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The Oi Bike Bell Finally Changes the Design Paradigm

Bicycle bells have been around since 1877, but little has changed about their design, until now. The Oi bell arrives from bike parts specialist Knog, which is already well-known for its approach to designing interesting add-ons for two-wheelers.
The Oi bike bells 18 photos
Photo: Kickstarter.com
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If you don't know what Oi is, you'll most likely fail to see that there is a bell installed on a bike's handlebars, and that is because it doesn't look like a bell. Knog made a radical change in the bicycle bell design, and their new product was received exceedingly well when it went up for public funding on Kickstarter.

After initially asking for only AUD 20,000 ($15,200 or €13,450) to take the Oi bell to the mass production stage, Knog was flooded with pre-orders and their funding now exceeds AUD 680,000 ($515,750 or €457,750), with one week still left in the campaign.

Knog's design philosophy for the Oi bell was to take a step outside the box and ditch the classic dome shape all bicycle bells imagined until now. The result is a clean part that is almost invisible when installed, and which, thanks to its unobtrusive shape, will be easy to integrate with any bikes, from the modern ones to the vintage models.

Machined titanium, aluminum, more tones and colors, two sizes, and everybody is happy

Knog experimented quite a lot, trying various widths, depths, materials, curvature, actuators, and springs until they got things right. The tone of the bell was carefully designed and it comprises a core sound that is aided by several other overtones. Probably, the best description for its sound is that the Oi emits a chord, instead of a single note.

Oi will be available in five finishes, such as aluminum, titanium, brass, copper, and black. Two diameters are available, making the Oi bike bell suitable for almost any handlebars, while the smart design also allows trouble-free installation thanks to its cable passage in its mount.

Early bird prices are AUD26 ($20 or €17) for the standard aluminum Oi and AUD47 ($36 or €32) for the exquisite titanium one. So if you feel like you could use a "haute couture" bell for your bike, head over to Kickstarter and get your Knog Oi.

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