Mirror, mirror on rpenmanparker's helmet, who's the fredliest of them all?

This, if anything at all, is probably the one thing that will get you the most return visibility wise. They still have to choose not to hit you though.

How much are worth?

I second the Dinotte. I've had a rear and front light from them for years. Very well spent money. No little flashlight compares. I turned a local guy onto them as well. Several weeks later, I was riding in the middle of the day and saw his rear blinker probably 2 miles back at least. I kept thinking how I needed to find out what the heck it was until I caught up to him only to realize it was the same I had. I never knew they could be seen from so far back until I saw his!!!

I bought a magicshine 1200 lumen knock-off from ebay and run it on the back of my commuter bike. It is actually attached to the saddle bag, with a home made stand off and pointed directly at traffic behind me. I run it in flash mode, and I only use it during the day (when I commute). Even during the day, with this light in flash mode, it gets the attention of pretty much everyone behind me. Hard to ignore, even by the ladies putting on their makeup while driving to work...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XWzS4CDUGNQ

So I got my unit today. Initial impression is that it is very well made. The materials used looks top notch.

I'd be able to use it on the weekend. So we'll see by then.

How do you see past your body?

I like the Blackburn mirror that attaches to the brake hood on drop bars. I think I am the only one though! I use a double sided velcro strap to mount it to the hood though instead of the buckled velcro strap it comes with (the buckle drives me nuts. It is much like a motorcycle mirror in function and I just move my head around a bit to expand the view when necessary.

Do you look between your kegs with a mirror there? I tries a similar mirror there and all I could see was my thighs... Maybe I need skinnier legs...

ahem brother!

I'm too old to worry about looks and stuff like that, heres my take on helmet mounted ones (I use Take-a-Look)

-as mentioned, you can see at any angle, just turn your head a bit, very useful in a corner to see if someone is coming into curve behind you.
-you have a mirror from bike to bike if like me you ride more than one
-can see whats going on even when standing climbing
-flat mirror, great optics, not plasticy and being flat it gives a proper distance view, as opposed to slightly convex mirrors (of which there are many, Ive used them)
-can switch to other side if you ever go to the Uk or whereever (not a common thing I know)

them being in your field of vision is weird at first, but above advantages outweigh this, and I got used to very quickly, dont see it anymore

bottom line, having an idea of whats behind you, and a heads up of x seconds can be a life saver, and has been for me more than once. No looking back and/or worrying about if truck coming up is moving over a bit or not.

pessimistic son of a *** arent you.
touch wood for all of us re safety, but your views arent logical.
ride safe.

The mirror is right next to the stem. You can past the inside of your leg on the upstroke. As fast as the leg is moving it's not a problem, unless you ride with your knees in and your thigh rubbing the top tube. I have big thighs. And since you don't have to look to the side so far, as you would if it were mounted on the bar end or brake hood, the eyes can stay on the road ahead.

I'd characterize it more as "If the driver ain't looking all the blinkies in the world ain't gonna help."

I think his argument is spot on and agree.

Agreed.

Very interested in your experience once you ride with the mirror..... any reason you chose the Classic vs the Standard? About how long did it take to arrive from date of order?
Thanks....

Oh I agree that 100% that bad luck is always going to be a factor and about being cautious and defensive all the time, but I have to disagree that noticeable clothing is useless, and also that you can't tell whats happening behind you with a "tiny mirror".

I commute in a busy city and toured a fair amount over the years, so I'll take every little bit of being seen better, and every second or two of a headsup that I can take.
There are always going to situations we can't control and yes we can't be always looking behind us, but what we can do is minimize the risks as best as we can, that includes trying to be visible as well as being aware of what is going on behind us.

all the best to you out on the road.

Classic is made out of better materials (see faq below). 12 days.

RearViz

Absolute nonsense.

Why? This is easy.

The distracted ones drift in a less deliberate way. The ones that see you that are too close (or that want to buzz you) hold a line that looks much more purposeful. One excellent way of telling if people can see you is to go left while they're still back a ways. Even if they don't want to go into the other lane, you'll see them drift out a bit or adjust their speed. Movements of even a few inches are easy to spot and tell you loads about what is going on. You can herd cars using a mirror because a driver is most likely to do what the vehicle in front of them did.

Of course there's luck involved, and riding like people are out to kill you is a good way to protect you. But with the mirror, there's no need to look behind you well in advance of getting into the lane or turning for the simple reason that you knew what was there all along and are continuously aware of how drivers are responding. There is no comparison with what you can do with head turning alone. I'd rather ride without a helmet than without a mirror if there are a lot of cars around.

Can you see anything behind you with that? Won't your body block any rear view?

See reply #60 . If I couldn't see behind me it wouldn't be there The mirror may look like it's facing up towards my body but I'm actually looking between the seatpost and my left thigh. I can see the entire lane behind me.

Edit: This is my mirror

Hmm I don't use mirrors so can't comment on the functionality, but the bar end type have to be the least Fredly. It's just a replacement bar end. I don't notice them right away. The also look the most solidly attached. The helmet / eyeglass mirror on a little stalk just screams Fred. I would never judge anyone for works for them to be / feel safe on the road tho.

Mainly I try to avoid busy roads / rush hour / roads with no shoulders. Obviously this doesn't work for everyone (or me sometimes). I do try to keep heightened senses (hearing helps) in traffic and look over my shoulder regularly.

Apparently the mirror isn't answering. We will have to stick with my assertion that it is the handlebar mounted type.

Agree and keep insurance paid up just in case it does not kill you.

^ This.

I prefer the helmet-attached variety as well.

Definitely takes awhile to get used to a mirror, if not recently using them. But it can help spot the errant driver who's about to lurch into the lane from behind.

I read several reviews before I decided to get this item. One of the negative feedback I read is that once you changed your position, you lose visibility. I typically place my hands at the bottom part of the hood and that's my optimized arm position when riding maybe 80%-90% of the time (I bike for fitness). Based on this riding style, I was thinking that this would work for me so I decided to buy it (plus the fact that I had an option to get a blue one as well ). I was able to only use it once this weekend so my initial first ride impressions are below:


The GOOD
- You don't feel the weight.
- Unit is perfectly contoured for the arms.
- Looks cool + color options.
- Top quality materials.
- Perfect view on the "optimized position".
- Once you set up the mirror angle that works for you when riding, it's fixed. It does not get jarred closed when hitting bumps or ruts or wind when riding downhills.
- Easy to adjust when riding.


The BAD
- Will take time getting used to it. I still look at the back of my shoulder forgetting I have the mirror.
- It's somewhat expensive (approx $60 including shipping).
- Once you take it off you need to adjust it all over again when putting it back on to find the correct unit placement on your arm as well as the mirror angle.
- You lose some or all visibility depending on how you place your arm on the bar (outside your optimized are position).
- Sunburn mark so wear sunscreen.
- No visibility out of the saddle.


There you go!

I use and like that mirror as well. It's very easy to setup and use

Thanks for the observations. I read the same criticism about loosing visibility when changing position. I experience the same thing with the "take a look" mirror I use now: when I go to the drops from the hoods, I loose visibility, but I can tilt my head up and regain visibility. It seems as if it would take some experience using the Rearviz to sort out how to most effectively use it, since that is just what happened with the "take a look" when I first started using that. Thanks again.