HOw Do You Check The Traffic Behind You?
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Mirror for me.
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Last edited by 10 Wheels; 01-08-14 at 01:16 AM.
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I turn my head/torso. But if your gonna ride at a fairly fast speed your gonna want a mirror. Much safer
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Yes.
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#6
C*pt*i* Obvious
I use a helmet mirror, and I also look back just to show motorists that I am aware of their presence. Even still, I can get caught off guard once and awhile. Rush hour traffic in Shanghai can be quite a test of your situational awareness ability.
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Guess I use my mirror to be aware of whats coming from behind.Small car,truck or fellow cyclist. Like SHBR above said its also good to turn your head a bit to let them know you know they are there,and sometimes just to check how far their bumper is from the bike! As you can see in the pic,my Trek handles bars are not the most ideal.
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How Do You Check the Traffic Behind You[
I use left and right hand mirrors:
I use both left and right rearview mirrors, in my case Take-a-Look eyeglass mounted ones. I got the idea from a cycling companion who used only a right hand mirror. The additional right hand mirror affords a pretty good rearward view, but is particularly useful:
One other situation where hearing is ineffective, even on rural roads, occurs when being passed by one car, and I'm never sure that another one is following the first. No problem with a mirror.
- Riding on the left-hand side of a one-way street
- Riding in the middle or left lanes of a two-way thoroughfare
- In a rotary
- On a curved road to the right
- When passing entrance/exit ramps from a freeway, with the right hand mirror, I can view the ramps to my right, and stay wide of them, while watching upcoming traffic on my left, all while almost continuously looking straight ahead
- When the sun is directly behind, usually one mirror can be positioned away from the glare of the sun
- When wearing a backpack, usually one mirror has a less-obstructed view over my shoulder.
One other situation where hearing is ineffective, even on rural roads, occurs when being passed by one car, and I'm never sure that another one is following the first. No problem with a mirror.
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Both- as has been stated before. Mirror to keep an eye out, and turning to make eye contact with drivers. If they acknowledge your presence, they are more likely to give you some running room.
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I ride bents, so I have a mirror. Also dont overlook that your sense of hearing will also tell you when there is traffic behind. That is why I never ride with earplugs with some music device.
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In my car, side view and review mirrors (and back-up camera in reverse). On motorcycle, with two handlebar mounted mirrors and a head check when necessary to clear blind spots. With a take-a-look glasses mounted mirror on the bike, which give greater FOV than car and motorcycle mirrors as well as is scan-able to eliminate blind spots. I can ride faster and meld more safely with traffic by using the mirror.
#12
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I just started to use a helmet mirror. Works great, but still turn head and shoulders sometimes.
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I use a glasses-mounted mirror too, in warm weather. I think it's more important to riding safety than wearing a helmet.
I don't use the mirror in the winter tho because I have to wear goggles and there's nowhere to put it. And not having a rear-view mirror drives me nuts.... but I've tried the bar-end things and they all vibrated too much to be useful IMO.
I don't use the mirror in the winter tho because I have to wear goggles and there's nowhere to put it. And not having a rear-view mirror drives me nuts.... but I've tried the bar-end things and they all vibrated too much to be useful IMO.
#14
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Started using helmet- or glasses-mounted mirrors around 1980. Currently use a Take-A-Look mirror on the visor of my helmet.
Turning around to look is not an option in most circumstances riding recumbent bikes.
Turning around to look is not an option in most circumstances riding recumbent bikes.
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I use a glasses-mounted mirror too, in warm weather. I think it's more important to riding safety than wearing a helmet.
I don't use the mirror in the winter tho because I have to wear goggles and there's nowhere to put it. And not having a rear-view mirror drives me nuts.... but I've tried the bar-end things and they all vibrated too much to be useful IMO.
I don't use the mirror in the winter tho because I have to wear goggles and there's nowhere to put it. And not having a rear-view mirror drives me nuts.... but I've tried the bar-end things and they all vibrated too much to be useful IMO.
…for eye protection is a pair of simple, wide, plastic industrial goggles that I suspend from my cycling cap using Velcro around the nosepiece. The glasses sit very comfortably on my face securely in place even though my ears are covered. The earpieces then provide a secure mount for my eyeglass-mounted Take-a-Look mirror. The goggles allow sufficient room for my prescription eyeglasses, and are widely ventilated to carry away the exhaled moisture preventing fogging. These have made winter cycling entirely possible because all other attempts to avoid dangerous fogging have been nowhere as successful….
#16
Banned
hear then coming. its a small town , 1 highway east-west and a bridge across the river T's into it.
You note the pulses of traffic released by the traffic control lights turning Green.
to cross the street I am OK with stopping at the intersection
and walking at the crosswalk, using pedestrian button/ light..
You note the pulses of traffic released by the traffic control lights turning Green.
to cross the street I am OK with stopping at the intersection
and walking at the crosswalk, using pedestrian button/ light..
Last edited by fietsbob; 02-03-14 at 10:07 AM.
#17
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I wish I lived In a small town. 60 yrs of Los angels CA has worn me out.
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I turn my head.
#19
Family, Health, Cycling
Take-A-Look mirror on my glasses. I can't imagine riding without it.
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Turn my head round to check tho have been known to concentrate too much on that and forget the traffic in front but usually a quick check then if I need to I make eye contact and signal, giving an extra thumbs up if the driver is very generous
#22
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I ride on a 55mph State highway on my commute. No other options. Survival mode WILL kick in!!!
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Turn my head AND mirrors, I don't have the flexibility I did when I was younger so I rely heavily on the mirrors but not exclusively.
Trekking bars and motorcycle mirrors, quickly becoming my favorite dashboard configuration:
Trekking bars and motorcycle mirrors, quickly becoming my favorite dashboard configuration:
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Glasses-Mount Mirror and bar-end mirror just incase I forget my glasses mirror. But once you get used to using a mirror, you won't be able to ride without one.
#25
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Helmet mounted Take A Look. FTW.