Today, to vary my route, I spent a little more time on surface streets than on my previous rides. This brought a question in my mind, how many of y'all have rear view mirrors on your bikes? I could tell folks were coming up behind me by the sound but my ears aren't what they once were. What are your general thoughts on the issue of mirrors?

I can't imagine being without but I notice roadies don't have them??

I have bar end mirrors on my road bikes.

I've been using helmet mounted Cycle Aware Reflex mirrors for several years.
https://www.cycleaware.com/index.php?...&products_id=1

That's on my list...

I feel naked without my take-a-look mirror.
https://www.amazon.com/Bike-Peddler-C.../dp/B001VTQNVO

Mirrors, yes.

The roadies who make fun of them are fools.

I don't make fun of them, and I've tried lots of different kinds and mirror mounting points and have yet to find one that works for me.

Hopefully someday I will, but for now, none of my bikes (nor my helmet, glasses, etc.) has a mirror mounted.

Rick / OCRR

This is one of those topics that comes up periodically, and all kinds of opinions get expressed each time.

Mine is that I wouldn't want to ride my bike without a mirror any more than I'd want to drive a car without the rear-view. But I do most of my cycling on city streets where there's going to be traffic coming up behind me. If I was riding off road I might not care about mirrors so much.

If you have doubts about the sharpness of your hearing a mirror may well be worth a try. Again, people have their own opinions of the relative merits of various mirrors, but for me any mirror would be better than none.

I have the Ultralite Mirror. I have it attached to the upper part of the left drop. I find them very useful.

I use Third Eye bar end mirrors on my road bikes.

I had one on one of my bikes and I had problems with it moving all the time. Never used it till I used the other bike and found myself looking for it.

Good unit to have on the bike providing it does not move and cause problems with you having to adjust all the time.

Take-a-look is my favorite, too.
I've used helmet- or glasses-mounted mirrors for more than thirty years.

I have them on all three of my bikes - two hybrids and a road. Wouldn't be without them.

Both hybrids have the bar end mirrors. Love them! The road bike has a cheapee teardrop mirror (a Wal-Mart velcro-onto-the-grip twist mirror) that is strapped to the left drop at the curl, pointing downward rather than horizontally as would be normal on a flatbar bike. The mirror twists just enough to give a glimpse of the scenery behind me, is tight in profile to the bike, and completely out of the way of my hands on the bars. I didn't like the road bike end bars, or a helmet mirror, so this was the best alternative.

Helmet mounted for both my wife (stoker) and myself. Can't imagine not being able to see behind.

You might want to check out This thread
HTH -
- Wil

Me, too. I can't begin to describe adequately the degree of mental comfort they provide, particularly since almost all of my riding is on roads and streets.

I like mirrors, even on some offroad rides. There are faster riders on some of my off road trails and I like to move over and let them by. On some surfaces I do not hear them coming.

I've had bar end mirrors and they mostly worked though some were better positioned or had less blur than others. You may find yourself buying a few before you get one you like.
I've had a helmet mounted mirror that worked well but found I had to readjust it every time I put on my helmet because it had been bumped ... and putting the helmet down became a nightmare.

The MAIN reason I stopped using a mirror though was all they can do is tell you there IS a car there. If you can't see a car, you still have to do a head check. For that, your hearing is good enough because, only a fool changes line without a head check.

Should you fit one? Sure, give it a go. Which sort depends on your bike, you and your habits. Try some different sorts if you like. They do give a quick and easy way to check if someone is there and that can give confidence if there's traffic around which is a very real benefit in itself. Just be aware that they do not replace a look over your shoulder.

I understand the problem of an aging body not wanting to turn around to check traffic - there's nothing wrong with stopping to have a good look and, like most things in cycling, looking over your shoulder is a skill that gets easier as you do more of it.

Cycling is a process of working out which bits you want on your bike. It's part of the joy of cycling. Try everything you think might help. Your bike WILL get too fussy ( you'll fix that once you notice it) and you will build a collection of stuff you no longer use. So what? If cycling isn't fun, why do it? So what if the owner of your lbs funded his own upgrade on your experiments? Cripes, I've just built a complete bike and bought nothing, it all came out my boxes of bits, including the cables and brake blocks. Too many people imagine cycling must be done in a certain way and some weirdos imagine it's only about the riding. Nope, cycling is a life in itself and like all lives, you get to live it your way.

I want to thank everyone for their advice. I admit I was a little surprised the majority who responded use mirrors....guess I have been spending too much time in A&S. Just placed an order with Amazon (after checking my LBS website and they didn't show any helmet mount mirrors in stock) for two different mirrors since they were cheaper than I expected.

Thanks again. This forum has been a huge help with advice.

Your message posted as I was typing my reply to previous messages and I just have to respond.

You voiced the exact things I feel. I did order two different mirrors to see what I like (they aren't that expensive). My head turns are not great any longer but I expect the riding will give me greater flexibility and I can see biking, not just riding, becoming a life style. For a grumpy old bogga you have a lot of wisdom.

Back in my diamond frame riding days I THOUGHT that I needed one.

Since I've started riding recumbents I REALLY need one. Since you lean back on a recumbent seat, you can't twist your torso as easily to look behind you.

I put mirrors on all my bikes. I consider them an important part of my staying safe in what can be a dangerous hobby. I don't see any downside. My $.02.

Serious question here not trying to incite a quarrel. Why dont you guys just turn your head... it took me little while to get use to it, but once I got over veering off in the direction I was looking I like that method much more than trying to focus in a small mirror.

Serious answer. I do both. Just as you get used to turning and looking without veering, you get used to glancing at the mirror without focusing your attention on it. Just like the side mirror on your car, it provides another way to notice things behind you.