duct tape. The universal problem solver.

Hah! +1, I guess I should have read the whole thread before posting a reply. I just mentioned duct tape as well.

There's nothing wrong with using a mirror. Especially for someone who's older and has trouble turning her or his head to check behind when making a lane change. But I have contrarian view about mirrors:

I find them useless.

1) When I make a lane change, I'm going to look behind me, whether or not I have a mirror (just as I do in my car).

2) My bike cost a lot of money because it's so light. A mirror is just that much more weight.

3) Without a mirror, I feel a little more connected to my bike, and more tuned into the dangers that might lie ahead of me in the road.

Do I like my rear view mirror and side view mirrors in my car? Yes. I'd feel somewhat lost without them. Just as I would if I didn't have brakes or a gas pedal or a heater or air conditioner or windows that I could raise and lower. Those are all things are part of what make a car a car.

To my admittedly contrarian way of thinking, a rear view mirror takes a little away from what makes a bike a bike.

The one good reason I'd own a mirror again: it would another cool toy to play with.

And that's why so many of us that aren't concerned about weight on our commuter/utility bikes have bar extenders so we have more room for more toys/lights/air zounds/computers/etc. on.

I use a fold in bar mirror made by blackburn, it has a large mirror surface, i find mirrors are nice to see other riders and cars but nothing beats looking just to make sure when geting out into traffic.

This is not a problem with the Italian Roadbike mirror. Instead of mounting on a plug that goes into the bar end, it has a slotted sleeve that wraps around the end of the bar and is then wrapped in place by electrical tape and then wrapped by the bar wrap. Minor adjustments can be made by grabbing the whole mirror and pushing it into position, but it does not move much and it does not move easily.

Thanks BluesDawg,

I just ordered one of the Italian mirrors. Sounds like that should solve the problem. While I wait for it to arrive in my mailbox, I will use the duct tape repair noted by himespau and Garillia above.

Regarding mirror use, I use mine to keep track of riders I've accidently dropped on club rides, esp. night rides, esp. on climbs. We try to keep the pack together as much as possible on night rides and a quick mirror check will show a bright white light for a bicycle and more yellowish for automobiles. Not that anyone asked, but just FYI . . .

Thanks all for your advice!

Rick / OCRR

I tried various helmet and eyeglass mirrors, they did not work for me, the did not stay in place and/or they bounced around a lot. My Italian RB mirror stays put and does not vibrate. I can change my angle on the bike and scan a fair bit of what is behind me. However I too still look if I am changing lanes. When in a pace line I can see if I am pulling a gap in the line and adjust my speed to keep it together, I can see if other riders are coming up from behind in a pack and if I am planning on a left turn I can save a head turn until I don't see any more cars in the mirror. You don't need a mirror but it sure helps me. When I ride my commuter which does not have a mirror, I miss it. YMMV

Take-A-Look mirror is the best mirror I've ever used in over 300,000 miles of bicycling.
. . . .and it is made in the USA!!!

I just put mine in yesterday and took it for a short ride around a park (mainly to test out/practice with the new clipless pedals I put on - my first pair). I didn't see any bouncing so I'll leave the duct tape off mine for now but will probably put some on when I have to take the plugs out to re-tape the bars after I put new brakes on (an upcoming project). I have to say, I like looking down and seeing what's behind me (I got the set with both right and left rather than just the left) is easier than looking at the glasses mounted mirror (plus I don't always want sunglasses on and don't often ride with my alternate lenses to switch out for something lighter), but I think it's going to be a while before I stop wearing the messenger mirror entirely. There's a convenience factor to not having to worry about bending the mirror stem when I take the glasses or remembering to put it on, but I have a sense for the relationship of that mirror to reality that I haven't figured out proportionally for the bar end mirrors yet.