A Bell's Not a Bell 'Til You Ring It

My 16 year old road bike has finally received a few tweaks to make commuting a bit easier. A bicycle that I once coveted for its clean, classic Italian racing lines now has a bell. Receiving it as a gift, I was excited to mount it as riding daily from Brooklyn to Manhattan - usually over the Brooklyn Bridge - there are occasions when reminding a pedestrian, driver, or fellow bicyclist that you are there is useful. I actually try to keeps it's use to a minimum, partly to be as generous as possible given all the bike-pedestrian heat lately, and though it's not nearly the same, I do not want my "ring-ring" to be viewed the same as speeding drivers' "courtesy" honks which drive me mad. Are they different? I'd say yes, based solely on mass.
The little yellow bell that I had, unfortunately didn't fit my road bars, be they bare or taped. It was too small. Intended for mountain bike bars I suppose. So, I had to modify it bit. Basically, I cut off the adjustable plastic ring, and then put a few screws through a hose clamp into the underside of the bell. (Aside: hose clamps can be used for just about anything that needs fixing. I always keep a few in my motorcycle tool kit just in case.)
Now that I could properly mount it, I first tried on top of the bars, where you usually see bells mounted. It lasted about a day there. I had to move my hands from the hoods of my brakes to use it, and well, it's when you use your bell that you should actually be most ready to potentially slow down or maneuver.
So, I moved down on the bend of the bars, just below the brakes, so I can give a flick with one of my fingers while riding on the hoods, ready to brake. As an added bonus, something about this mounting position makes the bell gently toll when riding over rough terrain, like the boards of the Brooklyn Bridge deck. Just enough to hear me coming. Unless of course, you're running with your iPod headphones pushing a double-wide stroller with a dog leashed to it. There's nothing me or my little bell can do about that.

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