Commuting - Hate the mirror

So after reading the now missing mirror poll I thought I'd give one a try.

Hated it!

Super distracting, gives me a blind spot, and never seemed to be adjusted right.

I realized that I look over my shoulder probably every few seconds anyways and am much more aware without one. I'm going to give it one more try tonight, but will probably be giving it away if tonight ends up like last night.

love the mirror!
(you'll get used to it anyway....).
fore-sight/hind-sight, sight is good, anywhich way!
t

I don't like helmet/glasses mounted mirrors either. I love my handlebar mounted mirror though. Saves you all that tiresome turning of the head. :) If you have drop bars, consider one of these (http://cgi.ebay.com/Italian-ROAD-BIKE-un-helmet-MIRROR-bicycle-mirrors_W0QQitemZ260058651702QQihZ016QQcategoryZ42319QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem). I have that same mirror and love it. Just make sure you adjust it correctly before you re-tape your bars.

What mirror did you get?

Night time is probably not a good time to try out a helmet mirror. They do take some getting used to. I would try it a few times during the day before giving up on it. I use mine less often at night than during day time rides.

The mirror that clips on the visor of my bell metro helmet sucks. Can't see anything but yourself in it. I missed out on the mirror thread. Do the ones that clip onto your glasses work?

The best mirror available today is the Take a Look (http://www.rei.com/product/1842331.htm?vcat=REI_SSHP_CYCLING_TOC). Unlike bar-mounted mirrors, there are no issues with blind spots or vibration due to rough roads.

To the OP - what mirror were you using?

I tried a glasses mounted mirror. Didn't like it at all.

I have a handlebar mounted mirror. I love it. It is teh roxorz.

The best mirror available today is the Take a Look (http://www.rei.com/product/1842331.htm?vcat=REI_SSHP_CYCLING_TOC). Unlike bar-mounted mirrors, there are no issues with blind spots or vibration due to rough roads.

To the OP - what mirror were you using?

I was using the Third eye mirror, so not much different than the Take a Look.
I can see how someone would dig on it, but I just look around too much and I find the blind spot very distracting.

I am going to try and use the bar end mirror suggested by one of the other posters and see how that works out. Thankfully I kept the original packaging and receipt so the Third Eye's going back in the mail tomorrow.

The Take-a-Look is more adjustable than the 3rd Eye mirror. You are much more able to get it where you need it. To each his own but it is impossible, at least in my opinion, to be as alert without a mirror as with one.

A BIG advantage of a glasses or helmet mounted mirror is that your view is not restricted to where your bars are aimed. Plus, there's no vibration.

The Take-a-Look is more adjustable than the 3rd Eye mirror. You are much more able to get it where you need it. To each his own but it is impossible, at least in my opinion, to be as alert without a mirror as with one.

A BIG advantage of a glasses or helmet mounted mirror is that your view is not restricted to where your bars are aimed. Plus, there's no vibration.

I don't want to debate mirrors, as to each their own and all, but 20 years of urban cycling without a mirror would beg to differ. 95% of my possible issues are in front of me and I have very little worry about overtaking incidents. That being said, I'm going to try the small bar mounted mirror, but the eyeglass/helmet mirror can take a flying leap.

So after reading the now missing mirror poll I thought I'd give one a try.

Hated it!

Super distracting, gives me a blind spot, and never seemed to be adjusted right.

I realized that I look over my shoulder probably every few seconds anyways and am much more aware without one. I'm going to give it one more try tonight, but will probably be giving it away if tonight ends up like last night.


Give it a least a week of riding in the day before you decide. Your experience is typical. The take a look mirror will work better.

You need to have it off to the side (not in you rstraight line of vision) and adjusted so you need to turn your head just a little to see the road directly behind you. The glasses mount mirror will work if you are on drops or tops. A bar mirror only works if your head is in one palce.

It does seem horrible at first. Once you get used to it, you wonder why you did not have one before.

Don't get me wrong, plenty of people get around just fine on a bike without mirrors.;)

But it is impossible to be as alert to everything around you (whether you care what is behind you or not isn't the issue) without a mirror. No different than in a car. One of the main principles of driving is knowing what is all around the vehicle. Can't be done without mirrors. Certainly not as quickly and easily anyway. :)

So then I guess my question to the serious mirror users is do you have some reason why you are uncomfortable looking over your shoulder, neck injury, fear of drifting or are you worried about overtaking accidents. Because I don't find myself checking my rearview that much either in the car, I check the wing mirrors constantly and my blind spots, but it's kind of the responsibility of the person directly behind me to keep from rear ending me whether driving or cycling. In Los Angeles I can guarantee that there will be a car directly behind me on the majority of my commute and they won't look any different if they are going to rear end me or stop as I'm taking the lane, so what's the point of looking at what I already know is back there? If I was doiing rural riding this would be a completely different discussion. But I have to have faith that the drivers I share the road with every day will not rear end me or I wouldn't be able to ride in this city.

So then I guess my question to the serious mirror users is do you have some reason why you are uncomfortable looking over your shoulder, neck injury, fear of drifting.

No need to get sarcastic.

I'm not uncomfortable at all looking over my shoulder. I just don't have to.

So then I guess my question to the serious mirror users is do you have some reason why you are uncomfortable looking over your shoulder, neck injury, fear of drifting or are you worried about overtaking accidents. Because I don't find myself checking my rearview that much either in the car, I check the wing mirrors constantly and my blind spots, but it's kind of the responsibility of the person directly behind me to keep from rear ending me whether driving or cycling. In Los Angeles I can guarantee that there will be a car directly behind me on the majority of my commute and they won't look any different if they are going to rear end me or stop as I'm taking the lane, so what's the point of looking at what I already know is back there? If I was doiing rural riding this would be a completely different discussion. But I have to have faith that the drivers I share the road with every day will not rear end me or I wouldn't be able to ride in this city.

In a highly urbanized environment, mirrors may be less useful because, as you note, there's always somebody behind you. Where they really shine (so to speak) is in suburban and rural areas (especially higher speed roads with no shoulders or crappy shoulders).

That said, I'd use one in urban cycling too...they're useful when left merging/turning to assess the situation behind you. It could also help alert you to a Fast & Furious style driver weaving back and forth and passing cars behind you, or help you to see that the landscaper's pickup truck has moved over enough to pass you but his trailer is still coming too close to you. The benefits are many, and not easily replicated with the "look back over my shoulder" technique.

As others have noted, they take some practice to get them set up properly and used to using them. One day of usage is not enough to pass judgement...especially if you've been riding for years (decades) without one.

No need to get sarcastic.

I'm not uncomfortable at all looking over my shoulder. I just don't have to.

I really wasn't trying to be sarcastic. I was seriously wondering if any of the problems applied.
If I offended I sincerely apologize.

And SSP, you are correct, two days is not a good amount of time to judge mirrors in general. It was enough time for me to know that this particular brand would not work for me. My commute is very intense and this mirror was distracting enough to constitute a danger for me. Whether that's because of my own built in habits or its poor design who can say.

I will be trying the end of the road bar mirror and see how that works out. I'm trying to be open to new ideas as I get older.:D

I also agree with the benefits of the mirror on the rural commute. I grew up in a rural area of Western Washington where I had to share shoulderless roads with 50mph logging trucks. I relied heavily on a bar end Rhode Gear mirror. I should check if they still make those. It was simple and worked great, like most of their gear.

First I tried a helmet mirror many years ago. It was cheap and shook a lot and was never in the right spot. Threw it away after a few days.

Then recently I tried the bar end mirrors, but I wasn't able to see behind me when I was riding off my seat. Plus it would shake easily at higher speeds.

Then I went back to helmet mounted and bought Third Eye. It was impossible to position it where I wanted ideally, so I returned it.

Finally, I bought the Take a Look mirror. It was very easy to position. once I got it mounted and got used to it, I was sold. I'd highly recommend it.

Regarding mirrors in general, using a cycling mirror is like using your car's rear view mirror. You feel insecure if you ride without one.

One more thumbs-up for the Take-A-Look(TAL). I've posted before in these mirror threads that come along every once in a while, and I'll say it again. The Third Eye is plastic and useless, the TAL metal and stays in place. It's a little weird when you first use it, but once you get used to it you won't go back. I can't speak to bar mounted mirrors, never used one. Try the TAL. I have two of them, the older one has a shorter stem, the longer stem makes it easier to use so get that one if you have a choice. This is especially true for Oakley type glasses that wrap around the eye because the mirror cannot be mounted on the curved part of the sunglass frame. I prefer putting the mirror on my sunglasses rather than the helmet mount that comes with the mirror. The helmet mount glues in and the glue ultimately fails, then I srewed my helmet mount in and it holds but ultimately broke anyway, so I've decided that the glasses mount is the way to go. For a while they were hard to find in the bike shops (now I see them everywhere) and I ordered one through Amazon.com, but they are pretty easy to find in the shops and on line.

I have tried mirror on the handle bars on my helmet and found them to be a waste of money and time. I could never get them adjusted right. I found it was quicker just to look back.

I don't want to debate mirrors, as to each their own and all, but 20 years of urban cycling without a mirror would beg to differ. 95% of my possible issues are in front of me and I have very little worry about overtaking incidents. That being said, I'm going to try the small bar mounted mirror, but the eyeglass/helmet mirror can take a flying leap.

I never used a mirror until about 5 years ago (after over 30 years of urban, and every other kind of cycling). Trust me, there is a BIG difference between the Take-a-Look and the Third-eye. Trouble with most of the bar mounted mirrors (I have lots of them) is the vibration, the fact that things are 'closer than they appear', and that you have a limited field of view. With my take-a-look, I can scan around behind me if I need to, and I get a nice, clear view. I have a similar helmet mounted mirror, a bit larger, but made by some old feller I see at some organized rides, that is even a better mirror...but as you know I don't wear the helmet that much.

As far as looking into it too much, you can break yourself of that, it's a function of self-discipline, not a function of the mirror.

Just sayin, before you discount glasses/helmet mounted mirrors, try a Take-a-Look, which is the only one worth trying.

Mirrors can be problematic for me mostly because of trying to keep one adjusted. Regardless of where it's mounted, periodically I have to readjust the mirror at the right angle. Having said all that, I will continue to use a mirror on my commute. What convinced me is the argument, "Would you drive your car without mirrors?" The answer is no. And for me, cycling shouldn't be any different. I get more awareness of what's behind me. Not just what's directly behind me, but a couple hundred yards back I can get a better feel for traffic approaching.

Now if I can find the perfect mirror!

I stopped using a mirror about 12 years ago and haven't started again.

Motorist-overtaking mishaps are relatively common around here in serious bicycle accidents, but I'm not sure a mirror would give me the means to avoid them.

Maybe I'll try one again sometime in the next little while.

I remember living with a mirror. Interestingly, there isn't one on my current bike. It was never in adjustment because some ham fisted oaf kept knocking it. I always had to do a head check anyway ... only fools rely on mirrors.

BUT ... if riding in heavy traffic, it did have its uses in that it saved you having to turn your head when there actually was someone there.

So, do I hate mirrors?
Yes.
Will I fit a mirror to my bike?
If I find I'm forced to ride in traffic all the time, I probably will ... and still loath the sodding thing.
What will I do in the meantime?
Keep practicing doing head checks without veering all over the road and making sure I always have a good look behind me before doing something stupid - you need to be able to identify the vehicle that has just run over you for the insurance claim :D

Richard

I agree that a helment mirror can be a beast to adjust but once you've found the "sweet spot" it can give a surprisingly large field of rear vision while remaining relatively unobtrusive-as long as you're cruising on smooth asphalt.

However, after reading your posts I am afraid to drive around any of you guys! Every car I have ever driven (lots) has had at least a little blind spot. There is no substitute for the look back while riding or driving; mirrors only give a sense of what is behind you.

I use my helmet mirror to know what to look for when I look back or in low pressure situations where I am not going to get creamed when taking the lane. The look back gives me ALL the information and lets the cars know I am aware of them or that I may move.

No mirror can signal like that.

A mirror is used to enhance situational awareness, not as a substitute for a look when making a change in your position on the road. It's a tool, not a crutch.

Agreed. I use the mirror to see if I should even bother looking behind me. If it looks good. I look back. Look back again. Signal, look back, and if everything remains good, change lanes.

I stopped using a mirror about 12 years ago and haven't started again.

Motorist-overtaking mishaps are relatively common around here in serious bicycle accidents, but I'm not sure a mirror would give me the means to avoid them.

Maybe I'll try one again sometime in the next little while.

Perhaps if that kid who was killed by the 19 year old woman downloading ringtones had a mirror he could have avoided being hit. The reality is that you can't look over your shoulder constantly, but a glance in a mirror is easy and fast. I always know when a car is about to overtake me, and I always know just how close they are going to be. There are plenty of times where I had to swerve into the shoulder to avoid being hit. If I didn't have the mirror, who knows what would have happened.

I too never got eyeglass Take-a-look to work right or could I get used to blind spot. I tried three times (separated by months) once for a week, once for two week and once for three.
There was no way I could see over my bag strap on my shoulder unless I sat very upright.

I got handlebar mirror and love it. Sure it vibrates, but one can still see vibrating cars.

A great advantage of a mirror is being able to see behind without creating a communication error with motorist.

Al

I too never got eyeglass Take-a-look to work right or could I get used to blind spot. I tried three times (separated by months) once for a week, once for two week and once for three.
There was no way I could see over my bag strap on my shoulder unless I sat very upright.

I got handlebar mirror and love it. Sure it vibrates, but one can still see vibrating cars.

A great advantage of a mirror is being able to see behind without creating a communication error with motorist.


I had/have the same problem with backpacks using my glasses-mount....which is why I either put my gear on the bike, or use a messenger bag now. Anyone know of any nice low-slung backpacks?

Anyone know of any nice low-slung backpacks?

Bum Back Packs? http://www.bbpbags.com/

I had/have the same problem with backpacks using my glasses-mount....which is why I either put my gear on the bike, or use a messenger bag now. Anyone know of any nice low-slung backpacks?
I use a messenger bag. It is the strap (with pad) going over my left shoulder that I saw in mirror, unless I set it up so I had to do all kinds of strange head contorsions and use tops instead of hoods.

Believe me I really tried to get it to work. Threads on eyeglass mirrors with advice on setup and usage often come up and I tried all suggestions.

Al

I never used a mirror until about 5 years ago (after over 30 years of urban, and every other kind of cycling). Trust me, there is a BIG difference between the Take-a-Look and the Third-eye. Trouble with most of the bar mounted mirrors (I have lots of them) is the vibration, the fact that things are 'closer than they appear', and that you have a limited field of view. With my take-a-look, I can scan around behind me if I need to, and I get a nice, clear view. I have a similar helmet mounted mirror, a bit larger, but made by some old feller I see at some organized rides, that is even a better mirror...but as you know I don't wear the helmet that much.

As far as looking into it too much, you can break yourself of that, it's a function of self-discipline, not a function of the mirror.

Just sayin, before you discount glasses/helmet mounted mirrors, try a Take-a-Look, which is the only one worth trying.

Thanks for the advice Chip.

I really like the Cycle Aware helmet mirror. www.cycleaware.com also has a bar mounted mirror, one that fits in the bar end, a glasses mounted mirror and a tiny mirror that goes on the inside lens of your glasses.

I used to use a bar mounted mirror but switched to the helmet mirror and won't ride without it now. Like others said, it took a while to get used to, but I hate riding without it now.

In a highly urbanized environment, mirrors may be less useful because, as you note, there's always somebody behind you. Where they really shine (so to speak) is in suburban and rural areas (especially higher speed roads with no shoulders or crappy shoulders).
Funny, I would have thought the opposite. In a rural setting I rely on hearing traffic to know when to turn my head to look. Without the confusion of a noisy urban area you can hear traffic a long way off.

In an urban area I need to turn my head and check more often to keep track of the vehicles around me because the ability to hear traffic is impaired by the sheer volume of traffic.

I never got used to mirrors despite having tried them a few times over the years. I found that I rode with my head in different vertical tilts so the mirror was ultimately pointed either at the ground or the sky a lot of the time. I also found that to see anything in the mirror I had to keep my head pointed straight forward. Since I seem to constantly turn my head side to side I only ever got brief glimpses of what was behind me in the mirror.

I am knocking mirrors, but I have decided they aren't for me. If as I get older my hearing or my ability to turn and look gets worse, I may reconsider. Til then no mirrors for me.

Have you ever turned your head to look for the best place to merge left while traveling say down a multilane road and the car behind you slows to let you in, but the flow of traffic (say a couple cars behind and next to the one that slowed) would have been better if the car had continued and you would have instead been better to negotiate the merge a couple cars behind the car that slowed.
A mirror fixes this problem beautifully. You pick the best moment to start looking back to negotate the merge. That is what I meant by above by avoiding communication errors. Many motorist don't read the head look back as a signal you are wanting to turn, but the few that do can really gum things up.
Al

Treespeed,

Your first post sums up my experience - in this case the Third Eye - exactly. There was an infuriating blind spot exactly where I did not need it when approaching roundabouts. Even worse, I didn't even get the rear view benefit of the mirror, no matter what adjustment was made. Since I ride a road bike, most of the time, hunched over on the dropped section of the bars, all I could see was my own back and
shoulder.

Luckily, it made a cheap inspection mirror for the toolbox, so was not a complete waste of money.

Ed

Bum Back Packs? http://www.bbpbags.com/

Thanks for the lead...I think I'd like these better than the messenger bag, especially when carrying the laptop! :)

Perhaps if that kid who was killed by the 19 year old woman downloading ringtones had a mirror he could have avoided being hit. .

Not saying he had a curb but if you've got a curb on your right, I'm not sure where you could go to avoid getting hit.

So after reading the now missing mirror poll I thought I'd give one a try.

Hated it!

Super distracting, gives me a blind spot, and never seemed to be adjusted right.

I realized that I look over my shoulder probably every few seconds anyways and am much more aware without one. I'm going to give it one more try tonight, but will probably be giving it away if tonight ends up like last night.

A helmet mirror takes time to learn to operate. It took me probably 30-50 hrs of ride time to become completely adept at it. You will never know how valuable a helmet mirror can be because you gave it about 30 seconds.

That, I'm afraid, is your loss. If you consider looking over your shoulder a substitute, well than you are completely clueless. I check my mirror probably hundreds of times per ride. If you do hundreds of over the shoulders per ride, you otta be pretty dizzy.

I do "over the shoulders" when i am changing lanes and turning. Just like in the car. It is good to double check.

I really like the Cycle Aware helmet mirror. www.cycleaware.com also has a bar mounted mirror, one that fits in the bar end, a glasses mounted mirror and a tiny mirror that goes on the inside lens of your glasses.

I used to use a bar mounted mirror but switched to the helmet mirror and won't ride without it now. Like others said, it took a while to get used to, but I hate riding without it now.

That helmet mirror looks like something I may want to try. Those mirrors that go on the inside lens of your glasses intrigue me too. Anybody heard a review of how those things work?

Based on this crash thread injuries from helmet mirrors the jury's still out for me. (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=249572)

I don't care to convert anyone but I'll share my experience with those that are planning to go down this road.

Every year when summer rolls around I grab a bike and a bunch of other gear, including the Take-A-Look mirror I have zip tied to my riding glasses and I hit the road for a month. I'd say I average about 6 hours of riding a day. Rounding down for sight seeing days and that comes to about 140 hours of riding over 23-25 days. Depending on which bike I'm on my bars range from being level with the saddle, down to 4 inches below it and sometimes I wear a backpack (I almost always do when commuting). The only problem I've ever had with the Take-A-Look in years of use is occasionally hitting it with my hand and having to spend a couple of minutes in a parking lot for a readjustment.

My mirror is set up high and left where it blocks no useful view. It requires no head movement to get an instant shot of what's behind me. I simply glance up & left. This mirror is so steady and clear that as soon as my line of sight hits the mirror my eyes can return to the road and I've seen what's going on behind me. So fluid and quick is this action that I can do so even in critical traffic. I.E., while touring among heavy city traffic I repeatedly check on my wife, typically riding 25-50 ft. back.

At times this thing makes all the difference in our comfort levels. On a clear day, heading down a narrow road I can spot RVs and Semis seemingly a mile behind us and leisurely pick a good place to pull off the road. Same goes for commuting. I share my route with gravel and cement trucks. The shoulder of the road often has obstructions blocking it. The mirror allows me to continuously check my speed and time obstruction dodging to coincide with an open lane.

If you're going to try a mirror I'd recommend the Take-A-Look, and give yourself more than a few hours of use before giving up on it. You may find it as useful as I do; an ex-road racer that never wore one in roughly 73,000 training and racing miles.


Cheers, :beer:

A helmet mirror takes time to learn to operate. It took me probably 30-50 hrs of ride time to become completely adept at it. You will never know how valuable a helmet mirror can be because you gave it about 30 seconds.

That, I'm afraid, is your loss. If you consider looking over your shoulder a substitute, well than you are completely clueless. I check my mirror probably hundreds of times per ride. If you do hundreds of over the shoulders per ride, you otta be pretty dizzy.

I do "over the shoulders" when i am changing lanes and turning. Just like in the car. It is good to double check.

Well Mr. Kansas that's quite a snarky, ridiculous post (30 seconds, completely clueless) pretty big words for someone who rides out in the middle of nowhere. I wonder how I made it through ten years of sharing shoulderless roads with logging trucks, 8 years of messengering in Downtown Seattle, and now 3 years of South Central Los Angeles commuting. Yeah, I'm awfully dizzy and you sir are an idiot.
Obviously over a 100,000 miles of mirrorless riding without an accident is just a complete fluke and has nothing to do with riding skills.

I wonder how is looking behind me and looking in a mirror differ in any substantial way. Unless you have problems turning your head I don't imagine a car looks any different when I look directly at it, compared to when I see it in a mirror. But since I'm sure you don't know anything about cycling in a real city I'll forgive you impertinent ignorance.

Maybe you should stick to posting about Britney Spear's privates where you seem to have more expertise.

I had posted this in the mirror poll but I'll say it again, the single biggest benefit I get from using a mirror is the ability to ride in the traffic lane at all time, avoiding shoulders/bike lanes which often have hidden hazards. I can glance in the mirror without taking my eyes off the road in front of me and know if traffic is approaching. I can monitor how approaching traffic is reacting to my prescence and plan accordingly. If they are changing lanes, there's no need for me to move closer to the edge of the road when who knows what is waiting for me. I can see if they have a turn signal on indicating a right turn in which case I'll stay right where I am and let them turn behind me. If on a narrow road and I see them starting to pass around a blind curve, I can issue a stop signal long before I ever hear them approaching or starting to pass (25mph winds make it impossible to hear anything else). I can spot gaps in traffic for easier merges as noisebeam has suggested. I can see where my riding partner is at all times.

With a properly adjusted eyeglass mirror (I use a Third Eye, can't comment on other brands or helmet mount), I have no blindspot. Small changes in the angle of my head let me sweep the area behind me without ever losing focus on the road ahead. I usually need to adjust my mirror every time I put my glasses on but this takes no more than 15 seconds (move the boom until I can see straight forward without it interfering and adjust the mirror to see the middle edge of my ear, done).

There just flat out is no substitute for a mirror. You can look in front of you AND behind at the same time. That's just not possible looking over the shoulder. Can a person survive without a mirror? Absolutely. On the other hand, are you going to have a better feel for everything around you with a mirror? No question. That means it's going to lessen your chances of a problem and I sure like that idea with all the crazy, agressive cagers out there. You are not AS safe without a mirror. It's a flat out fact. You may have some good sensory skills and riding skills that can help you stay out of trouble but the mirror users odds are better. An exception might be someone that just hasn't learned to use their eyes in driving and bike riding.

The only true discussion here is what kind of mirror works best. ;)

I guess it's kind of like a helmet discussion. Some like to wear them and some don't but there's no doubt a helmet makes you safer.

I guess it's kind of like a helmet discussion. Some like to wear them and some don't but there's no doubt a helmet makes you safer.

Oh brother.... :eek:.......run and hide!

Maybe you should stick to posting about Britney Spear's privates where you seem to have more expertise.

I hope he does. :D

Yeah, I'm awfully dizzy...

Maybe you should stick to posting about Britney Spear's privates where you seem to have more expertise.

uh yeah...take it over to the Road Forum, they love this stuff.

Gentlemen! Yes, I use that term loosely. :D Please be civil, and respect other's opinions.

Whatever works best for you, that's great. No need to attack anyone else. Be grateful you're not in Utah, where your average motorist doesn't know what a mirror (or indicator) is.