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Škoda DuoBell: A bicycle bell that penetrates noise-cancelling headphones

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Re: Škoda DuoBell: A bicycle bell that penetrates noise-cancelling headphones

#341

Post by phyzome »

Zvez wrote: post #257
i_am_proteus wrote: post #146

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Bicycle bells are mostly for warning pedestrians when approaching from behind and passing on shared-use trails. I ride on shared infrastructure and cannot afford to build new infrastructure when my town will not. Not warning a pedestrian when approaching from behind introduces the possibility of collision if the pedestrian makes a sudden change in his walking course. I typically use this etiquette: Passing a single p…

I hate to tell you, but you are doing it wrong If infrastructure is shared it doesn't mean you have more rights to pass than pedestrian. Moreover, bell as a way to warn doesn't work. Because pedestrians will mostly get startled because of it and can actually do this sudden move you are trying to make them not do. So if you are on fast vehicle comparing to others in the same infrastructure, you need to drive in a way,…

If they're blocking a bike, they're also blocking other pedestrians. It's rude no matter what.

Re: Škoda DuoBell: A bicycle bell that penetrates noise-cancelling headphones

#342

Post by vscode-rest »

philips wrote: post #314
kfarr wrote: post #310

Earlier quoted context omitted.

If diy doesn’t work I’ve been using loud bicycle horn and it works great. https://loudbicycle.com/

Gah! mini usb instead of USB C. Love the concept but it is remarkable how long bike accessories have been holding out on USBC.

At least they’re forward about it - I’ve lost count of how many bike accessories claimed to be USB C, but they only charge when connected to their specialized cable that converts from USB A to C.

Re: Škoda DuoBell: A bicycle bell that penetrates noise-cancelling headphones

#343

Post by srejk »

amluto wrote: post #306
srejk wrote: post #300

Earlier quoted context omitted.

When I was commuting 60k/day on my bike in shitty suburban conditions, I used one of these instead - you get limited use per trip, but you can always fill it up with a CO2 cylinder/bike pump: https://www.hpvelotechnik.com/en/recumbent-trikes-bikes/acce... It is loud .

That’s a crappy pressure vessel holding 350ml of 80psi air, for about 100J of stored energy. I’m not entirely sure I’d be comfortable with that, especially anywhere with my face in the line of fire it it fails.

Good point, but I abused it pretty well and it seemed to do OK - was also in a water bottle holder so closer to the legs than anything.

Re: Škoda DuoBell: A bicycle bell that penetrates noise-cancelling headphones

#344

Post by haritha-j »

eigenspace wrote: post #126
0x3f wrote: post #116

Do horns and bells really prevent accidents? In order for e.g. a horn to work you need enough time that the driver processes the situation and decides the horn will communicate something AND enough time for the pedestrian or whatever to process that and react to it. Generally it's a lot easier just to press the brake, and more importantly be travelling at a speed and in a manner where the brake is sufficient. Structu…

A horn or bell is mostly for telling other people "hey I'm here, stay out of my way and dont suddenly cross into my path" My opinion as a cyclist is that I should basically only be using my bell on pedestrians when the pedestrians are wandering onto the bike lane. If im cycling through a shared space, I find it extremely rude to ring the bell, because it feels like I'm telling people to get out of my way, but they ha…

Its a shared path yes but by two sets of people going at two very different speeds, so I don't feel particularly guilty about the bell, though I do try to avoid it if possible.

Re: Škoda DuoBell: A bicycle bell that penetrates noise-cancelling headphones

#345

Post by skeeter2020 »

empyrrhicist wrote: post #283
jmull wrote: post #275

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Agreed. I saw one recently where the cyclist shouted out something like, "ON YOUR LEFT!" and all it did was startle the crap out of a jogger who spun around into the path of the bicycle. Luckily just a close call. That cyclist's "warnings", with no time for pedestrians to react properly, were really just a game of Russian roulette. (And really rude, as you say).

Shouting that while traveling too fast is indeed incorrect, but a polite "on your left" or bell while traveling an appropriate speed is considered good behavior to avoid surprising pedestrians.

also - even though the pedestrian has the obligation to move over - a friendly thanks! or thank you! helps all cyclists in the long-run.

Re: Škoda DuoBell: A bicycle bell that penetrates noise-cancelling headphones

#346

Post by khaki54 »

srejk wrote: post #300
michh wrote: post #234

Coincidentally, I bought a 12v car horn yesterday with the intent of wiring it into my ebike's power supply with a little button on my handlebars. Not because of other cyclists or pedestrians wearing (anc) headphones but because modern cars are so heavily sound-proofed they don't hear a bicycle bell anymore. A recent incident with an inattentive taxi driver in a brand new EV nearly flattening me prompted me to want t…

When I was commuting 60k/day on my bike in shitty suburban conditions, I used one of these instead - you get limited use per trip, but you can always fill it up with a CO2 cylinder/bike pump: https://www.hpvelotechnik.com/en/recumbent-trikes-bikes/acce... It is loud .

Yeah I had something like this for several years. Works really well for cars

Re: Škoda DuoBell: A bicycle bell that penetrates noise-cancelling headphones

#347

Post by Waterluvian »

skeeter2020 wrote: post #340
Waterluvian wrote: post #335

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I've always wanted two horns in my car: one that toots with a smile and a tip of the hat, and one that heralds your pending demise. It sounds like Australia cycle bell culture does that with short vs. long bell ding-a-lings. Which is kind of how it has worked with cars, except I find that more and more cars have a style of horn that's hard to control with the necessary precision. Maybe this is Canadian culture but I…

go somewhere appropriate and do a little practice with the friendly multi-tap vs. the two-hand push! adding on a wave helps too; I wish more drivers waved...

I hate how many cars I see these days with windows so tinted that eye contact and waves are impossible.

It feels dangerous to be unable to see the driver through their side window (eg. 4-way stop eye contact on who goes)

Re: Škoda DuoBell: A bicycle bell that penetrates noise-cancelling headphones

#348

Post by jandrese »

samdixon wrote: post #332
jandrese wrote: post #325

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The problem with bells is that they aren't very directional. It's hard for my brain to figure out from which direction the sound is coming from. Someone speaking "on your left" is much more directional, and it includes important context as to what the warning is about.

Its pretty safe to assume on a trail if you hear a bell that a bike is coming up behind you.

Or from the side or oncoming and he's just behind the crowd of pedestrians ahead of you.

Re: Škoda DuoBell: A bicycle bell that penetrates noise-cancelling headphones

#349

Post by skeeter2020 »

0x3f wrote: post #156
eigenspace wrote: post #126

Earlier quoted context omitted.

A horn or bell is mostly for telling other people "hey I'm here, stay out of my way and dont suddenly cross into my path" My opinion as a cyclist is that I should basically only be using my bell on pedestrians when the pedestrians are wandering onto the bike lane. If im cycling through a shared space, I find it extremely rude to ring the bell, because it feels like I'm telling people to get out of my way, but they ha…

I think bells do have a communication use of course, just not really to be used as an emergency 'an accident is about to happen, immediately take action'. At least a bell sounds relatively polite if you're not spamming it. A horn is a bit aggressive, you have to modulate it. In a car I use two short tapped toots as a polite kind of 'excuse me' e.g. if someone hasn't noticed a light turning green. That seems more frie…

it's a good habit to just ring your bell when approaching things like merges and city intersections regardless if there's other people; you tend to do it earlier and might miss seeing someone.

Re: Škoda DuoBell: A bicycle bell that penetrates noise-cancelling headphones

#350

Post by angiolillo »

red_admiral wrote: post #237

In the scenario presented (London, mostly not segregated bike paths), the solution is for the cyclist to ride in a way they're not endangering pedestrians. There's even a fairly recent UK law ( https://www.gov.uk/government/news/the-highway-code-8-change... ) that more or less says in a collision, the "stronger" road user is at fault unless proven otherwise. That applies to car v. cyclist as much as cyclist v. pedest…

> the "stronger" road user is at fault unless proven otherwise

In general I agree with this, but a lot a lot depends on how "unless proven otherwise" is interpreted.

If a driver is typically at fault when a pedestrian or cyclist unexpectedly moves into their path then it seems like that practically restricts cars to speeds close to biking or walking in many cities.

Similarly, if a cyclist is typically at fault when a pedestrian unexpectedly moves into their path then it seems like that restricts bikes to speeds close to walking in many cities.

This effectively pedestrianizes car lanes and bike lanes which would be lovely in some areas, but it also restricts travel to walking speeds which also has downsides if enforced across an entire city.

Edit: after reading the post at https://www.gov.uk/government/news/the-highway-code-8-change... the guidance seems to strike a reasonable balance:

> People cycling, riding a horse or driving a horse-drawn vehicle should respect the safety of people walking in these spaces, but people walking should also take care not to obstruct or endanger them.

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