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Knog Oi Classic Bell

8
£15.99

VERDICT:

8
10
An innovative design that works just fine and looks even better
Weight: 
25g

At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.

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The Knog Oi Classic is a really innovative bell that is loud enough to grab attention and sleek enough on the handlebar that it suits almost any bike. Having the ability to push back the hammer a little harder would be nice, but it still works well.

The Oi is possibly the least bike-bell-looking bell ever. At first glance, you probably wouldn't know what it was. It just looks like a thin piece of metal wrapped around the bar, a particularly nice piece of brushed finish metal in this copper version I have to say (though I'm not sure it 'embodies' my personality). It feels solid and well machined, which is always reassuring.

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Fitting it to the bike is relatively simple: open the back of the bracket and slide it over the bar, then tighten with the bolt to keep it in place. The large version fitted well on my 31.8mm bar, and for those with thinner diameter bars there is a small version or a sheath/shim that the large version can sit on. There are also two recesses within the bracket that allow for cables to sit underneath it.

Knog Oi Classic Bell.jpg

It works by way of a simple spring-mounted hammer that hits the spring-mounted metal bar, which creates the 'ding'. It works well with soft to medium pressure, but if too much pressure is applied the bell doesn't ring too well; not really a 'thunk', more slightly muted.

> The seven most anticipated cycling products of 2017

The ring itself isn't as loud as some bells, but is still loud enough for most uses. Bearing in mind that I was using it in central London, one of the loudest places in the UK, I never found that people couldn't hear it. It has a pleasing ring, too, with a clear and tuneful tone.

Knog Oi Classic Bell - on bike.jpg

Overall, I'm impressed. The Oi is a simple but really effective design at a decent price. It would be good if you could hit the hammer harder, but once you get used to it it isn't too much of an issue.

Verdict

An innovative design that works just fine and looks even better

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Knog Oi Classic Bell Copper

Size tested: Large bell fits bars 23.8mm - 31.8mm

Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

A bell designed to look unlike any other, being well made and beautiful on the bar.

Knog says: 'A bell with a beautiful tone, but also a remarkable style and choice of materials that embodies a rider's personality.'

I would go along with this (mostly); it is a well made, beautiful looking and effective bell.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

CNC Machined

Distinctive Tone

Low Profile

Fits handlebar diameter 23.8-31.8

Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
8/10

Really well made, good material choice, decent ring and easy to fit.

Rate the product for performance:
 
7/10

Performed well with a decent ring, simple to use and easy to fit. Also looks good.

Rate the product for durability:
 
8/10

Well made and a simple mounting system means it's likely to last for a long time.

Rate the product for value:
 
7/10

Good value for an innovative design.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Performed well, only real complaint is that you need to learn how hard to flick the hammer.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

The design; I usually hate the look of bike bells on a road bike, but this one's great!

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

Needing to learn how hard to flick the hammer.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes

Would you consider buying the product? Yes

Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes

Use this box to explain your score

It's a really good product that's been well designed and looks great on handlebars, the only criticism being that you have to work out your 'flick pressure'.

Overall rating: 8/10

About the tester

Age: 29  Height: 6 ft  Weight:

I usually ride: Cannondale Supersix Evo 6  My best bike is:

I've been riding for: 5-10 years  I ride: Every day  I would class myself as: Expert

I regularly do the following types of riding: commuting, club rides, sportives, general fitness riding, fixed/singlespeed, mountain biking

George is the host of the road.cc podcast and has been writing for road.cc since 2014. He has reviewed everything from a saddle with a shark fin through to a set of glasses with a HUD and everything in between. 

Although, ironically, spending more time writing and talking about cycling than on the bike nowadays, he still manages to do a couple of decent rides every week on his ever changing number of bikes.

Add new comment

26 comments

Avatar
Woof | 1 year ago
0 likes

This bell is not very rugged.  I have purchased three (3) of the classic bells.  All have failed.  It always has to do with the hammer.  On one it completely parted from the bell.  On a second somehow it got majorly twisted and has never been the same.  on the third, the little springs hiolding the bell off the frame failed, which resulted in a bell that just goes "thud." Not at all rugged and will not stand up to even casual daily use.  I'd say it is a throw-away purchase and will be out of service within a year.  Too bad, because the aethetic is perfect for a road biike.  

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majstermod | 2 years ago
0 likes

Will Knog fit on bar tape?

Thank you for detailed reviews.
I have suggestion regarding some standard of bike bell testing.
Usually bell is required in emergency situation.
Having in mind rider's safety (the same applies to other road users) first thing to do is to engage brakes to avoid collision.
From this standpoint any bell is useless if it can't be accessed from the same place as brake levers are (either drops or hoods).
It would be nice to have information if particular bell can be installed on bar tape and how convenient it is to trigger in such position.
So far I saw such info only in review for Trigger Bell.
The other bells tend to be tested in more MTB friendly positions.

Avatar
mdavidford replied to majstermod | 2 years ago
0 likes

It probably wouldn't fit well - it comes with spacers designed to fit directly against the most common widths of bar.

Even if you could get it to fit over tape, though, it would likely damp the ring and render it useless.

Avatar
majstermod replied to mdavidford | 2 years ago
0 likes

Thank you, there is a hope.

If bell can fit different bar widths with spacers then it gives room for custom adapter, at least as a temporary solution. Eventhough it will be slightly wobbling I would be ready to install it on bare handlebar while retaping sooner or later if it will work well in left drop.

Also I wonder if bells are more self-ringing prone while installed far from steerer tube?

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Sriracha replied to majstermod | 2 years ago
0 likes
majstermod wrote:

Usually bell is required in emergency situation.

I use my bell more typically to alert pedestrians to my presence, well in advance. For a genuine emergency I would be yelling at the top of my voice, not pinging my bell, though it be mellifluous and loud (unlike the Knog).

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riotgibbon | 6 years ago
0 likes

I got one last weekend, and bought another one for my other bike as soon as I could (both from Evans). It's not an acoustic weapon, it won't be heard by people listening to loud music on big headphones or schoolboys engaging in tomfoolery on cycle paths in Acton (the 2 major failings I've discovered so far, horseplay in other locations may also be distracting for the participants), but apart from that, it does the job perfectly

I've hammered it down the grand union canal coming out of London , bunny hopped on and off pavements, no false dings whatsoever. I keep it under the brake lever on my left, where I can flick it with my thumb without changing position, either from the hoods or on the drops

highly recommended

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Simboid | 6 years ago
1 like

I really want to like my Knog Oi but 2 things stop me.

1) it just isn't loud enough.

2) It sounds exactly the same as an i-phone notification ping, no-one associates the sound with bikes anymore!

I now have to repeatedly ding it every time until I see a reaction. A real shame as it's the neatest, least obtrusive, most streamlined bell I've ever seen.

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matthewn5 | 7 years ago
0 likes

I too was sucked in by Kickstarter eventually received a bell. Beautifully packaged, looks great, but utterly useless at actually making any noise that would warn a pedestrian. Far too quiet. Regretfully I took it off and put the old CatEye bell back on. It's ugly as hell but also loud enough. If you're required to have a bell fitted by law go for it, if you need a bell (eg commuting in London) get anything else.

Oh, and they didn't realise that road bike drop bars are 23.8mm so you can only get it in 22mm (for MTB bars) or 31.8 (so it has to go jammed up against your stem where you're never going to get to it in time).

Avatar
hsiaolc replied to matthewn5 | 7 years ago
0 likes
matthewn5 wrote:

I too was sucked in by Kickstarter eventually received a bell. Beautifully packaged, looks great, but utterly useless at actually making any noise that would warn a pedestrian. Far too quiet. Regretfully I took it off and put the old CatEye bell back on. It's ugly as hell but also loud enough. If you're required to have a bell fitted by law go for it, if you need a bell (eg commuting in London) get anything else.

Oh, and they didn't realise that road bike drop bars are 23.8mm so you can only get it in 22mm (for MTB bars) or 31.8 (so it has to go jammed up against your stem where you're never going to get to it in time).

 

I nearly bought one myself.  

 

But I went for this instead 

 

http://www.spurcycle.com/products/better-bicycle-bell

I love it to pieces!!! It is beautifully sound (heaven to the ears) and it is extremely loud and it resonates with beautufil harmony!!!  Can't recommend it higher enough. 

 

BTW it looks amazing too and extremely pratical - have it on my drop bar and I can access it with my pinky while on the hood extremely functional.  

Makes like clicking happy when I am in central London. 

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Bhfs100 | 7 years ago
0 likes

Definately the best looking bell out there but I agree with most of the other posts- way too quiet and dings every time you ride over road imperfections which can get rather annoying.

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kevvjj replied to Bhfs100 | 7 years ago
0 likes
Bhfs100 wrote:

Definately the best looking bell out there but I agree with most of the other posts- way too quiet and dings every time you ride over road imperfections which can get rather annoying.

If it is 'tinkling' when you ride then you have a faulty bell. Get in contact with Knog and they will send you a replacement. My replacements work perfectly now - although still not loud enough.

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philly | 7 years ago
1 like

somewhat disappointing and seems too quiet. Kickstarter: you win some you loose some

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tomascjenkins | 7 years ago
0 likes

Its still got a tiny steel spring like all other 'ping' bells that prove to be their achilles heel, unless this ones made of titanium or some exotic hi tech metal. 

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userfriendly | 7 years ago
0 likes

Agreed,  Knog know perfectly well who they sold a 1st model to, and if they have a recall of it the least they can do is to send out an email to the affected customers, rather than keep it quiet and hope that not too many of them get pro-active about it themselves.

Bit of a pish move by them, and following a pretty pish bell, that doesn't exactly make me want to buy anything else from them, to be honest.

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Dr_Lex | 7 years ago
4 likes

If I have the first model, I'd be disappointed not to have had a recall, since I was a Kickstart backer and Knog should have all the pertinent information. My sentiments echo that of the poster two above, the appositely-named Mike Bell.

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George Hill | 7 years ago
0 likes

In response to some of the comments - 

- I used the bell in British winter, so most testing was done with thick gloves and a significant number of rides were in the rain, didn't seem to make much of a difference to performance. 

- Those who find the bell disappointingly quiet, you may have the 1st model that was recalled by Knog for just that reason, worth finding out from the company as I didn't have any issues with the review unit or the 2 others I have bought since.

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kevvjj replied to George Hill | 7 years ago
1 like
George Hill wrote:

In response to some of the comments - 

- I used the bell in British winter, so most testing was done with thick gloves and a significant number of rides were in the rain, didn't seem to make much of a difference to performance. 

- Those who find the bell disappointingly quiet, you may have the 1st model that was recalled by Knog for just that reason, worth finding out from the company as I didn't have any issues with the review unit or the 2 others I have bought since.

 

Nope. My bells were replaced because they 'tinkled' constantly on anything but billiard table smooth surfaces. Replacements no longer tinkle, but still way too quiet on the high street.

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mikebelluk | 7 years ago
4 likes

Whilst I admire the concept and final design, I was completely underwhelmed by my Knog when it finally arrived and can only advise people to compare it against other products before purchasing one.

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davel | 7 years ago
0 likes

Mine's fine - straight on the busy bars of my CX/commuter, slightly concerned I was going to snap something when I was tightening it, but it's on and has stayed on.

Not the loudest but loud enough, no unwanted rattling or ringing, no adjustment necessary.

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drosco | 7 years ago
0 likes

I spent 3 and a half hours listening to this bell ding with every poor surface, which in Surrey is pretty much all of them. Looks great, not great as a bell though.

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Bigtwin replied to drosco | 6 years ago
2 likes
drosco wrote:

I spent 3 and a half hours listening to this bell ding with every poor surface, which in Surrey is pretty much all of them. Looks great, not great as a bell though.

 

I live in Surrey and have absolutely no need of a bell whatsoever.  The constant narrative ejaculation of "ouch", "FFS", "JeZUS CHRIST" etc etc means people can her you coming plenty well.

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Sven Van Anders | 7 years ago
0 likes

My current bell cannot be used when wearing thick gloves (god knows why), and sounds weak and muffled when it is raining. How does this bell perform in these circumstances please?

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sammutd88 | 7 years ago
1 like

Got mine via their Kickstarter campaign. Was pretty annoyed when retailers started getting stock of the bells before all Kickstarter orders had been fulfilled. Not great. Build quality is not as good as it should be, and installation is a fine line between being too tight and ringing over every bump, or too loose and moving. Hammer is flimsy. Sound is not loud but I haven't needed it to be louder than it is. I guess it's main advantage is the small amount of bar real estate it occupies. It's a legal requirement where I live to have a bell installed, and the Oi is the most streamlined and practical option.

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Dr_Lex | 7 years ago
0 likes

^ Nice Rohloff Shand. Isn't the bell a bit tricky to reach there?

I have one (Oi) and find it disappointingly quiet; my Poundland dinger is louder, but not as discrete on the 'bar.

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davwil replied to Dr_Lex | 7 years ago
0 likes
Dr_Lex wrote:

^ Nice Rohloff Shand. Isn't the bell a bit tricky to reach there?

I have one (Oi) and find it disappointingly quiet; my Poundland dinger is louder, but not as discrete on the 'bar.

Thank You!

The bell is easy to reach next to the gear shift. I can flick it as I change down.

cheers David

Avatar
davwil | 7 years ago
0 likes

I like this bell. It's quite neat on the handlebars. 

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