Why do e-bikes use bell instead of horn?

[Heatman]

From my experience of using bikes for years, all of their bells typically have a familiar sound that others can easily recognize as a bike bell. But I keep wondering why they don't have bikes use horn?

Could it be that there's a way they expect people to reach to bike bells and car horns differently?

 

[Shortie]

I feel you may have hit the nail on the head right there if I am honest. When it comes to a horn, you expect it on a car or even a vehicle on the road, but with a bell, many associate it with a bike, and with e-bikes being a lot more popular now, they will also be associated with e-bikes.

I don't know about anyone else, but a horn always scares me, so maybe the use of a bell is to make it less of a jumpscare, I suppose, compared to a horn.

 

[Ja sa bong]

I don't know about anyone else, but a horn always scares me, so maybe the use of a bell is to make it less of a jumpscare, I suppose, compared to a horn.

It's the same thing with me whenever I hear a horn suddenly unexpected. It makes me have panic attack if the horn is too loud. It's why I don't drive either my car or e-bike around where big trucks uses the same route.

The bell sound is more comfortable and easy to the ear. It's why they associate it with all kinds of bikes.

 

[Henry]

I wonder how I am going to react if ebikes are allowed to use horns. I get scared easily when I hear the sound of horns and letting ebike users put it on their bikes will surely frighten me if I am walking on the road.

 

[Ja sa bong]

I wonder how I am going to react if ebikes are allowed to use horns. I get scared easily when I hear the sound of horns and letting ebike users put it on their bikes will surely frighten me if I am walking on the road.

The actual question now is whether any law prohibits e-bikes riders from installing louder horns on their bikes? If there's no law stopping them from doing that, I'm sure one day, we are going to start seeing e-bikes users with louder horns.

 

[Justin]

Even though ebikes are powered by batteries they are basically bicycle, so bells are better suited for ebikes as well. They are quieter than a horn yet enough to alert pedestrians and other cyclists without startling them. However, I also believe ebikes with higher range should come with horns because they usually run fast and might have to send loud warning signals.

 

[Ja sa bong]

Even though ebikes are powered by batteries they are basically bicycle, so bells are better suited for ebikes as well. They are quieter than a horn yet enough to alert pedestrians and other cyclists without startling them. However, I also believe ebikes with higher range should come with horns because they usually run fast and might have to send loud warning signals.

You've got a very good point there about e-bike's with higher range and also for e-bike's being used for longer distances on major roads. They will need better horn to help sound out alert with all the noise on the road which a bell wouldn't do a better job.