wahoonc

Personally I prefer the Dutch system where bicycles have their own pathways, pedestrians have sidewalks and cars have whatever is left over...

In reality in my part of the US we take what we can get. Unfortunately in my area that means I have to ride very vehicular and hope I don't get run over by a drunk or inattentive driver. My wife has actually stopped riding to the store from our house due to a 300%+ increase in traffic along our road. We may be moving back into the town soon so that may improve.

Aaron

AdamDZ

I use integrated XT shifters so I mount my bell upside down so I can trigger it with my index finger, where the standard shifting lever would normally be. That's for passing other cyclists on bikeways. While on the NYC streets, using a bell is like farting next to an erupting volcano, so I use AirZound.

FYI: yes, in many states, including NYS, whistles are illegal to use on the bikes but that DOES NOT include air horns. The reason is whistles in traffic are reserved for the cops.

nutcase

Yes.

dahut

No. I shout "passing left! / passing right!" - well in advance of overtaking.

xargaun

i suppose i could have been clearer above. not talking about sidewalks, was referring exclusively to MUPs. its legal to rid on sidewalks here, but i don't do it unless there is some reason i have to. on the other hand, MUPs here are basically mini roads meant for everything that doesn't have a motor, and in most parts of the city there is signage and pavement markings directing bikes to use them instead of the street. don't have to, but its more than a little encouraged. so, not only should people expect to see bikes along with the rollerblades, skateboards, skis with wheels (don't know what those are called), runners, etc, the path is more or less intended to get bikes off the streets it runs next to. most of the rules are pretty loose and open to interpretation. the speed limit for example is "prudent and proper". one thing that is pretty clear though, its not ok for any kind of traffic to block the path and not allow some other traffic to pass. doesn't matter if its people on foot, skates on a bike, or whatever. i'm not talking about people that are maybe not going as fast as someone thinks they should or something like that, i am talking about people behaving in a manner that makes it difficult for others to use the path. the wedding people i mentioned above, you would have had as hard time getting by them on foot. the paths are wide and easy to share, don't think its too much to ask.

crazybikerchick

I prefer not to use the bell on MUPs, perhaps because of my association with rude sidewalk cyclists ringing maniacally for pedestrians to get out of their way. I prefer verbal communication ("heads up", "good morning", "on your left") if necessary and passing wide with lots of room if available.

The bell seems semi-useful on city streets to capture attention of jaywalkers that walk with their heads down, sometimes its necessary to just yell "HEADS UP" really loudly. If a pedestrian is walking in the crosswalk against the RED light and is in danger of colliding with my path I won't hesitate to brrring brrring loudly. Yeah I could brake but its pretty rude of the ped to cross in front.

Ah now I am out of the city and all its headaches; so I guess all the bell is pretty much useful for is alerting the deer I'm coming

noglider 

I have about six bikes I ride, and each one has a bell. Not everyone heeds it, but I like to have it anyway.

dscheidt

Use a bell. It's what it's for. a bell has a bunch of advantages over verbal communication. One is that it's easier to hear over ambient noise, or headphones playing music. Second, it doesn't require the processing to figure out what it means that speech does; it just means "bike". screaming "get out of my way, you hoser!" (which is what pedestrians translate "on your left" to, I assure you.) makes you look a lot more rude than a bell. Nothing stops you from saying "good morning" as you pass, too.

Russcoles11

Due to my experiences as a pedestrian, when I bought a bike the 1st thing I did was replace the 'ping' bell with the traditional 'tring tring' bell. The small 'ping' bells with the spring back hammer is commonplace these days but ppl cannot easily identify the sound and its harder to determine direction. The traditional bell with the spinning hammers inside gives a longer sound so you can determine direction easier and is instantly recognised as a bike bell. I rarely have any issues on my commute to work with anyone my way but using the bell with plenty of warning (not when you're 2 feet away) usually gets ppl to look round and usually you get a smile and greeting as well (yup I'm not in the US).

Stu In Tokyo

Not much more you can do I guess, the air horn sounds fun, but I bet people would just get POed at you.

I ride in Tokyo, hauling a trailer and let me tell you, the peds seldom give way.....

AsanaCycles

I do use a bell
actually I use two!

two of the identical Incredibells
one on each side of the handlebar

BUT...

they have different tones
because I put small stickers on them, and they end up having different tones.

so...

as I approach a "caution area"

I "ping" with the bells, with their intervals far apart
as I get closer, the intervals between each bell tone shortens

i.e.

ping ... ... ... PING ... ... ping
ping ..... ..... PING .... ping
ping ... ... PING ... ping
ping ... PING ... ping
ping . PING . ping

if I don't get peoples' attention then its fairly annoying

ping.PING ping.PING ping.PING ping.PING

until I pass, then the rhythm fades away in the reverse

ping . PING . ping
ping ... PING ... ping
ping ... ... PING ... ... ping
ping ..... ..... PING .... .... ping
ping ... ... ... PING ... ... ... ping

this method along with increasing the effort into the bell (volume)
provides a doppler effect
thereby providing a sense of distance, urgency, and degree of caution



bells are funny...
I've found that people actually like this method of bell "communication"

noglider 

Clever idea. I might try it, but I also find the ping bells to be harder to use than the tring-tring bells. And I'm not sure I have two thumbs free at a time!

dahut

I did start using a bell, recently. The classic ring, ring sort. People really react well to it - as another has said, everyone associates it with a bicycle

mrosenlof

I use a bell, mostly on the paths around Boulder. I ring well behind people I'm going to pass. I'm hoping its a friendly sound and if people know I'm there, might be less inclined to wander randomly across the path. For me it communicates better than "on your left".

skijor

Schweigen!

crackerdog

I have found the bells with the 'cha-ching' sound to be far more effective than the simple 'ring'. Some people are partly deaf, mostly in the high ranges and the single ring of a bell can sound like background noise but the 'cha-ching' sounds like a bike or an old cash register and gets most people's attention. I am trying to institute a policy on our MUP here, that if you here the bell, raise your hand and then I don't have to worry you are about to step in front of me. I don't like, 'on your left' because most people only hear, 'left' and so step to their left, into my path. I don't go fast on a MUP unless I am the only one out there because pedestrians have the right of way in all cases.

dahut

You are right. When people are not focused on a source, most of them only hear the latter part of what enters their sphere. This means you have to alert them sooner and louder than you are inclined to. We're usually too engrossed in our own circumstances to announce ourselves loudly and well in advance of our approach.

But we should, to be sure we are heard - and so we have time to react if we are not.

Grishnak

Here in the UK a bell is a legal requirement,you would not believe the fine for not having one!. They are not always effective,ring at some people and they look on the ground for dropped change.I am always on the non airzound bike when I need it too.

noglider 

I am now dying to know what the fine for belllessness is.

Tom

Grishnak

I think it carries a £1000 max penalty.Never seen it enforced tho.

dahut

Just for ducks, what are the legal requirements for cycling in the U.K.? What can we expect to see come to these shores?

Grishnak

Bikes should have two brakes,reflectors front and rear,and a bell.Obey the highway code,max average speed 18 m.p.h on cycle paths.Lights at night.£30 fine for riding on the footpath.

Gareth

It has always been a legal requirement to have a working bell fitted to a Bicycle here in the UK. It sort of fell out of favour and fashion with the rising popularity of mountain bikes during the 1980's.

In 2006, a law was introduced that stated all fully assembled bikes sold in the UK must have a Bell fitted; this is the responsibility of the retail seller. What happens after the bike has left the shop (removing the bell) is up to the owner, although there is still the legal requirement to have a working bell fitted to the bicycle ..... ..... to the best of my knowledge, no one has been prosecuted for not having a bell on their bicycle. .

The major supermarkets and discount stores circumnavigate this law by supplying self assembly bicycle shaped objects (BSO's); often it is only the pedals that need installing by the owner before the bike is classed as rideable, and therefore they remove the obligation (and expense) of supplying a bell.


I have two bells fitted to my general use Hybrid: a tring-ring-tring-ring type bell on the right hand side, and ping bell on the left hand side of my bars.

dahut

The UK rules sound little different from our own, with the exception of the bell mandate. The obfuscation of the ordinances to sell BSO's - bike shaped objects - certainly sounds like something wed see on these shores.

I can live with the bell - I like it actually. I just hope it wont be forced upon us along with the helmet... you know how some of us Yanks are about that sort of thing.

noglider 

Not very different from here. The uniform vehicle code is adopted by 49 or 50 states in the USA. It says bikes should have a bell or similar device.

This is never enforced.