@uxmark asks:

[akkana@fosstodon.org]

@ascentale @uxmark @bikenite

A7 I have bells on all my bikes, but I don't use them that often; walkers tend to jump several feet when they hear a bell, and "on your left" always sounds a bit rude and perfunctory to me, so I usually go with a greeting like "good afternoon".

Though lots of walkers won't hear anything, not voice, not bell, they're lost in their own worlds or in their earbuds (or maybe they just didn't put in their hearing aids).

[moz@fosstodon.org]

@ascentale @uxmark @bikenite FWIW the custom here is that there is no custom. Some shared paths have "cyclists please ring your bell" signs, most don't. Some pedestrians hate being rung at, others hate not being. Some ignore everything including council motor vehicles driving towards them. I ring my bell at people who seem likely to get/stay in the way (you'd be shocked at how much of a 3m wide path two people can fill up).

#BikeNite

[lovestha@floss.social]

@ascentale @uxmark @bikenite Bell, repeated if I actually need them to move.
But frequently nothing if I can see they have headphones on.

[lovestha@floss.social]

@kimu I do bell from far enough away that if it startles them they were going to get startled by a passing leaf.

@ascentale @uxmark @bikenite

[rjpayne@social.vivaldi.net]

@ascentale @uxmark @bikenite Bell, sometimes a shout

[kayjanes@mstdn.social]

@ai6yr @ascentale @uxmark@mstdn.ca @bikenite When my N commuted to work on his bike, he had a type of bell on his bike that was always jingling.

[martycormack@urbanists.social]

@ascentale @uxmark @bikenite
#BikeNite A7:
I have a bell on two of my bikes. But the majority of the time I use my voice. I frequently ride multiuse trails with plenty of pedestrians and many walking dogs. If they have a dog, I give a warning as soon as they are in hearing range, the sooner the better, and that makes it more likely the dog will be under control by the time I pass.

[supermoosie@mastodon.au]

@ascentale @uxmark @bikenite

Pedestrians hear a bell and become unpredictable

Some panic
Many stop a turn to look
Some go left
Some go right
Some go left, then right.
Some don't do anything
Some get the shits.

Easiest just to leave them where they are and go off the path and go around them.

Also used to have a pump up air horn. 120 decibels. People stepping out onto the road , without looking would get a quick blast. Watch them jump like they were about to be hit by a truck.
Occasionally useful for drivers.

[scrottie@bsd.network]

@theantlady @ascentale @uxmark @bikenite Very culturally dependent. Honking in New York often means "get out of my way" or "I'm going when it isn't my turn and I'll run you over if you get in my way", and people in mid-state NY seem to interpret bike bells the same way. I see a lot of people basically leap out of the way. In Minnesota where people are a bit more chill, and apparently in Seattle too, people tend to interpret a ding as a "just letting you know I'm overtaking". So I use my voice in mid-state NY ("passing on your left"). California Birk Gilman trail is another example where there are so many people, bikes, toddlers, skateboards, ebikes, etc that it's pointless to warn people because there's a steady stream of passing bikes and the toddlers don't understand or care anyway. I think if I rode on a bike-ped path a lot, I'd do a spoke noise maker. Something to be said for Bluetoot speakers too.

[andrew773@mastodon.online]

@ascentale @uxmark @bikenite In regards to pedestrians I slow down, they tend to hear my downshifts and if they really aren't noticing me I use my voice. I don't have bells on my bikes. Bikes it's usually obvious how to pass but I'm not a speed racer. For cars I yield if they don't notice me when I need to cross, ride confidently, take up a lot of space, and always use lights at night. #bikenite

[fiend_unpleasant@mastodon.social]

@ascentale @uxmark @bikenite I will be switching to train horn on a cordless drill.... that should cover most situations

[everydaymoggie@sfba.social]

Q7. *When you’re cycling, how and when do you alert others to your presence?*

If there is enough clearance to pass without it being potentially hazardous, I don't alert them, I just quietly go around. If there's less room and I have to pass closer, a bell, rung when quite a long way behind them.

I will never yell, "On your left!" because it makes me livid when people yell that at me. By the time I finish jumping out of my skin and manage to parse what that incoherent blatting noise was, they're long gone.

#BikeNite

@ascentale @uxmark @bikenite

[nilajones@zeroes.ca]

@ascentale @uxmark @bikenite

From pedestrians and other cyclists, I just say hello

If they have ear buds or otherwise cannot hear me, I just cruise along slowly behind them until they notice me. I am a patient person

For motor vehicles, I use a long flagpole with something silly attached to the end. Artificial flowers, a small stuffed animal.... Something that people might notice

I also will not cross in front of a vehicle until the driver meets my eyes. This is another thing that sometimes involves waiting

Somebody in the turn lane, and looking down at their phone, I absolutely do not trust them. I've been hit before, multiple times, by drivers who turn after stopping, and without looking. I can yell, bang on their hood, anything. They are clueless

[ozdreaming@infosec.exchange]

@isol @ascentale @uxmark @bikenite Hah! This is something I like about riding on studded tires -- they're so loud they announce themselves.

When I used to ride my kids to daycare & school, I played music for them on a BT speaker. (I've since forgotten all the music they wanted to hear, but it definitely announced, "kids coming!").

I had a cheap battery-powered horn that made an "aaaOOOOgah" noise, but it was stolen last year along with my bar mitts.

And the spring hammer on my little dinger just stopped working, so I'm left with my voice. But I rarely use it on a shared path, I usually just slow way down and hover annoyingly until the pedestrian notices me.

#Bikenite A7

[gbargoud@masto.nyc]

@ascentale @uxmark @bikenite

Bell and/or voice for pedestrians, an air horn strapped to my bike fork for "you nearly killed me you fucking moron"

[lovestha@floss.social]

@gbargoud @ascentale @uxmark @bikenite I am wondering what would have been a better option when that Labrador nipped me.

[edd@freeradical.zone]

@ascentale @uxmark @bikenite A7. Depends a lot on context. Folks in cars can't hear anything so I don't bother outside of waving like a maniac. For folks riding I'll ues my voice to let them know I'm passing, and for pedestrians it's mostly if they're being erratic on a multi-use path or I'm going very fast that I call out.

#BikeNite

[daihard@sharkey.world]

@ascentale@sfba.social @uxmark@mstdn.ca @bikenite@fedigroups.social A7: I always use a bell when I pass other road users (i.e. people walking and cycling) on trails and in cycle lanes. I know some people say that they don't let their presence be known because an audible signal causes those they try to pass to behave unpredictably. That's never been my experience. I try to give adequate space when passing, too. #BikeNite

[morgan@sfba.social]

@ascentale @uxmark @bikenite

A7: if coming from behind, call out "on your left," (or "right") and have my Timber bell dingling. If approaching them face to face, voice as well and a wave, and I might declare which side, or say something nice.

Timber Mountain Bike Bells

Timber mountain bike bells are the first bicycle bells designed for mountain biking. For mtb trail awareness Timber features cowbell style ringer system with dual modes and an easy on-off switch from ring to silent mode for warning hikers, horses, bears and mountain lions.

Timber Mountain Bike Bells (mtbbell.com)

#BikeNiteQ #BikeNite #BikeTooter #Cycling #MastoBikes cc @bikenite

[trainguyrom@techhub.social]

@ascentale @uxmark @bikenite I had used my bell generally for alerting anyone I'm passing but I noticed it would frequently cause folks to jump and panic slightly until they realize they aren't about to be run over.

Now I'll just announce as I approach "on your left!" Which does the job of communicating that I will be passing, that I've observed them and that they can safely remain where they are. Folks still often jump, but it's a much less panicked jump usually

There is one narrow bit on one of my local trails where the trail hugs the edge of a river under a bridge. The bridge blocks view of any pedestrians or oncoming bikes, so I'll typically ring my bell on approach and of course slow significantly to be ready to stop. I'm not sure how helpful the bell is (it may simply not be audible enough to be heard past the blind corners), but if nothing else it's an excuse to ring my bell!