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I just got a really loud whistle from REI. I save it for cabbies and iPod wearing folks crossing without
looking both ways before crossing. it scares the sh#t out of people . $5.00 well spent :
(Thanks martin h for the great idea btw)
Ali said:I think a stern "On your left!", "On your right!" or "Hold your line!" does the job just fine...
-Ali
Here's a pic of my teapot bell on my new (vintage) british bike. It was a birthday gift from a friend a couple years back. I'm glad that I now have the perfect bike for my bell!
I don't use my bell as an "on your left" warning or anything very often...I've tried using it to warn pedestrians in the bike lane to get the hell out of my way, but they never hear it.
I mostly use my bell as a friendly greeting....especially after a few beers. The more beers I've consumed, the more I ring my bell. I once rode home from Kuma's and embarrassed the hell out of a friend I was riding with by ringing my bell all the way down California and all the way across Armitage to Central Park.
Him: Why are you ringing your bell at pedestrians on the sidewalk?
Me: Bitches best know I'm coming, yo!
Not only are bells great, TIRE BELLS are fantastic. I don't know if they are mandatory or just very popular in Germany, but that is where they are available. They attach to your front fork and are actuated by a cable and trigger on the handlebar, which swivels the bell wheel against your tire, like a bottle dynamo (but without resistance):
At less than walking speed it sounds like a loud bike bell. At even moderate riding speed, it sounds like a bank alarm going off. They are inexpensive (about $7 plus shipping); the $/dB ratio probably second only to an air horn. Last night a "pedestrian in the roadway" (goof standing in the road not paying attention to traffic) literally leaped out of the way when I warned him of my approach. Even effective with drivers whose car windows are closed, unlike most bells.
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