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There don't seem to be many bell-ringers, tooters or whistlers out there on the streets in New Zealand and consequently pedestrians here don't seem to know how to react in the rare situations that they do hear a bicycle bell ringing from behind.
I've even heard that the first thing some cycle retailers here do is to remove the bells that come with bikes..... Go figure.
Check out the videos showing bicycle bells in action here:
http://urbanbicycles.googlepages.com/bellsandhorns
Alan Preston in Christchurch
Now you mention it, I've
Now you mention it, I've started to look and you're right. I have a bell and so do both of my daughters but as I remember we had to buy them separately and fit them. My husband, however, does not and when I asked him the reason for this omission he said that they were a bit 'girly'. Although, I think he is changing his mind as he saw a very cool courier with a single-ping bell the other day so he could be converted I think. What we need is a gorgeous looking CAN bell that we can purchase to spread the word!
I have to admit that I am quite tentative with my bell ringing as Aucklanders are not used to it and mine can sound a bit demanding on full throttle. We'll have to break them in gently.
I have bells on all my
I have bells on all my bikes, because I commute along on a shared-use path. When I first started using the path about 8 years ago no walkers knew what a bell was, so ringing it was a bit futile. Over the years they have started to get the idea. Of course it doesn't help if the walker has their iPod on or is immersed in a text message (or both at once).
I came across some neat
I came across some neat single ping bells last year and now have one on my main bike, and my wifes.
Our tandem has had a traditional bell on the stoker's handlebar for a long time. It's the way the stoker can register mild displeasure at anything the captain has done, More serious offences attract a physical blow.
Stephen Wood , based in Central Otago