alt.hn

4/8/2026 at 8:50:37 AM

Škoda DuoBell: A bicycle bell that penetrates noise-cancelling headphones

 https://www.skoda-storyboard.com/en/skoda-world/skoda-duobell-a-bicycle-bell-that-outsmarts-even-smart-headphones/

by ra

4/8/2026 at 1:31:21 PM

Coincidentally, I bought a 12v car horn yesterday with the intent of wiring it into my ebike's power supply with a little button on my handlebars.

Not because of other cyclists or pedestrians wearing (anc) headphones but because modern cars are so heavily sound-proofed they don't hear a bicycle bell anymore. A recent incident with an inattentive taxi driver in a brand new EV nearly flattening me prompted me to want to pursue this.

I'm still waiting for my cheap AliExpress dc-to-dc step down converter but otherwise I have everything I need and I think it should work. The horn module itself is definitely loud enough: I connected it to a 12v power supply at my desk and jumped out of my chair.

by michh

4/8/2026 at 8:04:37 PM

Yeas ago I motorcycled a lot, all over the world. I escalated to an air horn and hi-viz. But I pretty quickly realized that these made no tangible difference to the behavior of larger vehicle drivers. So I ended up for later vehicles with a stock horn and hi-viz only for heavy rain.

These days our family cycles a lot for commuting. It’s really easy to observe that people in vehicles treat us far better if we look like humans, wearing normal street clothes, rather than wearing high-viz or, far worse, cycling gear.

The bike bell is for polite notice, not alarming. The best alarm system you have is your voice, which is variable volume and tone. For ultimate effect slap the panels of cars, as it is very loud inside the vehicle.

by lancewiggs

4/8/2026 at 6:11:06 PM

Be careful with your ears! (And those of others)

A unexpected loud noise recently caused me to get tinnitus and hyperacusis, and trust me, you don't want either of them!

You know a diagnose is bad when Wikipedia lists suicidal thoughts as a common side effect....

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hyperacusis

by amarant

4/8/2026 at 5:09:56 PM

I want to see a bike with a train horn. Cars do it all the time. [1][2][3][4] illegal and highly satisfying

People have used drills+pumps to drive similar hand-held horns at football games so it is doable.

[1] - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NOKgg5iCw_c

[2] - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=enF0m6J7g2w [Tiny car with train horn]

[3] - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w31s5NsoOyg

[4] - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jLfD1AFsb1I

by Bender

4/8/2026 at 2:23:53 PM

When I was commuting 60k/day on my bike in shitty suburban conditions, I used one of these instead - you get limited use per trip, but you can always fill it up with a CO2 cylinder/bike pump:

https://www.hpvelotechnik.com/en/recumbent-trikes-bikes/acce...

It is loud.

by srejk

4/8/2026 at 2:31:27 PM

That’s a crappy pressure vessel holding 350ml of 80psi air, for about 100J of stored energy. I’m not entirely sure I’d be comfortable with that, especially anywhere with my face in the line of fire it it fails.

by amluto

4/8/2026 at 3:52:14 PM

Your bike already has two crappy 80psi pressure vessels, why not three?

by gibspaulding

4/8/2026 at 4:15:29 PM

Those two pressure vessels are highly engineered and are wrapped with materials with pretty good tensile strength. Also, they’re made out of materials (fabric and rubber) that absorb a decent amount of energy when they tear and that don’t fragment. And the whole assembly usually depressurizes slowly.

Having personally blown up beverage bottles by overpressurizing them (be very very careful doing this!), when they go, they go violently.

by amluto

4/8/2026 at 5:48:36 PM

I've blown up beverage bottles for fun. Hooking an air compressor to a 2L bottle and exploding it makes a satisfyingly loud boom.

*We had a valve on the air line so we could be at a safe distance when pressurizing. Be very careful. It's unpredictable exactly at which point they'll blow. Sometimes they hold full pressure for a couple seconds and then go.*

by BenjiWiebe

4/8/2026 at 8:41:12 PM

i like to use dry ice for pressure, make sure you have a gun to shoot it if it doesn't go off

by samdelucia

4/8/2026 at 6:11:52 PM

It's a soda bottle - it fits in your water bottle holder, and you can replace it for a couple of bucks if it fails. 80 psi is pretty low pressure (typical narrow tires are 100-120) and the bottle itself is very low mass, so the fabric around the bottle should ensure safety if it bursts.

IIRC these came out in the early-mid 90s; a bike messenger trick at the time was to fasten the horn to your handlebars with velcro, so you could take it off and hold it near a car window when triggering it.

by pjdesno

4/8/2026 at 8:20:33 PM

I suppose I should maybe not worry about 80 psi so much. An ordinary bottle of soda on a moderately warm day is around 80psi. The energy is 1/2 * pressure * head space (roughly), and head space is minimal. But you can chill it in the fridge, then open it and quickly pour out half, then close it and let it warm up, and you may still be near 80 psi, and I’ve never heard of anyone getting maimed by an exploding soda bottle.

by amluto

4/8/2026 at 6:34:00 PM

If it fails by blowing the end off toward your face what damage will it do?

by hdgvhicv

4/8/2026 at 3:24:11 PM

> That’s a crappy pressure vessel

That's a huge assumption, and likely incorrect.

by stronglikedan

4/8/2026 at 3:02:22 PM

Good point, but I abused it pretty well and it seemed to do OK - was also in a water bottle holder so closer to the legs than anything.

by srejk

4/8/2026 at 2:43:55 PM

> When I was commuting 60k/day on my bike in shitty suburban conditions

Here I thought my 4.5 mile (7.25 km) bike commute was a bit long...

by jandrese

4/8/2026 at 3:01:05 PM

An hour and a bit each way, took about as much time as public transit and better than a coffee for waking up. A good road bike goes a long way, and the suburbs suck for road sharing but are great for not having to stop at many lights.

The winters were rough though.

by srejk

4/8/2026 at 6:40:09 PM

Can confirm, AirZound is great!

by Tepix

4/8/2026 at 3:04:58 PM

Yeah I had something like this for several years. Works really well for cars

by khaki54

4/8/2026 at 3:49:10 PM

I wonder if one of those recently-emerging Chinese electric blowers that sub for canned air would generate enough air volume to sound the horn usefully. Possibly not quickly enough.

by theodric

4/8/2026 at 1:46:18 PM

I did that, but I used battery - couldn't figure out how to hook up to the e-bike's 50v electrical system (plus the DC-DC converter with high enough current...)

So I am using LiPo 3S, 2200mAh. Works like a charm. I keep it at its storage voltage (3.7-3.8v per cell), and it hardly drained the battery (there is no paracitic drain). Whole thing was like $20.

by f3d46600-b66e

4/8/2026 at 2:06:35 PM

I pondered doing that but thought it would agitate other road users so decided against.

by tonyedgecombe

4/8/2026 at 4:31:23 PM

Some locales are downright itching for a reason to road rage so I don’t blame you. One thing I have to say about being a motorcyclist is that our residents in California are so considerate and have never once mistreated me for beeping, lane splitting/filtering, stalling my bike at a green light, etc.

by iwontberude

4/8/2026 at 3:01:54 PM

mm, if i can't get it to work with the dc-dc converter i'll definitely go that route, good idea

by michh

4/8/2026 at 2:35:24 PM

If diy doesn’t work I’ve been using loud bicycle horn and it works great.

https://loudbicycle.com/

by kfarr

4/8/2026 at 2:39:41 PM

Gah! mini usb instead of USB C. Love the concept but it is remarkable how long bike accessories have been holding out on USBC.

by philips

4/8/2026 at 3:02:18 PM

At least they’re forward about it - I’ve lost count of how many bike accessories claimed to be USB C, but they only charge when connected to their specialized cable that converts from USB A to C.

by vscode-rest

4/8/2026 at 3:28:19 PM

Double-sided USB-C connections require a handshake before sending voltage. USB-A ports can have the 5v line active at all times. Cheap USB C gadgets often don't make the handshake, they just use it as a 5V input, necessitating an A to C cable.

by hnuser123456

4/8/2026 at 4:37:13 PM

If you add 5.1kΩ pulldown resistors on the CC lines for USB-C, you can get the standard 5V without a handshake although current may be limited by some chargers without negotiation.

by alacritas0

4/8/2026 at 7:10:38 PM

I think you're overstating this. The "handshake" is purely 2 simple resistors correctly installed. The problem is a lot of folks do it wrong for various reasons, most likely never testing with anything more than type a to type c cables.

https://people.kernel.org/bleung/how-to-design-a-proper-usb-...

by amstan

4/8/2026 at 6:36:46 PM

One of the many deficiencies of usb-c (who knows what power your cable supports, charger supports, if you accessory will charge, of it will connect at all)

by hdgvhicv

4/8/2026 at 3:54:56 PM

Interesting. Does UsBC spec/licensing require any sort of notation for products that don’t implement handshake?

by vscode-rest

4/8/2026 at 6:05:36 PM

I’ve got one of these fwiw, and it’s outstanding.

by ebcase

4/8/2026 at 3:16:54 PM

> I bought a 12v car horn yesterday with the intent of wiring it into my ebike's power supply

Putting an aerosol fog horn (available from boating supply shops) in the bikes water bottle holder is much simpler, louder and more effective.

by GJim

4/8/2026 at 7:50:17 PM

And where does your water bottle go then?

by dylan604

4/8/2026 at 2:21:47 PM

if you ever want an upgrade look into nautilus air horns. I had one on my 250cc Vespa that would clear an intersection.

Needs like 18 amps if that tells you anything.

by natebc

4/8/2026 at 3:10:40 PM

for your safety, when people hear a car horn, they’re going to be looking for a car.

by YesBox

4/8/2026 at 3:53:10 PM

It should make a ring-ring sound but at 120 decibels?

by moffkalast

4/8/2026 at 4:18:42 PM

Ooh, the telephones in the 80s! You should get one of those!

by fifilura

4/8/2026 at 5:59:30 PM

A motorcycle horn might be a better choice

by kube-system

4/8/2026 at 8:21:57 PM

> because modern cars are so heavily sound-proofed they don't hear a bicycle bell anymore

Agreed. I had a supercharged V8 Jaguar that I could barely hear.

And my Audi has a system that actually pumps engine noise into the cabin, so you can hear that, but not the outside world.

The Fire Department I was at was looking at "thumpers" - augmentations to sirens that make cars in front of them vibrate (a la those people playing too much bass too loud).

Not just sound proofing, but inattentiveness. I've been behind people on semi-rural quiet roads with my 40,000lb fire engine behind them, lights, sirens, and airhorns, and they've driven for a mile or two completely oblivious.

by FireBeyond

4/8/2026 at 2:54:58 PM

I had a digital bell from aliexpress on my winter commuter because pogies on the bars prevented a typical dinger. It was very annoying and very effective; my wife referred to it as "the friend maker".

by skeeter2020

4/8/2026 at 3:28:30 PM

on the rare occasions where I need to loudly indicate my presence to a motor vehicle I wouldn't really want to be moving my hands - if I have time to move a hand to a horn I probably have time to brake/manouvre instead.

Generally in those situations I shout really loudly at the driver, and in general they seem to hear me

by glenjamin

4/8/2026 at 5:08:59 PM

Squeeze horns are usually loud enough to be heard by cars in my experience.

by dheera

4/8/2026 at 3:21:21 PM

This seems to be part of a type of brand marketing where a brand claims it has invented something, but the only thing that ever exists of significant economic value is the attention raised by the promo video / article. Not the thing/service.

Examples:

- Samsung safety truck https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6GNGfse9ZK8

- Citroën motion sickness glasses https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Aco63dlq_WE

- Amazon Prime Air https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2AVVTBmtDdo

- IBM Smart Ads https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbEMVdzXiCY (implies they created lots of ad posters, but they only made 3 posters for this video)

- Lexus Hoverboard https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TFf7Meqkim8

I wonder if there is a term for this. "Vaporware marketing"?

by Coeur

4/8/2026 at 8:18:11 PM

Any innovation benefiting cyclists and coming from the auto industry is a way to move attention away from the fact that cars are the most dangerous thing on the road.

by abyssin

4/8/2026 at 6:06:16 PM

To be fair, I think Prime Air is real, but I've only heard about it when they've had drone crashes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGdOpR-Mv-E

AFAIK it's only available in a few very specific places (seemingly for good reason).

by npilk

4/8/2026 at 5:43:23 PM

I love these types of videos because they create this fiction of how design happens, where people sit around a table with drawings and or come up with beautiful mock-ups (the motion sickness glasses is a good example). Often, a lot of design decisions are super obvious and don't require a lot of sweat and collaboration to come up with, but in videos they're made to appear very difficult as it presents better. And other things are super messy, but you're not going to show that as it's hard to communicate.

by allenu

4/8/2026 at 5:46:11 PM

I think you nailed it. You can't even buy this bike bell, as far as I can see.

by MoonWalk

4/8/2026 at 2:12:38 PM

I'm very sceptical of their claims that ~780Hz is in some way special, especially the way they represent it graphically. Playing a frequency sweep while wearing WH-1000XM3 headphones, I don't notice any particular drop-off there.

Near where I live, heavy goods vehicles are fitted with reversing indicators that make a "cshh cshh cshh" sound i.e. pulsed white-noise. White noise like that is the hardest for ANC to cancel. Sample: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A3Wt1_51EVA

by Retr0id

4/8/2026 at 5:16:08 PM

Right? This feels like an "arms race" similar to scraping vs. anti-scraping; countermeasures will be developed, likely due to the action of actors entirely disconnected from what you're doing, but to block something else in the ecosystem... and you'll need to re-engineer your approach entirely. Rinse and repeat.

(The amount of innovation in anti-anti-scraping that's resulted from "sneaker bots" - automated scalping of limited-edition shoe releases - is astounding, and somewhat relevant here in how an environment can become adversarial in ways that impact broad ecosystems. I suppose the equivalent here would be environmental ads that seek to penetrate noise-cancellation in a similar way.)

I suppose, though, that all this is good news for a company that wants to turn your bicycle bell into a subscription product!

by btown

4/8/2026 at 5:42:58 PM

I don't see why this would become an "arms race." There's no particular competitive value in filtering out this ONE sound.

by MoonWalk

4/8/2026 at 8:00:39 PM

I think there's a broader indication of an arms race between noise cancellation systems and things that want to be heard, like advertising. And this just-happening-to-exist bandpass that the DuoBell is depending on could easily become collateral damage in that fight.

by btown

4/8/2026 at 7:31:18 PM

Me too, as soon as I saw this I put on my Anker Soundcore noise-cancelling earbuds and fired up my AAS Multiphonics CV-3 software synthesizer. Sweeping a sine oscillator, there was zero difference in perceived volume in the 750-780 Hz range.

by SoleilAbsolu

4/8/2026 at 7:29:22 PM

Right. From the article:

Through acoustic testing, the research team identified a narrow frequency band – a “safety gap” – capable of penetrating ANC headphone filters. This range lies between 750 and 780 Hz.

Is there a standard specifying this "safety band"? Is whatever Apple does for AirPods a de-facto standard?

by Animats

4/8/2026 at 2:18:36 PM

The construction site next door is using those vehicles, and they're also a lot more pleasant throughout the day. It's easier to tune out white noise than beeping. The first cshh is a little louder than the others, which is a nice design touch.

by post-it

4/8/2026 at 5:17:01 PM

Speak for yourself, I can tune out a steady beep much easier than the sound of a seagull being strangled to death. (That's what the ones around here sound like anyway.)

On a more serious note: the loud beeping backup alarms were DESIGNED to be annoying and difficult to miss. I would not be surprised in the least if a study showed these "less annoying" backup alarms correlating to a higher number of children being run over by reversing vehicles.

by bityard

4/8/2026 at 5:36:45 PM

There have been studies and those resulted in the less annoying backup sounds. These sounds are essentially harsh white noise, which has one significant difference to the beeping: it's level drops off differently with distance, meaning you can blast it louder and people who are really in the wrong spot will notice better it means them, while people who are not meant will not be annoyed or fatigued by it. Two noise sources combine different than two tonal sources and the human ear can locate broadband sources better than single tones.

This was developed especially for use in backup heavy environments like harbors where workers started ignoring constant beeps.

by atoav

4/8/2026 at 7:52:38 PM

There's also another difference: beeps can reflect coherently off of surfaces, causing directionality confusion in a dense environment. White noise is much less likely to have odd interference patterns, maximizing our ability to localize the sound.

by Majromax

4/8/2026 at 2:20:29 PM

On my wh-1000xm2, wh-1000xm3, wf-1000xm4 and lastly wf-1000xm5, there is a quite high frequency pitch (usually coincides with some public transport beeps, and some accidental squeaking of doors) that toggles ANC to transparent mode automatically. I remember reading something about this on Sony's support website.

by mightysashiman

4/8/2026 at 4:19:19 PM

My XM4's always do that at the beeps from the cash register, although I always attributed that to their volume rather than frequency. My theory was that they refuse to produce sound loud enough to cancel the beeps for safety reasons.

by bmicraft

4/8/2026 at 6:59:53 PM

I suspect as much too. If there's a failure to match the noise perfectly then the headphones are just going be be blasting a loud sound into your ears. And if it matches the frequency correctly but lines up with the sound instead of being out of phase, then it's acting as an amplifier!

by ziml77

4/8/2026 at 2:42:35 PM

Also triggered by baby screams unfortunately

by walthamstow

4/8/2026 at 3:01:44 PM

An evolutionary adaptation to ensure parents wearing headphones don't ignore their babies.

by haritha-j

4/8/2026 at 5:31:28 PM

We don't ignore him. I wear headphones while soothing him.

by walthamstow

4/8/2026 at 3:41:43 PM

I have a new idea for a bike horn.

by jkestner

4/8/2026 at 3:54:11 PM

Please do not duct tape a baby to your handle bars.

by RobotToaster

4/8/2026 at 2:43:55 PM

[flagged]

by yegle

4/8/2026 at 4:21:33 PM

> The "plausible sounding-text generator" generated plausible sounding text. More news at 11

Yeah, that's what LLMs do. Now is it true? Who knows!

by bmicraft

4/8/2026 at 7:17:15 PM

Is there an interpretation of the Computer Fraud and Abuse Act where using this bicycle bell to circumvent the computer system used in your headphones for active noise cancellation would be a federal felony in the United States?

by jmalicki

4/8/2026 at 7:28:58 PM

probably. i am pretty sure you can spin up a CFAA violation with some string and 2 cups.

by john_strinlai

4/8/2026 at 7:28:54 PM

Be careful with that because then bikers are just going to start using car horns.

by johnfn

4/8/2026 at 7:48:00 PM

hey, if they can prosecute for whistling into a handset...

by GeoAtreides

4/8/2026 at 10:16:53 AM

Do horns and bells really prevent accidents?

In order for e.g. a horn to work you need enough time that the driver processes the situation and decides the horn will communicate something AND enough time for the pedestrian or whatever to process that and react to it. Generally it's a lot easier just to press the brake, and more importantly be travelling at a speed and in a manner where the brake is sufficient.

Structurally, we'd be much better off reducing conflicts between the different tiers of users. I.e. properly segregated infrastructure for each class of vehicle.

by 0x3f

4/8/2026 at 10:28:06 AM

A horn or bell is mostly for telling other people "hey I'm here, stay out of my way and dont suddenly cross into my path"

My opinion as a cyclist is that I should basically only be using my bell on pedestrians when the pedestrians are wandering onto the bike lane. If im cycling through a shared space, I find it extremely rude to ring the bell, because it feels like I'm telling people to get out of my way, but they have just as much right to a shared path as I do. Some cyclists ring their bells because they're worried a pedestrian might suddenly turn into their path, but I think if one is concerned about that, it's a sign youre cycling too fast, and should just slow down.

With cars, I will sometimes proactively ring my bell at them if I think they're not sufficiently aware enough of me though.

by eigenspace

4/8/2026 at 2:24:43 PM

>My opinion as a cyclist is that I should basically only be using my bell on pedestrians when the pedestrians are wandering onto the bike lane. If im cycling through a shared space, I find it extremely rude to ring the bell, because it feels like I'm telling people to get out of my way, but they have just as much right to a shared path as I do.

The culture around this varies a lot. I'm in Melbourne, Australia. Virtually all bike paths are "shared", and many have signs telling you to ring your bell when approaching pedestrians - you're not telling them to move out of the way, you're telling them that you're there.

In practice, I tend to use one ding to mean "I'm here" and multiple dings to mean "you're on the wrong side of the path and need to move".

But in no situation do I rely on a bike bell to avoid an accident.

by stevage

4/8/2026 at 3:00:05 PM

I've always wanted two horns in my car: one that toots with a smile and a tip of the hat, and one that heralds your pending demise. It sounds like Australia cycle bell culture does that with short vs. long bell ding-a-lings.

Which is kind of how it has worked with cars, except I find that more and more cars have a style of horn that's hard to control with the necessary precision. Maybe this is Canadian culture but I get very anxious that my horn will honk for a millisecond too long and the poor victim will think I'm angry at them.

by Waterluvian

4/8/2026 at 5:26:27 PM

I can corroborate this finding -- I think the horn switch is just a logic-level digital switch going into one or more MCUs somewhere, subjected to all manner of latency and (probably) CANBUS jitter. It's not great. Trying to send Morse, or even a quick 'toot toot' results in a garbled mangled mess, and I find that very annoying. My early cars & motorbike had what felt like direct, switched control over power to the horn, those were great to use. I've debated installing a dedicated pushbutton rated for the amperage or at least controlling a solenoid somewhere that would power the horn.

As an experiment, I've found that you can reliably detect the presence of crummy horn control by trying to pulse the horn for the shortest amount of time possible. The shorter my push on the horn button gets, the more likely it is that the timing will feel wrong somehow, or the horn doesn't even sound at all.

I've definitely tried friendly beeps at friends or neighbors and it came out sounding like an angry honk.

by nhecker

4/8/2026 at 3:02:17 PM

go somewhere appropriate and do a little practice with the friendly multi-tap vs. the two-hand push!

adding on a wave helps too; I wish more drivers waved...

by skeeter2020

4/8/2026 at 3:44:35 PM

Reminds me of a mini-course I took on sound design. Lots of exercises in trying to squeeze expression out of a limited palette. Not too different from LEDs, but of course we have different cultural references for audio. Neat subject.

by jkestner

4/8/2026 at 3:06:04 PM

I hate how many cars I see these days with windows so tinted that eye contact and waves are impossible.

It feels dangerous to be unable to see the driver through their side window (eg. 4-way stop eye contact on who goes)

by Waterluvian

4/8/2026 at 3:47:54 PM

Agreed! It's a small but satisfying interaction to have that coordination and unspoken communication with other drivers at a 4-way stop.

I've taught my kids when crossing the street to make eye contact with drivers to make sure they see you. Drivers with smartphones unfortunately add to the challenge.

by jkestner

4/8/2026 at 3:48:22 PM

Some large trucks have that. A "city horn" that is like a normal car horn, and the traditional air horn that will rattle your windows.

by SoftTalker

4/8/2026 at 6:32:15 PM

> you're telling them that you're there.

Which, IMO is important. Even if they aren't in your way, it can help avoid an accident. If you're on any sort of nicer, well maintained road bike, it's going to be near silent. I've startled pedestrians on mine, so I now ring my bell every time I'm approaching someone, not as a "get out of my way" signal but more of a "hey! I'm coming up behind you, don't get startled and jump into my path"

Generally though, if its a particularly crowded path, I just ride in the road. In stop and go city traffic I'm usually going as fast if not faster than traffic anyway.

by thewebguyd

4/8/2026 at 5:23:54 PM

my own experience is that in the city the bell was to alert people that I think aren't paying attention to me and may be about to step into the bike lane. 100% like you said, I'm letting someone know I'm there

Now that I moved to the country with a comprehensive rails-to-trail network, I thank all the cyclists that use the bell to let me know they're coming up behind me. What really irks me is the dudes going 30+mph silently coming up behind me, passing less than 2' from my dog (who is at my side) when there's PLENTY of room to give me space. No, we can't hear them coming all the time. Yes, it's startling, rude, and dangerous for all of us.

by fusslo

4/8/2026 at 7:08:29 PM

In Germany it's illegal to drive bikes that assist beyond 28km/h (about 20mph) in what are true bike paths (which can be built as lanes! And, notably, they can be marked as virtual-lane-shared (pictogram side by side with a vertical divider) or as true shared (pictogram above and below at a horizontal divider), if pedestrians are also allowed to use them.

An ancient gas-e-bike rating is allowed on them outside city limits but iirc those bikes are exceedingly rare since even before e-bikes became truly mainstream.

by namibj

4/8/2026 at 7:48:06 PM

I prefer to slow down and actually just say hello to them, they'll usually say sorry and I'm back on my way again. Just ringing a bell, or worse a horn, scares them and they need to turn round to figure out where you are and whether you're about to squash them. I don't feel I have the right to do that to someone just out enjoying a peaceful walk.

On the other hand, I've been angered by dog owners when running who just take up the entire pavement. A couple of weeks ago, I had one guy coming towards me force me to come to a complete stop when I was running flat out, because he couldn't be bothered to control his dogs. He was in the centre of the pavement, and the 2 dogs were at the extreme edges with tight enough leads between him and the dogs, so it'd have tripped me up if I'd tried to jump them. He knew full well I was heading that way, but in the 10 seconds since we had made eye contact, he was clearly determined not to reign his dogs in, and it was only when I was stopped and so he had to reign them in to continuing walking past that I was able to keep using the pavement.

by ralferoo

4/8/2026 at 3:01:18 PM

Your right and I think local culture gets the difference between the escalating "move over! I've rung my bell 5 times already" vs. the light courtesy "coming up from behind" ring

by skeeter2020

4/8/2026 at 5:14:16 PM

It's legally mandated in my city so I guess the polite thing to do is ring a bell, you know, just stick to the protocol, for everyone's sake. A bell however seems at least as likely to startle someone into behaving erratically as not.

As far as the pedestrian's safety is concerned what matters is either giving them a wide berth or slowing right down when passing.

Whether on a bike or not I'm sick of all the modern world's beeping and ringing and buzzing and blaring and if I'm wearing noise cancelling headphones that means I don't want to hear it. Don't tell you're being annoying for my own good because you aren't.

by Fricken

4/8/2026 at 7:11:54 PM

First reaction to warning tone should always be to (safely!) stop and assess.

Considering that the persons involved can't be expected to not be deaf, or functionally so via e.g. headphones, and thus you always have to be able to brake anyways. Running onto a driving lane (be it bikes or cars doesn't matter) without looking especially if the direction you didn't look just gave an audible warning is always reckless.

by namibj

4/8/2026 at 12:40:15 PM

My solution to this is that I ring my bell when I'm far from people, usually twice while I'm still a fair way away. It just gets pedestrians conscious that there's a bike around, while also being far enough away that it's not going to surprise them and I don't think they assume it's an aggressive bell.

My least favourite is when a cyclist speeds past and shouts "on ya right" (I'm in Australia) but they shout it when they're so close that there's no chance of hearing and understanding in time.

by iamthemonster

4/8/2026 at 2:41:36 PM

That's how I do it too. I'll tap bell once (and let the ring sustain) when I'm about ~5 seconds from overtaking them so people know there's something coming up behind them, and the sustained sound tells them how fast it's coming. This is especially important with runners, who are prone to suddenly take a U-turn if they're at the end of their route.

Pedestrians regularly wave acknowledgement or even say "thank you." Some other cyclists (especially on e-bikes) just blast by with no warning.

by the_snooze

4/8/2026 at 2:48:53 PM

The problem with bells is that they aren't very directional. It's hard for my brain to figure out from which direction the sound is coming from. Someone speaking "on your left" is much more directional, and it includes important context as to what the warning is about.

by jandrese

4/8/2026 at 2:54:53 PM

Its pretty safe to assume on a trail if you hear a bell that a bike is coming up behind you.

by samdixon

4/8/2026 at 3:06:12 PM

Or from the side or oncoming and he's just behind the crowd of pedestrians ahead of you.

by jandrese

4/8/2026 at 4:11:19 PM

Yes haha - a bike coming from _somewhere_

by samdixon

4/8/2026 at 2:01:55 PM

Agreed.

I saw one recently where the cyclist shouted out something like, "ON YOUR LEFT!" and all it did was startle the crap out of a jogger who spun around into the path of the bicycle. Luckily just a close call. That cyclist's "warnings", with no time for pedestrians to react properly, were really just a game of Russian roulette. (And really rude, as you say).

by jmull

4/8/2026 at 2:07:09 PM

Shouting that while traveling too fast is indeed incorrect, but a polite "on your left" or bell while traveling an appropriate speed is considered good behavior to avoid surprising pedestrians.

by empyrrhicist

4/8/2026 at 2:52:50 PM

The problem is there's a good number of people that hear "on your left" and shift left.

A gentle bell mostly doesn't do that.

by BobaFloutist

4/8/2026 at 3:54:11 PM

Yeah, I prefer a bell.

by empyrrhicist

4/8/2026 at 2:23:46 PM

Outside of some stage actors and drill sergeants, there are probably few people who can project their voices well enough that a vocal warning is useful.

You're either traveling slow enough that it's not necessary (and why yell at people if you have to?), or are too far away for someone to understand and get a bearing on who isn't already looking at you.

A bell is still rude in a shared space but used correctly, a decent one can at least be effective.

by jmull

4/8/2026 at 3:53:48 PM

> A bell is still rude in a shared space

I just don't think that is even a little bit true, or at least it's something that is very culturally specific and thus not generally applicable.

I have a friendly sounding bell I use from an appropriate distance (and I can modulate the volume), and I routinely have people give a light wave to show they heard. In addition, the biggest complaint about cyclists in local social media is about them passing without notice.

by empyrrhicist

4/8/2026 at 3:24:05 PM

If you just bell once or twice, and don't aggressively keep ringing, I'd never consider a bicycle bell in a shared space rude. I even consider it good manners, though as others have said, that varies between cultures.

Being visually impaired, though, I'm grateful for cyclists who use their bell. It's immediately clear. For some reason, my brain takes slightly longer to process someone yelling "on your left!" or similar, than just a quick "ring ring".

by bigblind

4/8/2026 at 4:33:39 PM

Cyclists will normally do the same thing passing out other cyclists at a 5-10 km/h speed difference, and it's definitely useful there.

by dmurray

4/8/2026 at 3:04:25 PM

also - even though the pedestrian has the obligation to move over - a friendly thanks! or thank you! helps all cyclists in the long-run.

by skeeter2020

4/8/2026 at 4:12:14 PM

This again depends on the jurisdiction and kind of path you're on. Where I grew up, if it's not separated into bicyclist & pedestrian lanes, bikes yield to pedestrians.

On US forest trails, the general rule is bikes yield to pedestrians and everyone yields to horses.

(Obviously pedestrians walking in bicycle lanes are doing it wrong.)

by yencabulator

4/8/2026 at 3:52:07 PM

Yep, a wave helps as well.

by empyrrhicist

4/8/2026 at 3:40:31 PM

Unfortunately in many jurisdictions it is legally required to do that when passing a pedestrian.

by qwhelan

4/8/2026 at 5:30:49 PM

Can you list some examples? When I lived in Chicago it was quite common for cyclists to shout this on the long lakefront trail, I wonder if that's the case there too.

by shrx

4/8/2026 at 2:06:08 PM

> Some cyclists ring their bells because they're worried a pedestrian might suddenly turn into their path,

This is wrong - on mixed use paths, it is customary and proper to announce "on your left" when passing, and a bell is a nice alternative. Even cycling slowly pedestrians can do some very erratic things, and moreover are very surprised when cyclists suddenly appear on their left (and may do something dumb in surprise!).

by empyrrhicist

4/8/2026 at 6:42:47 PM

> This is wrong - on mixed use paths, it is customary and proper to announce "on your left" when passing

This is neither customarily nor regulatory uniform. There are mixed-use trails near me where bells are required. There are some trails where most people use a bell, some trails where nobody uses a bell, and some where there is a mix.

In my personal experience, the ratio of bikes to pedestrians and the purpose of the trail greatly affects how people tend to handle this.

by kube-system

4/8/2026 at 2:47:07 PM

On the bike trail it is crucial to do a shoulder check when changing lanes. Some people get "in the zone" and ignore all other traffic in the singular pursuit of the shortest times. They will get very very angry if you get in front of them, if they spot you at all instead of just slamming into your rear tire at full speed.

by jandrese

4/8/2026 at 3:55:00 PM

I personally can't stand to ride without a mirror for situational awareness (or, if on road, a mirror and also radar).

by empyrrhicist

4/8/2026 at 1:01:44 PM

> A horn or bell is mostly for telling other people "hey I'm here, stay out of my way and dont suddenly cross into my path"

This. I only use the bell on bike paths, too. Sometimes it feels like a game of pac-man, where baddies will wander into my path from all directions and in all kinds of ways. Cars doing a right turn, zombies staring into phones, people walking backwards (!), zombies staring into phones walking backwards, it doesn't end.

by jwr

4/8/2026 at 2:04:25 PM

The ultimate cyclist killer: those stupid extending dog leashes.

by lostlogin

4/8/2026 at 4:09:39 PM

Back when I roller skated, the ultimate question: you see a person and a dog, several meters apart. Is there a leash between them? :-)

by jwr

4/8/2026 at 2:09:48 PM

That is an issue on bike paths that are build inside a sidewalk, the cycling path is usually build using a smoother surface than the one designed for pedestrians. Plus it sometimes has a brighter paint.

I am pretty sure most people don't realize it but they are inconciously attracted to it. It just feels better walking on it.

by prmoustache

4/8/2026 at 2:24:08 PM

That's an issue on any bike path in the US, even if it's a fire road in the middle of nowhere. I bet there are people walking their dogs or checking Instagram on the single track course that is used for the Red Bull Rampage.

by pandaman

4/8/2026 at 6:12:27 PM

Yeah, it happens on sidewalks, bike trails, mixed use trails, and dedicated bike lanes. If anything, dedicated bike lanes are the worst because they get errant pedestrians and cars.

by kube-system

4/8/2026 at 4:08:54 PM

No, every bike path in a city inevitably has crossings or is laid out next to a sidewalk. People just do their random-walk thing (Brownian motion, really, sometimes) and wander into the bike path.

by jwr

4/8/2026 at 1:57:33 PM

It's essential on narrow shared paths e.g. a canal towpath, when you're approaching a pedestrian from behind in order to avoid startling them when you pass.

Most people walking the canal towpath around here know this, runners in particular will sometimes be give a wave or visual acknowledgement they've heard you without turning around.

by mfashby

4/8/2026 at 10:53:57 AM

> If im cycling through a shared space, I find it extremely rude to ring the bell, because it feels like I'm telling people to get out of my way, but they have just as much right to a shared path as I do.

It’s certainly rude to ring the bell in a aggressive manner, but many bells are capable of producing much softer, more polite sounds.

In super busy old European capitals I find that people increasingly just ride around with speakers playing a constant tune at a reasonable volume, a massive improvement on dense streets full of varyingly sober people.

by walletdrainer

4/8/2026 at 2:05:44 PM

> In super busy old European capitals I find that people increasingly just ride around with speakers playing a constant tune at a reasonable volume, a massive improvement on dense streets full of varyingly sober people.

I sometimes do that. It helps not having music that could be described as aggressive. I often use reggae.

However it means you need a speaker charged so it is not something I have ready everytime I use my bicycle, nor do I want to carry it everyday when leaving the bike attached somewhere so it can't be the goto solution.

by prmoustache

4/8/2026 at 11:30:20 AM

I still think that ringing bells at people is a little rude, regardless of the tone. Like imagine if you were at the grocery store, blocking the isle and someone lightly chimed a bell at you instead of just saying "excuse me".

IMO if I'm in a dense pedestrian zone and I can't go around people and I can't communicate by voice, it means I'm going too fast.

by eigenspace

4/8/2026 at 2:27:50 PM

It's just cultural. If there's a cultural expectation of the ring/honk it's not rude. e.g. in India people will honk as a form of active group flock behaviour but foreigners will interpret it as everyone saying "get out of my way"; but in some European countries I have seen that people use the bell (much less noisy than the typical Indian street) and it's got the same meaning. In Hawaii, if you ever honk at someone, you're going to have a fight on your hands. In San Francisco, if you honk at someone and you're on Bush Street it means you're trying to help the traffic light change (it's a team effort) but anywhere else you get anything from a gun drawn, to a brake check, to a wave in apology for missing the light by being on the phone.

Overall, cultural expectations are everything here so it's best to just "when in Rome, do as Romans do".

by arjie

4/8/2026 at 6:28:32 PM

Can you explain to me what it means to try to get the traffic light to change on Bush street? I tried searching for it but couldn't find anything.

by jonahrd