Bicycle bells part 1: Test in the dry (A comparison of ding-dong, tring, ping bell types).
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- čas přidán 4. 11. 2018
- See for more information on these bells with more details on testing, my website:
swhs.home.xs4all.nl/fiets/tes...
See also part 2 in the rain: • Bicycle bells part 2: ...
Bells in this video:
0:09: [ping] Standard (ca. 1990s) 'race' bell. This bell sucks!
0:33: [ping] Brave classic: Pin (aluminium dome, diameter = 45 mm) Good
0:43: [ping] Widek "Deci Bell XXL". Aluminium shell, diameter = 34 mm, uses a rubber band to mount on the handlebar. Sucks in the rain and afterwards!
1:03: [ping] Mounty: Billy plus. Aluminium shell, diameter = 33 mm, with resonance holes. Good when dry, not so good when wet...
1:15: [ping] Mounty: Charly. Aluminium shell, diameter = 44 mm, with resonance holes. Lower frequency than the Billy plus.
1:52: [ping] Basil "Portland" aluminium (aluminium dome, 57 mm) fairly poor after rain
2:14: [ping] Voxom: KL5 (stainless steel dome) Very nice bell
2:43: [ping] Owl vision: Hoot mini (brass dome)
3:12: [ping] Crane Mini Suzu W (aluminium dome)
4:21: [ding-dong] Basil: 60 mm ding-dong (steel dome) Excellent sound, but standard steel. I wish there was a high end stainless ding dong bell...
4:49: [ding-dong] Unknown brand: 80 mm ding-dong (steel dome) Excellent sound, but standard steel. I wish there was a high end stainless ding dong bell...
4:56: [ding-ding] Mounty: Dany (aluminium dome)
5:32: [ding-ding] Contec: ring-e-ding (aluminium dome)
5:55: [tring] Widek: Standard tring bell (chrome plated steel dome)
6:45: [tring] Gazelle: tring bell that sits around the handlebar (aluminium 'dome')
I made these videos while doing house renovations, so don't look at the mess :)
Found a classic "tring" bell from my garage, wonderfully made, loud enough and better than any of the modern bells i have in all my other bikes. Installed it to my most frequently used bike, now I'm a bit miffed if i don't get to used on my trips :D .
Excellent presentation. On my shared riding tracks a good bell is just as important as good brakes.
Thank you very much. This made me decide to buy a Voxom KL5 instead of a Crane Suzu. I hadn't even known about Voxom before.
Thank you, a very useful review.
For those who want a quick identification of each bell, I added a list of the bells in the description with timestamps.
Where is the timestamps?
@@aczephyr In the description, you may need to press the 'down arrow' to make that appear esp. on mobile devices...
Thanks so much bro 😍
THANKS! I AM NOW LOOKING AT THE VOXOM KL5. CLASSIC LOOKS AND NICE SOUND.
At first I liked the sound of aluminium bells better, but yes, it's quite nice. The lettering on mine is wearing off by the way. I could only find it on amazon.de but in Germany you should be able to buy it from many bicycle shops. One issue with such ping bells with lever is that sometimes there is some friction around the lever point, so after a few months I applied some chain wax and it was good again. Perhaps that points to an advantage of the bells with clapper directly attached to a spring (no friction of one part moving against another). On my site I already split the 'ping' category into 3 sub categories, and I will get into this and ergonomics (such as force needed to activate a bell, shape of the lever that you push with your finger etc.) in a video coming soon to a computer screen near you :)
This was a really informative video.
Thanks for the video.
I ordered the 2 ding ding ;-)
Thank you for this video, was useful to me.
I also got a laugh out of it when you said... "Ding Ding, not Ding Dong", I don't know why.
Cheers!
Perhaps it's the unusual combination of words. I can imagine it if I were the viewer instead of maker, that I could laugh about it). Your comment made me think back to what happened with a friend a few years ago. She told me parable in a message, I replied that I really laughed about it, then realised it might be misunderstood and a bit later sent another message to explain: 'I didn't laugh because it was funny, but because it is true'. When someone says something that is insightful and makes something clear to me, I can laugh about it...
@@WHS_reviews So after you watched your video, I decided to buy a Crane Riten Brass Bell. Extremely happy with it. I think this is the best bell for anyone who want a nice, loud, crisp sounding bell.
Thanks again.
grazie mille frate'. Molto interessante il tuo video. Grazie per condividere.
It was interesting that I could read that without needing translation... Reminds me of the connections of languages: once you know a few related ones, further related ones are easier to understand :) Nice to hear that the video was of interest to you...
@@WHS_reviews do you speak spanish too? French?
@@tarasbulba7114: German, Dutch, English, Russian. Further, I know French (I had it in school) but I'm not fluent in it. I don't know Spanish nor Italian but I can read some of it. I tried long ago to read several nordic languages (esp. Swedish, Danish) , and texts I can read mostly, but it takes quite a bit of effort and I don't get all the details. The methods I used to read such languages were e.g. looking at a word and imagining the pronunciation in English, German, Dutch style etc., and then usually there is a similar word in one of those languages that may look different but sounds the same when pronouncing it in that way, from which the meaning becomes clear.
Thanks
the 80mm sounds amazing
Thanks for the video! Which one would you recommend for a child's bicycle?
That's an interesting question: I think that ding-dong bells are a very good option, they have a nice sound (I think children will like it), can be heard very well also because they are very distinctive, so should give safety by making sure others pay attention. You could also let your child listen and see what he or she likes...
@@WHS_reviews You are right, their sound is good and, after having watched the other video you made, I now know that they are the only ones that work when it rains. I was ony wondering if the resistance force of the lever is not too strong for a child's finger. Again, thanks a lot for those very helpful videos.
@@TG-fu1iw: Well: all the steel ones work well in the rain, brass too but I don't like the sound of brass bells. That they work well in the rain is because of the vibrating mass that is bigger than aluminium and so the movement is dampened less by the rain drops. I have mounted on my bike the Voxom KL5 these days, but the lever on the ding-dong bells is far easier to use, and the same goes for the tring type bells. So for a child, the ding-dong and tring bells are not a problem. Some ping bells need a lower force, but, the force with the other bells isn't really that much more and as they give a sort of place where to put your finger, actually I find them (edit: so the ding-dong and tring bells) easier to use than the ping type bells...
very nice bells, still isnt stopping me from putting a massive cast iron train bell on mine.
I don't intend to stop anyone doing anything, I give information, so what you are really saying is 'look at a cast iron train bell'. Cast iron seems weird, is it a sort of run-on-tyre type bell that makes a sound while it is engaged (contacting the tyre)? Those are not legal in Germany for example.
@@WHS_reviews ik, I was making a joke lol
Cool 🎉
0:09: [ping] Standard (ca. 1990s) 'race' bell. This bell sucks!
0:33: [ping] Brave classic: Pin (aluminium dome, diameter = 45 mm) Good
0:43: [ping] Widek "Deci Bell XXL". Aluminium shell, diameter = 34 mm, uses a rubber band to mount on the handlebar. Sucks in the rain and afterwards!
1:03: [ping] Mounty: Billy plus. Aluminium shell, diameter = 33 mm, with resonance holes. Good when dry, not so good when wet...
1:15: [ping] Mounty: Charly. Aluminium shell, diameter = 44 mm, with resonance holes. Lower frequency than the Billy plus.
1:52: [ping] Basil "Portland" aluminium (aluminium dome, 57 mm) fairly poor after rain
2:14: [ping] Voxom: KL5 (stainless steel dome) Very nice bell
2:43: [ping] Owl vision: Hoot mini (brass dome)
3:12: [ping] Crane Mini Suzu W (aluminium dome)
4:21: [ding-dong] Basil: 60 mm ding-dong (steel dome) Excellent sound, but standard steel. I wish there was a high end stainless ding dong bell...
4:49: [ding-dong] Unknown brand: 80 mm ding-dong (steel dome) Excellent sound, but standard steel. I wish there was a high end stainless ding dong bell...
4:56: [ding-ding] Mounty: Dany (aluminium dome)
5:32: [ding-ding] Contec: ring-e-ding (aluminium dome)
5:55: [tring] Widek: Standard tring bell (chrome plated steel dome)
6:45: [tring] Gazelle: tring bell that sits around the handlebar (aluminium 'dome')
what is the brandname and model of the 3rd bell from the right of the first handle bar?
aczephyr C.: The 3rd bell from the right on the first handle bar is the Voxom KL5. Voxom is a German brand, I found it on amazon.de.
@ 1:55 how do you spell that name of bell? thanks
That's Basil, a Dutch company. (I would instead get the Voxom that's all stainless/brass beside it, by the way). After your question I changed the text with the video to show the link to my website on the 2nd line as that is not shown otherwise without clicking 'more'. There you find more details about weight, mounting, pictures, names etc...
I use the one shown at 5:56. The downside is that it rings every time the bike shakes on the road. I would like to know how other models of bells react to these shakes.
Ah, the tring bell. Yes, I've had some email exchanges with a commenter about his bell on the same issue he had. It varies per bell how exactly it is inside, but there are usually 2 metal washers in the bell that are loosely kept in place with pins that have a smaller diameter than the inner diameter of the washers. When rotating they get flung towards the metal dome but can still move to the inside when they hit the bump on the inside [ this contact makes the sound ]. The problem seems to be that with some bells in the resting state one of the 2 washers hits that bump if it is moved by say going over bumps... I don't know what the proposed fixes did, whether the problem was sorted out. I assume in your case too the dome is screwed on, then you can try to put a small washer in the centre so the dome screws on less far and the bump on the inside will be in a different position. It may be that you can also solve it by adjusting the (rotational) position of the innards so that the resting position changes.
@@WHS_reviews thanks for response. Now I adjust the position of the dome. In some positions it is quiet. All I have to do is find the way to lock the dome in that position. Two bells of this kind and two same issues.
Should I change to another type of the bell to forget about this issue or there's no guarantee?
@@amgluk : I've never had this problem with the tring bells that I have including a Widek tring bell that I bought in 2022 for some additional testing. I consider your issue a flaw. What brand is it?
@@WHS_reviews oh, that's noname, they came with new bikes more than 20 years back. It's definitely a flaw, but the design of the bell potentially tends to reproduce this problem.
@@amgluk : no, the threads are normally cut on the bottom part and top part in a systematic way, it doesn't just change with some settings or from variations in time of production. The place where the bump is can then be selected by another machine that punches the dome for the intrusion, that is the place where the washers hit. So this is easily made in a way that the bell always works well and that there is no issue as you esperience. This is why I consider this issue a design flaw by that particular manufacturer. As I said, try to find a washer that fits, then you could put thread locker or contact glue (the glue type that stays flexible) on the threads and screw on the dome.
I recently found a vintage mickey mouse bell in great shape. The problem is when I ride it rings on every bump. It's the type that spins inside. Anything I can do ? Thanks
That is likely a normal tring bell but perhaps someone made a change to it. Tring bells normally have 2 rings inside that move outwards when you activate it from the rotation (centrifugal force). These then hit a bump on the inside of the dome that make it ring each time one of these rings hit the bump. Perhaps someone opened it up to repair it and put too large (new) rings in it, perhaps something is bent and one of the rings touches the dome which means in both cases that the bell would ring at every bump. Try to unscrew the top, then you can see what is wrong. This may take some force, but normally they are screwed on. Once unscrewed ring it and see what happens and see where the rings may touch the dome without ringing. It could also be that the bump is placed such that it is at a resting point of one of the 2 rings.S If that is the case see if you can make a change to that by e.g. using a spacer on the thread.
I should have said "washers" instead of rings, but I think it will be clear. Let me know how it goes!
@@WHS_reviews This one does not have washers but one rectangular piece of metal that can slide back and forth. It's made in Germany
Interesting, perhaps you could make a picture, and send it to me then I could see if something stands out if you can't find the fault. You can find my email address here: swhs.home.xs4all.nl/fiets/email_en.html
Good attempt at presentation but why not securing the bar firmly so that it does NOT move all over. Also, you may want to set the camera on a tripod for a more effective demonstration. You did cover a whole variety of bells. Thanks!
Well, as stated, I made this video during renovations. I think my tripods were all stored and I only made this video after making the linked page on my site about these bells, as an addition. The main information on any topic I deal with is on my site, not in my videos, they are only additions. In text you can describe far more detail, search for keywords etc. so videos are not very good for an archive of ideas/reviews/analysis, and that is also what I state on my site: videos are nothing more than supplemental.
@@WHS_reviews I appreciate your kind response. I have visited your site since. The extent of your research & presentation is quite impressive. Thank you!
The large ceramic like blue bell where to get it? What do you call it?
Do you mean the white one with blue flower pattern? It's a ding-dong bell, such bells are available in many colours, patterns, but they vary per year in what is available, so you will need to check sellers. The one I bought was from a german seller, and the brand was 'Zemto' the seller stated but is no longer available (but see below). You can find somewhat similar ones from Widek in the "Delft blue" line (4 types), for example. I suggest searching for ding-dong + delft blue. A picture search gave a result for the widek bells but also the bell I bought on a czech site.
Thank you so much for the information
The bell I am interested in is the unknown brand tested at 4:49. Any idea?
I replied to someone else long ago (in reply to the question: "The large ceramic like blue bell where to get it? What do you call it?"), to search for: delft blue ding-dong. At the time I came to a czech website, and I found it again but it doesn't have this exact bell with the flowers any more. Almost all 80mm ding dong bells sound very similar, so you could do a picture search and select one you like and then see where you may be able to buy one. I bought mine long ago on amazon germany, brand was stated by the sller (some bike shop in Germany) to be 'zemto' but I never heard of that before nor since.
Do you know how to extend the part of the bell strap that wraps around the handlebars?
Which bell are you thinking of? A bell with some rubbery strap? Perhaps an option would be to make something out of a thick inner tube? The bells I tested are made for a specific diameter such as 22.2 mm or 25.4 mm with plastic, steel or rubber mounts. You can insert a spacer into 25.4 to get to 22.2 mm, for other diameters such as 31.8mm handlebars or to mount say on the top tube of a bike, you will need to fabricate something. E.g. of the ones that have steel or aluminium mount with 2 bolts I would suggest using a bit of 1mm thick aluminium plate, measure out how long it should be (and how wide) and drill holes at the right spots for the 2 bolts, then bend it around the handlebar and then use pliers to bend back the ends. Whether that works depends on how far apart the bolts are, and it may be good to add some filler on the top mount to fill up the mount to the different curvature of the bigger handlebar.
@@WHS_reviews It has a plastic strap not rubber. And it attaches with a single screw.
Some of the bells I tried have such a mount, but you could use some rubber to extend it or even cut it off, drill a small hole and attach there were you cut it, a new longer piece of material that works for this type of bell and the handlebar diameter to give enough friction that it won't rotate on the handlebar when using it. Some bells use rubber bands, so rubber is a possibility... It all depends on what you have available say in scraps of aluminium or pieces of plastic, or even a thick inner tube could be something to try. I may give this a go myself in a future video along with some other mods of other bells.
WHS reviews Thanks. Good ideas! I will try one of these.
Ok, just to add: so the hole to drill if you cut of the original strap can then be used for a screw that will self-tap. I usually keep screws and bolts if I dissect and throw away some device, and they usually come in handy at some point, but if you don't have something handy you could buy a few small stainless steel parkers (self tapping plate screws) from a hardware/DIY store. Further, your question made me revisit my webpage on the bells, I will add information on the diameter of the handlebar that the bells that I tested can be mounted on (usually one of: 22.2 / 25.4 / 22.2+25.4 with spacers, very few are 31.8).
Gotta get the classic "ch-chriiing"
Right on! Those classic bells are still the best!
I like the big ding dong , just the sort of thing to get people to pay attention. I'd like to get one in Canada.
Try to find a shop selling Dutch style upright bikes in Canada, they likely have, or can order, a ding-dong bell for you.
Sustain - the word you’re looking for is …. Sustain . Like when you hit a guitar string and let it ring till it fades out - more sustain , longer note
You don't mention who makes the 'ding-ding' bell second from the end
As stated in the list, the blue-white is of 'unknown brand'. The small black one is made by Basil who also makes large 80 mm ding-dong bells, but not of this particular blue-white design (they have other prints in blue-white though). you can find similar bells fro various brands, sometimes you just need to search a bit to find the bell you want, and it may be from some unknown or no-name brand. See my reply in the comments about finding this particular bell, I couldn't find it from the original seller again, but found it from another online shop by searching for something like "delft blue ding-dong bell".
Addition: I thought you meant the ding-dong bell and not a ding-ding bell, as on the top row the ding-ding bells are 3rd/4th from the left and 3rd/4th from the right (whatever you take to be the end), but in case you did mean on of those: the manufacturers of those are mentioned: Mounty and Contec.
Pretty good video . lots to choose from . I wanted you to wait one or two more seconds to ring the bells after you stopped talking . it seemed a bit rushed .
Also i noticed that the Lion Bell Works was not shown . a very high quality bell made in england , but brass. You mentioned you didn’t care for the sound of brass.
Ah, it's interesting that you feel this way. Someone long ago made a fairly crude comment that the video was too long and that he only wanted to hear the bells... I didn't rush, I just lingered just long enough, I thought, to give a feel for the sound of the bells. The most important is just when you ring it, when it's still quite loud, not how the sound dies off. The latters is more an effect that you notice, or in my case that is annoying, with brass bells. I had noticed the Lion bell works bells on amazon.co.uk, but you are right, as I don't particularly like the sound of brass bells, I didn't take a closer look. From the comments and the pictures and information from that company they look very well made, so for those who like brass bells, I'd recommend to take a look at them. For the sound (frequency spectrum + loudness) what is most important is material + size of the bell. The striker doesn't really have an effect in loudness as I tested/showed in the update video on bells and grips, with a brass striker instead of aluminium, on an aluminium bell. The bigger the bells, the louder it can be but also the lower the resonance frequency. So you should more or less be able to estimate the sound. Perhaps I will look into testing them at a later date, along with doing the modification of resonance holes of the 1 brass bell that I still have that I want to try out to see what effect it has (it's been on my to-do list for ages but didn't get round to it yet).
@@WHS_reviews i ordered a lion bell a few days ago . it’s suppose to come next week . i also noticed that the striker is rather odd . i hope it is not a problem . if you like , i will post a comment after i install the bell and try it out .
Yes, will be interesting to know what you think of it compared to the bells I showed in this video. I just had a look again on amazon and with one of the bells a buyer felt it was 'agricultural' ;-) The striker uses a spring in vertical orientation which is unusual but perhaps this was done to minimise deformation of the edge of the dome where the striker hits each time.
@@WHS_reviews So , got the bell from Lion Bell Works and installed it .
The dome is brass and all other materials are stainless steel.
The sound is similar to the Basil and Voxom and last for about thirty seconds .
I like the sound very much, but as you know sounds can be very subjective . The build quality is excellent and there is an extra mounting screw for larger diameter handlebars . It comes in a white cloth bag with the name of the company and their website printed on it and it’s made in England . The cost is 23 € plus 6.38 delivery to germany .
@@WHS_reviews i forgot to mention the loudness factor . not sure how loud it is compared to the bells you reviewed . It’s loud enough for me as i will be using it almost exclusively in the forest where i ride . I got the bell because i have frightened a lot of hikers that didnt hear me coming from behind them . Some even told me to get a bell in a rather unfriendly manner .
I haven’t tried it yet under those circumstances .
What is name of last bell
See the description for all bells with timestamps. You may need to press a 'down arrow' on mobile or 'show more' on desktop to show this as youtube for some reason doesn't show the full description by default. I think you mean the Gazelle Tring bell that fits around the handle bar, which I show at 6:45
How to put the last bell
Put it? Do you mean mount it? The Gazelle bell slides onto the handlebar so you need to remove the grip, then slide the bell onto it, then install the grip again.
Where to buy gazelle grip bell? I only have Bridgestone grip bell
This bell seems to be made specifically for (or even by) Gazelle, which is a Dutch bicycle brand. I've not seen any similar bell from any other brand. This means it's only available normally from Dutch and I guess also Belgian and perhaps German bike shops. If you really want one and can't find it at all from an online seller, contact me via my site ( swhs.home.xs4all.nl/fiets/tests/index_en.html ) , and I'll see if I can get hold of one for you.
@@WHS_reviews i like the sound of that gripbell, my current grip bell comes from Japan
Yes, the sound is pretty good, and even in the rain. Which brand/type/name is that grip bell that you use now? I had a quick search and found one from 'incredibell', perhaps that's it? As to the Gazelle grip bell, they use it incorporated/attached to the grips too on their own city bikes. A quick search only showed such combinations online, but the one I have I bought separate. Perhaps in such a combination the bell can be separated from the grip.
@@WHS_reviews www.google.com/search?q=bridgestone+grip+bell&tbm=isch&ved=2ahUKEwj9hbDPrMXpAhUrIqYKHZGRDdoQ2-cCegQIABAC&oq=bridgestone+grip+bell&gs_lcp=ChJtb2JpbGUtZ3dzLXdpei1pbWcQAzoHCCMQ6gIQJzoECCMQJzoECAAQQzoCCAA6BggAEAgQHjoECAAQGDoECB4QClDQGFjxTmDnUGgCcAB4AIAB2wGIAdUPkgEGMTcuMy4xmAEAoAEBsAEF&sclient=mobile-gws-wiz-img&ei=lqjGXv3iBKvEmAWRo7bQDQ&bih=886&biw=450&client=ms-android-lenovo&prmd=isvn#imgrc=ek7qch5CNtK5rM
This is my brand.
Coincidentally, I just got hold of an e-scooter to test and it came equipped with a grip bell with the same sound as the Gazelle bell. I will try to find out the brand and whether it is available separately or only for OEMs.
I want the 1970 in 58mm
I checked and the tring bell with this particular shape is not currently made by Widek, so if you like this visually, then perhaps an option is to search for a 2nd hand one. You could try the site 'marktplaats.nl' for example. The term to search for then is 'fietsbel', anything more specific is likely not to give results as people are unlikely to specify exactly what brand and type of bell a bell is. If you need help send me an email. As to Widek's current tring bell's shape, it is more angular. See this image from their site: www.widek.nl/images/02%20-%20Onze%20producten/01%20-%20Producten/01%20-%20Fietsbellen/Widek_1618_bell_steel_chrome.jpg
Play Wonderwall!
Cool idea :) But, I'm not a musician and I gave away several of the bells already...
And almost everything, under the left hand. Why?
Camera (phone) in the right hand.
You need to print the name of each bell below it so it can be read. Cant understand what you say !
I posted a list of all the bells and the manufacturers' names in the description and in the comment I placed in the comment section, so what needs to happen is that you need to read that, then you will know the bells/makers. I pronounce the Dutch and German makers as they should be pronounced, not as an English speaker would pronounce them.
What is your accent sir?
I've lived in the Netherlands for ages, so it's heavily influenced by that fact :)
are you dutch?
I might be :) But I don't feel Dutch, sold my house in NL and will go to eastern Europe, but you can hear more on that in some of my recent videos from Ukraine.
I liked 0:27 2:08 2:30
7:38 of bicycle bells.......the spewTube algorithm has shit itself, again.
use a dB meter next time.. all we see are bells with no other information
Redember Black: That is not really important, all bells are, except for the one that was never any good which I pointed out, loud enough. None are too loud. A dB rating would tell you nothing unless you already know what it would mean, i.e. how well it is heard, in traffic, so this shifts the problem of gauging from me, to the viewers, and as almost nobody really knows this, this is pointless. Also note, as with everything in life, that more is not always better. The essence of this video is not to find the loudest bell, but the nicest working and sounding bell. For this the rain test is essential, but also my full review text on my site is essential for more details.
Well...that’s rude comment. A thank you would have been nice. If you didn’t get any information, you obviously weren’t listening very carefully. The rest of us learned stuff like how each bell sounds, how they function, the country of manufacture, whether they work when wet, etc.
Not all Americans are rude. Thanks for doing this cool video. I definitely have a better idea about which bell I like! 👍🏻😃
@@12GaugePadawan : Thanks for the comment. Forgot to add the following earlier: I don't mind criticism or negative comments, if they are useful. And this comment about the loudness was good to tell in my reply which I didn't mention in the video, which is that simply a dB(A) measurement is not that useful. To know whether a bell is good, you need to look at the combination of: loud enough + distinctive sound + whether it's a high or low frequency sound.
I got the last one for 2 bucks😈😎
Dutch accent 😁
No Russian.
You talk way too much. Just say the brand and ring the bell. sheesh.
You are a dimwit if you think brand + sound is all there is to a bell. Sheesh.