chefisaac

Do you use a mirror and if so, what kind?

and if you dont, why not?

she

Yes I do since Im deaf. I cant wear the aids when Im sweating so I take them off. I use this one.
https://www.rei.com/product/723518/mi...in-bike-mirror
The mirror stays clear and its hard to steal.

Saltybeagle

Sprintech Road Bicycle Drop Bar Mirror, goes in end of road bike drop bar. I use one on left side.

alphageek_gb

Picked up a helmet mirror at my LBS for $15... LOVE it, won't give it up for anything else now.

chefisaac

do the mirrors that attach to the bars stay in one place as you ride or do you need to readjust them all the time?

she

I dont have to adjust them when Im riding. Just when Im coming out my apt door. Im always knocking into it. LOL Getting better. I can just move it into place and away we go. About once a month I have to use the allen wrench to give a little tightening but I f I wasnt banging into the door so much I m sure I wouldnt need to do it.

goldfinch

I use the biggest, ugliest helmet mirror on earth, the Safety Zone: https://www.amazon.com/Safe-Zone-Bicy...2417932&sr=1-1



Easily adjustable while riding. Huge view for these old eyes.

But I feel like I am one of the collective. Resistance is futile.

CACycling

I have Third Eye helmet-mounted mirrors on my road & commuter helmets. I also have a Third Eye eyeglass-mounted one glued to a pair of glasses for use with my MTB (didn't want one on my MTB helmet as I don't use a mirror on trails).

chefisaac

gold: can you take it off if you wanted to?

goldfinch

The mirror mount is zip tied on to my helmet. However, the mirror can be removed by popping it off at one the articulated links. Links can be removed too if you want to shorten it up. It is a bit tough to reconnect the links but that isn't necessarily a bad thing. They are ball and socket joints. The downside is the cost but it sure works well. Little mirrors just didn't do it for me and I can't put mirror on my handlebars.

sstorkel

I don't have mirrors on my regular road bike. I typically ride it in low-traffic areas where traffic isn't a problem.

I do have an STI-mounted mirror on my touring bike. I use the Mirrycle Road Mirror. I tried helmet-mounted mirrors, but found it difficult to use the small lens to focus on what I wanted to see. The Mirrycle can get a little blurry due to road vibration, but it's much larger than a helmet-mounted mirror and always pointed in the right direction.

referee54

I use the Miracle Mirror. I like it and since I use my bike to commute and to ride for exercise in traffic, it comes in handy.

Sayre Kulp 

I don't always use a mirror. I only use one if I'm planning on riding in a lot of heavy automobile traffic where it could be dangerous to spin my head around often. In that case I use a Third Eye that clips onto my eyeglasses. It get's the job done.

Mithrandir

I got the Mirrycle MTB mirror so I could see when cyclists are going to pass me on the bike paths:

https://www.amazon.com/Mirrycle-MTB-M...2422228&sr=8-1


However since getting it and installing it, I started passing everyone else on the paths and upgraded to riding mostly on roads now. It's useful for seeing cars now though, but I can usually hear them before I see them (not because of poor visibility mind you, it's because you have to constantly look down and I still haven't gotten in that habit).

It's great though.

Mithrandir

Mine stays pretty well. I have to adjust it probably once or twice every 30 miles, but that's usually because my riding position changes as I get more tired and begin slouching more. It has several adjustable joints which allow you to tension it to be movable or rock-solid. I put mine somewhere in the middle.

I also have to adjust it once every time I start, because I manage to knock it against walls and doors and stuff, but that's minor.

XR2

No but I am so used to having them from riding motorcycles I ought to get one. I like the $25 German mirror on the Rivendell site. Just have to get the dang thing.

McCallum

I have one on the left side. Mounts in the handle bar. I think it was intended for a road bike; I ride a hybred. Ues, from time to time I have to adjust as I ride usually as I first start; if more than that I tighten the screw or the mirror mount or both!

fast89fox

Tried several styles including one that mounts on the drops, but found a helmet mirror to work best for me. I use a Third Eye helmet mirror and love it. Takes a little getting used to but you can see cars approaching far away with good clarity.

Lycosa

This might sound silly, but it works for me. I actually didn't like some of the other manufactured helmet mirrors and didn't like the looks of the one on my bike so I was at a flea market one day and found one of those telescoping inspection mirrors that cost me $2 and just cut off the mirror end with a small section of the telescoping part and drilled a small hole in my helmet to fit it in. Now I have a small mirror that's adjustable and doesn't look like I've got an alien arm sticking out of the side of my helmet.

irclean

Long live the Fredliness!

In all seriousness, however, I'd be willing to give that monstrosity a try. I've tried helmet mirrors in the past, but found them woefully inadequate. That bad boy, OTOH, looks substantial!

On my bike that has open barends I use a Zéfal Cyclop. Unfortunately, I recently snapped it off by sideswiping it with another bike. Great mirror; cheap, stable, and a wide view. I won't bemoan its durability since I bent it in a way that it wasn't meant to bend. My only real gripe with the mirror is that the bolt that tightens it down has a slotted screwdriver head. IMHO it ought to have a Allen key head.

For my trekking bar-equipped bikes I use a Zéfal Spy on one, and a Busch & Müller Cyclestar 901/1 on the other. The Spy is a great little mirror... but it is little. I like that it's easy to swap from bike to bike, or to throw in your bag when locking it up. The B&M mirror is a quality piece, but it attaches more securely so I leave it on the bike, and so far it hasn't gone missing. Hopefully no self-respecting thief is gonna be caught dead stealing a mirror!

Juan Foote

I use a bar end mirror as well, I cannot recall the brand atm. I like it and use it to be able to see behind me both for cars as well as other riders on group rides. Mine does move around a bit, I think the tightening mechanism could have been made a bit better. I used a small bit of silicon on mine in order to keep it in place, but still be able to break loose if it hit something, etc. At this point I would feel naked without having it.

ChrisM2097

I use a cheap mirror that clips to the side of my sunglasses. Works good for me.

Funny story why I bought it in the first place. One day, a few years ago, I was riding home from work (in Downtown San Jose), listening to my iPod, riding up 1st street, when I noticed that for about 7-8 minutes or so no cars had passed me...and this was on a Friday at 5:00pm - rush hour. I looked over my left shoulder and there was a VTA bus and a line of who knows how many cars behind it...all traveling at about 12mph. I was extremely embarrassed, and turned up onto the sidewalk. I had no clue the bus was next to me. I couldn't hear the engine because it's in the rear of the 40' bus. 1st street is narrow, so the bus was unable to pass me. That night I stopped into a LBS and bought the mirror (and turned down my tunes).

RichardGlover

Used to use a bar-end mirror (see link in 2nd msg in thread), until I switched to trekker bars, where it's location is mostly useless.

Now I use a helmet mirror. Don't care that it's dorky; I can see behind me and the lane next to me.

Tip: If the mirror is oval-shaped, Angle it so the oval is horizontal, not vertical (which is usually the default). You get better rear and blind-spot viewing at the expense of seeing less sky above you.

mr,grumpy 

I have the type that velcros to the brifter. I am constantly adjusting it to the point where I feel that it does more harm than good. I think that I might try something like Goldfinch has.

goldfinch

I'll mention one other positive about the Safety Zone mirror. I am having to make lots of changes in my riding position as I ride to deal with shoulder/neck pain. I can reach up and articulate the mirror to a place where I can see behind me when I change my riding position. And the changes stay put until I change it again.

Even though the mirror is quite large, at least 2 inches in diameter, I do not feel like it impairs my forward vision. Now it is such a part of riding that I don't think about it.

At first I was kind of embarrassed riding with such a big ugly thing and would sometimes take it off. Now I am used to it and leave it on all the time.