Post #1203877

2026-04-08 15:42 UTC

@dec23k So, in the use-case scenario here, I'm on my bike, and I see that there's a person walking/wheeling ahead of me and they're wearing noise cancelling headphones. Question: Why do I need a bell? Assumptions: (a) If they're ahead of me and in my path, I'm either on a footpath, shared path, or carriageway; (b) I have seen them. Answers: (b) I have seen them; (a) If I'm on a footpath, I need to move; if I'm on a shared path, I need to wait; if I'm on a carriageway, I need to wait.

Replies (2)

@dec23k@mastodon.ie 2026-04-08 17:23

@clickhere In your scenario, if you don't need a bell then you also don't need a Skoda bell (which may or may not cut through ANC). The video that I linked in the OP has a clip of a busy bridge in London, with a number of Obvious Tourist pedestrians who had stepped down from the footpath into the cycle lane. The web site and PDF mention 2 frequencies, and don't say whether different headphones have a different "blind spot" frequency. I'd advise field testing with tones before buying a bell.

Open ##1203878
@ravenbait@mastodon.scot 2026-04-08 20:36

@clickhere @dec23k My use case for bells is that there are people ahead of me walking in the road, and I want to let them know I'm there when I'm far enough away that I won't startle them when passing politely (assuming it is safe to do so). Some people prefer a bell to a call -- sometimes a bell announces "bicycle" rather than "runner" in a way people prefer. I don't cycle on paths or the pavement.

Open ##1203879