Airzound Rating: 4.7
Advantages:
- Loud!
- No cartridges or batteries needed, refill it with your pump
- Adjustable Volume
- Air container can be mounted anywhere, doesn’t take water bottle spot
- Lifetime warranty on manufacturing defects
Disadvantages:
- None
The Airzound bike horn is one sure way to get you noticed on the road. Nobody wants their car and/or body to be smashed by a truck. And that’s exactly what the Airzound sounds like! More often than not, car drivers stop dead in their tracks when they hear this loud horn.
The Airzound bottle (air container) holds 500 ml of compressed air. The instructions say to refill to 80 psi, but not to exceed 100 psi. It can be mounted directly on the bike’s frame with a Velcro strap. So you don’t have to use a water bottle holder. the bottle’s extremely light, so Velcro is safe and will hold it in place. I mounted it on the head tube:
The horn’s volume can be adjusted, but not while riding. You can try, but that wouldn’t be safe. I set my Airzound to the loudest volume when I first mounted it a year ago, and haven’t touched it since. The horn is exclusively for inattentive drivers, so I need the airzound’s full power to get their attention. You might need to turn the volume down if you ride in a quiet neighborhood, so volume control is nice to have.
The package contains the following items:
- The Air Zound horn
- Air container
- Mounting velcro strap
- Two zip ties
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Airzound Horn Specifications:
- Up to 115 db loud
- MSRP : $29.99
- Refill valve: Schrader
You can order the airzound from Amazon and ChainReactionCycles.
And now some tips on how to use the Airzound horn more effectively:
– Time it so that the car driver is looking away. This way he’ll stop the car first, then look in your direction.
– Don’t use it on pedestrians. It’s not only annoying for their ears. It also can scare them to death, literally. Also, they might react by attacking you, verbally or otherwise. I use a simple bicycle bell to get the attention of pedestrians.
– Don’t use it in real emergencies! Use your brakes to stop your bike first. Then if the car driver deserves it, blow the airzound horn for punishment’s sake!
-Oh, and do not try it at home! You will damage your hearing. If you have a child at home, get one of those plastic valve caps and screw it on the Airzound’s valve.
Some owners state that the Airzound doesn’t work in freezing temperature. I went for a ride this winter to test this. It was 5 degrees (F) (-15 Celsius), and the horn worked. Maybe because I pumped it to 80 psi before I went out. As you know, everything, including air, shrinks when it’s cold. So I thought those who had problems didn’t refill the container, so the pressure in the cold wasn’t enough for the airzound to work properly. Another thing might be some moisture freezing inside the valve.
Wanna be heard? Being on a small vehicle like a bike sometimes means that we’re ignored by cars on the road. Some drivers notice us, but their brain registers us as a slow vehicle. That’s why sometimes car drivers look at us, but don’t see us (i.e. dismiss us). The Airzound will make sure everyone knows you’re there. Usually a half second tap is more than enough to make yourself heard. This thing is really loud!
The Airzound is the best bike related investments I’ve ever made. Get it, and soon you’ll be wondering how you could ride without it. It’s available on Amazon and CRC. For the price, that’s a lot of sound!
I wish they had this in the 80’s.
Great device! You’ll eventually get noticed by car drivers.
But never use ist against pedestrians (It might be harmful to your own hearing senses, too).
Keep in mind that it doesn’t work at freezing temperatures.
Sir:
I have my AirZound for several years.Going to work,I pass several busy streets,that I am so glad I have the Air horn as most drivers don’t look to the left as they can make a right on red.Not only don’t they stop before turning right But they don’t look left. where a cyclist would be coming from.Yes I LOVE my Airzound.
My problem is I have a leaky hose,on TWO bikes and the air pours out.Do you have replacement air lines as I would rather fix it then to replace it.I have 3 bikes all with Airzound.
If you can help me , that would be great. Again all I need is an air line and instructions on replacing it.
Thank You
Charlie Leibold
Address edited out for security purposes.
@Charlie Leibold: I would contact Delta Cycle (the manufacturer of the Airzound) for spare parts requests. The email is [email protected] . I found the email at the bottom of their official Airzound page: http://www.deltacycle.com/Airzound-Bike-Horn
Did you try submerging the bottle and hose in water to see where the leak is? Don’t submerge the body, though!
I hope you find a solution, and please post any updates here. If I can be of further help, don’t hesitate to contact me.
I used to use sound to try to prevent smidsy (“sorry mate, I didn’t see you”) events. However, since I started using a CygoLite exPilion 400 lumen LED light on flash during the day I don’t get people pulling out on me, or across my path. Btw, it lasts for more than 8 hours when in flash mode and charges via USB. I have two so that I can see the road surface when riding fast at night. I guess any similar product of any brand would do, though my experience with these has been excellent. There’s nothing wrong with having an Airzound or other sound-making device though and some kind of sound-making device is required by law in some states (e.g., NJ).
shoot me an email if you need a clamp for oversized bars or a fix for damaged tubing!
[email protected]
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