Airzound 3 Rechargable Air Horn -

AirZound 2 Rechargable Cycle Horn

If you're a cyclist looking for a horn that connects nicely to your handle bar, is loud enough to hear for both pedestrians and motorist alike, then the AirZound 2 Rechargable Cycle Horn is the one!

When fully charged, this little monster can blast around 120dbs of (what sounds like) sound from a fast approaching vehicle - enough to make any grown man shudder, and then swear after you with the sudden realisation that you're `that cyclist' a few yards down the road he stepped out in front of (or he's yet another pedestrian on his mobile who fails to look before crossing the road)!

An ordinary pump just won't do for this baby. If you want to make the best of the AirZound 2, you'll need a high pressured cycle `Shock' absorber pump [it's small, portable and costs around £34.00 - but worth every penny]. It has a standard car valve connection - the same as the AirZound 2. Although the AirZound 2 instructions recommend the maximum air input as 80psi, during winter months you can actually go up to 120psi. This is at your own risk! And I would strongly recommend you don't go there during hot summer days, as warm air expands and your AirZound 2 will pop as it exceeds the bottles ultimate pressure, thereafter being rendered useless!

AirZound 2 Good Points:

' The actual `horn' is small and unobtrusive.
' You can regulate the sound volume (high/low) by simply turning a small red knob located on the horn's side.
' You can replenish the superior sound quality with regular air via a cycle pump (though would recommend a high pressured `Shock' pump).
' The sound (when the volume regulator is on high) is louder than some car horns!
' The AirZound 2 bottle which contains the pressured air, fits snugly into your water bottle compartment, thus giving many individuals the impression that this is simply what it is - a water bottle (so it's less likely to be stolen)!

Recommendations from my Experience:

' Secure your AirZound 2 horn to your handle bar at around a 45 degree angle. This reduces pressure placed on the top grey front section in front of the red button pressed to activate the horn. This is the weakest part of the AirZound 2.
' When replenishing the air pressure for your AirZound 2, firstly unhook the horn from your handle bar before screwing on your pump valve. As above, this also reduces pressure placed on the top grey front section of the horn, and helps to prevent damage to the AirZound 2 valve threading.
' Don't put too much air in - pump in more than 80psi at your own risk!
' Take your pump with you when out cycling. When cars are in the cycle lane and you start tooting your horn, that air in your AirZound 2 won't last very long!

Follow these basic recommendations above and your AirZound 2 should last for many years.

If you're anything like me and sometimes get breathless during cycling [and no, I'm not unfit..., I'm just getting old!], once you get an AirZound 2, you'll find that cycling is not cycling without it! You'll take great pleasure in tooting that horn and watching the teenage generation [you know how they stay. They stroll into the path of motorists/cyclists as though they own the road] jump to avoid damage to themselves from that 'oncoming vehicle' that's almost upon them. You'll chuckle as you see that motorist swerve to avoid hitting the `car' he/she's about to cut off [call me wicked!]!!

So would I recommend this product to any cyclist out there?

Hell yeah!

Keet

Make no mistake, this product works. Just get it positioned where you can get your hand onto it quickly when you need it and remember to top it up regularly. I do 75 miles per week and top mine up about twice a week to 100 psi with my track pump- so long as I do that, it never fails (and I've had mine for the thick part of 10 years).
I've read a couple of reviews about this product that ably express the boundless glee of finally being able to make oneself heard, which I fully appreciate. However, I'm of an age where I'm not deliberately looking to aggregate car drivers or pedestrians on a regular basis. (Don't get me wrong- if someone pushes it with me, I'll push back and they'll regret it- but I'm not out to start anything...)
So, if a car driver is about to cut across my path or pull out on me, they get a blast and often seem grateful for the warning. On the other hand, if they've already done their 'maneuver' then no amount of blasting is actually going to help me out and will only aggravate the matter. There's another possibility as well- around my area there are plenty of drivers so dimwitted that, if they've already failed to see me, they're just as likely to swerve violently and hit me if I frighten them with the horn! Likewise pedestrians- blast them too close up and they're just as likely to stumble into my path as out of it.
So, if you buy this product, be prepared to change your riding style. Look ahead! A gentle blast from 100 yards gives drivers a chance to wake up and wipe their steamy windows and gives pedestrians a chance to call their dog, which can only be good for you!

"LOUD!!!" is one word to describe it.
It's saved my skin on a couple of occasions already, mainly from cars and lorries pulling out from side roads; it certainly makes them stop.
So in my book it's worth it's weight in gold.
But the plastic where the horn clips onto the handlbars broke after just 1 month (perhaps it ws just my bad luck), which is a shame.
I still like it, and i think I'll just attach it with a jubilee clips or something similar.

(added this section later on)
There seems to be a common problem with the airzound and the valve failing, either they won't fill up at all or they they don't hold the air for long.
There are some quick fixes which the manufacturer suggest but mine died and I'd only used it for 4 or 5 months. I'm hoping the airzound 3 is an improvement.