THE TEN BEST BELLS FOR YOUR MOUNTAIN BIKE

Mountain bike bells may not be on the radar of most riders, but for many, it’s an essential part of riding. High-traffic, shared-use trails in particular make bell use important. Bells warn other trail users, animals and even riders pedaling uphill of an approaching bike. It’s said that hikers can hear a good bell from a few hundred yards away, and horses can hear them even farther away—at least a quarter-mile.

MBA’s first experience with trail bells came in 2001 on Santa Barbara’s frontside trails, where user conflict between mountain bikers and other users threatened the trail system. Santa Barbara Mountain Bike Trail Volunteers (SBMTV) installed bell boxes at the top and bottom of trailheads, and the experiment worked. Both user groups are still sharing the trails today.

Similar bell boxes have sprung up in recent years across other Southern California trailheads, too. While there is a time and a place for everything, we always recommend using bells on highly trafficked trails. From basic to extraordinary, here are 10 of our favorite bells.

REVGRIPS PRO SERIES STEM AND TRAIL BELL WITH SILENCER/SWITCH

They may be best known for their shock-absorbing grips, however, RevGrips offers much more than that. One item in particular is fast becoming an MBA wrecking crew favorite—their Pro Series stem with integrated bell. The stem itself is a CNC-machined aluminum work of art and is available in a wide range of anodized colors. It features an optional, add-on, removable GoPro-style mount that works for POV cameras, lights and other accessories. However, the coolest and most unique feature has to be the integrated and stealthily hidden bell option. The motion-activated bell is tucked away in the unused space between the steerer tube and handlebar with a very convenient and useful silencing switch. To activate or silence the bell, you simply reach under and flip the switch. Not only is it hidden from sight for clean looks, but it’s hidden from branches or crash-related impacts, so it’s protected, too. The only downside to this bell is that it only fits the 50mm-long stem, not the 40mm, because of space constraints; otherwise, RevGrips has really developed a better mousetrap with this bell.
Weight: 185 grams, stem with bell
Price: $180, stem; $60, bell
Contact: revgrips.com

 

TIMBER MODEL YEW!

Timber Bell founders Chris and Liz Lacy started the brand after a negative encounter with a fellow trail user. The Model Yew! is a motion-activated bell is unique in that the lever turns the bell on and off, making it another MBA staff favorite that you can find on many of our bikes. It is ultra-convenient to use and leaves no excuse for forgetting to mount a bell, because it’s always there on your handlebars ready for use. It’s small and takes up little room on your handlebars, making it simple to reach over with your thumb and give it a quick on-the-fly click for the climb. The Model Yew! is offered in two styles—bolt-on for dedicated use and quick-release to pass between bikes or mount for certain trail use. It fits 35mm bars and includes shims for 31.8mm and 22.2mm bars as well. Plus, they offer replacement parts so you can get years of use out of a single bell.
Weight: 92 grams, bolt-on
Price: $30
Contact: mtbbell.com

 

KNOG OI CLASSIC

An ultra-clean, streamlined design gives the Oi Classic bell a very small footprint on your handlebars. This bell requires a flick of the plastic hammer to create any noise, but when you do, it’s loud and attention-grabbing. Our favorite place to mount this bell is between the right brake lever and the grip with the lever on top. The Oi Classic is available in four colors: black, silver, copper and brass.
Weight: 25 grams
Price: $20
Contact: us.knog.com

 

SPURCYCLE ORIGINAL

A flick of the spring-loaded anvil gives Spurcycle’s Original bell an ear-pleasing yet loud ring that seems to last forever. Unlike other bells, this one is passive. It only alerts others when you flick the lever instead of constantly ringing as you ride down the trail. This made-in-the-USA bell is small and classy looking, with four different color combos in a pure raw-metal finish or black DLC (Diamond Like Carbon) coating. The metal-band-style clamp fits bars from 22.2mm to 31.8mm. If you’re looking for a bell to only alert other trail users of your approach, this is a great choice.
Weight: 38 grams
Price: $69
Contact: www.spurcycle.com

 

PRO BIKE TOOL BELL

This small, lightweight bell lets you alert others to your presence with a quick flick of the lever. The Pro Bike Tool bell is attached to your handlebars with a simple rubber band so it fits just about any bike. It comes in black, silver, red and gold colors.
Price: $15
Contact: probiketool.com

 

ARUNDEL CLARABELL

Arundel offers numerous bells, ranging from big and loud to small yet powerful. At a claimed 34 grams, the Clarabell falls into the latter category. It features a simple urethane rubber strap
Price: $20
Contact: www.arundelbike.com

 

AWARENESS BELL

These handcrafted, motion-activated, titanium bells have become an MBA staff favorite because they are really loud and classy looking. They can be turned on and off by pulling the spring-loaded striker up over the edge of the bell’s body and putting the striker into one of the built-in slots.The bell is available in different shapes along with custom finishes, letters and numbers that can be requested at an additional cost.
Weight: 56 grams
Price: $50
Contact: awarenessbell.com

 

MIRRYCLE ORIGINAL INCREDIBELL

Mirrycle makes numerous bells, but its original Incredibell is found in many shops as an affordable option. They feature a pivoting dinger and dual-size clamp, which fits 21.7mm to 26mm handlebars. It comes with silver, solid brass or black domes.
Price: $12
Contact: mirrycle.com

 

VAN NICHOLAS TITANIUM

Titanium addicts (you know who you are) will look no further than the Dutch brand Van Nicholas’ bell. It is made entirely of titanium to keep things that dark shade of grey that we all know and love.
Price: $89
Contact: www.vannicholas.com

 

ORP SMART HORN

Mechanical bells are great, but Orp brings modern technology to rider awareness with its electronic version. This USB rechargeable unit has two sound-level modes—76-decibel friendly and 96-decibel loud. It also offers a remote trigger button ($15) so you can mount the bell in the middle of the bars and operate it without removing your hand from the grip. If that’s not enough, it’s also a light.
Price: $55–$65
Contact: orpland.com