Would you mount a horn on your bike? That’s the proposition from a Boston-based startup, Loud Bicycle, which is currently attempting to raise funds on Kickstarter.
In short, the outfit hopes to mass produce a “bicycle horn that sounds just like a car horn.”
The theory is that drivers recognize car horns, and the reaction to that sound — HOOONK! — is instantaneous and “occurs before they even look for a threat,” the company states.
The plastic horn mounts on a bike frame below the handlebars. The emitted sound, up to 112 decibels in strength, is a two-tone audio burst made to mimic a typical car horn in volume and pitch.
Explains the brand’s founder Jonathan Lansey, “A driver that gets beeped at while backing out of a driveway, for example, will immediately brake. These kinds of reflexive reactions are perfect to keep cyclists safe.”
The horn unit weighs 23 ounces and attaches to a frame with theft-resistant mounts. Its power comes from rechargeable li-ion batteries that will last several weeks.
A horn button snaps onto handlebars for easy honking with a finger or thumb. You can honk for up to 30 seconds straight at a time, the company states, but noting “please be respectful” out there.
What do you think? Do bikers deserve horns just like drivers? Or would this be an annoying noise pollution product, silly and unnecessary for the two-wheel set?
If you like the concept, go to the brand’s Kickstarter page. Loud Bicycle is looking for funding at $43,000 to bring the bike horn to life.
—Stephen Regenold is editor of GearJunkie.com.
