World's loudest bicycle horns

It’s hard to ring a bicycle bell in anger in the way that drivers can use their car horns, so perhaps it shouldn’t come as a surprise to learn of a raft of powerful bicycle accessories that help cyclists make themselves heard above the din of the urban jungle.

Loud…

The sound of a bicycle bell doesn’t carry particularly well in traffic. It’s the reason that bike couriers sometimes carry whistles and urban cyclists tend to shout warnings. You can now buy a bicycle horn that shouts on your behalf.

The handlebar-mounted 80db speaker announces “on your left” at the press of a button, but can record and then play any verbal warning, unusual sound or string of expletives. The 44mm speaker plays the sound of a traditional bell or the message of your choice at 80 decibels, which is about the same as a moderately loud shout.

Louder…

The bicycle bell is a much under-valued accessory; although it is a legal requirement that bicycle start their lives with one fitted, the fashion is for them to be quickly removed. If you cycle on tracks and paths shared with others they are a polite way of announcing your approach, especially if followed with a verbal greeting and request to pass. The basic bell can produce up to 100db and is available in a variety of styles and sounds. Our favourite is this fire engine-red design from £10

Loudest…

The Loud Bicycle horn aims to give cyclists more presence on the roads by equipping them with a car horn. The rationale is that drivers react to car horns before they even know where the sound is coming from. A driver who hears a beep while backing out of a driveway, for example, is likely to brake instinctively. The 112db Loud Bicycle Horn can be bought for about £60.

Dangerously loud…

Frustrated and angered by the disproportionate danger to cyclists posed by heavy lorries, the ETA designed and built the world’s loudest bicycle horn. At close quarters the Hornster bicycle emits 178 decibels; a level of sound so powerful that if used in anger it could deafen any motorist who veered too close.

The triple air horn fitted to the bicycle is an Airchime KH3A from an American locomotive, which has been adapted to run off a scuba diving cylinder. Watch the Hornster on Youtube

The Hornster is so powerful that at a distance of 100ft it is far louder than a standard truck horn and more than noisy enough for a cyclist to make themselves heard above the din of the urban jungle.