How to Fix a Bike Bell?
The bell of the bike plays a crucial role in ensuring your safety on the roads. It helps you make the people and other vehicles aware of your presence and allow you to swiftly go through the traffic. But just like any other component, your bike bell can go kaput! So, what do you do when that happens, do your ride with the broken bell?
Absolutely not! You do not even need to spend money and get a new one! Yes, you just read that right. All you need to do is learn how to fix a bike bell. And trust us, the process is straightforward and requires a few tools and materials. Finding it hard to believe? Read on through and see it for yourself!
How to Fix a Broken Cycle Bell?
So, in order to get the bike bell to go ding-ding again, you will need to follow these simple steps:
Step 1: Get the Right Materials and Tools
As we have mentioned in the beginning, you do not need to work with tons of tools and materials for this process. You just need these:
- Rubber band
- Pair of pliers
Now, when it comes to the rubber band, you will only need one. However, you should ensure that it offers a firm tension. The weak ones will not cut it, and you might have to carry out the process frequently with those.
Step 2: Take the Bell Apart
No matter what the model of your bell is, it should have a metal bowl as a crown. To get that off, you will need to twist it anti-clockwise. Once you open it, you will be capable of seeing the broken parts inside. You will also be capable of seeing the mechanisms that make the bell create the sound.
To know the details about How to remove the reflector wheel read this article.
Step 3: Free up the Inner Workings
There should be a nut on the top. That holds all of the inner workings in place. With the pliers, get the nut off. After that, you will be capable of taking the plastic part and two washers. These are the parts that actually initiate the sound by rotating. You will also find an actuator gear. It manages all of the movements of the parts.
In most cases, the plastic spring is what makes the bike bells go kaput. It breaks, and that ruins the entire rotating mechanism. And if the parts do not rotate properly, it will not make the ding-ding sound anymore.
Do not worry; you will not need to work with all of these parts. You just need to free them up by rotating the nut on the top. After that, move to the next step.
Step 4: Use the Rubber Band
As the bell design is pretty elementary, you can replace the plastic spring with a rubber belt. You will need to loop one end through the slot of the actuator slot. Pull the loop through itself and then work to crank up the tension. Due to the broken plastic spring, you will not need to put the small ring in place.
However, do not just throw it away. Instead, keep it in a safe place to do experiments in the future. And this part of the step will vary from one bell to another. The internal configuration will not be the same for all. You will need to do a couple of trials and check in which position the rubber has the right tension.
But in general, you will need to pass the rubber band around the gear pegs. In order to get a high overall tension, you might need to turn the looped part around the center post. Also, you might even need to reposition the plastic actuator. And if the tension does not feel right even after repositioning the actuator, make an additional loop.
Final Words
You really do not have to panic if your cycle bell stops functioning at some point. All you need to do is follow the steps we covered in this how to fix a bike guide. It will not only save you from spending money but also allow you to get your bike safely ridable within a couple of minutes!