Review: Spurcycle’s Original Bell is Crafted for Beauty & Function
Maybe this is a bold stance, but in my humble opinion, the Spurcycle Original Bell is the best bell on the market and truly the “blending of art and machine” (thanks for that, Jaguar Motors). It’s a simple part of your bicycle that is both elegant and purposeful, a real example of form and function sharing the same space.
And if you ride crowded trails, as I do, it’s a must-have part of your cockpit, it’s essential.
Back in October, when I was building the Masi Incanto Dream Build I reached out to Spurcycle for a bell that would be suitable for a “dream build”. The Spurcycle Orginal Bell was the only bell that I thought would be right for that build.
One of the reasons they were the only bell company that I turned to, was that aesthetically it just made sense. Another is that I’ve currently got three of them on other bikes in my stable, with one of the bells being used for almost a decade. It’s been passed from bar to bar and still looks great and operates without issue.
The Original Bell was Easy to Mount
I love this bell and the way it mounts. Its design is clever and takes up very little real estate on your bars, being small and non-intrusive. It can be positioned any way you like to get a lower profile, the bell facing towards you or away from you, or you can rotate it to keep from interfering with handlebar bags.
It comes with two different sizes of stainless bands that allow you to fit the bell to a very large variety of bars, from diameters of 22.2 to 31.8mm with a simple 2.5mm hex tool.
The band attaches around the bar and back into the bottom of the bell in an ingenious way (as shown in the pictures). You slip one end of the band into the slot under the bell, loop it around your bar, turn the bell upside down and slip the other end of the band into the opposite slot.
It uses the stainless bands’ natural “memory” to keep the band in the bell while tightening the bell to the bars. Now, rotate the bell to the position of choice on the bar and tighten.
Spurcycle’s Original Bell in Use
When activating the lever on the Spurcycle Original Bell you hear a pleasantly thin and distinctive “ring” almost “chime” like. At times it doesn’t sound like it would be loud enough to alert people of my arrival, and then at times it sounds very loud. Even when it sounds its loudest, it still doesn’t sound grating, piercing, or annoying like some bells.
Spurcycle says their bells are “engineered for quality sound”, saying that their balls ring 3x longer than others. I believe that, I timed mine and it rings for a full 8 seconds!
I use this bell on every one of my bikes, both in the past and presently (as shown in the pictures). And I’ve rolled up on hikers and other trail users who have complimented me on how pleasant the bell sounds, saying that “that’s a very natural sound” Or “thank you, that was pleasant”.
It cuts through most earbuds as well, which is sometimes surprising, as the bell sometimes sounds very soft. But, right when I release the lever and it sounds like it’ll be too soft, the person with the earbuds jammed in their noggin, quickly moves to the right for me to pass.
I find the Original Bell is a big part of a serene, successful, and drama-free ride on the crowded trails around my area.
Conclusion
As I mentioned earlier, on the trails where I mostly ride my bikes, be it paved or off-road, a bell is an absolute must. It beats yelling “LEFT” at trail users all day, not to mention, it’s much easier on the ears… for both of us, I think other non-biking trail users appreciate and prefer cyclists use a bell. And this bell is the most non-intrusive, most successful bell I’ve used on a trail.
The Spurcycle Original Bells aren’t cheap, but they are made in the USA, and Guaranteed for Life. The bell is serviceable and rebuildable, you can do that yourself with the available replacement parts, or you can reach out to Spurcycle for a “factory overhaul” to help your bell restore its original sparkle.
I’d give it a 14 out of 10, and would absolutely recommend you get one for your bike…it’s worth the price.
They have a few options to choose from when you visit the site.
Retail
The Original Bells come in the either pure raw metal finish (like the one in the review here), or black DLC (Diamond Like Carbon) coating. They also use an anodized hammer (unless where noted).
The Spurcycle Original Bell: $59 (Raw color)
The Spurcycle Original Bell: $69 (Black) with your choice of either a green button or orange button for the hammer.
The Spurcycle Compact Bell: $32 (Black with either a Pacific Blue, Really Red, or Safety Orange lever) *fixed sizes of either 22.2 or 31.8
The Spurcycle Original Frankenbell: $38 (in Raw or Black)
***These may be scratched, blemmed, or have coatings that aren’t perfect. Spurcycle donates 10% of all Frankenbell sales to a few different non-profit organizations like, Bend Bikes, San Francisco Bicycle Coalition, Adventure Cycling Association, The League of American Bicyclists, and Los Angeles County Bike Coalition.
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