Brothers raise $154,000+ for manufacturing tiny but loud bicycle bell

Clint and Nick Slone of San Francisco wanted to raise $20,000 on Kickstarter to manufacture their small but loud bicycle bells. To date they’ve received 2,713 pledges and are up to $154,032 in crowdfunded backing, with another 30 days before the project ends.

The brothers are partners in Spurcycle, their bicycle components design business. Spurcycle’s existing product is Griprings, a modular handlebar grip, now with international distribiution but originally funded via Kickstarter.

The Spurcycle bicycle bell has been an instant hit on Kickstarter. To be made by Bevin Brothers, a US bell maker founded in 1832 (the company claims to have made the first ever bicycle bell, a claim disputed in 1891), the Spurcycle bell has a loud and lasting ring.

Clint Slone said: "Our objective was simple: design a bell that is exceedingly effective in a busy, urban environment and that looks sexy on any bike. We tasked ourselves with distilling your average clunker bell into a smaller, more potent, and more streamlined form, befitting even a peleton-crushing road bike. To do so forced us to reconsider every design aspect and engineer to a higher standard.

"We didn’t work on a beautiful bell and ignore the critical function of a bell. It’s got to be loud enough to alert other riders and drivers. Of course, it’s nicer if the sound is effective without losing its pleasant tone."

Clint Slone is a product design consultant working for various clients in the San Francisco area. His brother Nick is an operations consultant. The Spurcycle bell starts at $35 on the Kickstarter page.