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New Bell

Old 07-01-20, 12:18 PM
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Colorado Kid
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New Bell

Well it had to happen, On today's commute, the bell died on me. Nothing I tried would work. Now I'm in the market for a new bell. Something load and Brassy Any ideals? What works and doesn't work in the real world?
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Old 07-01-20, 12:29 PM
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I love my big brass Velo-Orange bell; a beautiful loud chime, and it doesn't cost a lot.
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Old 07-01-20, 02:45 PM
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https://www.mirrycle.com/product-category/bells/ I have 3 grip bells

and a couple of these.. https://www.mirrycle.com/product/incredibell-original/


Loud ? a big Chinese rotary double gong bike bell https://www.ebay.com/i/283552717473?...8bd0a5c9348318






...

Last edited by fietsbob; 07-01-20 at 02:51 PM.
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Old 07-01-20, 03:31 PM
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I just got a friend the Electra chrome bell-- the big one that goes "ding-dong," not the smaller, quieter one that is more of the "brinng brinnnng" type. It's pretty loud, and the sound isn't bad.
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Old 07-01-20, 09:19 PM
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Originally Posted by Kat12
I just got a friend the Electra chrome bell-- the big one that goes "ding-dong," not the smaller, quieter one that is more of the "brinng brinnnng" type. It's pretty loud, and the sound isn't bad.
I had one of those for a while on a previous commuter. I wonder what happened to it, must be in one of my boxes of bike parts
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Old 07-01-20, 10:02 PM
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Can't go wrong with a Crane bell. Lots of materials/striker type/sizes and mounting styles to choose from. Polished brass always sounds and looks best to me.
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Old 07-02-20, 08:41 AM
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I use a Crane Riten bell. Sounds lovely.
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Old 07-02-20, 07:19 PM
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My Spurcycle bell makes a piercing high-pitched irritating chime, which pleases me
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Old 07-03-20, 07:15 PM
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Originally Posted by Archwhorides
My Spurcycle bell makes a piercing high-pitched irritating chime, which pleases me
Really like the sound of mine too. Really well made and very compact.



Last edited by GeneO; 07-03-20 at 07:18 PM.
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Old 07-03-20, 11:46 PM
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Crane bells! The Suzu on the Riten are the most popular. Suzu is more of a “dingg!” Riten is the more traditional “Brrringg bringg”. Both beautiful but I prefer the hammer look of the Suzu.

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Old 07-07-20, 12:54 AM
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another vote for a crane bell. they make a beautiful chime that's plenty loud.

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Old 07-07-20, 05:23 AM
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I made a post a while ago with a link to an Instagram video of mine that shows the sound of a couple of different bells in my possession (or surrounding bikes):
C&V Bell post

Originally Posted by JaccoW
Yes they do, with the main difference being that the Koga bell dies out really quickly and is quieter in person. To my ear (but that's the problem with sound in videos automatic gain in most videos) the:
  1. Spurcycle is loudest and sustains on the longest.
  2. Then the ding-dong bell is the most noticable.
  3. The classic Gazelle and the Crane are a close third.
  4. Both the no-name and Pelago dome bells come closely after that in sound.
  5. And the Gazelle twist and the Koga bell are last compared to the others. They are not as loud and die out sooner.
That being said, bell use in most of Europe is mostly limited to warning people to get out of the way RIGHT NOW instead of the "there is a bicycle coming" that is more common in the US. People will jump away if you approach them from the rear and strike your bell. I have had people reacting really scared over the Spurcycle.
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Old 07-15-20, 04:20 PM
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Originally Posted by JaccoW
I made a post a while ago with a link to an Instagram video of mine that shows the sound of a couple of different bells in my possession (or surrounding bikes):
C&V Bell post
I find the ding-dong bells are frequently ignored.

The spurcycle works surprisingly well. Both its tone and its duration are effective. The long duration let the pedestrian know my rate of speed and if I'm pulling over to pass. Subtle, but very effective.

Of course, nothing works like squeaky brakes...
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Old 07-16-20, 04:34 AM
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Originally Posted by chas58
I find the ding-dong bells are frequently ignored.

The spurcycle works surprisingly well. Both its tone and its duration are effective. The long duration let the pedestrian know my rate of speed and if I'm pulling over to pass. Subtle, but very effective.

Of course, nothing works like squeaky brakes...
It depends a lot on the location. In Europe bicycle bells are recognized by most people and as such people only use them to warn them they're passing when they are close by.
It means "I cannot pass you, get the **** out of the way!"

I have found my Spurcycle for example to be wonderfully loud but often aggressively so, causing people to get scared or look over their shoulder annoyed.

The Crane E-ne for comparison is a much gentler bell and gets the point across just as well.

Some fun background info:
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Old 07-16-20, 01:53 PM
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It depends a lot on the location. In Europe bicycle bells are recognized by most people and as such people only use them to warn them they're passing when they are close by.
It means "I cannot pass you, get the **** out of the way!"
It depends a lot on the location. In Europe bicycle bells are... treated differently by different people in different locations. Europe is a big place with a variety of countries and cultures.

For example, bike bells are pretty much ignored in Paris. That place is Chaos. Contrast to Germany - I don't think I ever really needed to use one there. In much of the US, the seem to be still kind of a novelty for pedestrians.
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Old 07-21-20, 08:57 AM
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I bought a Spurcycle clone off of ebay. Sounds great!
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Old 07-21-20, 06:00 PM
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Originally Posted by Korina
I love my big brass Velo-Orange bell; a beautiful loud chime, and it doesn't cost a lot.
Tomii Cycles is putting his golden touch to the VO brass bells and reselling them; https://www.tomiicycles.com/product/...-brass-bell-2/
Looks amazing
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Old 07-21-20, 06:39 PM
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Spurcycle for me
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Old 07-22-20, 07:08 AM
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Originally Posted by Korina
I love my big brass Velo-Orange bell; a beautiful loud chime, and it doesn't cost a lot.
My choice is also same buddy

Cheers
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Old 07-22-20, 07:09 AM
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Originally Posted by chas58
I find the ding-dong bells are frequently ignored.

The spurcycle works surprisingly well. Both its tone and its duration are effective. The long duration let the pedestrian know my rate of speed and if I'm pulling over to pass. Subtle, but very effective.

Of course, nothing works like squeaky brakes...
Ya, its true nothing works like squeaky brakes
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Old 07-22-20, 01:03 PM
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Originally Posted by bOsscO
Tomii Cycles is putting his golden touch to the VO brass bells and reselling them; https://www.tomiicycles.com/product/...-brass-bell-2/
Looks amazing
Wow, talk about value added; they're gorgeous!
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Old 07-23-20, 03:32 AM
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The important thing, I think, is to get one with a proper striker, not that goofy little spring that mounts underneath. Those just aren't loud enough.

I have a couple really nice old English bells. One is a Miller from about 1950. It makes a wonderful "bong" sound.

The one on my Holdsworth is similar, 3" chromed dome. I think it's a Lucas. But the striker is really sensitive. On the last day of my ride around Lake Ontario a couple years ago, after 60 hours nearly continuous riding, every expansion crack on the Ontario State Parkway made the bell ring every ten yards. By, and my that time the bell wasn't the
the only thing that was sensitive! My bell rang just at that moment when my saddle kicked my butt. Miles and miles going
Bong! Ow! Bong! Ow!​ ​​Bong! Ow! Bong! Ow!

Originally Posted by Korina
Wow, talk about value added; they're gorgeous!
Yeah!

I wonder what the finish is-- did he coat it with something or is that just tarnished brass?

Patina and tarnish, different words for the same thing.
​​​​​​​

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Old 07-23-20, 11:13 AM
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Originally Posted by rhm
Yeah!

I wonder what the finish is-- did he coat it with something or is that just tarnished brass?

Patina and tarnish, different words for the same thing.
This from the December 2019 Radavist article; "As the tedium of framebuilding tires Nao’s cerebrum, he takes to customizing Velo Orange bells. First, he disassembles them, then he strips the hard finishing, exposing the brass. At which point he hand hammers each bell in a 360º manner before wax coating and reassembling."
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Old 08-24-20, 02:02 PM
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A follow-up question about Spurcycle bells, if I may:

I've watched a few videos about how to install them, but none showed how to remove one and if the metal "strap" is re-usable.

I'm not looking to move one between bikes regularly or anything, but just wondered if they're as easy to remove as they seem like they would be. If so, I may buy one. If not, I might look at other bells instead.

Thanks.
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Old 08-24-20, 02:12 PM
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Yes, the band is reusable. I have moved mine between bikes. To remove you just loosen the screw and squeeze the ends of the band together to release them from the slots in the bell.
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