I do a lot of trail riding and I've tried several bells to announce my presence as I approach slower traffic. This bell gets by far the best response. It has a very sharp tone resembling a tuning fork. I have recommended it to several fellow bicyclists and will continue to do so.
The Spurcycle Better Bicycle Bell is an excellent bell, well designed, allows for multiple mounting positions and has a very pleasing tone. I gave it 4 stars rather than 5 for the overall rating because the bell is not as loud as I'd prefer. It's loud "enough", but for $59 it should be the best darn bell ever made with volume to spare.
It's outrageously expensive for what it is, which is why I gave it 3 stars for value rating. It probably should be 2 stars for overall value, but the bell does what I need in terms of alerting other riders when I need to pass. I also really like the mounting system and small overall footprint. If the bell proves to be durable and long-lasting, and it does not need to be replaced in my lifetime, then I'd say it's good value for money.
I use this commuting as well as on MTB trails. It's plenty loud and not a harsh sound at all. I will be getting another for my wife's bike.
I have had many bells over the years and this is the best. It is neat and unobtrusive. The ring is so pleasant and long. Even a small flick for certain situations works perfectly. The black bell on my lovely black Synapse is not an impediment at all to looking cool. I've used it for ~6 months, the time that other bells I've used give out, and the superb craftsmanship should make this last as long as I ride this bike.
I looked at a couple of negative reviews and concluded they couldn't figure out how to mount it as it tightens completely against the bar with the simple hex bolt that effectively changes the length of the strap to tighten it down. I will admit that I scratched my head over it for a few minutes, so perhaps slightly better instructions to hand-hold the less mechanically inclined might give this 100% 5-star reviews.
This bell is at the pinnacle of all bells. First, the sound is amazing: loud but not obnoxious, crystal clear and resonates seemingly forever. Esthetically, it's museum worthy. Functionally, it simply works every time effortlessly. It took me forever to pull the trigger due to the high price but glad I did. If you have a bike you love, treat it w this one of a kind bell.
It is a bell. When you press a lever with your thumb you get a high pitch ring. It is not particularly loud. The mounting and design are top-notch and well done. I wish it was louder too.
I often ride on rail trails. There are often other users, people walking, runners etc. the bell is loud, but not over bearing. It creates a pleasant tone. It clearly alerts people I am over taking. It is easier on my lungs to ring the bell than to call out �on your left� from 25 to 30 meters out from whom I am overtaking. I highly recommend the bell. Note: I opted for the silver vs the black. Personal feeling I am tired of all the blacked out components!!!
I have this bell in the "raw" color on my road bike and have had it for almost 2 years now. The build quality and durability of this bell is second to none. The tone and volume of the ring of this bell is perfect and it does the job well. Even on a road bike, when you have walkers, runners, other riders that you need to alert of your presence, this bell does the trick. I pretty much use it on every ride and while you can simply tell people "on your left" - you can save your breath by simply using this bell and people seem to appreciate it as well.
I would like to add that my wife and I recently purchased gravel bikes and while we wanted bells for those bikes, in order to saves some money we decided to try the knock off bell from Amazon.com. After using both bells for almost 6 months now, while the knock of bell is not built as solid as the Spurcycle bell, the knock off bell does the trick and we've had zero issues with it.
It's not cheap, in either sense of the word, but it has a loud, lovely sound, and its unobtrusive sleekness makes me happy. I know that sounds ridiculous.
I almost did not buy it but I am glad I did--the opposite of buyer's remorse.
This is obviously a lot of money to spend on a bell, but this bell is beautifully made, very discrete, and has a gorgeous tone that is easy to hear from a distance.
It is a bit of a pain to mount, but once mounted it stays in place and works well. I now have three of these - my two oldest have been on my wife and my commuter bikes for several years and still look and work as good as they did when new.
If you live in a populated area with shared paths and are sick of yelling, "on your left", every 30 seconds, this is a great solution. It is louder and longer than any of the other bells I've heard or tried, it even seems to cut through some people's headphones. It's been nice to use on trails and paths and sometimes I just ring it for no reason because I like the way it sounds.
I placed mine on the drop bar (over 2.5 Lizard Skin Handlebar tape) using the shorter strap so I can access it from the top or bottom bar. The bell is tiny yet loud. It is also warranted for life. No more yelling out ON YOUR LEFT or ON YOUR RIGHT. For someone not to hear this bell they have to either be deaf or blasting music into their earphones.
NOTE You need to have a 2.5 mm Hex tool to assemble this item. It is not provided by the company. All that comes in the box is the bell and two straps.
I have two of these bells - one on my commuter bike, and one on my road bike. I initially bought one for my commuter as I often ride on combination pedestrianbike paths here in Richland, WA. The bell sounds so clear, and the sound really carries to pedestrians and bikers. I put one on my road bike, as I start most of my rides in town. However, once out of town, I use the bell to say hello to other bikers on the road. I also bought one for my wife for her commuting bike, and she loves it. So much so that she says to me (creditcopyright to Frederick Knight)
You can ring my bell, ring my bell
You can ring my bell, ring my bell
You can ring my bell, ring my bell
You can ring my bell, ring my bell
The night is young
And full of possibilities
Well, come on and let yourself be free, yeah
My love for you (love for you, love for you)
So long I've been savin'
Tonight was made for me and you
You can ring my bell, ring my bell
(Ring my bell, ding-dong-ding)
You can ring my bell, ring my bell
(Ring my bell, ring-a-ring-a-ring)
You can ring my bell, ring my bell
(Ring my bell, ding-dong-ding)
I decided to buy this particular EXPENSIVE bell just because they had a limited edition Chris King version of it, so I though this will be a good product, like I said on the review summary, the sound is great but they really need to work on how you hold the bell on the bars, they ship it with only 2 different size spring metal straps that do not work because metal simply does not grip on smooth surfaces unless is tighten with a screw, which in this case a screw is not existent. Also they definitely would not work on taper bars like the ones most mountain bikes have.
Long story short I was about to return it, but I improvised a way to make it work.
The sound is wonderful. Only need to ring it once and it carries. Finally a bell that chimes and sounds mature (like the rider on the bike ringing it). Seriously, a friend in Portland turned me on to this bell. All the cool bike riders should have one. It is expensive, so likely out of many riders' price range, but worth the splurge. When you have bought and paid for all the bikes, kits, wheels, etc. you will ever need , then this is the bell to buy!
I had a hard time paying so much money for a bell but did a lot of research and decided to give this one a try. I wanted a nice looking bell that was not big but delivered a high quality, loud, pleasant chime to be used on my CAAD 10 road bike. When I opened the box, the bell is small in size. It is about the same diameter as my handlebars and very unobtrusive when mounted. I love the tone as it is clear, loud and pleasant and very long lasting. But be warned that ringing it over and over in the house soon wares on wifes nerves no mater how pleasant it sounds to you. I purchased this because I ride the Silver Comet trail and in Atlanta area there are a lot of trail users walking, jogging and riding. I was tired of always saying coming up on your left. My first ride out, the bell worked great. Found that I could ring it once far enough back that people had time to respond and the lenght of the chime would ensure that they could hear it as I approached closer if they didnt hear the initial start of the ring. Everyone seemed to respond positive to the bell whether they were a walker, jogger or other cyclist. This bell has been exposed to rain and riding for the past year and still looks as good as when I purchased it. Just a last note, every once in a while riding I will just ring the bell to hear the chime. Is it expensive, yes. Is it quality, Yes. Would I buy it again, oh yah. Will I have too, probably not as I expect it to last a lifetime.
