Audible Warning When Riding

[[email protected]]

The old rotating bells are no good these days with drivers' music so
loud. Does anyone know of a good alarm of some kind against pedestrians
and motorists? A whistle is cheap and loud but I dont fancy riding with
it in my teeth all the time. Some motorcyclists used to attach aerosol
driven horns which must be quite light but may need a large battery.
What does everyone else use to secure life and limb?

upthekerbagain

 

[LSMike]

[email protected] wrote:
> The old rotating bells are no good these days with drivers' music so
> loud. Does anyone know of a good alarm of some kind against pedestrians
> and motorists? A whistle is cheap and loud but I dont fancy riding with
> it in my teeth all the time. Some motorcyclists used to attach aerosol
> driven horns which must be quite light but may need a large battery.
> What does everyone else use to secure life and limb?
>
> upthekerbagain

AIRZOUND, £20, light weight, very loud, and powered by compressed air
from your pump, stored in a bottle.

http://www.sjscycles.com/store/item4.htm

 

[[email protected]]

[email protected] wrote:
> The old rotating bells are no good these days with drivers' music so
> loud. Does anyone know of a good alarm of some kind against pedestrians
> and motorists? A whistle is cheap and loud but I dont fancy riding with
> it in my teeth all the time. Some motorcyclists used to attach aerosol
> driven horns which must be quite light but may need a large battery.
> What does everyone else use to secure life and limb?

you can't beat a voice. Hands free and infinitely variable in tone
pitch and message. A good loud bellow is enough to puncture the dreams
of even the most inattentive motorist [1] at a junction and tends to
attract pedestrian stares so at least you might have witnesses if it
all goes horribly wrong with a motor. Suitable also for more subtle
interactions with pedestrians directly and for saying thank you

[1] can also serve as an outlet for any pent up frustration

best wishes
james

 

[LSMike]

[email protected] wrote:
> you can't beat a voice. Hands free and infinitely variable in tone
> pitch and message. A good loud bellow is enough to puncture the dreams
> of even the most inattentive motorist [1] at a junction and tends to
> attract pedestrian stares so at least you might have witnesses if it
> all goes horribly wrong with a motor. Suitable also for more subtle
> interactions with pedestrians directly and for saying thank you
>
> [1] can also serve as an outlet for any pent up frustration
>
> best wishes
> james

I disagree, a shout is good, and quite possibly as loud as an airzound,
but IME it's nowhere near as effective in getting attention.

 

[R. Murphy]

Human Voice

<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> The old rotating bells are no good these days with drivers' music so
> loud. Does anyone know of a good alarm of some kind against pedestrians
> and motorists? A whistle is cheap and loud but I dont fancy riding with
> it in my teeth all the time. Some motorcyclists used to attach aerosol
> driven horns which must be quite light but may need a large battery.
> What does everyone else use to secure life and limb?
>
> upthekerbagain
>

 

[Pinky]

I have a simple but effective "bulb horn" ( my grandson gave to me for
Christmas 2004) and it is extremely effective. Bells are useless and nobody
takes any notice of them but everyone hears the toot of my horn. They may
laugh or ridicule it but they notice my approach! Best thing I had on my
bike. Quite excellent!

--
Trevor A Panther
In South Yorkshire,
England, United Kingdom.

<[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> The old rotating bells are no good these days with drivers' music so
> loud. Does anyone know of a good alarm of some kind against pedestrians
> and motorists? A whistle is cheap and loud but I dont fancy riding with
> it in my teeth all the time. Some motorcyclists used to attach aerosol
> driven horns which must be quite light but may need a large battery.
> What does everyone else use to secure life and limb?
>
> upthekerbagain
>

 

[Ric]

Ride on the pavement then all you need is a bell.

 

[LSMike]

Ric wrote:
> Ride on the pavement then all you need is a bell.

<John Doe /> Troll.

 

[Arthur Clune]

[email protected] wrote:
> The old rotating bells are no good these days with drivers' music so
> loud.

For drivers - shouting, as suggested by others.

I do have a bell on my commuting bike (it came free on my new MTB
where it was of no use whatsoever) and it's reminded me how useful
a bell is in urban situations, so I'd suggest keeping a bell as well.


Arthur

--
Arthur Clune

 

[[email protected]]

a 'ping' bell for slow speed mixed use paths... I always use them when
passing dogs, even those on short leads. I'm hoping that the day the
dog is off-lead, the ping will make him scurry for the path-side. It
depends a lot on the cycling density, IME. A ped on the shared use path
I use is unlikely to get more than 100m between cycles, and so a ping
is 'expected and resolved' easily.

For on road use, a 'HEY' or 'OI' as appropriate. An 'ARGhhh' can also
trigger a reflex breaking reaction !

YMMV,
M.

 

[John B]

Simon Brooke wrote:

> in message <[email protected]>, Ric
> ('[email protected]') wrote:
>
> > Ride on the pavement then all you need is a bell.
>
> I know this is supposed to be 'clever' and 'a joke' but let's be clear
> about this: riding on the pavement is both illegal and dangerous.

It depends whether it was a two-year old posting it.
I suspect it may have been.

John B

 

[Ric]

"Simon Brooke" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> in message <[email protected]>, Ric
> ('[email protected]') wrote:
>
>> Ride on the pavement then all you need is a bell.
>
> I know this is supposed to be 'clever' and 'a joke' but let's be clear
> about this: riding on the pavement is both illegal and dangerous.
>
Not dangerous and not illegal in France. Far safer on the pavement! Even
police ride their bikes on the pavement here!

 

[Eric B]

Ric a écrit :
>>I know this is supposed to be 'clever' and 'a joke' but let's be clear
>>about this: riding on the pavement is both illegal and dangerous.
> Not dangerous and not illegal in France. Far safer on the pavement! Even
> police ride their bikes on the pavement here!

No, it is illegal in France, except:
- outside of cities (R431-10):
http://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/WAspad/UnArticleDeCode?code=CROUTENR.rcv&art=R431-10
- for kids before the age of 8, going slowly (R412-34):
http://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/WAspad/UnArticleDeCode?code=CROUTENR.rcv&art=R412-34

The police do illegal things too... like parking their cars in cycle lanes!

 

[Mark McNeill]

Response to Eric B:
> No, it is illegal in France, except:
> - outside of cities (R431-10):
> http://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/WAspad/UnArticleDeCode?code=CROUTENR.rcv&art=R431-10
> - for kids before the age of 8, going slowly (R412-34):
> http://www.legifrance.gouv.fr/WAspad/UnArticleDeCode?code=CROUTENR.rcv&art=R412-34
>
> The police do illegal things too... like parking their cars in cycle lanes!

Maybe the police he's referring to are rural police. Or under 8 years
old.


--
Mark, UK
"You are in a maze of twisty little passages, all different."

 

[Ric]

"Eric B" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Ric a écrit :
>>>I know this is supposed to be 'clever' and 'a joke' but let's be clear
>>>about this: riding on the pavement is both illegal and dangerous.
>> Not dangerous and not illegal in France. Far safer on the pavement! Even
>> police ride their bikes on the pavement here!

Where I live in Cannes there is a narrow two lane highway (RN7) running
through the town. If you ride along the road, you are repeatedly squashed
against the kerb because there is so little room for cars and buses to pass
unless they change lanes - which they often don't want to do. Alongside,
there is a huge pavement, nearly as wide as the road, running along the
seafront. It is much safer to ride along the pavement - just like the Cannes
Police do. There are lots of other circumstances where it is safer to ride
on the pavement. The generalised claim that riding on the pavement is
"dangerous" is pompous blather.

 

[Richard]

Ric wrote:
> There are lots of other circumstances where it is safer to ride
> on the pavement. The generalised claim that riding on the pavement is
> "dangerous" is pompous blather.

....backed up by the statistics, however, which show that it /is/ more
dangerous.

R.

 

[Tony Raven]

Richard wrote:
> Ric wrote:
>> There are lots of other circumstances where it is safer to ride
>> on the pavement. The generalised claim that riding on the pavement is
>> "dangerous" is pompous blather.
>
> ....backed up by the statistics, however, which show that it /is/ more
> dangerous.
>

And not only more dangerous, but significantly more dangerous.

--
Tony

"The best way I know of to win an argument is to start by being in the
right."
- Lord Hailsham

 

[Peter Clinch]

Arthur Clune wrote:

> For drivers - shouting, as suggested by others.

And add my shout to back that. The thing about a very sharp *OI*! is
it's quite effective and doesn't require to reach for anything. I saved
myself and a couple of suicide pedestrians from a high speed collision a
couple of weeks ago with one, and rather startled a driver on a
roundabout at the back end of last year who hadn't noticed me at first
(at least he pulled up along the road and got out to apologise!)

> I do have a bell on my commuting bike (it came free on my new MTB
> where it was of no use whatsoever) and it's reminded me how useful
> a bell is in urban situations, so I'd suggest keeping a bell as well.

Also my experience. In places where you're mixing with peds a bell is
generally considered polite by them, and it's a lot easier to sound a
bell than say "excuse me!" 23 times.

Pete.
--
Peter Clinch Medical Physics IT Officer
Tel 44 1382 660111 ext. 33637 Univ. of Dundee, Ninewells Hospital
Fax 44 1382 640177 Dundee DD1 9SY Scotland UK
net [email protected] http://www.dundee.ac.uk/~pjclinch/

 

[[email protected]]

Thanks everyone. Airzound sound the best bet, so long as the bottle
does not get nicked.

upthekerbagain

 

[POHB]

> What does everyone else use to secure life and limb?

Audible warnings can help you make faster progress by getting peds to notice
you, but I don't think they can ever be relied upon to prevent an accident.
You have to assume it'll be ignored. If a ped, car or whatever suddenly
jumps in front of you then hit the brakes not the bell.