And so bike accessories became a logical choice for both Christmas and holiday gifts for the girl to give the boy. It started with a Bluetooth speaker/alarm/headlight and a PortlandDesignWorks tail-light (also supporting 1% for the Planet).
The stakes were raised with the latest gift.
We found the LoudBicycle sometime last year through Kickstarter and were intrigued by the idea of having a car horn equivalent on our bicycles. Because let's face it, ain't no car gonna hear our bike bells as they're pulling out in front of us.
Anytime I would ask for gift ideas, the LoudBicycle would be floated as a suggestion, but production schedules would have required a very long wait.
Oh not this year, my friends. The LoudBicycle was in stock and available to ship within two weeks. It even arrived sooner than expected (although still after the man's birthday, because I should probably have not waited until three days before to order it!) And it's not like I had many other ideas for gifts.
The look on his face was positively gleeful once he realized what was in the box. He excitedly opened it, connected the trigger button to the horn and proceeded to scare the ever-living shit out of my cat. (Milo recommends that you do not sound the horn inside the house.)
The horn is a larger device that reminds me of either a ram or a gramophone that's installed on the front tubes of your bike. It's connected by a wire to a button you push with your thumb, and it's long enough to reach your handlebars. The horn battery is charged via mini USB cable, but it lasts a long time on a single charge. Provided you don't abuse the power and lean on the button for your entire ride.
And this sucker is LOUD. Hilariously, obnoxiously loud. Make-the-dogs-bark loud. I-could-hear-my-fiance-two-blocks-away loud. But that's what makes it perfect. And it sounds legitimately like a car horn. Not a sad imitation, not a bike horn, and not an annoying sound like some others might produce.
We went for a bike ride on a recent non-rainy evening, mostly so he could test out his new toy. In addition to giving a friendly honk to some front porch friends, the horn actually came in handy for the purpose it's meant to serve. As we came up to the exit of a parking lot, we saw a car approaching that did not look like it intended to stop.
One nice honk of the horn from the man, and that car stopped. in. its. tracks. I'm sure a few obscenities were yelled in the car since there were no others around, and we laughed and laughed and laughed.
But we didn't get hit.
So, within a day of the horn arriving, I consider it having paid for itself.
Best birthday gift EVER. A perfect way to bring National Bike Month to a close.
Check out LoudBicycle's product video!
HONNNNK.
(Not a sponsored post.)
No comments