When I left my house, the roads were wet, but there was hardly a cloud in the sky, so I thankfully missed any bell-killing precipitation. One thing I love about my commute is that it’s entirely on streets that are pretty low stress to ride on, and I never have to dodge pedestrians or use my bell. Sometimes I take the route home that puts me on the W&OD for maybe a mile, but I pass peds there maybe once every few days now that it’s cold and dark at 6pm. But when I do find myself on an MUP during normal hours, it takes me a minute to remember that I have to call passes and watch for oncoming cyclists and such. It’s going to interesting in the next few weeks as my commute transitions to an almost 100% MUP commute downtown. My bell will definitely get a workout then.
For me, it also didn’t matter. I used my bell (although the sound wasn’t quite so poignant) passing joggers and one cyclist, none of whom (save the cyclist) could hear me given the headphones. Meanwhile two cyclists passed me and neither made the feignest attempt to call the pass. So, in the end, it didn’t even matter.
But man was it nice riding in and I am looking forward to the ride home!
.
