Yeah, I noticed that too. If I’m on my befendered commuter with butterfly bars I just get a grim stare as they go past and I wave. If on my fixie town bike I get ignored altogether, like it’s some form of non-bike. But if I’m on the old Bridgestone road bike with drop bars I’ll get a nod or a wave in return. Just as an experiment, I put portuer bars on the Bridgestone and — what do you know? — all nods and waves ceased. Go figure; same bike, just different handlebars and I all of a sudden became a non-cyclist.
Everybody hats my gremlin bell in my car. It’s a sweet little brass bell that dangles from the visor and tings on every motion of the car. I find it irritating only if the radio is off. It’s purpose is to irritate away gremlins and negativity to protect against bad luck. turns out it also works on irritable humans and their negativity, but if you can’t let them out of the car because you’re transporting them, well. On a bicycle, of course, this is rarely an issue (excluding multi-rider cycles). It puts me in mind of a chieftain’s reel that has the lyric:
“If I had a wife that beggard me life I tell you what I would do. I’d buy her a boat and put her afloat and paddle me own canoe!” So if you have negative people in your life, first put a bell in your car, then when they’re convinced to switch to bicycling to escape it, put another one on your bike. Before long you’ll be having your bike ride in peace with your little bell ringing and the irritable negative person rides just a bit away from you, not bugging you.
Never heard of the “gremlin bell” concept before, although I have seen little bells hanging off of motorcycles from time to time. Maybe that’s the reason.
This happens with the cheapo bell on my MTB, but not with the incredibell on my commuter. I sometimes get bell envy when I ride near a cowbell sporting fixie.
It’s not singing… it’s crying out in pain.
If the potholes are capable of making a bell ring, they must be a major pita too.
‘I’m singing in the pain’ ?
Chill Joe, it’s only a bell
Ice Cream… Ice Cream…
Though I love my new Origin8 brass time-clock bell, I do miss the auto-ring from my old bell.
What’s the equation for how many bells one should have on a bike? Is two too many?
As with anything bike related the correct answer is N+1. Ring on my friend!
I believe in the case of bells per bike, the formula is quite simple.
n=1*B
where B=the number of bikes you own
Of course, optimally if you can afford it and have room, B=N+1.
No man is an island,
Entire of itself.
Therefore, send not to know
For whom the bell tolls,
It tolls for thee.
(from – No man is an island by John Donne )
We call that a “limp dinger” here.
Joe is such a roadie… They’re always so serious, almost seem angry all the time, hardly ever smile, it must be such a torture to ride those bikes…
Yeah, I noticed that too. If I’m on my befendered commuter with butterfly bars I just get a grim stare as they go past and I wave. If on my fixie town bike I get ignored altogether, like it’s some form of non-bike. But if I’m on the old Bridgestone road bike with drop bars I’ll get a nod or a wave in return. Just as an experiment, I put portuer bars on the Bridgestone and — what do you know? — all nods and waves ceased. Go figure; same bike, just different handlebars and I all of a sudden became a non-cyclist.
Incredibell!
Everybody hats my gremlin bell in my car. It’s a sweet little brass bell that dangles from the visor and tings on every motion of the car. I find it irritating only if the radio is off. It’s purpose is to irritate away gremlins and negativity to protect against bad luck. turns out it also works on irritable humans and their negativity, but if you can’t let them out of the car because you’re transporting them, well. On a bicycle, of course, this is rarely an issue (excluding multi-rider cycles). It puts me in mind of a chieftain’s reel that has the lyric:
“If I had a wife that beggard me life I tell you what I would do. I’d buy her a boat and put her afloat and paddle me own canoe!” So if you have negative people in your life, first put a bell in your car, then when they’re convinced to switch to bicycling to escape it, put another one on your bike. Before long you’ll be having your bike ride in peace with your little bell ringing and the irritable negative person rides just a bit away from you, not bugging you.
Never heard of the “gremlin bell” concept before, although I have seen little bells hanging off of motorcycles from time to time. Maybe that’s the reason.
This is very poetic.
As all know, a bike has a soul and a character and is therefore is able to burst out singing
(or laughing as well. I’m thinking of the sound the slowly spinning bike wheel makes after you’ve been downed by black ice)
This happens with the cheapo bell on my MTB, but not with the incredibell on my commuter. I sometimes get bell envy when I ride near a cowbell sporting fixie.