Horns/Bells/noisemakers

[Aussie Steve]

Have mentioned this before, a few months ago...with a lot of people on bike paths, etc...with the warmer weather, bells don't do much especially when approaching pedestrians who have their back to you, and they have a dog on a leash...
I have an Airzound3 which I bought about 10 months ago for nearly $70 and it makes 115dB....sounds damned loud.
Does a great job on shared paths and also in traffic, makes it easy to warn numb-nut drivers;
when they hear something that sounds like a car horn, their instinct is to stop, or at least pay attention.
You need to swing the odds in your favour.
The air bottle sits in a bottle cage, which denies the chance of holding a second bottle ... but if you drink plenty before the ride you should be fine...

 

[DamianM]

Why the hell do you need an 115db horn on a shared path ?
Do you like drivers using thier horns at you because they don't want to be sharing the road with you ?

 

[Aussie Steve]

well, it's like this, Damo... on a shared path if you use a bell,
- the older folks have lost their higher frequency hearing
one time I rang about 5 times and when I overtook them- slowly- I said "I rang my bell" their reply- "sorry, didn't hear you"
- people tend to ignore it sometimes and keep walking 5 abreast, or if they have a dog on a lead, the dog is walking on the other side of the path and they don't care...
On a shared path, a very very short toot from > 40 metres away is courtesy, it's loud enough to be a decent warning...
And - on the roads, at least here in Perth , motorists own the road, they are intolerant or ignorant or aggressive, and somtimes even when they do see you, will still refuse to give you right of way- after all, "might is right".
A toot will encourage them to look and think.

 

[Skull]

Because he wants to feel like he is big and powerfull.

 

[DamianM]

well, it's like this, Damo... on a shared path if you use a bell,
- the older folks have lost their higher frequency hearing
one time I rang about 5 times and when I overtook them- slowly- I said "I rang my bell" their reply- "sorry, didn't hear you"
- people tend to ignore it sometimes and keep walking 5 abreast, or if they have a dog on a lead, the dog is walking on the other side of the path and they don't care...
On a shared path, a very very short toot from > 40 metres away is courtesy, it's loud enough to be a decent warning...
And - on the roads, at least here in Perth , motorists own the road, they are intolerant or ignorant or aggressive, and somtimes even when they do see you, will still refuse to give you right of way- after all, "might is right".
A toot will encourage them to look and think.

It's a shared path. Didn't you learn to share nicely ?
Even still, you're a (assumedly) grown man, riding a (again, assuming) road bike... on a shared path! A shared path is designed for kids, recreational riders, walkers, joggers. etc. And you are trying to be the big bad bike guy out to teach them a lesson.


Grow a pair and ride on the road.

 

[Albert 50]

Agree that the modern style bike bell is a token that appeases the law, other than that it is rather useless as a warning device in most circumstances. A lot of shared paths are along side roads with traffic making their piddly noise useless. That is if u can find it in a hurry.
If u do ride on shared paths learn to call out, um how about "excuse...excuse" at a distance ppl can easily hear.
Failing that what about the old cardboard & peg on the spokes trick, you can hear that from quite a distance if the cardboard is stiff enough. Good for training as well

 

[Aussie Steve]

Damian...in response to your nicely worded post: yes, I do ride on the road, it was in my last paragraph, where I mentioned that the horn was handy to advise motorists of your presence. As far as compensating for a 'small man syndrome", what about those wankers who buy huge 4-wheel drive vehicles, and the only time they go off road is on Saturdays when they drive onto their front lawns to wash the city dust off their pride and joy? isn't that overcompensating?
Thanks for suggesting I grow a pair...but I already have a pair, as original equipment. I don't go around borrowing other peoples, like you do

 

[thomas_cho]

hey damo, so if I ride a road bike I am barred from shared paths? Please ....

 

[DamianM]

hey damo, so if I ride a road bike I am barred from shared paths? Please ....

Nah Thomas, my point was that if you're going to ride on shared paths, don't be a **** about it.

 

[kakman]

Nah Thomas, my point was that if you're going to ride on shared paths, don't be a **** about it.

I ride a lot of shared paths (on a road bike) and there are an awful lot of times I wish I had 115db. There are pedestrians that walk 3 or 4 wide, folks with dogs (both on and off leads), kids on bikes, wobblers with iPods and all sorts of others.

I *always* ring my bell but about 80% of the time it's futile. I make an effort to be cheerful and friendly when passing people - even when they're being dickheads. I don't want to terrorise people or blow them off the path but sometimes there is a definite need for more volume than a bell allows.

just my 2c.

// kak

 

[Aussie Steve]

I ride a lot of shared paths (on a road bike) and there are an awful lot of times I wish I had 115db. There are pedestrians that walk 3 or 4 wide, folks with dogs (both on and off leads), kids on bikes, wobblers with iPods and all sorts of others.

I *always* ring my bell but about 80% of the time it's futile. I make an effort to be cheerful and friendly when passing people - even when they're being dickheads. I don't want to terrorise people or blow them off the path but sometimes there is a definite need for more volume than a bell allows.

just my 2c.

// kak

very well said, kakman...being cheerful & friendly about warning folks about your approach is the best idea. You don't want to scare them because we get enough bad press as it is. As far as being selfish & nasty, I stopped riding with some guys who want to travel on shared paths at >45kmh- I can keep up with them, but how much does it scare walkers? not worth the bad press.

 

[Dancier]

There are pedestrians that walk 3 or 4 wide, folks with dogs (both on and off leads), kids on bikes, wobblers with iPods and all sorts of others.

Agree with kakman, I ride the MTB bike to work and often carry panniers. You come across all types exspecially on the walking/bike tracks. While riding on the track I prefer to yell out passing on the right etc and get a positive response most of the time. I've got a bell but never use it because it's not loud enough and the pedestrians are likely to be startled and jump out in front of you. The worst are those d$$kheads with the iPods, they are in a land of there own, sometimes I yell at least three times at varying vocal levels but they don't even acknowledge you, that's where you need the big hooter. I think it's like lights, the more options the better.

 

[thomas_cho]

I always say thank you after passing them. Unfortunately, when I shout bike passing, I often can see them getting startled. Not my intention, but that create some illwill towards cyclists.

What I hate most, is large "monster" dogs, not being kept on a leash.

 

[artemidorus]

Shared paths are the result of the misconception amongst planners that pedestrians and cyclists have roughly similar speeds, and also the false belief that pedestrians on a shared path realise that they are in dangerous traffic. Only the road, or, grudgingly, a dedicated bike path, allows for the smooth passage of a commuting or training cyclist.
With that said, 115dB is entirely reasonable for the road, but is likely only to scare a pedestrian on a path into irrational and dangerous reaction.
Bells are a waste of time under almost any circumstance...vocal cords are pretty good under most circumstances.

 

[1id10t]

Bells are a waste of time under almost any circumstance...vocal cords are pretty good under most circumstances.

I have to agree here. I've removed the bells from most of my bikes now. I've only ever used them a few times and they've not proved to be worthwhile. So now I've regained some real estate on my handlebars by removing them. I have always found a polite warning to suffice. It also depends on who I'm passing.

The elderly - I usually give a very wide berth or head out onto the road. Don't want to frighten them unduly.
Group of young guys - depending on age i'll either scream through them or give them a wide berth (don't want to be pulled from my bike and given a beating).
Pretty young lass - I don't pass; I just admire the scenery.

If I'm on the mountain bike then my squealing disc brakes are warning enough to advertise my presence.

 

[bayrunner]

Hey All, I know when Im out for a ride and have to use a shared walking, bike track I just think to myself if only these people knew what they were missing out on not being on a bike lol, I just bought a bell , one of those flick type of ones , used it today and people heard it from 40 mtrs away , cost me $5,seems to do the trick. Bayrunner.

 

[Aussie Steve]

some short section of paths alongside the Swan River here in Perth, each running maybe 4-5 kms, have a normal width shared path, but the difference is...they have painted designated lane for walkers with a painted stylised "walker" symbol, and the other side has the universally recognised symbol for two-wheeled terrors. IMHO, I am a bit happy riding along those stretches because I figure walkers should be aware that they will have bikes coming past only along a designated lane. On other shared paths, walkers forget about bikes. As I said, I try to be nice and courteous, when passing I shout "thanks fellas" or something similar...

 

[top_aussie]

I have to agree here. I've removed the bells from most of my bikes now. I've only ever used them a few times and they've not proved to be worthwhile. So now I've regained some real estate on my handlebars by removing them. I have always found a polite warning to suffice. It also depends on who I'm passing.

The elderly - I usually give a very wide berth or head out onto the road. Don't want to frighten them unduly.
Group of young guys - depending on age i'll either scream through them or give them a wide berth (don't want to be pulled from my bike and given a beating).
Pretty young lass - I don't pass; I just admire the scenery.

If I'm on the mountain bike then my squealing disc brakes are warning enough to advertise my presence.

a yelled PASSING works for me.
and if they ignore that ill say it again,
if thats ignored then itll be a very cheerfull
GET THE F&$% OUT THE WAY.
but i dont usually have to resort to that

 

[wishes]

Man ive wished for a decent horn on my bike for a while now. Stupid cars just cut you off, amongst other things

 

[Aussie Steve]

go to your local bike shop and ask for an AirZound3 from the UK. When you consider how we spend $90+ on a new cluster when that wears out, and between $40-$120 on each tyre when they wear out...I reckon $70 for safety and peace of mind for the horn is GR8 value.
The other day a middle-aged female driver waiting to come out of a side street- I am about 1 second away from her and she has made a move to take off, so I hit the horn and she reconsiders...she didn't understand that "give way" means just that, she probably thought I would stop for her. These Perth people are a different breed- simple-minded country bumpkins...