Loud Bicycle
It's a car horn for you bike essentially. Haven't seen any mention of it here, but it looks like a neat idea, albeit a bit on the bulky side.
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/lansey/loud-bicycle-car-horns-f...
It seems to eliminate the issue with another popular bike horn that operates on air provided by a bike pump, where the cold renders the thing useless.
Did anyone here pledge for one of these?
Views: 315
Replies to This Discussion
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Permalink Reply by Jaik - 4.3mi on -
I did!
It's going to be a nice add on to my next bike. I'm also planning on keeping a bell for those moments when a horn wouldn't be justified. I've also been looking for something similar to this since I split the tube on my Airzound. These guys seem like they've got a good idea on their hands.
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Permalink Reply by notoriousDUG on -
Why are people so dead set on making their bike as loud and obnoxious as a car?
One of the things I take pride in when I drive, even when I was driving every day, is that I think I use the horn only once or twice a year. I can't imagine needing one on a bike as I hardly use my bell.
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Permalink Reply by J.A.W. 15.08 km on -
Then you're not driving correctly in Chicago.
Isn't it a prerequisite to honk your horn every chance you get and in every situation?
Getting out of an alley, double-parking because you're waiting to pick-up someone. a BICYCLIST is going too slow in front of you, etc.
notoriousDUG said:Why are people so dead set on making their bike as loud and obnoxious as a car?
One of the things I take pride in when I drive, even when I was driving every day, is that I think I use the horn only once or twice a year. I can't imagine needing one on a bike as I hardly use my bell.
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Permalink Reply by Zoetrope on -
Not sure about a 'prerequisite', but now that you mention it coming down an alley that meets a sidewalk is about the only time I use a horn when driving. I had a bell on my bike once but pretty much never used the thing because it wasn't loud enough to be useful on the road, save for giving a ding to a fellow rider on the other side of the road or something.
This horn seems ideally suited for people who ride on crowded city streets often. I'm sure all those 'same road, same rules' people would be in favor of cyclists having one too, right?
That said, would we have to wear earplugs while using this thing? The thing about car horns is that they project the sound outward in a way unique to the structure of a car, and the driver is protected from the noise by metal and glass. I could see how using this thing regularly would drive me bonkers. But I'd have to see how loud it is in person before I made my mind up.
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Permalink Reply by kiltedcelt on -
I think it's a good idea to have a loud noisemaker on a bike simply because there are occasions where one needs to have something more than a bell to get the attention of:
-runners with headphones in who are in the middle of the path leaving little room for safe passing
-gaggles of oblivious peds who can't hear you or your bell and thus won't stop blocking the path in front of you
-the car that is drifting into your bike lane or is about to right/left hook you because they never checked their blind spot before going
-the car that just cut you off in the intersection causing you to slam on your brakes, even though you had the right of way
-the car that is coming out of an alley, driver not paying attention
-car blocking bike lane on a busy street
-and the list goes on...
I don't think having a horn on your bike immediately makes you a rude jerk or automatically equates you with being no better than a "cager." I think it is simply another safety device that help keep a rider safer when used appropriately.
Now, as to this particular product, I get where they're coming from, but I actually disagree with their approach. They are saying that sounding like a car will get you noticed better than using something an AirZound or one of the electronic bike horns. I'm going to disagree on this one. I think a horn that actually sounds like a car horn is probably more detrimental. Drivers use them so frequently that I when I'm driving, I don't necessarily pay attention to them when I hear someone else using it. I'm a pretty conscientious driver so I'm gonna go out on a limb and say that I rarely, if ever, do something behind the wheel that warrants the ire of another driver.
The reason many electronic bike horns are so shrill or weird-sounding is because they are meant to be louder than car horns and of a different tone that attracts more attention. Whether they work or not I have no idea. I used to have one years ago (a Megalert), but I never used it enough to really say whether it improved anything for me in terms of visibility to motorists or MUP users.
Would I buy one of these? No, for the simple reason that it weighs too much. At a projected weight of something like 24 oz. (?), that's well over a pound. Granted, my commuter bike is already heavy, but that's with carrying the essentials. An electronic horn is likely cheaper and much, MUCH lighter weight, and by my logic probably a better attention-getter. An interesting idea, but I think better alternatives already exist.
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Permalink Reply by notoriousDUG on
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I believe, based on years of driving, riding and working around equipment, that the idea that loud noises like horns and klaxons yield good results when it comes to people paying attention to you. If anything it results in people having a surprised and unpredictable reaction of freezing up instead of reacting.
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Permalink Reply by Joe Guzzardo on -
Some years ago, I was in the market for a bicycle "noise maker" but couldn't find much. I just sent this email off to info@LoudBicycle.com. Let's see if they respond.
I really like your bike horn. I'm sure your product will be very successful. I have another idea for you.
When we were kids, it was a lot of fun to attach a playing card with a clothespin to the bike spoke to generate a cool motorcycle sound. The really cool kids, though, used a water filled balloon, which made a louder, much more realistic and impressive sound. Problem being, of course that they tended to blow their engines much more frequently than the kids who used the more traditional approach. Generating a sound increases safety, which indeed is one excuse that bikers use for driving around with such loud engines.Is there any chance you can come up with say a more durable balloon, that's switchable, such that the sound can be easily turned off. I'd like to purchase a set, one for each wheel. Then I can blow away those guys on their Harleys and pick up more chicks along the way.I searched around the web and all I could find was this: www.spokester.com. Watch the video clip and notice how impressed that chick was when the young man roared by on his hog. Now that's the kind of attention I'm looking for.
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Permalink Reply by Michael B on -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MC0dK42wOOA
Joe Guzzardo said:Some years ago, I was in the market for a bicycle "noise maker" but couldn't find much. I just sent this email off to info@LoudBicycle.com. Let's see if they respond.
I really like your bike horn. I'm sure your product will be very successful. I have another idea for you.
When we were kids, it was a lot of fun to attach a playing card with a clothespin to the bike spoke to generate a cool motorcycle sound. The really cool kids, though, used a water filled balloon, which made a louder, much more realistic and impressive sound. Problem being, of course that they tended to blow their engines much more frequently than the kids who used the more traditional approach. Generating a sound increases safety, which indeed is one excuse that bikers use for driving around with such loud engines.Is there any chance you can come up with say a more durable balloon, that's switchable, such that the sound can be easily turned off. I'd like to purchase a set, one for each wheel. Then I can blow away those guys on their Harleys and pick up more chicks along the way.I searched around the web and all I could find was this: www.spokester.com. Watch the video clip and notice how impressed that chick was when the young man roared by on his hog. Now that's the kind of attention I'm looking for.
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Permalink Reply by Stuart on
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Keep it simple!! Buy a whistle. I have been using one since my accident last Feb. Most people will ignore any noise you make, but it might make a difference. I bought it at either campmor or rei for about $3. I don't need anymore weight on the bike, the chains and locks are more than enough. http://www.campmor.com/outdoor/gear/Product___70110
Everyone once in a while another cyclist will stop at a light and tell me they are going to buy one, they are so impressed with how much noise I can produce. If your life is in jeopardy, it is amazing how much noise one can produce!!
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Permalink Reply by kiltedcelt on
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This is why I often refrain from calling out, "On your left" when using the LFP. More often than not it causes people to freeze-up as you mentioned or veer left. I don't think a horn like the one posted by the OP is appropriate for use somewhere like the LFP, but it might be what is needed to get the attention of lackadaisical drivers. Still too heavy for my tastes though. I'll just stick to being extra vigilant, not riding super fast, and if all else fails shouting really freakin' loudly.
notoriousDUG said:I believe, based on years of driving, riding and working around equipment, that the idea that loud noises like horns and klaxons yield good results when it comes to people paying attention to you. If anything it results in people having a surprised and unpredictable reaction of freezing up instead of reacting.
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Permalink Reply by Gene Tenner on
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I put an air-horn in a bottle cage. Seldom used, but when it is it is effective.
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Permalink Reply by Serge Lubomudrov on -
kiltedcelt said:
[...] The reason many electronic bike horns are so shrill or weird-sounding is because they are meant to be louder than car horns and of a different tone that attracts more attention. Whether they work or not I have no idea. [...]They do. I use one of them every day. There's no guarantee, however, that even a very loud horn (regardless of how does it sound, like a car or a police siren) would attract attention every time.
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