I was headed outbound in the Penn Avenue bike lane last night and saw a vehicle about to right hook a cyclist heading inbound at 9th Street. The cyclist grabbed a whistle from his neck, blew it a few times, which stopped the motorist. Any thoughts on a whistle vs. something like an air horn or bell?
jason-pgh
2016-08-20 10:19:38
Here's the cockpit setup of my commuter/touring bike. I have a Minoura accessory holder mounted on my handlebar so that I can put on all these gadgets. On the top right corner in the picture, I have a generic watch which allows me to check the time easily when I have one of those "bicycle messenger" moments. A Mobius ActionCam serves as a dash cam. On the bottom left corner in the picture, I have a generic bicycle bell mounted close to where my left thumb is when I am riding on the "hoods", which allows me to operate the bell easily with my thumb. Next to the bell is a SABRE mobility device alarm which gives out a shrieking 120 dB noise. I used it as a backup bell, and I rarely use it. I only use it when the background noise would drown out the sound of my bicycle bell. The red on/off button is mounted further away so that I don't accidentally turn it on.
The reason I prefer the SABRE mobility device alarm instead of a bicycle air horn is that the later one usually comes with a huge air canister which takes up a lot of space. And the SABRE mobility device alarm only costs about US$ 9, which is a lot cheaper. One thing to note is that I replace the rubber bands that come with it with zip ties, so that I can mount it securely on my bicycle.
ninjaturtle0304
2016-08-20 16:11:55
That is impressive.
edronline
2016-08-20 20:25:14
thanks for the post! just put mine on the bike today.
vannever
2016-08-28 17:45:38
How long do the batteries last and what type?
edronline
2016-09-10 17:56:13
Here's the (or at least an) address for anyone else considering ordering their own SABRE alarm:
https://www.sabrered.com/pepper-spray/mobility-device-alarm
As someone who works in Oakland and occasionally goes to events or just out for the evening in various other parts of town, who sometimes puts the bike on a bus or the back of my car, and who has had, in particular, several headlamps stolen off of bikes...…I'm interested in having a camera or something like this alarm, but concerned about the theft potential.
do folks just leave this stuff on their bike whenever they lock it up, even for hours at a time? spend the extra several minutes taking off accessories when you go inside and putting them back on when you're ready to leave? just find that it doesn't take all that long after all?
epanastrophe
2016-09-11 00:31:11
@buffalo_buffalo I have two lights in clip mounts that I always take with me when I lock up. I don't use as much cockpit real estate as others though, I'd be interested in hearing what others do.
ka_jun
2016-09-12 09:06:09
@edronline: The Sabre alarm uses 2 x AA batteries. I installed fresh batteries in May this year, and they are still going strong. But then again, I only use the alarm only as a backup bell. It is too powerful for general use.
@buffalo buffalo: I only carry the dash cams with me when I lock my bike. The bells, front and rear lights, and watch are bolted, zip-tied, or glues on my bike.
ninjaturtle0304
2016-09-12 10:55:26
