I do a lot of riding in the city, including a lot of bike paths and rail trails to and from singletrack. I got tired of constantly saying "on your left!" or slowing down and sneaking by groups. I went to the bike shop and was about to buy a Spurcycle bell, when the cashier said "by the way, this thing is $90." I put it back on the shelf.
Turns out, Spurcycle sells their "blemished" bells on their webpage for "only" $32, with 10% of the sales going to donations. It's still a lot for a bell, but already it's my favorite bike accessory I've ever bought. It's also made in the USA.
In the packaging is the bell and two metal strips, one for narrow MTB bars and a longer one for road bars. The strip hooks into the bottom of the bell, and it is tightened onto your bars by a simple Allen screw at the top of the bell. Could not be easier, and the connection between the bell and the bar is super secure. It's also a very narrow mount - the whole bell fits between the brake clamp and the support strut that the latest Shimano brake levers have. It also leaves plenty of room for my thumb to reach the dropper lever. This lets my left thumb handle the bell and the dropper lever, while my right thumb handles the shifting, all without taking my hands off of the grips.
When I hit the trails, the first thing I noticed is that the thing is LOUD. It's so loud that at first I thought it was a bit obnoxious. But then I started sounding the bell much earlier than I would start saying "on your left!" or something, and it worked like a charm. You can hear it from such a long ways away, people have time to hear the bell, register what it is, turn around, see me and get out of the way all before I have to even think about touching the brakes.
Also, the thing is beautiful. I chose the "raw" color, but there is also a black one for those wanting to keep their murdered out cockpit (it's $6 more though). it will look good on your city beater or your $9k Santa Cruz, guaranteed. For road bikes, I'd probably mount the bell part facing forward rather than up. To ring it would take just an easy swipe down with the thumb, and it's more aero!
Overall, by far the easiest bike-related recommendation to make. This bell is going on all of my current and future bikes.
https://www.spurcycle.com/collections/all/products/factory-seconds?variant=11426743685
Turns out, Spurcycle sells their "blemished" bells on their webpage for "only" $32, with 10% of the sales going to donations. It's still a lot for a bell, but already it's my favorite bike accessory I've ever bought. It's also made in the USA.
In the packaging is the bell and two metal strips, one for narrow MTB bars and a longer one for road bars. The strip hooks into the bottom of the bell, and it is tightened onto your bars by a simple Allen screw at the top of the bell. Could not be easier, and the connection between the bell and the bar is super secure. It's also a very narrow mount - the whole bell fits between the brake clamp and the support strut that the latest Shimano brake levers have. It also leaves plenty of room for my thumb to reach the dropper lever. This lets my left thumb handle the bell and the dropper lever, while my right thumb handles the shifting, all without taking my hands off of the grips.
When I hit the trails, the first thing I noticed is that the thing is LOUD. It's so loud that at first I thought it was a bit obnoxious. But then I started sounding the bell much earlier than I would start saying "on your left!" or something, and it worked like a charm. You can hear it from such a long ways away, people have time to hear the bell, register what it is, turn around, see me and get out of the way all before I have to even think about touching the brakes.
Also, the thing is beautiful. I chose the "raw" color, but there is also a black one for those wanting to keep their murdered out cockpit (it's $6 more though). it will look good on your city beater or your $9k Santa Cruz, guaranteed. For road bikes, I'd probably mount the bell part facing forward rather than up. To ring it would take just an easy swipe down with the thumb, and it's more aero!
Overall, by far the easiest bike-related recommendation to make. This bell is going on all of my current and future bikes.
https://www.spurcycle.com/collections/all/products/factory-seconds?variant=11426743685