Knog just launched a Kickstarter campaign for their new low-profile Oi handlebar bell, and less than a full day in and they’ve already blown past their goal by more than 5x. That’s not really that big of a surprise. Knog is known for putting their nice design-focused touch on basic bike accessories, and crowdfunders love to support small unique design objects. The Oi seems like it won’t disappoint either; it looks like no other bar-mounted bell we’ve seen and is the kind of solution that could see it adopted on all manner of bikes. Have a listen and get a closer look after the break, plus full details, and a look at the Kickstarter deals up for grabs…
Knog’s Oi bike bell is definitely a departure from the typical dome bell, instead closely following the curve of the handlebar, and blending in with your cockpit, not screaming ‘look at my bell’. It’s something we could see putting on a road, cross, or mountain bike that gets ridden on shared-use trails where it is always nice to be able to alert slower riders or pedestrians when you roll up from behind.
Besides the simple, clean look the Oi also has an integrated cable loop, meaning you can put it on your bar without having to worry able cable routing. And with its flexible plastic clamp, there’s no need to remove grips or bar tape.
It’s not entirely clear why Knog – well known for their small lights and colorful locks (and well-established) – went the Kickstarter route, but it seems like they weren’t entirely sure how customers would react to their fairly unconventional approach. And crowdsourcing lets them move more quickly from design to market, while also opening a direct dialogue with the early buyers. The idea seems to be paying off too based on the initial response.
The Oi comes in 5 styles: aluminum, brass, copper, black, and the top of the range ‘treat yourself’ titanium. It also comes in two sized made to fit either 22.2mm bar diameters next to a grip, or a 31.8mm version to fit near the stem on modern bars (or with an included spacer for 25.4 or 26mm bars.) Both bells are 15mm wide, so don’t take up much real estate and won’t weigh you down at just 18g & 25g respectively for the smaller and larger diameter bells.
Only the one early bird Kickstarter special with a numbered series is already gone, but you can still get one of the first batch of bells for the same $26AUS (~$19/18€) price. Bring that up to $47AUS (~$34/32€) for the premium titanium version, with delivery for all Oi bells slated for August 2016. There are also deals if you get more than one, or if you want to custom engrave a ti bell.
