Touring - Mirrors

I did a search on this topic and didn't come up with much. Just wondering if people like to use them on tour. If so, why? If not, why? What brands and styles to people like (glasses, helmet, bar end?)

I like them a lot, because it allows me to look behind. What else? Well, also to put on my make-up and make tiny self-portrait (http://www.borealphoto.com/photos/210954567_sHrCR-XL-1.jpg). :)

I use a Mountain Myrricle (sp?) with a bit of rigging because my bike has bar-end shifters. I know there's a commercial solution for this somewhere. I like the bar-type because it's part of the bike. I never had problems with angles or panniers blocking the view. A nice trick on narrow roads is to ride the lane to force the cars move over and then I move closer to the road edge just before they pass, leaving a lot of room.

A rear-view mirror is good. It's useful to be able to get a sense of the traffic coming up from behind. I wouldn't leave home without one.

Not all types of mirror work on all bikes, and there are personal preferences. I have a bar-end mirror on my drop-down bars... it's not an ideal arrangement... hard to see. I prefer a mirror that Velcros onto the brake lever, but on my current bike with STI brifters, the plastic mirror holder makes the brake lever too thick for my comfort.

I did a search on this topic and didn't come up with much. Just wondering if people like to use them on tour. If so, why? If not, why? What brands and styles to people like (glasses, helmet, bar end?)

I used to use an eyeglasses mount, but, it was discontinued years ago and I have never found a suitable replacement. I currently use a bar end or brake lever mount depending on the bike. I think they are zefal but wouldn't bet on it. I tried the helmet mounts but have never had good luck with them. I break them, lose them, or am not wearing the helmet and need the mirror.

Aaron:)

I also like them very much. Nice to not have to crane my neck backwards for little checks of traffic, especially nice for commuting and touring. Still I recommend looking over your shoulder when changing lanes, turning, etc.

I've had great experience with this style (the Blackburn Multi Rearview) with drop bars.
http://www.bicyclebuys.com/item/0139957

...but now I'm rolling with bar-end shifters, so I've got one of these on order (The Ultra Light Bike Mirror):
http://www.rivbike.com/search/run?query=mirror&commit=Search#product=20-177

--I'll post how it works out next week sometime.

I tried one of those tiny on-the-helmet mirrors and found it awkward. I took it off the helmet, never use it. Some folks love'm, though.

I love my mirror, allows me to make sure the people coming up behind me are giving me enough space. Comforting on long, narrow, winding roads.

I use a helmet mounted mirror, it works well, but I had to epoxy it on when the adhesive it came with failed. It's worked like a charm for four years and counting.

A rear-view mirror is good. It's useful to be able to get a sense of the traffic coming up from behind. I wouldn't leave home without one.

Not all types of mirror work on all bikes, and there are personal preferences. I have a bar-end mirror on my drop-down bars... it's not an ideal arrangement... hard to see. I prefer a mirror that Velcros onto the brake lever, but on my current bike with STI brifters, the plastic mirror holder makes the brake lever too thick for my comfort.


I have the type that velrcos on. There are two problems with it. If the mirror gets bumped it, is no longer focused correctly. I have the Blackburn and the design of the swivel joint leaves a lot to be desired.

Other than that, I like the mirror. I like it much better than the Take A Look mirror that everyone loves. I could never get used to where to place my head to look where I want.

These work pretty good for a helmet mounted mirror.

http://aebike.com/page.cfm?PageID=30&action=details&sku=MI2030

and make tiny self-portrait (http://www.borealphoto.com/photos/210954567_sHrCR-XL-1.jpg). :)


That tiny picture of you made me laugh for some reason. Thanks for posting it. :lol:

I don't ride any bike without one; commuting, touring or a weekend jaunt on the MUP. It's one of those indispensable items to me.

Yes.

Bar end. The glasses or helmet mount ones make me dizzy for some reason.

I am huge fan of helmet/glasses-mounted mirrors. I've tried (briefly) a few handlebar ones, but grew rapidly frustrated.

If the mirror is mounted on your glasses or helmet, you can move your head around to change your focus. So let's say you're winding up around a hairpin. If you move your head just so, you can still see behind you. However, a handlebar mirror will change the field of view AWAY from where you need to see, when you may need to see what that logging truck is doing.

In other words, a handlebar-mounted mirror works only if you're going straight.

I used a bar end mirror on my first tour long ago and was glad that I did. South of Big Sur on the California Coast I looked back and saw an RV approaching on a narrow section. The RV looked odd but I did not know why initially. When I noticed that the fold down steps were still down [like a chariot with spinning knives in the Rome Coliseum] I dove for the shoulder to let it pass safely. This taught me to always use a mirror and to check it often.

What brands and styles to people like (glasses, helmet, bar end?)

Looks like the best type is bar end.

No, I mean, helmet. Or, glasses-mount.

Wait - it's the handlebar-attached kind!

Glad that's cleared up! ;)

I use the velcro type which eventually wears out but attaching with zip ties on tours makes everything right with the world

Several attaching options for the Mirrycle:

http://www.calhouncycle.com/productcart/pc/viewCat_h.asp?idCategory=9

Hi,

20 years cycling without mirrors - and I didn't missed them. Now since April 2008 I have 2 mirrors on the bar ends. One for left hand and on for right hand traffic. On my Easter-Tour I cycled first time with mirrors - and I didn't use them much - only to see if my friends are all there and not for traffic.

The reason why I bought them, had nothing to do this safety reasons. I just wanted to look back if the landscape is nice to shot a photo :)

Thomas

My Trek 520 has bar end shifters. So the brake lever mounts have a "horn" on the top, and the rubber hood fits over it. I was able to cut back the rubber a little and drill a small hole in the aluminum horn on the left side. Then I made a little round mount/extension for a standard plastic mirror and mounted it right off the brake hood. The placement is perfect for me, the mirror is always right there, and nothing is in the way of my hands, or feels odd like the Blackburn road mirror with all the velcro. No clamps, no having to move bar tape, works real good.

I did a search on this topic and didn't come up with much. Just wondering if people like to use them on tour. If so, why? If not, why? What brands and styles to people like (glasses, helmet, bar end?)

Do you use a mirror for other riding? I don't really see why touring would require a different preference.

I personally don't use a mirror. I use my ears and take a look over my shoulder when required. I just ride as if I am being over taken by a car or truck at all times unless I know that I am not. I don't think it is particularly useful to do anything other than hold a steady and predictable line when vehicles are passing.

I tend to think that even with a mirror, by the time you know for sure someone is passing too close it is too late to do anything. I hear folks say they have been forced to run off the road into a ditch when they see an overtaking vehicle that is going to hit them and I have a hard time understanding that. Around here there are a lot of cars that come up fast and close and only at the very last micro second move left. If I ran off the road every time that happened I would have broken my neck by now. I suspect that having a mirror causes these riders to overreact and actually puts them in more danger in those cases.


A nice trick on narrow roads is to ride the lane to force the cars move over and then I move closer to the road edge just before they pass, leaving a lot of room.
I tend to think that is a bad idea. It trains drivers to expect that bikes will move right as they are passed. After a driver see this behavior a few times they are likely to pass closer. I think it is better to hold a steady line.

With all due respect staephpj1, if you don't use a mirror, you don't know what it's like. ;)

My wife and I always use a mirror while touring. It's nice to know when that 18 wheeler is going to pass. There are times when we don't hear them, (especialy with a head wind) and they scare the hell out of us.

With all due respect staephpj1, if you don't use a mirror, you don't know what it's like. ;)
Did I say I have never used one?

No, but all the "if'" and I tend to think" and "I suspect" sounds like you did not. BTW, I have to use my trick once in a blue moon. I doesn't train drivers at all and it works.

Besides, we all know that it takes a lot more to train drivers. :p

I decided I might try one out. This is a MTB Myrricle (sp?) and it works fine. A glance down and I can see if anything is behind as sometimes I don't hear cars approaching due to wind noise. It's out of the way and I don't give up any hand positions.
http://i233.photobucket.com/albums/ee215/Savaje/Mirror.jpg

Hi,

I agree with all of that.

I only moved to shoulder in Australia when a road train appears and opposite traffic appear. Then they come close and the wind (100-120 km/h) they produce is enormous. And believe me if you are not deaf you'll hear them.:D

In Izmir in Turkey I was overtaken by 3-5 trucks per minute with a space of 5-10 cm in average. Where was no possibility to avoid (e.g shoulder) that. Just run on your line and don't think about it :) With a mirror I may would be scarred all the time...

In all the year and countries I never had any critical situations from behind. In many countries (e.g. Egypt/Cairo) it is advisable to concentrate only on the traffic in front of you.

I don't think that a mirror increase the safety. It just gives you the feeling that you have the traffic "under control" because you can see that's going on.

Thomas

No, but all the "if'" and I tend to think" and "I suspect" sounds like you did not. BTW, I have to use my trick once in a blue moon. I doesn't train drivers at all and it works.

Besides, we all know that it takes a lot more to train drivers. :p
I chose that language to emphasize that it is just my opinion. I want it to be clear that I don't think my read on things is the one true answer. On an issue like whether to use a mirror or not, it is a personal choice and I am not knocking other's choice to use one. I might knock some of the reasons given or some of the riding techniques described by some mirror users.

In response to the part about training drivers...
I will say that I would bet that it is pretty easy to train negative behavior in some drivers, especially the aggressive bike hating ones that intentionally move closer to pass. That is why I advocate a steady predictable line with no major changes as vehicles pass.

I have used bar end mirrors in my drop bars for several thousand miles and find them, at best, interesting. When I load panniers, the ones I have are useless. I have a mirror that mounts on my glasses and have used them quite a bit. They are usable until I am off the bike. Then they are a pain for sure as the extra weight causes my glasses to fall off all of the time. I don't use any mirror on long tours. Guess I agree with Staehp, I don't feel that I need a mirror. But then I don't use lights on my bike, or fenders, or anything else that isn't absolutely necessary.

I use a bendable metal mirror that I have affixed to my helmet with zip ties. It allows me to look over my shoulder an see what is happening behind me. While I am on tour, I get so accustomed to looking at it that when I am off the bike and walking around I find myself glancing up to the left to see what is behind me. I bought this mirror decades ago and haven't been able to find anything like it since. The only problem is that whenever I pack my helmet, the mirror gets bent and I have to futz with it quite a bit to get it back to the right spot.

I would not ride a bike without a mirror.

Ray

While I am on tour, I get so accustomed to looking at it that when I am off the bike and walking around I find myself glancing up to the left to see what is behind me.

Ha! Yes, me too. :D (except for me it was down and to the left as I use a bar-mounted mirror)

Several attaching options for the Mirrycle:

http://www.calhouncycle.com/productcart/pc/viewCat_h.asp?idCategory=9

WOW, Thanks Erick, I use a Mirrycle as well, but did not know all these different mounts were available!

I used a heat gun to bend the main stem to get mine just where I wanted it, but could have used one of the ready made mounts available on that site. I have used many types of handlebar mirrors and think the Mirrycle is the best I've tried.

"I tend to think that even with a mirror, by the time you know for sure someone is passing too close it is too late to do anything. I hear folks say they have been forced to run off the road into a ditch when they see an overtaking vehicle that is going to hit them and I have a hard time understanding that. Around here there are a lot of cars that come up fast and close and only at the very last micro second move left. If I ran off the road every time that happened I would have broken my neck by now. I suspect that having a mirror causes these riders to overreact and actually puts them in more danger in those cases."

Quoted from staehpj1; Sorry I have to strongly disagree with this. More information is better than less. I am sure that my rear view mirror has saved my life at least once and possible contact with a vehicle many times. Hear no evil, SEE NO EVIL, speak no evil, is not a good philosophy for cycling safety. Now if you panic and go off the road at the first sight of a close vehicle than you made the decision to do that, but if you don't keep an eye out for what is coming up behind you, you will never see that bike hanging off the back of an RV, that WILL smack you in the back. (first hand knowledge)

I have found this solution works very well... on my Safari (butterfly bars) it's quite hard to find any mirrors that fit in the usual way. Eventually I found that if you use the Titec bar end extensions (mounted with 'Titec' name facing forward and upright) combined with 3rd Eye bar end mirrors, you can get a very stable solution which doesn't vibrate at all and has good visibility on both sides. Added bonus is that your bicycle can look like a giant insect. Pink tassles are optional.

"I tend to think that even with a mirror, by the time you know for sure someone is passing too close it is too late to do anything.

No, I wholeheartedly disagree. I can think of 2 times, specifically, when if I hadn't had a mirror to see what was happening behind me, I'd be dead.

Once was a milk truck driver on a cell, who was coming up on the shoulder behind me, totally unattentive, never saw me. Had I not seen him coming up like that, he would've got me.

The other time was a dually hauling a large boat, passing an elderly couple who had slowed down, (way more than was necessary,) when they saw me. The truck had to cut back into the lane due to oncoming traffic, and the trailer began to fishtail all over, including all over the shoulder where I would have been riding had I not seen this unfolding behind me.

Actually, this brings up a point. It's one thing to just have a mirror, it's a whole other thing to learn and condition yourself to use it regularly.

"I tend to think that even with a mirror, by the time you know for sure someone is passing too close it is too late to do anything.

No, I wholeheartedly disagree. I can think of 2 times, specifically, when if I hadn't had a mirror to see what was happening behind me, I'd be dead.

Once was a milk truck driver on a cell, who was coming up on the shoulder behind me, totally unattentive, never saw me. Had I not seen him coming up like that, he would've got me.

The other time was a dually hauling a large boat, passing an elderly couple who had slowed down, (way more than was necessary,) when they saw me. The truck had to cut back into the lane due to oncoming traffic, and the trailer began to fishtail all over, including all over the shoulder where I would have been riding had I not seen this unfolding behind me.

Actually, this brings up a point. It's one thing to just have a mirror, it's a whole other thing to learn and condition yourself to use it regularly.

+1
Are your really Barrack Obama, or do you just look like him? :eek: Thought you were from Illinois?

Yes, I agree, VOTE, got any suggestions? :D

+1
Are your really Barrack Obama, or do you just look like him? :eek: Thought you were from Illinois?

Yes, I agree, VOTE, got any suggestions? :D

LOL. I guess I should change the "VOTE", to "VOTE FOR..."

I saw some guy that had a motorcycle mirror attached to his bike with some metal fitting that he got from Home Depot. I had a Cat's eye, its plastic and doesn't work very good, so I'm going to go to a motorcycle shop and Home Depot.

one of my friends just brought a carbon specialized racer, when he came over with a mirror on his drops I started laughing a bit because on my road bike there is nothing that needs not be there. He told me that since he got hit by a car he just feels better with a mirror. This got me thinking and a couple of weeks ago I brought my first mirror, have not fitted it yet but am looking forward to testing it out.

I could not imagine commuting/touring w/o my helmet-mounted mirror. It's not that I rely on it for fine details, like whether a car is passing too close. I rely on it for big facts, like whether a car is coming or not. Among my riding buddies, only one other uses a mirror. Coincidentally, we're the only ones who bike to work....

I use trekking bars and found the Zefal SPY Mirror good for me. There is another from Ortlieb that I may try

I vote for "Take a Look" cycling mirror that mounts on eyewear. I have tried many. The only drawback is that you have to wear glasses, but I ALWAYS wear eyewear. They take a little getting used to, but once you have it, it is gold!

I have three of these and one I permanently zip-tied to a set of sunglasses, never lose it that way.

I didn't like the bike mounted types because I wasn't able to see behind me unless my bars were pointed straight ahead. The helmet mounted types seemed to jiggle too much. The eye glass mount moves with me.

I'll cast another vote for the "Take A Look" mirror, but unlike bikerrrrr I have mine permanently zip-tied to my helmet visor. The ability to "aim" it wherever I need to see behind me by turning my head is great. Also, the brass tube construction gives it the elusive qualities of being both easy to adjust when desired, but stays steady once you get it where you want it.

http://www.calhouncycle.com/productcart/pc/advSearch_h.asp?idSupplier=10&resultCnt=10&IDBrand=13

OK, I'm reporting back on my Ultra-Light Bike Mirror (see description at Rivendell (http://www.rivbike.com/search/run?query=mirror&commit=Search#product=20-177)). Just mounted it and am very impressed. Really wide range of sight. It must be slightly curved because you can see a really wide field of vision without moving your head. Mounted on the handlebars, you see everything. Mounted down on the front fork, you still see a lot, but you also see quite a bit of your left leg.

This is much nicer than the bar-end mounted style I'd been using before.

well here we are supposed to ride on the right side of the road, which happens to be the left, so im going to put my mirror on the right side of the bike for the left side of the road, which happens to BE the right side of the bike.

Glad i got that out!

Until this thread i'd never thought of bikes as left hand drive or right hand drive. Do any of the world tourers change their mirror from side to side as they change countries? or do they just have 2?

I really like my Ortlieb mirror (hard to find, I got it from Rivendell). It fits on my drops with bar end shifters, and is very adjustable and not in the way.