Crane Bell Company Karen Bell

Classy Bell

If you want to put a bell on your classic steel bike, this is the one. Retro style, nice sound, easy to operate. I got the headset spacer from Velo Orange that allows you to mount this bell right next to you stem which looks fantastic and keeps it off your bars.

Pros: Inexpensive, looks great, nice sound

Would Buy Again: Yes
Would Recommend: Yes

Reviewed on: May 03, 2012
Reviewed by: Brian K., Oregon

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Classic Look and Clear tone.

We have them on 5 bikes, including two tandems, and a trail a bike. They are polite notice that you are there, and most people heed to the bikes using them. My kids like to have all four of us ringing them as we start our ride and get into the "ooooohhhhmmmm" mantra.

Pros: Timeless, inexpensive, beutiful metal and sound.

Cons: Nada.

Would Buy Again: Yes
Would Recommend: Yes

Reviewed on: July 31, 2011
Reviewed by: Stewart S.

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Crane bell

Love this bell. I find myself looking for places to ring it ( I admit I might have a problem) but the tone and sustain is nice to the ears. cool item

Pros: Nice sound

Would Buy Again: Yes
Would Recommend: Yes

Reviewed on: May 04, 2011
Reviewed by: Terry T., Hawaii

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Sweet sounding, easy to install, all metal

I've used plastic bells in the past (not the bells themselves, but the strikers and clamps were made of plastic) and they have invariably ended up becoming unusable due to the plastic becoming brittle and breaking off.

Not this bell. You might look at the clamp mechanism and think it's hideously ugly, but once you've clamped it to your handlebars you'll never notice the clamp (and if you do you'll most likely think that it looks much better than the forest of zip-ties that attach everything else.)

And it sounds like you'd expect a bicycle bell to sound, up to and including the occasional *ding* as you ride over rough ground.

Would Buy Again: Yes
Would Recommend: Yes

Reviewed on: March 28, 2011
Reviewed by: David P., Oregon

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Awesome

Love this bell. It sounds great and looks classy.

Pros: Beautiful sound. Easy to use.

Cons: Spring is a bit bouncy so if you use it off smooth roads it rings itself sometimes. It is also very muted in the rain as I guess all bells would be when wet.

Would Buy Again: Yes
Would Recommend: Yes

Reviewed on: December 04, 2010
Reviewed by: dan r., Washington

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Classic and useful

This item completes a nice townie/commuter build quite well. It is loud enough to get the attention of runners and walkers on the multi-use trails. It has a very pleasant sound, in fact. And it just looks great!

Pros: Looks, sound, price.

Cons: None.

Would Buy Again: Yes
Would Recommend: Yes

Reviewed on: October 01, 2010
Reviewed by: Chris G., New York

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Elegant & simple

I'm a fan of simplicity and subtlety, and I strip my bikes of most clutter even if it happens to be in the form of reflectors and other such safety equipment. However I ride to work on shared paths and many of the people lack any form of situational awareness. As such, a bell is a necessity & I didn't want any old ugly clunker adorning my ride.

The el-cheapo plastic one supplied with my bike lasted all of two weeks before the plastic strike arm snapped leaving me to announce myself by yelling "ghetto bell, DING DING".

Crane's little brass bell from Osaka, the traditional home of bell making in Japan, is a timeless & stylish addition to any bicycle.

The Japanese relentless pursuit of perfection has been distilled into this pleasant sounding bell, which seems to ring for a good 10 seconds when stuck with the karen spring.

Rather than a crass air horn or lesser sounding bell, the tone seems to ask you to move politely. How could anyone refuse such refined manners?

I like them so much I bought two! (one for my next bike)

Pros: Clear & elegant tone.
Simple & small.
Brass bell & galvanized clamp won't rust.
Sound has amazing sustain.

Cons: It's not a tubular bell. So if you see Mike Oldfield when you're out riding, chances are he may not hear you & get out of the way.

Would Buy Again: Yes
Would Recommend: Yes

Reviewed on: October 01, 2010
Reviewed by: Eugene B., Adelaide, South Australia

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Sweet and Simple

This review is for the brass version of the bell. The aluminum one is fine, but doesn't sound as nice.

I have several different bikes and bells. This one isn't a great match for any of them, but none sound so lovely. The design is simple, so you can simply loosen the bell from its bracket, rotate the hammer to point in your desired direction, then screw it back down.

Pros: Beautiful sound
Adjustable hammer

Cons: Bracket is ugly and only good for 25.4/26.0 bars.

Would Buy Again: Yes
Would Recommend: Yes

Reviewed on: September 15, 2010
Reviewed by: Andrew, Minnesota

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