General Cycling Discussion - Mirror suggestions?

Have to say I`ve junked a lot of mirrors out of sheer frustration.

Finally got the road bike worked out and ended up putting Sprintech drop bar end mirrors on it. As close to perfect as I`m going to find I think. Excellent visability, easy to adjust, small and they stay put.

Wish the hybrid flat bars were as easy! Anything that is an end bar mount means you can`t lean the bike against anything and adds to issues going in and out of doorways. They also interfere with barend choices. I have Ergon grips and the ends aren`t open. And that funny thing that velcros around your grip? Yeah real UNcomfortable!

So I`m currently just glancing over my shoulder. Have tried Ispy and Oakleys - they only apparently work for people with 20-20 vision. Have yet to try any helmet mounted mirrors but am open to the idea. Prime requirements are something thats easy to live with and functional.

Suggestions?

In my experience the problem with helmet mirrors is that you have to refocus your eyes every time you look into the mirror, which somehow seems to cause neck strain over time. I had constant pinched nerves and neck aches when I used them.

I'm convinced that handlebar mounted mirrors are the only way to go. You don't have to move your head (much) and they are generally large enough that a quick glance is sufficient to check behind you. There are some clamp on mirrors that might work for you, but honestly, I would suggest just dealing with the bar end issues.

I think that the benefits of having good rear view vision should out-weigh the inconvenience of having to watch out for the mirror in doorways and leaning the bike against things(kickstand?). I don't know of any mirror that's going to work as well as a regular bar end mirror for your hybrid. I've been down this road. You're liable to get a lot of suggestions for different mirrors that people use, but in the end, due to the inherent design of that type of bicycle, you're not going to find anything that works anywhere near as well as a regular mirror that plugs onto the end of your handlebars.

Mirror suggestions?

Have to say I`ve junked a lot of mirrors out of sheer frustration...

Suggestions?

IMO the best is a Take-a-Look eyeglass mirror (I wear eyeglasses). I have used handlebar and helmet mirrors and just kept breaking them off. For me it's the fastest way to take a quick backward glance with the least head movement, and then return my sight to the road. Jim's Law of the Road is that no matter how well paved and ligntly traveled a road is, you're likely to encounter an obstacle on the right as a vehicle passes on the left.

Besides that recommendation, I have resumed a former practice of wearing both left and right mirrors. The right side mirror offers advantages when:
-riding on the left side of a one-way street, or a central lane on a multi-lane road
-negotiating a rotary
-coming out of a right curve
-when the sun is behind and reflected in one mirror, the other one will be out of the sunlight.

In my experience the problem with helmet mirrors is that you have to refocus your eyes every time you look into the mirror, which somehow seems to cause neck strain over time. I had constant pinched nerves and neck aches when I used them.

I use a helmet mirror and had some neck strain at first but once I got it adjusted correctly I never have to move my head to look behind me. So I think that if your moving your head to use the mirror then your doing it wrong. The one minor issue with the helmet mirror is that they can be moved somewhat easily, I bump it on things or brush it with my hand and then I have to readjust it. So they aren't perfect either.

+1 to the Take-a-Look. Have used one mounted on the helmet visor for several years. Before that, various other helmet or glasses-mounted mirrors going back 25+ years. No refocusing involved - looking into a bike (or car) mirror is distance vision, unlike looking at a computer display.

I've used various and like others find that Take-a-Look works the best for me. As mentioned, the mirror position is stable and the mirror is pretty steady compared to a helmet mount and especially compared to a bar mounted mirror.

I can see some small potential advantage to wearing two, but I can rotate my head a bit to scan the view in the mirror or a wide range.

As for refocusing your eyes when you view something in a mirror, you're focused on the object your looking at, not the mirror. So, if you're focused in the distance (>20') in front of you and glance in the mirror as some object in the distance behind hind you, your eye's don't refocus. If the mirror is convex ("objects appear smaller") this is still true for objects greater than 20'.

Consider switching grips to the GP-1s. Then, you can add a good barend mirror. Works for me!

Another +1 for the Take A Look. Love it. Had a Third Eye Pro before that. Not bad, but not as good as the Take A Look.

I've tried several of the helmet/eye glass mirrors and the Take a Look was the one that I could almost live with. However I prefer a mirror mounted on my handle bar. My preference is for the ( ultra light bicycle mirrow ) which is made in Germany. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPQ9WKj_ql0 :thumb:

I can't stand the eyeglass/helmet mounted mirrors, but I've had great experience with Mirrcycle handlebar-mounted mirrors. They have a few different ways of mounting, so one of them might fit your needs.

LOL I`m thinking life is a little cruel! Ergon GC-3 grips are probably the most comfortable I`ve driven with and the integrated carbon fiber barends are a good fit too. But they`re completely incompatable with bar-end mount mirrors because - there`s no plug.

Haven`t tried either a helmet mount or a glass mount mirror before and have several helmets and pairs of Oakley M frames so will have a look and see how easy it is to transfer a Take a Look which seems to be fairly well recommended.May sound dumb but I`m thinking that the ideal solution might be a model that wraps around the wrist like a wristwatch. During the winter it wouldn`t be a problem but might be a little warm in the summer. Lets see how the other goes. I hate building my own stuff unless there`s really no alternative.

My grips didn't have a plug either, so I had to get out a knife and make a hole. Obviously not something you want to do unless you're sure you're going to like the mirror...

Mirrcycle also has some that mount onto road levers. I know there are some other manufacturers that make mirrors that clamp anywhere you want on the bars as opposed to mounting on the ends. I'm not familiar with any specific models, but this seems like a good design option, especially if you have bar-end compatibility issues.

My grips didn't have a plug either, so I had to get out a knife and make a hole. Obviously not something you want to do unless you're sure you're going to like the mirror...

Mirrcycle also has some that mount onto road levers. I know there are some other manufacturers that make mirrors that clamp anywhere you want on the bars as opposed to mounting on the ends. I'm not familiar with any specific models, but this seems like a good design option, especially if you have bar-end compatibility issues.

Thanks very much for the suggestions! I was considering a hole in the end of the grip but a trial fit indicates that a vertical mirror would interfere with my ability to grab the barend and if the mirror is mounted upsidedown - a clear view will be blocked by my wrist.

Shops here are opening up so maybe over the next week or so I can pick up a Take a Look and give it a test ride.

While keeping an eye open for other options.

+1 for glasses mount mirror. If you don't need RX glasses then use sunglasses. I ended up with indoor/outdoor safety glasses because they were good day and night until I had to get RX glasses.

I've broken several "third eye" mirrors but now I put them on with a pony tail holder and it looks more discrete than before the mount broke.

For those of us who don't wear helmets, this mirror works pretty good. It's straps to your wrist or sleeve. Only seven bucks at Amazon.


http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/31MUJ5pphZL._SS500_.jpg