ladies and they are awesome.

Cell phone.

Interesting. I can confidently say I've never heard a cell phone ring that sounds like a spurcycle bell.
Certainly new info there.

I've seen similar comments on Youtube videos about this bell. I don't know - if it does, it's an app I don't have.

It reminds me of the kind of ringing one hears when they have tinnitus.

What did you do in the end? I find myself with the same conundrum regarding an already busy bar. And the compact bell's 9mm fastening seems preferable to the originals 20mm. The original does look way nicer in my opinion but it does require more space.

I haven't tried it yet.

I believe I have solved my bells/oblivious pedestrians problem.

#1 I'm avoiding mixed-use bike paths as much as possible.

# I have installed two Knog Oi bells; a left-hand bell and a right-hand, on the downward curves of my drop-bars, where they are easily reached while on the hoods.

These bells are not loud at all, but they take up less room than any other bells I've seen. Because I have two of them, I can beat out any kind of pattern I want (musician and cyclist here). The novelty and continuity of the sounds more than makes up for the lack of volume. The bells' notes are only a quarter-tone apart. I would have preferred a minor 3rd for that nursery-rhyme vibe.

I like to imitate the sound of an ambulance from the 1880s. So far this system has not failed to get the walking dead out of my way. Not once.

I use one for my commuter, works great. No complaints mounted on the down portion of my quill stem.