“This is the only bell I’d not be embarrassed to run on my road bike,” said BikeRadar technical writer and resident bike nerd Matthew Allen. What was he talking about? This nifty new bell from US firm Spurcycle.
Dubbed ‘a bell for any bike’, Spurcycle’s creation took off in a spectacular way when it was presented on Kickstarter. It raised US$331,938 from more than 5,800 backers.
The bell is made in the USA almost entirely from metal components. It can be mounted vertically or horizontally and, thanks to a clever adjustable fastener, will clamp to almost any handlebar. The wire lever that is used to actuate the bell's brass striker been designed to offer its user modulation, so you can choose between a polite courtesy ding and a vehicle-penetrating king ding.
Its creators claim that the bell doesn’t rattle or ding when isn’t prompted. In fact, they claim to have raced mountain bikes with their bell, and it apparently stayed silent until they needed to overtake.
At only 30mm by 20.5mm, the 45g bell is about as unobtrusive as you’ll get, and what you can see looks nice anyway. So, how does it sound we hear you ask? Well, as the recording we posted to our Facebook page demonstrates, it’s an exceptional sound. The people behind the bell actually worked with renowned bell manufacturer Bevin Brothers to refine the ding.
The bell is available from Spurcycle's shop in a raw or satin black finish and will cost US$39.
