A Useful Review – The Spurcycle Bell

Of late, I’ve been doing easy miles on one of the bike paths near me. For reasons I can’t fathom there have been some pedestrians who don’t much fathom the social contract. One woman was walking in a zigzag from one edge of the path to the other and had words for me because when I called out “bike left” she didn’t hear me; turns out she was hard of hearing and it was my fault I didn’t know that.

So I bought one of the Spurcycle Bells. I’d had one before that a PR person sent to me, but when one of my bikes was stolen, well, you get the picture. The Spurcycle Bell is arguably the most expensive bike bell on the market. It retails for $59, and I think it’s worth every penny.

The actual bell of the bell is brass. For those playing the home game: other things made of brass include percussion cymbals, gongs and church bells. I mention that because the Spurcycle Bell is at once the loudest, most piercing and most pleasing bike bell I’ve ever encountered. They claim it rings for 3 times as long as other bells. That could be true. It’s loud enough that no one within 100 feet can miss it. I can ring it from so far away that pedestrians have moved over and when I didn’t zoom by in the same instant a few have looked back to wonder what was taking so long.

It comes in four different finishes. I’ve owned other bells that I liked plenty, but the spring for the hammer has always given up the ghost after a couple of months. This American-made bell is so well done it’s not out of keeping on a custom bike.