cncwhiz

I find it kind of odd that I don't see many people who have mirrors either on their bike or helmet. Everyone has mirrors on their cars but not on the bike? I would not ride without a mirror. I firmly believe that there would be a lot lees deaths and or bikes hit if they could watch their backs. I always think to myself that it does not matter weather the car is breaking the law texting or whatever they are doing, I will be just as dead or hurt if it hits me. I am interested in peoples thoughts on why you use a helmet, blinkies and other safety devises but not a mirror.

FullGas

and why do you care if other people use mirrors...? bored? need to stir the pot a little...?

pretty sure this topic has been beaten to death at least a hundred other times.

if having one suits your purposes, then you should be good to go.

deapee

Who says we use any of that?

JoeyBike

This is Advocacy and Safety

lostarchitect 

Dude, welcome to the internet, the whole point of this board is to discuss advocacy and safety. Everything has been discussed before, everything will be discussed again.

Chris0516

I don't use mirrors for personal reasons. I find them too distracting for my bike. I have 20-speed racing bike. My eye-hand coordination issues are compromised if I try to focus on mirror.

1. A mirror affixed to the helmet would feel like a fly is in my face.

2. A mirror affixed to the handlebars, has the same affect as, trying to read a newspaper on metro train that is constantly causing a person to lose their place in the article they are reading. Because the mirrors are constantly moving.

I use my hearing, and turn my head instead.

lostarchitect 

FWIW, I use a take a look mirror clipped to my glasses and I love it. Makes me much more aware of what's coming up behind me. I also have some neck issues so it's tough for me to crane my head around to see behind me, so the mirror helps a lot.

dynodonn 

I use a mirror,for me it is an invaluable tool in helping me to better plan upcoming traffic maneuvers.
The mirror doesn't have to let me read the fine print on sleazy contract at 100 yards, but to just give me a general idea of what is going on behind me.

cncwhiz

Wow, I am just curious, you don't have to use any of it for all I care. It did not ask for crap from warm friendly nubie like you. The number one cause of death on bicycles is getting hit from behind from a car. It seems to me that everybody whines about how cars treat people on bikes but they are not pro active themselves. I am not trying to tell anybody how to be smart on the road and stay alive. I hate bicycle road hogs as well, just because the law says they can hog the road, when there is room they should move over for cars. They make us all look bad. But that is also a issue of safety. Go crap in somebody else's corn flakes.

caloso

I don't use a mirror. I have ears and a neck that swivels. I have never been hit by a car from behind, or any direction for that matter.

lostarchitect 

I've never been in a car crash, but I still wear a seat belt.

FullGas

sure comes across that way.

but, since you asked...

don't care for the look, don't want anything like a mirror near my face if I go down, and get adequate feedback on the presence of cars from eyes and ears.

while the stats show most fatalities are from rear-end collisions, all of the incidents I've had were broadsides. mirrors wouldn't have helped in any of those.

caloso

As soon as Selle Italia comes out with a seat belt for the Flite, I'll wear one.

Daniel4

The main reason I use a mirror is to check when the lane on my left is clear so I can turn left. That alone improved my confidence on the road so much.

I tend not to look for cars approaching from behind. It's too scary and I won't be able to do anything about them anyways. Usually when I check the second time, they are already gone since they would have changed lanes and passed already.

dynodonn 

In an urban environment, it's real benefit for me to be able to see a car approaching from behind, long before I hear it. I do still check over my shoulder in making a turning or lane changing maneuver, and I too have never have hit or been hit by a car while riding a bicycle.

JoeyBike

I use a Take-a-Look helmet mounted mirror cycling, inline skating, and longboarding (big skateboard). Sometimes when I am just walking around I try to ogle a pretty girl with my mirror "stealth-like" on the street, then realize I don't use a mirror for walking. Maybe I should! But this illustrates how used to having a mirror I have become over the years.

deapee

Right. So who's to say that someone can't advocate safe riding practices without utilizing the tools that you believe are required to give safety? Must we all agree on a safe approach or are people allowed to have their own opinions?

Just because someone doesn't use a mirror doesn't mean they aren't advocating safety.
Just because someone doesn't use a bell doesn't mean they aren't advocating safety.
Just because someone doesn't use a helmet doesn't mean they aren't advocating safety.
Just because someone doesn't use blinkers doesn't mean they aren't advocating safety.

I think if we all agreed on what defined safe, the forum wouldn't be required and discussions surrounding the matter could be simply replaced with a 20-point bulletin sticky.

DonBjr

I tried to use a mirror clipped to my glasses, but I couldn't get it setup to see where I wanted while also seeing through my prescription glasses and not interfering with my forward vision. It just wasn't helpful and too fiddly.

My wife has a fairly large mirror on the end of her handlebars that I wouldn't like mounted (sticks out too much) and she doesn't seem to think it's all that useful. A friend has a more sleek one mounted on the end of his handlebars and he says it's useless.

So... I gave up on the mirrors. I use a garmin varia radar to keep cars from sneaking up on me while letting me enjoy my ride, and I turn and look for maneuvering.

cncwhiz

What is the cost for that Harmon setup? I would love one of those.

gregf83 

+1 and I've yet to hear of anyone with a mirror who's ridden off the road to avoid a collision from behind.

vol

dynodonn 

I too am not fond of helmet or glasses mounted mirrors, but I do have a large bar end mirror (straight handle bar, not drops) for my urban commute and is fixed firmly enough to stay in position for much of my commute but loose enough to easily fold out of the way when the time calls for it.... for me, a mirror is far from useless.


I personally tend have as little a number of battery operated items as I can possibly get away with, since it's that many less items that I have to be concerned about in charging or having a dead battery, especially in one that is intended to replace a mirror.

cncwhiz

I think its kind of funny that some of you get butt hurt. I could care less if you use a mirror, helmet or any other safety gear. I can understand if you don't like them. I am laughing at you people who are more concerned about how it looks. If you have kids and its cold out, do you not tell them to put on a jacket? They will freeze to look cool. I could not care less how I look riding one of my bikes, I ride for me. I am not an advocate for mirrors, like I said in my post I was just wondering why more people don't use them.

JoeyBike

I have done it two times that absolutely avoided a collision. Another handful of times that was probably for nothing. Probably.
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RidesaJapanese

No mirror, but I stay off the highways mostly. No helmet, the ones I find at thrift stores are always too small, I have a big head. I do use a head light and rear red light at night but traffic after dark here is virtually nonexistent.