Germany_chris

I use a Knog oi luxe on all my bikes, I don’t know how loud it is in comparison to others but people hear it

dsaul

I don't know what the best bell is, but the Knog Oi is one of the worst I've ever wasted money on. It looks cool and I really wanted it to be good, but it was awful. It sounded great when it was not mounted on the bars, but as soon as it was mounted, the sound was deadened to the point of just making a dull "clink" noise. I tried adjusting how tight it was mounted to the bar with no change. I purchased 2 of them, so I thought maybe one was a dud, but the other one was exactly the same.

fredlord

Wow, I just bought an Oi (small) yesterday! I think you were unlucky. Mine is loud(ish), clear, and has a long sustain. Also looks good and takes up little real-estate.

himespau 

Not quite in your price range, but just get an Air Zound and make sure everyone in a 3 block radius is aware of you regardless of whether they have windows up or are listening to music.

VicBC_Biker

Here's a video with good analysis of the sound from some of the bells discussed here, including the Spurcycle and Knog.

I was interested in the sound of the Spurcycle in that video. It has the same sound quality as the $5 knockoff I have - ringing main tone with some dissonant/'jangly' overtones.
For now I have the $5 Spurcycle imitation on my road bike - not so much to signal with (as I don't think it's very effective) as to fulfill any legal requirement.
The Crane bell in that video is definitely in a league of its own.

Pop N Wood

Good article. I have a couple of those Knog bells because I love the look of them. But they really aren't loud enough to be effective. Ran over some lady's poor dog when the dog heard the bell but the lady walking him didn't.

Just want to mention the Velo Orange bell looks like a larger version of the Crane bell. According to this thread the VO bells are louder than the Crane units. Half the price as well.

https://www.bikeforums.net/classic-v...ane-bells.html

John Valuk

It may depend on exactly which model of Crane bell one is considering. One comment in that thread:

"The bell pictured is Velo Orange, and it's nearly identical to my Crane Suzu in size and appearance apart from a slightly different mount. The crane's mount is slightly more elegant."

Prices can vary substantially on stuff such as this. Just checking now, I see the Crane Suzu in brass as low as $15.59.

For something in this price range, if purchasing the bell by itself, shipping costs could play into it, too.

Milton Keynes

The cheap Chinese bell I bought from Amazon is pretty loud. It gives a nice "ding ding" whenever you press the lever.

surak

I use my middle finger to ring 'em when on the hoods.

VicBC_Biker

Thanks for those pics - that's a clever spot to put the bell.

For now, I have the bell near the stem - the few times I've used it, it was easy to move my hand to the top of the bar and hit the ringer with my thumb.

BikingViking793 

Very interesting. Hadn't thought much about bells but really need to get one.

kahn

Oh, I may have to try upsidedown.

VicBC_Biker

I think it will be useless in the rain (filling with water), but for now my road bike is a 'fair weather bike'.

jadocs

I have the Lux, all I can say is there has to be something with the way you have it mounted. The inner ring needs to be tightened where it does not affect how the outer ring is suspended. This includes improper routing of cables under the inner ring causing it to torque and affect how the outer ring is suspended, or something is touching the outer ring.

dsaul

I don't have the Lux and maybe that one is better. Mine has the plastic striker and nothing is touching the outer ring. I'm proficient enough with design and engineering principles to be able to machine and build my own bicycle frames and fixtures, so I don't think I installed it wrong.

EDIT: I had another look at the bells that I purchased and they appear to be knockoffs, since they don't have "knog" or "Oi" on them anywhere. I purchased them from Amazon, where they were listed as Knog Oi bells and cost $19.99 each, so I wasn't looking for a bargain. I only ordered them from Amazon for the next day shipping. Apologies to the folks at Knog for disparaging their product.

OldRailfan

I'll second that!
Tried the bells first and the results/reactions on our Rail Trail were mixed.
Next up the Ytupomzi horn, four different sounds and using the loudest of the four gets people's attention, everyone's but the "most stubborn".

Cheers

HJ

kahn

Oh, you do have a point and living only a bit south of you, yes, we do have our damp weather. Although, frankly, I don't voluntarily head out in the rain but do occasionally get caught. I wonder if drilling a drain hole would blow the entire sound.

VicBC_Biker

I wouldn't do that with the $80 one!!

Warbird21

I've been riding on the C&O canal a good bit more than summer than last (my current gravel bike is more comfortable). I had removed my bell, but now in the middle summer, realized I need it. Last year, it seemed like folks didn't hear my el-cheapo "ding" bell ($6) or they were offended I was asking them to not walk down both side so the towpath in parallel. From the video above, I'm not sure any of them would be heard over the sound of the Potomac River.

urbanCyC

I had exactly the same requirement and got an overview of loud bicycle bells in this price range. But that was not enough for me and I started a small project with the help of a 3d printer to generate even more sound pressure from a cheap bell by changing the directivity pattern of the sound.

The result (free STL file) can be found on thingiverse (thing:5197246).

It didn't really become compact. The ergonomics are not perfect either. But it produces a few more decibels of sound pressure in the direction of travel (where it is needed).

MarcusT

I just mounted a Knog Oi and it sounds great. Check your mounting, ensure nothing is touching the chime and you did not over tighten. It seems odd that both are duds.

sean.hwy

After about a year of trying several bells and different things to say in the end I find it's just easier to slow down and pass cautiously.
By the time you slow down ( and pedal backwards for ratchet noise in the hub ) enough for them to hear your cute little bell you almost pass them anyways. The real loud air horns is too loud and rude to use on a MUP. The bells are useless for cars.

LarrySellerz

If you can whistle loudly it beats any bell. I can't

DorkDisk

Living in NYC, bells are required so I have a number of them. I'd like to point out that the Oi and the Oi Luxe are different bells. The original Oi has a simple plastic striker with molded "pivot" nubs and a coil spring. This version sounds dumpy and the striker falls off easily. The newer Luxe has a metal striker very similar to the Spurcycyle striker mechanism and is much better. The sound is nice but not as loud or as high pitched as a Spurcycle. I have only one $pur, like four Oi Luxes, and one Oi. Spurcycles sound the best but the Ois offer some more mounting options.

ofajen

I use the new version of the Incredibell that attaches by an O-ring. I think it goes for about $12 US. That is easy to put wherever it works best (even on a stem) and move between bikes. It was more convenient to get the brass version which has much longer sustain while still sounding like a bike bell.

Yelling “bicycle passing on your left” is the backup plan for those who don’t hear the bell. This time of year is pretty easy because there are so few people out in the dreary cold on the muddy trails. It’s awesome! 😊

Otto