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TECH NEWS
Video First Look: Knog's Oi bicycle bell
Following a massively successful Kickstarter crowdfunding campaign, Knog’s Oi bicycle bell is now hitting the shelves of bike shops across the country. And we’ve just got our hands on one to review, here’s a quick first look before we hit the road.
The bicycle bell hasn’t changed much since it was first invented in 1877, but there’s something of a renaissance occurring at the moment, with a focus on smart and compact design bringing about a new generation of bicycle bell that you wouldn’t be embarrassed to fit it to your bike. The Knog Oi is just one of a number of options for compact and sleek bicycle bells.
“We wanted to reinvent what the humble bicycle bell was,” says Knog founder Hugo Davidson. “We wanted to design a product that was sympathetic to all bikes, that looked great on vintage bikes, all the way through to road bikes.
Knog has designed a circular bell that wraps around the handlebar, with a single bolt clamp to keep the aluminium and nylon product in place. No problem if you have a tangle of cables out the front of your bars, the Oi bell can sit over two cable outers quite happily.
Not only has Knog sweated the details when it comes to the aesthetics, it also apparently carefully considered the sound it makes when you ding the spring-loaded actuator.
“Our bell actually has several pitch tones - one core and several supportive higher tones to ensure it's unmistakable and safely heard,” says Knog.
Have a listen to it in our video above. What do you think of the sound? We’ll find out if it’s loud enough when we hit the road and find some busy streets and see what sort of reaction we get from other road users.
It’s available in two sizes to fit 22.2 and 23.8 - 31.8mm handlebars, and four colours, including the copper finish we’ve got, and costs £15.99. It’s available from all good retailers now. More info at www.silverfish-uk.com
Were you a Kickstarter funder of the Oi bell? How have you been getting on with it?
David worked on the road.cc tech team from 2012-2020. Previously he was editor of Bikemagic.com and before that staff writer at RCUK. He's a seasoned cyclist of all disciplines, from road to mountain biking, touring to cyclo-cross, he only wishes he had time to ride them all. He's mildly competitive, though he'll never admit it, and is a frequent road racer but is too lazy to do really well. He currently resides in the Cotswolds, and you can now find him over on his own YouTube channel David Arthur - Just Ride Bikes.
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42 comments
Afraid I'll have to echo the negative comments. Massively disappointed with them.
They do look very pretty (which, shallow git that I am, was the reason I wanted them), but as bells they're pretty much useless. Way too quiet, feel very cheaply made (I doubt that the pinger will survive very long), and agitated even by the slightest bump in the road. Took it off again after the first ride.
Not sure what to do with them now TBH, as I'd feel bad ebaying them off. Who would want a bell that's that bad?
Nice try, Knog - but I'll stick to Spurcycle bells, thank you very much. They may cost twice as much, but at least they're audible, well made, and only ping when they're supposed to.
This ^
I kickstarted it, but my Oi spent two days on my bike before I took it off and put my £5.99 Wilko special back on. Tinkling all the time, couldn't get it in the right place from my grips.
Very disappointed, and am saving up for a Spurcycles bell...
I wish mine were louder. You also have to be careful not to place too close to other things on the bars (including stem) or they will rattle or not ring as loudly.
They do look nice and the cable spaces are a nice touch, though not useful on my crowded bars as the things they have to sit next to don't have such holes on their clamps!
I wish the screws were captive - it's really easy to drop them while fitting!
Another cheap bell. Why can't they use carbon for the frame and Ti for the ringer?? Seems silly to put such a cheap item on a 2.5k bike.
My bike was so expensive I have a quartet of baroque trumpeters in full Louis XIV livery roller-blading ahead of me on my stately progress.
They have a Ti option
ping ping PING PING DING dong PRRRANG ting
A good bell must have different loudnesses and tones that can be selected accord to the situations. LOUD and peercing by canal at weekend quiet and relaxing melodic indoors during evenings. Can this bell emit various monotones?
Got a couple of these, they're quiet as I've mentioned here before. Sound alright in the house, but outside they're bad in busy places like canal towpaths and such at the weekend. Replica ones are louder but not obnoxious and just right for getting noticed when you want it.
Not happy with ours. Wouldn't pay a fiver for one.
I'm not allowed to 'officially' review this because I purchased five in a pack via Kickstarter. I have that copper one on my best bike. The video can't do the sound justice. In practice I'd say they are as loud as other small bells typically fitted to road/commuter bikes - the thumb-spring type, not the rotating old-fashioned ones that stop working after a while.
No, they are nowhere near as loud or tuneful as a proper brass bell from the likes of Lion Bell Works (of which I own one). But then they are a lot lighter and - critically, for busy handlebars - almost zero-profile, so they don't get in the way of GPS, phones, lights, etc. I purchased one specifically for my wife's CX bike, where handlebar real estate is at a premium due to the crosstop levers.
Plus there's a generous cutout so the under-bar-tape cables can feed through it, if you want to put it close to the tape.
All in all, I'm very happy with mine.
I've had mine for a couple of months now (bought from a shop, not through kickstarter or anything) only criticism is that it's a bit quiet. also tends to ping when riding over bumpy ground.
looks nice though and sits out the way.
I was expecting something that bellowed "OI!" not this apologetic 'ping'
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