One of the big reasons people give for not commuting by bicycle is the fear that drivers won't notice them on the road. While various devices are available to make bikes and riders more visible, the designers of the 125-decibel Loud Bicycle Horn have concentrated their efforts on another goal – making sure that cyclists are heard.
The Loud Bicycle Horn mounts on the top tube, down tube, stem or handlebar, and is activated via a hard-wired bar-mounted thumb button. It's water-resistant, is attached using theft-resistant security bolts, and should provide about two months of "average" use per charge of its battery.
It's also big – as can be seen – and tips the scales at 1.5 lb (0.7 kg).
Another fact worth noting is that it actually combines two horn sounds, one high and one low. According to its manufacturers, this makes it sound more like a car horn, which drivers will react to more readily.
The result of a successful Kickstarter campaign, the Loud Bicycle Horn can be heard in the video below, and is available now for US$102 – but if you get it, please use it sparingly. While we're at it, we should also mention the UK-made Hornit bicycle horn. It puts out 140 dB, and is priced at £29.99 (about $47).
... and if you want to outdo both the Loud Bicycle Horn and the Hornit, you could always try tracking down the one-off scuba-tank-powered 178-dB Hornster.
Source: Loud Bicycle Horn
They don't need this in the Netherlands and Denmark. They don't need helmets and high-visibility jackets, either. Why?
"Cycling in the US from a Dutch perspective" www.youtube.com/watch?v=m2THe_10dYs
Car as well as bike riders can be obnoxious. Blasting a horn for little reason is very annoying. If I'm going to use my bike for any extended time on the street, I use a sports whistle, and even then sparingly or not at all. If you really want to be heard, a sports horn/blaster is cheaper (20 bucks), louder, lighter and even more obnoxious.
Yup. See and be seen comes first. Hear and be heard comes next. And keep your cool!
But even taking up the full lane, I've been cut-off 3 times by cars in the 10 times I've gone road cycling. (I'm usually on the trails).
I came from motorcycles... so I know the importance of a good horn. Any motorcyclist that insists on reeving their engine over laying on the horn is a fool.
Just like any cyclist who insist on yelling instead of laying on a horn is a fool. (granted, a horn isn't typically an option on a bicycle, so I've done my fair share of yelling).
That being said, I added this product to my cart immediately after seeing the video.
All that being said, 1.5 pounds and $50 seems ridiculous when as Oun Kwon noted, a sports horn is perfectly suited to the task...