mirror on a road bike?
 

I have been used to riding a hybrid. The hybrid is a great workhorse loaded down with all kinds of dweebie cool stuff including a Berlin ampelman reflector I attached to the seat bag-

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b1...ktor_geher.jpg

-and one of those industrial sized mtb mirrors. I have been riding the road bike without a mirror and turning my head to check behind me and listening carefully. I miss the mirror on the road bike. I just can't do that one that hangs off the helmet. I can't do the huge one that hangs off the handlebar on the hybrid.

Do any of you use a mirror on your road bike? I don't even have reflectors on the road bike. I did buy an LED seat stay blinky light for safety in traffic (that thing is blinding!). Do you get used to looking over your shoulder or under your arm? I seem to have been doing fine with that, but an inconspicuous mirror would be nice. Do they make such a thing, would you use one and where would it attach without getting in the way? Do you think they are necessary? I really don't want one on the bike, but at the same time they are pretty handy.

I use this.

http://www.messengermirror.com/

Well, that one isn't too bad. It's hardly noticeable. Any other suggestions?

Nope, I have tried them all.

http://i256.photobucket.com/albums/h...ses/FSNMNG.jpg

Yah, that one is nice.

http://images.teamestrogen.com/ri/65...LK_detail1.jpg

There are several brands out there that look like this.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/...6L._SS500_.jpgThere is another by mirricycle that looks like this. The early generation of these were known to break your shifter housing in a crash however. It does put the mirror in a very useful place though, and the mirror is huge. Now I wonder how aero it is and how many rodies will hate it. I believe that it may be shifter specific as well.

The Italian Road Bike Mirror: http://www.aspirevelotech.com/Mercha..._Code=RBM_1001

I use these on my Masi and my gf's Fuji. The mirror is glass and totally unobtrusive. You do have to check them from time to time because the adhesive for the mirror can lose it's grip. In general I like them a lot.

And a comparison with pic on the bike: http://www.signatureride.com/PRtwomirrors.html

I use this as well, works great and does not look bad.

Many roadies probably do hate it but it's a darn good mirror. It comes with little wedge spacers to easily fit almost all STI shifters.

I am using this one on my Roubaix. It is very unobtrusive and the image is never shaky. I like the way it blends in to the handlebar, being wrapped under the tape rather than mounted into the bar end.
http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=192751

Take A Look mirror works well for me. Have to have a wide enough temple to mount.

The only problem that I had with the eyeglass mounted mirrors was the distortion up in the corner of my glasses when using progressive lenses. This may only pertain to those with big correction factors. Since my cataract surgery this has been less of a problem

http://mirrycle.com/product%20images...oad_mirror.jpg

Mirrycle Road Mirror for STI. I have them on all four of my bikes.

The point about them being shifter-specific is well-taken. They fit only Shimano, but not the newest ones (7900, 670X and 570X).

+1

It looks a bit like a high school Design & Technology project, but it works very well.

http://www.coloradocyclist.com/img/p...b/bppylzj7.jpg

+2 on the Take-A-Look - can be found at REI.

Take-a-look and progressives here and it works great for me. Mirror is high enough to be in the distance zone of the glasses outside of any distortion. But my prescription is moderate and individuals with stronger prescriptions might have issues I don't.

The mirror is "right there" regardless of which bike I'm riding and moving my head slightly allows scanning a wide full-scale view rather than a demagnifed view convex mirrors provide.

I use the Third Eye mirrors (both helmet mounted and eyeglass mounted depending on application) and they work great. Allow scanning to get a huge field of view. Wouldn't ride without one.

That wouldn't work for me. My left eye is like the bottom of a coke bottle with a bifocal + a corrective prism on the bottom (over 5 1/2 diopters difference between left and right) .
Something like what BluesDawg is using might work.

Its the best one I've found. I would be lost without it.

I use this one.

It works well, but I had to glue some parts that wore out, and I need a tiny zip tie to keep the ball joint tight.

I used to have one on my glasses, but it makes the glasses heavier, and you have to put it on each time. Since I'm already blind in one eye, I'm leary of having rigid wires near my eye (in case of a crash).


The helmet one is on all the time. Looks dorky, though.

The advantage of the helmet one I use is that I can flip it up to do a one-nostril nose blow. If I don't flip it up, it gets stuff on it.

Can't see the picture. Anyway with me, the coke bottle is for my left eye.

Come on. ;) This is a bicycling forum. Use the correct terminology, please. You are referring to "launching a snot rocket".

+1 for me.
Tried riding without it once and realized how well it worked for me and how much I needed it.

I'm sure I wasn't the only cyclist laughing when Tiger Woods got in trouble for spitting during a golf tournament. I kept thinking "he only spit? Sheesh, you don't even have to drift out of the paceline to spit. It's not like he hit a spectator with a snot rocket." Of course, pro cyclists have to be careful where they spit or launch snot rockets, for fear of someone collecting it and sending it to a testing lab.