photos: San Diego Mountain Bike Association.
A friend recently returned from a trip to California with an interesting discovery: bell boxes for mountain bikers. If you ride in California you already know about these but for east coasters, the concept may be new. At many shared-use trailheads, mountain bike clubs have installed signed boxes containing loaner bear bells with velcro loops to attach to mountain bikes. The bells alert hikers and equestrians to oncoming bike traffic, allowing them to move out of the way or at least avoid being startled. Brilliant.
We seem to hear about trail-use conflicts a lot and much of the animosity is toward mountain bikers who are seen as the new kids on the trail. Sure, hikers and equestrians have tried (unsuccessfully) pinning trail damage on mountain bikers but at the end of the day, I suspect the real reason these groups don’t want us on the trail is we ride too dang fast and quiet on the trail. As a hiker, it’s startling to have a mountain bike come up unexpectedly, especially on a quiet hike in the woods all alone. Heck, I’d get jumpy after just one or two fast bikes passed me too.
With that in mind, I often slow down to hiking speed as I approach pedestrians on the trail, saying “hello” to let the person know I’m behind them but even that can be startling if the greeting comes too late or too loud. Plus, it forces me to slow down almost to a stop to give the hiker a chance to react. With a bear bell that’s constantly ringing, the hiker gets a warning that slowly builds as the rider approaches.
The downside to attaching a bell to your mountain bike is you gotta hear that thing jingling the ENTIRE time you’re riding. I have an old school bell on my FS bike (one of those big ones that goes brrrrrrrrrrr-iiiiing) and it dings a bit whenever I hit a bump. On a ride with mtbgreg1 last week I just about ripped the thing off my bike a couple times because it started annoying me so much! There’s also something to be said for quiet riding beyond your own mental health – listening to your bike is a good way to monitor the health of the bike. Catching a subtle rubbing or creaking sound early in a ride can save you from serious mechanical damage down the road.
So what’s the verdict – are bell boxes a good idea for shared use trails? I’d have to say it depends. For shared-use trails with a lot of traffic I think the idea has legs, particularly in areas where hikers are vocal about closing trails to bikes. Whenever you can address the root cause to a problem (hikers feeling on edge because of bikes) it’s usually a good solution. I think bear bells do just that.
For more remote trail systems where user conflicts are fewer and farther between, bear bells don’t make as much sense (except if you’re in actual bear country where a bell is for your own protection). It’s always important to ride in control and to watch for others on the trail – including other mountain bikers – but with fewer users you won’t find yourself slowing as often.
What do you think – are bell boxes a good idea? Does anyone ride with a bear bell full time?
21 Comments
Feb 17, 2012
We have quite a few multi-use trails and there have been many times I've come around a corner to find someone diving off the trail because they heard me just before seeing me. As a part of our state's advocacy team, I think this is a great idea to prevent minor trail conflicts from erupting into an actual issue.
Feb 14, 2012
Feb 15, 2012
Feb 14, 2012
I don't have a bell, but one would be handy on the James River Park System in Richmond. Other places I ride it's probably not as needed. I do see them (and hear them) often in JRPS, which an urban multi-use trail system and you encounter walkers, runners, and other riders in both directions on a regular basis. When coming up on someone from behind, I begin slowing down and usually try to make extra noise ("ahem", gear shifting, talking to my riding buddy, etc.) to give them a chance to hear me coming before I am right behind them.
There are also a lot of blind turns in JRPS, so sending out a warning ring as you approach is a good idea just in case someone is coming from the other direction.
Like cubanchurchill mentioned, most folks on the trails around here are pleasant and courteous. Unfortunately, the last d-bag that I witnessed was a mountain biker. I guess there is one in every bunch.
Feb 14, 2012
Feb 14, 2012
Feb 15, 2012
I have an Incredibell Bellini on all of my bikes. Tiny as all get out, stupidly lightweight, unintrusive and best of all, they make zero noise until you flick the little plastic nub.
http://www.mirrycle.com/bellini.php
Feb 14, 2012
Feb 16, 2012
Feb 14, 2012
I also noticed that your bell kept dinging when you rattled over roots and rocks, and I was quite a ways behind you most of the time ;) If I had to listen to something like that (or worse) the entire ride, I think it would annoy the crap out of me!!
One of the reasons I ride my MTB is for the peace and quiet and the serenity of nature. BTW, today's POD really captures that serenity: http://www.singletracks.com/mountain-bike/photo-of-day.php?id=159
Feb 14, 2012
I think npark's idea of packing a bear bell and bringing it out only for descents on crowded trails sounds like a good compromise.
Edit: one other way to look at this - would you rather ride a particular trail with a bell or not ride it at all? The answer probably depends on the quality of the trail, convenience, etc. In some areas this may be the only compromise the user groups could agree to.
Feb 16, 2012
Feb 15, 2012
This may not be the 'fix all' solution to the hiker/biker conflicts on these trails but it does show that someone is trying. If the trails in question have that many conflicts to warrant such a measure they must be pretty popular and widely used so Im thinking that the bikers who ride there expect to see other users on the trails so it would be no big deal. Eventually they will get tired of restocking these boxes and try something else.
In most cities/municipalities a bell is required to ride on all public pathways- not too many recreational riders around here obey this rule but most commuters do. I have a thumb operated, single 'Ding' bell that works just fine.
I also have a couple of the bell pictured above that are used for their originally intended purpose; Bears. It comes with a mesh covering with a small magnet in it that muffles the sound of the bell to a certain extent. I only uncover it and let it ring loudly if I am in thick brush where visibility is limited. Trust me after a couple miles of listening to this thing you will be starting to wish something would come out of the woods and eat you-
Feb 16, 2012
Feb 27, 2019
Bikes go the opposite way of horse and hikers. Everyone looks in front of them, naturally, thus no one one ever gets startled.
Alternate directions on different days of the week, clearly mark these things at the trailheads.
Feb 15, 2012
Feb 16, 2012
All kidding aside, there are a lot of people I ride with who use the bells to announce their approach on slower riders or in some cases where there is a 2-way trail announce their approach to a blind brush filled corner. My favorite bell has been the Brass Duet that was mentioned above, and I plan to get one some day, I just haven't seen one in a shop.
Feb 15, 2012
Feb 14, 2012
Feb 14, 2012
Feb 14, 2012
A bell that rings constantly is in itself a hazard to the rider. For one it kills the peacefulness of the ride. Two, it takes away from your concentration while riding. And three, it voids the ability to listen to your bike and possible mechanical issues that might need attention.
The idea has a good foot, but the design is horrible.