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Why won't you use a bell on a shared path?

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Why won't you use a bell on a shared path?

Old 04-24-21, 11:05 PM
  #76  
AdkMtnMonster
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Originally Posted by fredlord
Knowing when to ring and when not to ring is a subtle art. If you're on a super-crowded path as in the video posted earlier, then yes, I would also find the constant ringing annoying.

You must be annoyed with yourself. In your first post you said you’ll ring every 20 seconds, “Big deal.” So, which is it? Constant ringing is annoying, or you ring every 20 seconds? You can edit a post, but you can’t unring a bell.
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Old 04-24-21, 11:06 PM
  #77  
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Originally Posted by HD3andMe
LOL. That's complete garbage.

You should be embarrassed after posting that nonsense.
You don't think that some cyclists sometimes are more concerned with the segment they're riding than the people around them? From what I've seen, that seems like a pretty reasonable conclusion. Definitely not complete garbage.
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Old 04-24-21, 11:10 PM
  #78  
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Originally Posted by AdkMtnMonster
You must be annoyed with yourself. In your first post you said you’ll ring every 20 seconds, “Big deal.” So, which is it? Constant ringing is annoying, or you ring every 20 seconds? You can edit a post, but you can’t unring a bell.
Every 20 seconds ain't "constantly". And on the path I mainly have to use, the crowds thin out after a while. For me it really isn't a big deal.
I would not drill away on my bell if there were a large unpassable bottleneck of peds in front of me. That would be annoying.
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Old 04-24-21, 11:15 PM
  #79  
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Originally Posted by fredlord
Every 20 seconds ain't "constantly". And on the path I mainly have to use, the crowds thin out after a while. For me it really isn't a big deal.
I would not drill away on my bell if there were a large unpassable bottleneck of peds in front of me. That would be annoying.
Who should yield: a hot air balloon, a glider, or a jet on short final?
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Old 04-24-21, 11:21 PM
  #80  
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Originally Posted by AdkMtnMonster
Who should yield: a hot air balloon, a glider, or a jet on short final?
I don't get your point. I'm guessing if they were on a collision course it wouldn't end well for anyone.
You must ride really fast.
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Old 04-25-21, 12:39 AM
  #81  
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Originally Posted by HD3andMe
You’ve already proven that reading comprehension is not your strong suit.

There’s no need to belabor the point.
Rather than trying to insult me could you help me understand your point? Please?
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Old 04-25-21, 01:12 AM
  #82  
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All bikes should have a bell. Cyclists should also adjust their speed when approaching pedestrians. Especially if there isn't much room to pass or there are small children about. Cycling is like driving. You have a responsibility not to injure other people.
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Old 04-25-21, 02:30 AM
  #83  
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I don't have a bell on my road bike and I haven't mounted one because I rarely use it around town .. but all my other bikes have a bell and it's a rather essential thing to have
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Old 04-25-21, 03:51 AM
  #84  
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Originally Posted by fredlord
I think there are many instances where cyclists should use a bell, and don't. I'm trying to do two things: understand why they don't use a bell, and try to convince them to reconsider.

Yes, I guess I feel morally superior to those folks.
Using a bike bell makes you feel “morally superior”?

That’s a pretty low standard.
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Old 04-25-21, 03:59 AM
  #85  
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Originally Posted by Koyote
Using a bike bell makes you feel “morally superior”?

That’s a pretty low standard.
You quote me out of context in an objectionable and unfair way! Low standard indeed!

The full quote:
Yes, I guess I feel morally superior to those folks, but that seems like a strange way to look at it, to me. Do you think of yourself as "morally superior" to people who e.g. litter or mistreat animals? Or do you just wish they'd stop and try to reason with them?

I guess another option is to do nothing, lest someone label you arrogant, or a troll, or something.

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Old 04-25-21, 04:26 AM
  #86  
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Originally Posted by fredlord
On the bike paths of Sydney my success rate seems to have been higher than yours. If my advanced warning(s) have gone unheeded, I automatically make some calculations/judgements: are they truly oblivious?; should I slow down?; can I safely go around offpath? Am I so close to them now that another dingding may startle them into doing something dumb?

Doing nothing isn't an option, because by using the path I agreed to share it.
Multiple studies have shown that surprising someone from behind by ringing a bell can be very traumatizing to people suffering from PTSD.
You keep doing your Mary Poppins thing though
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Old 04-25-21, 04:44 AM
  #87  
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Originally Posted by downhillmaster
Multiple studies have shown that surprising someone from behind by ringing a bell can be very traumatizing to people suffering from PTSD.
You keep doing your Mary Poppins thing though
Yes, I will keep trying to avoid unpleasantly surprising or inconveniencing people who share a path with me.
You keep reading about surprising people from behind though.
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Old 04-25-21, 05:02 AM
  #88  
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Originally Posted by fredlord
"Speaking to a person" will surely only work when you're crawling very slowly behind them. In my experience, that's a very small percentage of times.
As a musician, some bells sound better than others, but none sound stupid to me.

I'm a very fast rider on paths, and what you say about this only working when crawling is complete horsecrap. I can project my voice very well and am heard in time for the information to be useful and non-startling.You want to know what you're doing wrong in this thread? You've decided to make this a debate where you're going to show how everyone else is wrong even if you have to make up "facts."

And my esthetic sense is ding ding ding sounds stupid. That's a matter of taste, so not worth arguing.

If you ever ride on the Minuteman or similarly crowded urban path, there's definitely times where both way traffic make passing a completely irresponsible thing to do and I will slow to a crawl rather than choosing between putting myself in the face of an oncoming rider or slamming into the stroller in front of me.
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Old 04-25-21, 05:10 AM
  #89  
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Originally Posted by fredlord
I'm at a total loss as to how to answer this, except to refer you to post #69.
I'll refer you to post #1 where you posed this as a series of "do you still beat your wife" questions. You started uncivil, and set up the train wreck.

I get that you don't like using your voice, what I don't get is why you are so arrogant as to think anyone else would think that's a reason to switch to a bell.

By the way, I suspect all you've actually accomplished here is to get your name on a bunch of ignore lists.
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Old 04-25-21, 05:15 AM
  #90  
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Originally Posted by fredlord
I agree. It's just that on paths where I can achieve a fair speed yet still encounter plenty of people whom I have to pass, I'd rather use a bell than wear out my voice.

So if you agree it doesn't matter what noise you make and this all just your personal preference, you've just conceded the argument. Maybe have a discussion instead of a dumb debate?
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Old 04-25-21, 05:23 AM
  #91  
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Old 04-25-21, 05:24 AM
  #92  
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Originally Posted by livedarklions
I'm a very fast rider on paths, and what you say about this only working when crawling is complete horsecrap. I can project my voice very well and am heard in time for the information to be useful and non-startling.You want to know what you're doing wrong in this thread? You've decided to make this a debate where you're going to show how everyone else is wrong even if you have to make up "facts."

And my esthetic sense is ding ding ding sounds stupid. That's a matter of taste, so not worth arguing.

If you ever ride on the Minuteman or similarly crowded urban path, there's definitely times where both way traffic make passing a completely irresponsible thing to do and I will slow to a crawl rather than choosing between putting myself in the face of an oncoming rider or slamming into the stroller in front of me.
We seem to agree on everything important. Maybe a bit of confusion about what constitutes "speaking".
I don't believe I've "made up" any facts, but am happy to be corrected. Most of what I've said has been my opinion, and I've labeled it as such.
For me, the facts in this thread are:
- in my experience on the bike paths of Sydney, some cyclists frighten other people by suddenly whizzing past them;
- this unpleasantness could be alleviated by said cyclists somehow announcing their presence in a way that doesn't make things worse;
- for me, the most convenient way to make this announcement is with a bell.
Yes, de gustibus non est disputandum.

As for what I've done wrong in this thread, I think my biggest mistake was the way I worded the opening post. It was meant to raise a laugh rather than hackles. Oh well.
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Old 04-25-21, 05:28 AM
  #93  
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Originally Posted by AdkMtnMonster
Who should yield: a hot air balloon, a glider, or a jet on short final?

On a MUP? Everywhere I've ridden on one, there's a law or a rule that states bicyclists must yield to pedestrians. I think we have the ninja passers to "thank" for an increasing number of posted speed limits on MUPs.

Holy inept analogy, Batman!


​​​
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Old 04-25-21, 06:12 AM
  #94  
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I sneak up behind people and yell "coming right at you." That gets the attention of even those who have buds or headphones, and it makes me giggle to see them jump. More effective than a bell for getting attention and equally effective for communicating intention.

Last edited by Paul Barnard; 04-25-21 at 06:43 AM.
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Old 04-25-21, 07:14 AM
  #95  
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Problem is that only pedestrian bikes have bells on them, also the bells are so few nowadays that hearing one startles the &*($% out of most folks, typically leading to unpredictable moves, sort of like a hen on a road.

Did anybody mention clicking your brake levers or just coasting your freewheel a bit? Either of these is mostly enough to alert people that something is coming from behind. And if you have noise cancelling earphones, at least you won't do the hen thing when I pass you.

And did I mention that having a bell these days puts you squarely into the liberal left activist carebear crowd, choose your own class bracket

Last edited by vane171; 04-25-21 at 07:17 AM.
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Old 04-25-21, 07:21 AM
  #96  
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Originally Posted by Koyote
I know how to enunciate the words "on your left!"
Originally Posted by Fredo_Adagio
When passing a person on foot, I usually say "On your left.", which clearly lets them know that I intend to pass on their left. They still move to the left rather than the right about 20% of the time. If I use a bell, it's about 50% of the time that they move to the left.
+1

My community has an excellent walking, running, cycling path that was installed sometime around 1976 I believe. Our local laws do not to my knowledge require bells or horns on bicycles, but common decency around here results in most people using an "on your left" verbal warning. On this quiet, wooded, riverside path, it does not require any more volume than what one would expect to gain someone's attention. For the most part in our town, walkers, runners and cyclists all coexist on this path using this system.
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Old 04-25-21, 07:24 AM
  #97  
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Originally Posted by Dominae
You mean like when you ring the bell and startle them and, scared and confused, they jump out in front of you?
That would be an example of not using it properly.

I use a bell and have never had this happen. Literally.
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Old 04-25-21, 07:28 AM
  #98  
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Originally Posted by Troul
a bicycle requires no dialect, therefore, a bell may never draw attention to someone that has a deaf/mute handicap.
So what? This is making the argument that something is bad because it's not perfect.

Nothing is going to work all the time.
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Old 04-25-21, 07:29 AM
  #99  
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On MUPS I like to toot my 115 dB AIrZound Airhorn from 50-75 yards back to give pedestrians, dog-walkers and slow meandering cyclists (usually families) as much time as possible to react and adapt before I get anywhere near them. And then I slow down if need be, because the MUP is not my personal raceway.

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Old 04-25-21, 07:33 AM
  #100  
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Originally Posted by vane171
the bells are so few nowadays that hearing one startles the &*($% out of most folks
I would suggest activating the bell a little earlier, and mabe more than once. I've never startled anyone with a bell, but I have with unheralded passes.
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