Best bike bells: the most comprehensive battle of the bells you'll find on the internet
Best bike bells: the most comprehensive battle of the bells you'll find on the internet
As any good two-wheeled campanologist knows, all bells are not created equal, and they continue to divide opinion amongst cyclists and non-cyclists. However, as the roads, byways and trails get ever busier now is a great time to consider whether or not a bell could increase your safety and ride enjoyment.
If you are a gravel rider, a light ‘ting’ will help alert walkers as you ride up behind them, if you are a commuter then a bell will warn pedestrians about to step off the pavement and tell car drivers of your presence. They weigh very little, don’t cost a lot and are easy to fit, so why not join the bell ringers of the road?
In some countries or cities, a bell is a legal requirement, and in the UK all new bikes have to be supplied with a bell, so if you are going to use one, then choose one of the best. Here we test a raft of options from the minimalist to the more frivolous so you can pick the right one for you.
Best sound
The Crane E-Ne has classic styling with a nice, rich note and a reasonable price too. There are lots of color options, but attaching it can be slightly tricky.
The Spurcycle Bell looks fantastic, feels well made and produces a loud, enduring ring for such a small model. A brilliant design with a lifetime guarantee.
With a sleek and minimalist design, the Luxe bell doesn't take up much space on the bars and makes a nice sound, but it does have a habit of ringing when riding over bumps.
An ingenious little bell, the Osaka Clip On attaches easily and conveniently, and needs very little space too. The sound was surprisingly clear given its size.
The Trigger Bell has an under-the-bar design which means you can strike the ball and continue to use brakes and shift levers. It also has a loud and clear ring to it.
A contender for the best-named bell, the Portland Design Works Alexander Graham Bell is loud, clear and simple. It is designed to replace a steerer tube spacer though, so might not work on every bike.
The brass Arundel Clarabell is a tiny bell that is impressively loud. Tool-free fitting is easy thanks to the strap and S mount system and the sound is nice and friendly.
Great for alerting bears to your presence on the trail with its constant ringing, the Mountain Bike Trail Bell also has an off switch that silences it when not required. Fitting is nice and easy with lots of mounting options.
The Granite Cricket Bell can be used as a normal strike bell or an 'always on' cowbell for wildlife warning. It is small, well made and good value with lots of mounting options.
Without any Kickstarter- or social media-generated buzz, the Crane Bell Company based in Osaka, Japan, has been humbly making deluxe bike bells for decades. Long before Spurcycle or the Oi Bell were all the rage, Crane Bell turned to high-quality metals and timeless designs to help cyclists make their presence known on the busy streets of Japan. Their product line-up includes everything from beautifully hand-painted aluminum domes to futuristically shaped 'Rocket' bells.
The all-metal E-Ne bell looks awfully familiar, however. Far from unique in shape, the E-Ne bell appears to be a larger version of Spurcycle. It features the same mounting system, substantial-quality materials, and a similar striker and overall design.
But the larger brass dome does deliver a deeper, warmer tone that resonates for a good 10 seconds. Another nice touch is that the metal band that secures the bell to the bars is dipped in nylon to prevent any scratching.
And whereas the Spurcycle bell is limited to two colors, the E-Ne bells come in no less than 11 different models in variety of timeless chrome, silver, brass, copper and black colorways. The lower-end models do replace the brass dome with a lighter, aluminum dome. Best of all is that this luxury bell is much kinder on the wallet.
Our expert review:
A high-end bell at home on high-end bikes. The Spurcycle bell was perhaps among the first bells to lead the normalization of bell use among 'serious' cyclists in the 2010s. They launched their US-made, hand-assembled craftsman bell as a Kickstarter project back in 2013 to astonishing success. Upon completion of their campaign, they had some 10,000 bells to produce — many, many times the amount they had expected or forecasted.
Today, there's hardly a group ride around in which you won't find at least one Spurcycle bell In the bunch. They took the market by storm and proved that not only are people interested in bike bells, they'll even pay upwards of $50 USD for one — given it's an artisan one made of high-quality materials and comes with a lifetime guarantee, that is.
And indeed, the Spurcycle is a well-made, beautiful-looking bell with retro appeal. Weighing in at a substantial 45g, the bell is precision made of stainless steel with a brass alloy dome and an aluminum striker to produce its signature loud, enduring yet somehow polite ring.
At 30mm x 20.5mm, the dome is actually quite small for such a loud ring. And while there's no real performance benefit to it, many users —myself included— will mount the bell facing forward rather than up. This is mostly for aesthetics but it also makes hitting the striker easier perhaps.
I've been using a Spurcycle bell since 2016 and can attest to its durability as it still rings beautifully today. I will say that the mounting system is a bit finicky and there are certainly easier methods on this list of bells.
Our expert review:
Knog's entry into the bell market came not long after the Spurcycle success. The Australian company had already garnered a respectable reputation for its fresh approach to bike lights, locks and other accessories, all with fun designs and innovative features, and promised to do the same with their refreshing take on the bike bell.
Their Kickstarter campaign made a splash, doubling that of the Spurcycle with more than 20,700 backers and over a million dollars raised. But after all the anticipation (and production delays), the bell ended up falling flat. It looked great but the sound, while pleasant, simply wasn't loud enough. What's more, the mix of metal and plastic made the product feel cheap and proved prone to breaking. Improvements were made and released as the now-called Oi Classic, and was made even better for the Oi Luxe version reviewed here.
The Oi Luxe gets rid of any plastic. Instead, the CNC machined dome is met with a brass striker for a louder and clearer ding. Both are attached to a stainless steel moulded frame with a vegan leather shim to prevent the metal from scratching your bars.
Like the original Oi bell, the unique wrap-around design is beautifully discreet and takes up only 1cm of handlebar space. There are channels molded in the frame to allow housing to pass through, which not only looks tidy, but It also prevents any cables from dulling the sound.
These quality materials and improvements go a long way in making the bell ding louder and be more durable, however, they do come with a heftier price tag. The bell comes in two sizes: small to fit 22.2mm bars and large to fit. 31.8mm bars
While I think the Oi Luxe is Knog's best bell yet, there are still issues with the striker. The bell dings when riding over bumps and the spring is still rather weak and prone to bend.
Our expert review:
Another Japanese company to make the list is the Osaka Bell Company. An internet search doesn't yield a whole lot of information about the company itself, other than its 10 products and goal to produce products with "Clear tones. Attractive sound. Pleasant communication. Enduring design."
While the bells perhaps lack in design when compared to the Crane, Spurcycle or Oi bells mentioned above, this little bell reviewed here is simply ingenious.
The diminutive bell has a strap-free mount, meaning you won't be attaching it to the handlebars at all. Instead, the bell is clipped onto the brake lever hoods, cable housing, flat bar levers, bar bag or anywhere you please, really — the clamp needs just 8mm of space.
To tighten the clamp, you simply turn the dome clockwise until you've reached a snug fit. Turn counter-clockwise to loosen it. I attached mine to the hood, which tucks it away neatly while also being within reach of my thumb, allowing me to ring the bell without having to move my hand.
The 22mm brass-alloy dome and nylon striker produce a surprisingly clear and loud ding for their size. The clamp is made of a durable aluminum and allows for easy, tool-free transfer between bikes. It comes in four color options —brass, dark chrome, copper and silver.
Our expert review:
Safety is at the core of the Trigger Bell, another successful product to have started as a Kickstarter campaign.
The bell is the brainchild of London-based commuting cyclist Stefan Buxton, who found himself in a collision one day when a pedestrian stepped into his path. With his hands on the brakes, Buxton wasn't able to reach his bike bell. He swerved to avoid the pedestrian but collided with a car instead.
The Trigger Bell solves that problem. With its patented under-the-bar design, you can strike the bell using your thumb while continuing to make use of your brake and shift levers — keeping your hands on the bars and eyes on the road at all times.
The innovative design features an elongated brass bell and an ergonomic trigger with a rather powerful spring. Combined, they deliver a short but loud ding. The bell is mounted using a hard plastic strap and bolt. The nice thing about the strap is that it can be made to fit just about any bar size, hood, grip or shape.
The strap and bell can work with a broad range of handlebars but perhaps look cleanest when integrated with flat or commuter bars.
The only critique I have of the bell is that the mounting strap isn't flexible enough to withstand frequent mounting and re-mounting If one wanted to swap the bell between bikes.
Luckily, Buxton told Cycling Weekly that he’s currently working on making the mounting system easier by using a cable tie type operation rather than the current screw. Additionally, the bell's sixth iteration will feature a shorter and wider bell shape to make it more discrete and even louder.
Our expert review:
Portland Design Works is a small company dedicated to producing beautiful, simple gear for everyday cyclists with the hopes of inspiring people to ride more often.
PDW products are engineered and tested for the everyday cyclist, in the same way high-performance products are made for the elite athlete.
The products range from fenders and racks to lights and bells. While utilitarian in nature, PDW products combine function and style to enhance the beauty of the bikes they're installed on.
The Alexander Graham bell with its timeless design and bold ring is a prime example. The bell consists of a solid brass dome, a large stainless steel striker and a 10mm wide extruded alloy attachment ring.
The bell is attached to the bike by replacing one of the steerer tube spacers, which means the bells sits vertically. The bell is compatible with any 1 1/8" steerer tube, which is fairly standard on any bike produced after 1999. The steerer tube attachments keep the handlebar clutter- free and look right at home on a contemporary classic or steel basket bike.
The bell's top-selling feature, however, has got to be the loud, clear and long-lasting ring only solid brass can produce. Even folks wearing headphones will hear you coming. Out of all the bells mentioned in the article, the Alexander Graham rang clearest and longest.
The fixed attachment means that this is not a bell you'll be swapping between bikes, but given the pure metal construction, one bell should last you a lifetime.
I will note that if you have only a few spacers on their steerer tube, however, you might find —as I did— that you end up running your knee into the bell when climbing out of the saddle. One could, of course, remedy this by adding spacers above the stem but you know...aesthetics.
Our expert review:
Small bell, big ring!
The Clarabell is Arundel's smallest, most compact bell. It features a polished brass dome that measures 36mm x 28mm that's struck by a pointy, nylon dinger with a powerful spring. The whole package weighs about 39 grams and is mounted to your bars or stem by way of a flexible, urethane rubber strap and S hook.
Whether you're swapping the bell between bikes or using the bell only occasionally, attaching and removing the Clarabell takes mere seconds.
The sound is a clear and very pleasant and friendly one, alerting fellow trail and road users of your presence without startling them.
Our expert review:
The Timber! bell was designed to be the first mountain bike-specific bell that creates awareness when you need it and remains silent when you don’t. For years, bikepackers traversing through bear country and mountain bikers have clipped standard bear bells (or cowbells) onto the handlebars to make hikers and other trail users as well as wildlife aware of their presence.
The problem though was that these motion-activated bells would ring the entire ride long. Using a regular striker bell is also suboptimal as it's not safe to take your hands off the grips mid-descend to ring it.
And so, seeing this void in the bell offerings, the Timber! bell was born. The Timber! bell is a solid brass bell with a black finish and a clapper inside that, like a regular cowbell or bear bell, is activated by motion.
What sets the Timber! bell is their patented on/off lever that controls the internal, retractable clapper. While the bell's dome hangs below your bars, the lever sits at the bar level for easy access. You simply slide the lever down to release the clapper cable and let the bell ring freely. Slide the lever back up to retract the cable and silence the clapper.
The silence impresses perhaps even more so than the ring. It truly does remain silent — even over bumpy terrain. And when it rings, it does so pleasantly.
The bell comes in two mount options: a bolt-on and a quick-release model. While the bolt-on model offers a tighter, fixed mount, the quick-release strap allows for easy removal or transfer between bikes. It also allows for different bell placement - close to the grips for quick access or near the stem for occasional use.
The only downside of a trail bell like this is that it's either continuously ringing or silent. There's no in-between for the instances when you don't want it ringing continuously so you turn it off, but then come across the occasional or surprising fellow trail user and are in need of a single strike option.
Our expert review:
Granite Design is a small American company with a rather limited range of products yet a very global distribution. This is because the products it produces are clever and quality solutions to everyday cycling problems. The Cricket Bell is no exception. It's the one bell that does it all for all — commuters, gravel cyclists, mountain bikers and bikepackers alike.
The Granite Cricket Bell is that elusive two-in-one combination of a cowbell paired with a strike bell.
Out of the box, this bell initially acts like a hollow strike bell that's built to last. The bell is made of a brass/zinc alloy with a machined aluminum striker not unlike the Spurcycle bell. The striker delivers a nice, clear ding.
Inside the hollow bell, however, you'll find a retractable clapper that's released when you pull down on the dome. In cowbell mode, the bell is motion activated and will ding going over any bump to make your presence known when you're riding on trails, busy multi-use paths or in areas with a lot of wildlife.
Further pushing the 'one bell for all' theme, the Cricket Bell comes with several spacers to allow the bell to be mounted on various handlebar diameters or even, as I did, on a stem.
I'd say this bell is among the best value of all the bells in this article, and certainly my top pick for mountain bikers and bikepackers.
You'll have likely noticed that the majority of bells are made of brass. So why is that?
Brass is a metal alloy primarily composed of copper and zinc. (Not to be mistaken with bronze, which is primarily composed of copper and tin.)
The copper and zinc are then mixed with other metals such as iron, aluminum, silicon or manganese to create color variations and properties needed for the intended end use. Brass is malleable, durable and chosen for instruments and bells due to its ability to produce a clear tone. While the sound is not as deep or 'pure' as a bronze bell, brass is significantly lighter than bronze.
Bonus: the metal is also highly corrosion-resistant and will keep its ring even when painted.
Typically, bike bells will come with "O-rings" in different lengths and with different mounting brackets. This enables the rider to mount the bell in a variety of positions such as on the frame, handlebars and on stems. Others come with more permanet fixings that bolt them in place - great for security but not so good for quick swaps between bikes.
First and foremost: Loudness.
You'll need a bell that can cut through city noise and notify pedestrians, drivers and other cyclists of your whereabouts.
Durability is crucial. Since you'll be using this bell every day, it needs to be able to withstand rigorous use as well as being rain and rust-resistant.
Here's a video of various bells, so you can hear them for yourself!
Assessing bells might not be the most technical or arduous group test that we have run, but there were some crucial aspects that we looked into.
First and foremost, any bell needs to be loud enough to cut through city noise and be heard by pedestrians and car drivers too. A good bell should also be easy to attach and detach, but secure enough to stay put on any terrain. And finally, the bell should only ring when rung, not at the first sign of a pothole, speed bump or kerb. Oh, and it is nice if the bell's aesthetics are up to scratch too.
