Rear view mirror
 

When we got our new tandem, I outfitted it with some Sprintech handlebar mount rear view mirrors. They look pretty stylish. However I never found myself confident that if I couldn't see something behind us, it was OK to move out into the traffic lane. I was always craning my neck around to look behind.

On last weekend's ride, I reverted to my glasses - mounted Take-a-Look mirror. I had forgotten how much more confident this made me and that I could easily monitor what was happening behind us. The Take-a-Look is pretty geeky looking but the improvement in confidence makes the ride much more pleasant.

There's a very long recent thread about this topic.

I would feel naked without my helmet mounted HubBub mirror. I think a good mirror is essential not only for safety, but also courtesy to other road users.

Stoker and Captain both have HubBub mirrors.Wouldn't leave home without them. The best helmet mirror out there!

yeah I like the take-a-look. got the compact model cpl months ago but haven't tried it yet. maybe soon

Isn't this what a stoker's for?

Stoker keeps track of what's behind with a HubBub. She hadn't really ridden much when beyond bike trails so was a little apprehensive on the road and the mirror was the perfect solution. I've never used a mirror over the many year riding a single and it's funny now, I miss the information coming from her when I'm out on the single. :-)

That's what more than a few Captains think:https://www.flickr.com/photos/zox20/6054053138. Some even give important functions, like (drag) braking or shifting(!) to the (promoted) co-captain. Far be it from me to question the judgement of another Captain while aboard their own vessel, but I have a blind stoker, and I know there are several such teams out there. That particular form of delegation would be unwise in our circumstance.

I had not heard of the Hubbub before this thread. Not bad. Better, I think, based on nothing more than website promotions and the odd review, than just about anything I've seen, except this:https://www.efficientvelo.com/home/safezone/ I've been using one of these for several years, and I love it. I have severely compromised vision, and I really like the very large size of this mirror. I have a big enough blind spot in my left eye that the entire field of view of a "Take-a-look" or "Third Eye" mirrors would be totally invisible to me. Yes, it moves out of adjustment when you take off the helmet and set it down on something, but re-aiming it once its back on your head is dead easy and quick. And... hardly anyone pays the MSRP of $40. Buy it at your local bicycle retailer or co-op and you will pay the same $29.99 that the Hubbub costs. FWIW.

Edit:nor do I use the supplied zip ties for mounting, I got some hook and loop (Velcro) tape with stick-on backings, and mounted one side to the appropriate spot on the helmet, and the other side to the mirror base. Very neat and tidy installation, and handy for easy mirror removal before going through car washes.

What I re-discovered is that going from the Sprintech handlebar mounted mirror to a eyeglass mounted mirror is that I regained my "situational awareness". When I tried to look at the handlebar mirror I had to take my eyes off the road, squint and really concentrate on what I was seeing in the mirror. With an eyeglass (or helmet) mounted mirror, I could glance behind me easily & frequently and was aware of what was behind us at all time. This gave me the confidence to move out into the traffic lane if nobody was coming and take advantage of smoother surfaces. Approaching traffic no longer surprised me. I didn't know how much I was missing without the Take-a-Look until I got it back.

Garmin makes a little rear radar that connects wirelessly to the edge computer so I am aware of approaching cars without having to constantly look in the rear view mirror or looking back. The one weakness is it doesn't pick up bikes, so I still have to request "clears" from the stoker for major lane change.

I got a Garmin Varia this year and I really love it. I think it solves the situational awareness problem better than my handlebar mirror ever did. I've got it mounted on the back of a rear luggage rack, which makes it a long way from the head unit. I have occasionally had the head unit lose connection with the radar, especially on dirt roads. I suspect that with two bodies in between, it is relying on the signal bouncing off the ground and the type of surface can influence the signal strength.

I am wary of the creep of electronics into what was one of the few remaining purely mechanical toys left out there (the bicycle).

It started with a simple computer but when this didn't work, it didn't really affect my ride. We then got an older Garmin which provided more info but the value of the info was debatable. If this didn't work, we could still ride the bike.

I then warily adopted Di2 for our tandem. It does shift nicely but if the battery runs down or if it fails in some complicated way, I'm likely unable to fix it - especially on the road.

Substituting a camera or radar system is a complicated fix for a simple mirror. We can trust our lives to what the image tells us. If the mirror fails for some reason, I can probably figure it out. What it tells me is instantly recognizable and processed by the brain. If one of these electronic sensors fails (and we are trusting our lives to it), the results could be catastrophic.

Seems like a solution looking for a problem.

So, maybe I'm a Luddite.

Interesting comments on the hubbub mirror, I have been using one for a year and frankly find the field of view too narrow. As a matter of thought, a flat mirror really limits the field of view and I have a very disturbing blind spot, just my opinion but I'm still looking for a better wheel!
R

A better wheel, or a better mirror? <confused> Did you see post #8 by any chance? I don't believe there is a bigger helmet mirror on the market. Limited field of view? Turn your head. Even with 2.25" of mirror real estate to work with I haven't found that I can just glance at it and get a 180* panorama. You have to wiggle your POV a little to get a nice scan. Still beats craning your neck all the way round, or looking through the gap between your arms and your body!

Better mirror! ha, I have used a Bell helmet mirrror for a decade commuting (https://www.amazon.com/Bell-Bike-Hel.../dp/B00KWHC8Z6) , it is 3/8 x 3/4, mol, and I see fine, it's a nice mini mirror. The catch is thatfits my commuting helmet, I wear a lazor for road and haven't figured out how to mount it,
R