The Dumb Cyclists and Pedestrians thread...

[jasonc]

Andrew - what bell is that?

That bell has been replaced now with a M Part Bicycle Bell For Oversized Bar (31.7-31.8mm) which I got from Probikekit for about $4.85. It is about the same size but has a screw mount so it can be tensioned better and the lever to ring the bell can be rotated to a position which suits you.

I think I like Jules' option more. Cheers for the response.

[rdwaltonut]

Andrew - what bell is that?

That bell has been replaced now with a M Part Bicycle Bell For Oversized Bar (31.7-31.8mm) which I got from Probikekit for about $4.85. It is about the same size but has a screw mount so it can be tensioned better and the lever to ring the bell can be rotated to a position which suits you.



Andrew

I have this bell on my dropbar roadie, center bar, face up. Easy as pie to ring it, even on the brakes. Just take my right hand off, flick it twice, and hand goes right back on the brake.

[bychosis]

back to the dummies...

[youtube]http://youtu.be/g_mlASxtuZ4[/youtube]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_mlASxtuZ4[/youtube]

edit: bummer..need to work on my youtube linking skillz, my first attempt. Can anyone point me to the vid embedding tips? I found how to for images, not video.

[Mulger bill]

back to the dummies...

[youtube]http://youtu.be/g_mlASxtuZ4[/youtube]

edit: bummer..need to work on my youtube linking skillz, my first attempt. Can anyone point me to the vid embedding tips? I found how to for images, not video.

You have to copypasta the full link from the addy bar not the truncated one supplied by youtube.

[fatdudeonabike]

I had a hairy moment on the way home from work today, but it didn't stop me keeping a commitment to my friend who only just bought her bike to do a twilight lake ride this evening (on very good bike paths, well away from traffic!). She's a great cycling buddy to have, cos we're good at different things - I'm fat, but quite muscular, so kill her on the short sharp hills (and on flat... and on downhill), but she's much better on the long, steady climbs because she's much leaner and lighter. (She's also a great cycling buddy because - no offence intended - but we're not "cyclists". We both get quite annoyed by reckless and inconsiderate cyclists, and we've both had bad experiences with cyclists while pedestrians. We're really just like-minded people who love riding our bikes.)

Anyway, she's a dumb cyclist! (And maybe I am a bit) It was quite funny actually, cos I wasn't hurt.

We were going up a short sharp incline (onto Commonwealth Avenue bridge from the southside for Canberrans). I gave her a head start, and was roaring up behind her. I went to overtake, but by then she was just in that awful noob predicament (which I was suffering myself only a month ago!) of changing gears too late, not having momentum, and just going side to side across the path as she peddled. I thought I'd gotten her "non-speed wobbles" sussed, so went to go around her... and she did the mother of veers to the right... knocked me off my bike... and I rolled all the way to the bottom of the hill. (It's not actually that steep a hill)

As I say, it was pretty funny cos I wasn't hurt, and neither of us damaged our respective pride and joy - but I'll make sure I'm ahead of her for the short sharp inclines in future...

[fatdudeonabike]

Just a genuine question on the ongoing bell debate. I've never had a road bike, so I dont know the answer to how/where you would position a bell.

However, my argument all along has only been about shared use paths. On roads, I dont think a bell is likely to be that effective because a car can't hear it. So as long as everyone (cyclists) is keeping left unless overtaking (and not doing what so many drivers do and keeping on the right because they think they're the fastest car on the road), I dont actually care whether people carry bells on the road.

So with that context, here's my question.

Could you not just put the bell on the "normal" part of the bars, as opposed to the drops? I ask this because I'm working on the assumption that, if you're on a shared path and being required to use a bell because of pedestrians or slow social riders - is it not fair to assume that this is a moot point, because you shouldnt be going so fast that you're in the drops anyway?

[ldrcycles]

The only issue being that that area is likely being taken up with a GPS or headlight. On an older bike with a quill stem you could put a bell on the stem, on a modern bike i'm not sure how you would go about it.

[il padrone]

Have a look back on the previous page of this topic and you'll see several quite workable solutions to bell placement on drop bars.

[Lukeyboy]

Just put the bell on your index finger. Problem solved.

[bychosis]

Just put the bell on your index finger. Problem solved.

No, it's rings on fingers, bells on toes.

[Livetoride]

National ninja day today, four ninjas 1 of which going through a round about with looking nearly taking me out ad one salmon ninja. Will they ever learn, NOPE

[Percrime]

On my roady the bell is on the rh back seat stay. Entirely useable except in an emergency. Unlike my voice which works fine in an emergency. But Im a believer in saying politely "passing mate" anyway so it gets not much use.

[twizzle]

Just put the bell on your index finger. Problem solved.

No, it's rings on fingers, bells on toes.

I tried, but I can't reach my toes while riding the bike with the feet clipped in.

Same as I can't reach a bell near the stem if I'm on the hoods covering the brakes - and I'm not going to compromise on that. I'll look into getting a bell and fitting it next to the brifter as per Andrew's solution. AirZound most definitely won't fit close enough to the brakes... looks like the peds won't be on the receiving end.

[Abby]

My bell is on the handle of my frame-mounted bike pump (which sits attached to the bottle cage). Easy to reach when commuting, easy to take off for crit racing.

Cheers,
Abby

[Aushiker]

Here is the bell solution for roadies



It is titanium BTW

Andrew

[twizzle]

And out of stock.


Sent from my iThingy...

[Aushiker]

And out of stock.

Ahh missed that. They do have the non-titanium version but.

Andrew

[human909]

Here is the bell solution for roadies



It is titanium BTW

Andrew

Titanium is so last decade. Roadies need a carbon bell.

[greyhoundtom]

I would want to see the aero wind tunnel results of that bell before purchase. I’m not all that impressed with the design as it looks like the rear section of the bell would act as a scoop and increase wind resistance.

[biker jk]

I would want to see the aero wind tunnel results of that bell before purchase. I’m not all that impressed with the design as it looks like the rear section of the bell would act as a scoop and increase wind resistance.

Good point. Moreover, is it 3al-2.5v or 6al-4v titanium alloy?

[il padrone]

Surely what every Beach Rd roadie needs??

[Ross]

Titanium is so last decade. Roadies need a carbon bell.

I'm waiting for the Di2 version

[twizzle]

Me.

Shared path, steep hill section, some random stuck to my arse and I caught up with a more sedate cyclist just before the path turned left over the crest, I decided I had enought time to pass and calling "passing" and pulled out just as a rider appeared in the opposite direction. I completed the pass before the other rider got too close... but in my judgement it would have caused concern both for the person I was passing and the oncoming rider - not that the latter had to brake.

As a plus, it was very effective at getting rid of my undesireable guest. It's a nasty twisty section, lots of loose gravel from recent rain, shaded and poor surface, and he was right up me but didn't seem inclined to pass.

[csy75]

at the bottom of galston gorge on sunday, we are waiting for a car to come off the bridge ( it's one direction only ).

myself and 2 friends waiting at the bottom, in queue.

the car gets off the bridge, we start to go across and an old guy with a beard flies done the hill and yells at us to get out of his way and to watch out!

it really annoys me when other cyclists don't obey the road rules. he didn't want to line up, he just pushed in and nearly caused an accident..

so what if I was on a motorbike? my two friends are not cyclists and were complaining about him later on, i assured them he was a rare case....

[fatdudeonabike]

I can't decide whose the dumb one here.

I've mentioned the quiet shared paths near my house before - full of kids with parents, people with dogs or kids learning to ride a bike or scooter. There are two people in particular that annoy me because they fly along this path with no regard for other users of the path, and one of them doesnt even wear a helmet. Neither of them use a bell - and this path is, more than anything, what explains my crusade in favour of bells. If EVER a bike needs a bell, its on a path like this - especially if old mate plans on doing 50 km/hr while riding through it.

Anyway, hopefully he won't do that any more. I was keeping left, but had to cross the right 'lane' of the path to get back to my house. I've been so much more aware in these situations since I started riding. But not today - I was one of the dopey pedestrians that just didn't consider the possibility of a cyclist.

So I cross over to the right, which is where he'd headed to overtake me (he was behind me obviously), and in trying to avoid me, he kept going further right... right into the ditch.

He was fine, but really cranky. In most situations I'd let up, because I was more in the wrong... but the lecture I gave him has been brewing for weeks - about not wearing a helmet, about the legalities of a bell, about the stupidity of going too quickly on a path full of animals and kids... and in the end he left thoroughly unsatisfied when he asked for my name, and I replied that I would first like his name - because my error today was just that, an error. His repeated errors in riding too fast around kids without a helmet are not an error - they're a conscious decision to ignore the law, and the police are going to be much less interested in me than in him.

Anyway, he said some choice words and went to ride off, and I indicated that if he's going to ride like a knob and endanger other people, he best not do it to me again.

Perhaps the real winner was my dog - she peed on his tyre while I was lecturing him (no, this wouldnt have been funny on a $5000 road bike - but on a rusty piece of crap being ridden too fast by a guy without a helmet? It was hilarious.)