BRIGHT red blinkie is your first line of defense against distracted drivers. Now they see you. Mirror lets you see them. The irredeemable Fred in me is intrigued.

I have tried three different mirrors and the mirrcycle is my favorite. It sticks out far enough for a good view and doesn't rattle to the point that you can't see in it. The style that just pops in the bar end seemed to vibrate so bad on chip seal that I couldn't see out of it. I just didn't like the eyeglass style.

I have been using eye glasses mounted mirrors since they first appeared in the middle 1970s. Back then, Ed's were really good. I use a Take-A-Look now while riding in the city and it really makes good sense given the busyness of city streets and bike paths where they may exist. For riding out in the country, I generally do not use one but find that I look up in the upper left when I hear a car, instinctively, like I would with the Take-A-Look.

Yes, LazzyAss, NC has terribly narrow Farm-to-market old roads and there is little to no shoulder and too many cars. I rode in the Davidson area and it was not really very much fun. Living in Central Europe now the roads are also narrow but much fewer cars and most motorist are courteous to cyclists.

Chuck Harris mirrors .

The have to be paying attention to see the blinking light. Not texting, or looking at something else.

Well, they make both red and white blinkies that are bright enough that a driver will see you, texting or not.

Link? I know I should ask...How much?

I agree here, I tried a bar end type , and on chipseal forget about seeing anything.

These things are great. very unobtrusive and when you get used to them, very effective.

There are a whole bunch that are decent. The search function should help you find some good ones.

At the low end, the Cygolite Hotshot provides an outstanding value and a light that you'll need to pay considerably more to get in a better category.

Dinotte makes some retina searing taillights that if you have a bit of extra coin (even so, they're not that much). We're talking clearly visible in broad daylight from over a mile away.

This Ultrafire WF-501B is also an excellent low-cost, eye-searing red light.
http://img.dxcdn.com/productimages/sku_20333_1.jpg

I strap it on my left drop facing rear using this velcro mount.

http://i.imgur.com/mVJ3Q0hl.jpg

I now have these on all our road bikes. They're excellent. Beware of "look a like" brands ... Sprintech's are the best.

By all means, do get a mirror. The advantage of helmet / glasses mounted mirrors is that they give you a much wider field of vision. Blinkies help, but they put your safety in the hands of others. The texting driver WILL NOT see you. I have used a mirror for many years and consider it my biggest safety factor. I make a habit of scanning the road behind me frequently, and it is very easy to do, unlike turning your head. This strategy has served me well, giving me time to react and find a safe spot when needed. Helmets were considered geeky too, once upon a time.

Bike Eye surpasses the many alternatives I've tried. Wide model likely an improvement. I intend to find out.

Has anyone done a survey to see who uses mirrors? It's something I haven't considered until now. I did put in an order for the Cygolite Hotshot, my current rear light is not that reassuring.

Thanks for the cygolite suggestions, been looking for a replacement for a while now.

I always thought mirrors were dorky but now that I'm 45 and have increasing concern about people driving like idiots (with impunity) i finally sucuumbed and just ordered a Take-a-look compact mirror to try.
Be safe guys.

(Edit)
Considering a cygolite hotshot too -was playing with one in REI yesterday. That sucker is bright!

This mirror is hands down the best non-dorkey anti-Fredly most effective mirror out. Once in in its so easy to adjust and doesn't vibrate at all. I can't tell how many times it has saved my butt from cars and trucks going 80 plus mph. I feel safer just knowing what's behind me instead of the "I'm here and you must move around me" attitude I see younger people take all the time.

I use these. You get great rear view coverage with them. I hated them at first because my legs were blocking my view and you have to get used to the fact that cars are closer than they seem in the mirrors. I learned to flare the bottoms out a bit, turn the mirror up and Boom, you can see practically the whole road behind you. I see more and more people showing up with these mirrors all the time.

I like these:

https://www.mirrycle.com/road_mirror.php

that's quite a find. can i ask you a couple questions about it?

1) does it slup down the arm when you really start sweating or otherwise irritate you, (i.e. too tight, loose, scratchy, etc)
2) does the added weight (if any) ever become a problem ( i know only 85 grams, but ya never know).

thanks, in advance.

No you don't feel the weight, they have different sized bands for different arm sizes, and they use velcro, so you can have them as tight as you want.

thanks! gonna give them a try. :thumb:

I ordered one as well since I really like the design and the color options. Approx. 60 gazillion dollars including shipping!!!! If this unit sucks big time, I'll blame KLENG who probably works for rearviz promoting the stuff. ;)

I think the bar end mirrors are the easiest to see with

Mirrors, just like those ridiculous neon yellow or orange shirts/jerseys are a huge false of security. How do you see a car in your mirror coming behind you at 40-60 MPH and you can judge is going to be close vs hit you by a foot vs move away when its close enough is beyond me. How can you tell the distracted driver from the ******* one just driving too close to you? Beyond me if you can by having that little mirror. One unfortunate thing is that even drivers that would like to avoid you do something very very common: they stare at you on the road and unconsciously steer towards you until they get too close and steer away again as they pass you. We all have seen them over and over. You have them pass you so close you can read the time in their watch only to move away 10 ft after they have passed you leaving you to question why didn't they move the 10 ft away BEFORE they passed you.

Unfortunately, you can't prevent it all. All you can do is be on the cautious side of things by assuming everyone is out to kill you, ride cautiously, and look behind you well in advance before getting into a lane or turning. Hold you line while riding with traffic passing you in areas of little room on the side of the road, and when in doubt if there is enough space, take the middle of the lane until it is safe for you to have room to ride on the side. The rest is purely dumb luck unfortunately.