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Pro tip: Your $40 bike bell is why pedestrians hate us, just use your voice
I ride 6 miles each way through downtown Portland and I ditched my bell 2 years ago. A loud "on your left" from 20 feet back works every time and people actually smile instead of giving you the death stare. That little ding makes walkers freeze up or jump sideways because they can't tell where it's coming from. Has anyone else noticed people react better to a real voice than a bell?
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lucas_hunt11d ago
Man, I could not disagree more on this one. A bell is a real warning device and your voice is not, because half the people out there have earbuds in and literally cannot hear you say "on your left" no matter how loud you yell it. I have had way too many close calls where I shouted and got zero reaction until I was right on top of someone, and by then it is too late to do anything but slam the brakes. The ding cuts through traffic noise, music, and wind in a way my voice never will, and it works from way farther back too. Sure, some folks jump when they hear it, but jumping beats getting run over, and that is the trade I will take every single time. You ditched your bell for 2 years and got lucky, but lucky is not the same as safe.
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