I was checking on a part with Jarrel one day, and he was looking through a special flyer from one of the wholesalers he brings in some of the more eclectic bike stuff from and they had some nice Japanese bike bells. He had brought in some large Crane (crane as in “tsuru”) brand brass bells previously, but they had a new small bell not unlike the small BBC bell resold on the USDM as the “Incredibell”. He said he would most likely be bringing some in, so I sat back to wait for them to arrive. About a week later, they were in!
The Osaka-made bell is solid brass and has a nice clear tone with a long sustain. It appears to be polished and clear-coated. The ringer is a tab mounted on a spring. When pulled back with the thumb and released, the spring momentarily drives the ringer to contact the bell, producing the tone. The ringer is supported on the sides by two ears so it can only move toward and away from the bell. The ringer support can be pivoted so it can be positioned appropriate to the mounting position of the bell. The base of the bell has a molded square flange that has the same dimensions as the mount on Cateye rear lights. An adjustable-band-style Cateye bracket is included to mount the bell to the handlebar or stem. For a more rigid mounting, you can track down the old style Cateye mount and the appropriately sized SP band.
I bought one last Thursday and mounted it on the left side, just inboard of the shifter. With the ringer turned toward the outside, it is positioned just above the upshift lever of my left M970 XTR shifter. I can alert those unaware off-road pedestrians to my presence without moving my hands from the grips! I’ve been without a bell since I switched to a carbon handlebar – my old JDM Cateye bell needs a metal handlebar in order to produce a satisfactory tone.
About $15 USD
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