Do you have mirror(s) on your bike?
My own preference is to use
both left and right Take-a-Look mirrors. The additional right-hand mirror is useful when:
-riding on the left side of a one-way street
-down the middle of a multilane road
-in a rotary
-when coming out of a curve to the right
-when a bright sun is behind you because usually at least one of the mirrors will be out of direct sunlight.
Originally Posted by
Chris516
Never.
I rely on my hearing, so I don't have to take my eyes off the road. Also, I find mirrors to be a hindrance... but because of having to suddenly divert my attention from the road to look at a mirror.
Originally Posted by
Chris516
I don't use mirrors, so I am constantly looking and listening at/for, what's behind me…
Originally Posted by
Chris516
While I don't use a mirror and
am constantly looking n' listening for traffic behind me, like you
it makes it easier to plot my next move(s) as required for the situation.
Originally Posted by
B. Carfree
I hope mirror discussions don't become like helmet discussions.
To each his own, and YMMV, but I see no advantage to turning around on the bike when you can maintain a riding position and still look ahead with a rearview mirror. Some hazards come up so suddenly that I appreciate the milliseconds saved by being in position to react. Especially in my urban environment, I live by Jim's Law of the Road: “No matter how lightly traveled and well paved a road is, a vehicle will likely pass you on the left as you encounter an obstacle on the right.”
Besides
taking your eyes off the road [ahead], one has to markedly rotate the neck and torso out of alignment with the path of travel to obtain the same rearward field of view that is easily seen with a simple sideward glance at a rearview mirror. You are then also in a less stable riding position. The farther behind one wants to directly look,
to plot the next move(s) as required for the situation, the further you have to rotate.
Regular periodic glances in a rearview mirror keep you well-appraised of the conditions behind without breaking the pedaling position and rhythm. Plus you feel safer while wearing an I-pod.
