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review
Accessories - misc
Spurcycle Bell Spurcycle Bell
Spurcycle Bell

Spurcycle Bell

8
by George Hill
UPDATED Fri, Sep 01, 2017 15:46

First Published Sep 1, 2017

34
£49.99

VERDICT:

8
10
A genuinely top class bell that looks great and rings loudly, but you pay a high price for it
Weight: 
45g
Contact: 
www.spurcycle.com
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The Spurcycle is a high quality, great looking, loud bell – but you certainly pay a high price for it.

As somebody who rides through urban areas every day, a bell is an essential piece of kit. With the recent move towards 'fashionable' bells, which don't look like they should come with a free basket, Spurcycle's offering is right on the (lots of) money.

> Find your nearest dealer here

> Buy this online here

It is a great looking bell on the bar, sitting only 2.5cm high and 3cm across. It can sit either facing forward or vertically; I found there was no impact on performance either way, but had it facing ahead for the majority of the review period because I think it looks better. It has a definite vintage design, but fits just as well on the bars of modern carbon machines as a L'Eroica classic.

Spurcycle Bell - top.jpg

The ring is really impressive, clearly cutting through external noise and resonating well after the hammer hits. I even managed to get the attention of people listening to headphones, which is something that doesn't happen too often with my regular bell. According to an app on my phone, the ring was consistently between 88-100 decibels, which is certainly enough to get people's attention.

Build quality is strong and the spring action on the hammer seems like it should be long lasting. After a month of use I haven't noticed any change in strength and I would be confident that it would still work well in a year's time and beyond.

Attachment to the bar is through a strip of bendable metal which attaches to a slot on the back of the bell and is then tightened through a bolt at the front. It comes with two straps, one for 31.8mm bars and another for 22.2mm.

This build quality and performance comes at price though, namely an RRP of £49.99. Having done a bit of research, I am yet to find a bell that comes close to this; the most expensive I could find after 20 minutes of searching was still only 60% of this figure. (There are plenty of cheaper 'imitations', but I couldn't vouch for their quality.)

Overall, the Spurcycle is a genuinely brilliant bell. It looks great, rings loudly, and is likely to work for a long time. However, it has an eye-watering price, which takes the shine off an otherwise excellent product.

Verdict

A genuinely top class bell that looks great and rings loudly, but you pay a high price for it

road.cc test report

Make and model: Spurcycle Bell

Size tested: Dome size: 30mm x 20.5mm

Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

A high quality, loud, and attractive looking bell.

Spurcycle says: 'Spurcycle bells create powerful, enduring sound. Give notice well in advance with a loud, convincing tone. Precision built in the USA for a lifetime of way clearing.'

It is powerful, loud, and well made.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

Material: premium brass and stainless steel

Finish: Raw or Black DLC

Dome size: 30mm x 20.5mm

Weight: 45g

Origin*: Made in USA, Guaranteed for Life

Install: 2.5mm hex tool required

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
9/10

Very well made, solid fixing system and durable hammer system.

Rate the product for performance:
 
8/10

Performs very well – loud, clear, and powerful.

Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10

Seems like it would last for a long time, hammer has good resistance, all materials used are solid and rust resistant too.

Rate the product for weight (if applicable)
 
8/10

45g for a bell is pretty good.

Rate the product for value:
 
4/10

The one downside of the bell is that it is very expensive, but you pay for quality and this is certainly high quality.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Easy to fit, sits nicely on the bar, and is most importantly loud with impressive resonance.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

The volume and pitch meant that it easily cuts through all other noise to get attention.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

The price; this is very expensive.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes, certainly if on sale.

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes, if they were after the highest possible quality.

Use this box to explain your score

A genuinely top quality bell that performs very well and looks fantastic on the handlebar; it would be a 9 but for the price.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 29  Height: 6 ft  Weight:

I usually ride: Mercian King of Mercia or Cinelli Gazzetta  My best bike is: Cannondale Supersix Evo

I've been riding for: 5-10 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: commuting, club rides, sportives, general fitness riding, fixed/singlespeed, mountain biking

Spurcycle Bell 2017
Spurcycle Bell
Spurcycle 2017
Spurcycle
Bells
George Hill

George is the host of the road.cc podcast and has been writing for road.cc since 2014. He has reviewed everything from a saddle with a shark fin through to a set of glasses with a HUD and everything in between. 

Although, ironically, spending more time writing and talking about cycling than on the bike nowadays, he still manages to do a couple of decent rides every week on his ever changing number of bikes.

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34 comments

Avatar
fenix | 7 years ago
2 likes

Is there a market for hot bicycle bells ?

Avatar
Grahamd | 7 years ago
4 likes

The manufacturers appear to have made a fundamental error, security. If I was going to spend £50 on a bell I would want it secured with a tamper proof system or to be easily removable like the rest of my accessories.

Avatar
martinpeake | 7 years ago
3 likes

Must have been inspired by the 'premium' (i.e. seriously overpriced) garment manufacturers. Ideal for your Shoreditch fixie, mind.

 

Avatar
drosco | 7 years ago
4 likes

This is the era of £1000 alloy framesets and £300 jerseys, so I'm sure people will have no trouble justifying paying £50 for a bell.

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