Seeing behind me
 

As I get older, a few things are happening. I am more paranoid when riding due to people texting. I am also not as flexible.

I need options to see behind me. I have seen bikes with rear view mirrors and helmets with rear view mirrors. Pluses and minuses of both systems? What else is out there? Any help would be appreciated.

You will get all types of answers. The best answer is to try them and see what works best for you.

Personally, I like the "Sprintech" rear view mirror....easy to pop into your bar end.

Others swear by the fredly ones that go on your helmet/glasses.

http://www.biketiresdirect.com/produ...0/sprbm1-1.jpg

Don't leave home without one. Indispensable for safety. I like the helmet type. The eyeglass type are too delicate for me. I consider the bar type to be the fredliest of all.

Try each for at least a week. It takes a while to get used to mirrors.

Anyone use: https://www.mirrycle.com/mirrycle_mirrors.php

I find the rearviz works well

RearViz

I started last year on an empty bike trail and have never used a mirror in my life (way back when I was a kid prior to last year.) Now that I'm on the roads with the new bike, I bought the recommended Take-a-Look eyeglass mirror and put it on my helmet visor. I really like it, except the time I was easing down a very narrow and steep sandy road and kept looking in the mirror to see when the car was going to catch and pass me. When I finally turned my head, I realized it was parked in front of a house and was never going to catch me, LOL.

I like glasses mounted mirrors best because you can easily see behind you at any angle, use on any bike with any helmet, and it mounts well -- some helmet mounted mirrors are difficult to mount effectively on certain helmets.

The Take-A-Look is the official mirror of the Freds and I consider it more essential than a helmet.

Third eye. Glasses or helmet mount. discrete, light, inexpensive.

Italian Road Bike Mirror is my favorite by far. Slightly convex, real glass mirrror with a terrific reflection. They are a little finicky to set up because they are not too adjustable and they go under the bar tape.

+1 on Take-a-look. Excellent wide and clear view. Very little vibration mounted to the glasses and you can scan a very wide angle behind by moving your head a bit.

Fredliness is in the eye of the beholder.

:innocent:

I put one on my wifes bike; she loves it. If the LBS had one in stock that would have worked on my bike, I'd have one, too.

As of now I have the kind datlas posted on my road and touring bikes, and they're okay (I'd prefer the mirrcle on my commuter).

I find this to be the best bar-end mirror because it doesn't move much. The others get cockeyed when you go over a bumpy road. They are apparently only available from Aspire Velotech.

I was looking for the same thing, but was interested in a rear camera + screen, but sadly no one seems to make anything solid that will work well in direct sunlight -
http://www.bikeforums.net/commuting/...seems-m-i.html

A glasses mounted mirror lets your vision sweep across the whole view behind, with just a slight turn of your head. It's unnoticeable when looking ahead, after a ride or two. A few years ago, I was walking down the hall at work, heard an odd noise behind me, and without thinking, turned my head to use the phantom "mirror" to see behind me.

I've never used a bar end mirror, but it's field of view must be pretty small, and some are convex, so "objects are closer than they appear"

Even with a mirror, I'm still regularly surprised by cars passing. Unless they have loud tires, I don't hear them due to wind noise, and I have to move my head a little to see behind, so I don't do it continuously.

I don't think mirrors are a solution for texting drivers. Last weekend, I watched 3 or 4 (non-texting) drivers stay in the lane, on a course to miss me by just a foot or two, and wait until the last seconds to move over the center line. They all actually passed with 4 or 5 feet of clearance, but it's really annoying.

My main mirror uses:

--Keep track of other group riders. Are they falling behind, or right on my wheel?

--Left turns in the city. It's great, I can keep track of a break in traffic to smoothly slide over to the left lane.

--Taking the lane in the city, well away from parked cars. If nobody is stuck behind me, I'll ride in the left tire track.

--"Managing" passing cars. On country roads, there's normally not too much traffic. So I've gotten in the habit of looking in the mirror if a car is ahead, coming in my direction. I don't want to be surprised by cars trying to pass with oncoming traffic. I'll move out into the lane to "block" a car behind if I think they will be trying to pass right when an oncoming car is in the other lane--and then I can see if the car behind is actually slowing down.

I'll do the same thing, take the lane, when sharp blind turns are right ahead. Drivers can be really dumb when passing.

--Riding out in the middle of the lane when I have the road to myself. I can get away from the right side of the road, away from torn up pavement, when there's no cars visible behind. That can be much smoother riding.

--avoiding potholes and torn up roads. Can I safely move over to the center of the road?

--Tracking cars way back. If I happen to see a car way back in the distance, I can easily keep track of it. Some of them need a helping wave to get them to pass even with good sight lines.

I have heard great reviews

HubBub Helmet Mirror | Road Bike Rider

I've started running my new Cygolite Hotshot more often, even in the day. I want inattentive or texting drivers to see a blinking light way up the road, so they can at least attempt to pay attention until they pass me.

It's really bright. Way brighter than my old Superflash.

Most roads around here are narrow with little to no shoulder so I like to know when a car is coming up behind me. You can see my small mirror on my bar to the left of the stem. Does the job and doesn't stick out like a sore thumb.

http://i73.photobucket.com/albums/i2...psc3ad0823.jpg

A second for this mirror. Easy to install and more reliable then my helmet mirror ever was, which I kept having to readjust. With the mirror shown here, you just look down to get a great view behind you, especially of oncoming traffic. Harly notice it's there. Fredliest? Whatever.

I've had good luck with a Third Eye bar end mirror.

Generally agreed with this post except this point. I check behind constantly and manage distances with passing cars down to less than a foot. There's nothing scary about it if you're paying attention. Always ride like everyone's trying to kill you -- but don't take it personally.

Btw, one major advantage of helmet and glasses mounted mirrors over bar mounted aside from being able to view at any angle without distance distortion is that you can eliminate road buzz. I've used virtually every type of mirror over the years and for me the clear choice is Take-A-Look

i do not use a mirror but i think i should. reason i don't is that my handlebar mounted mirror was more trouble than it is worth. i think avoid bar mounted mirrors.

I really like the Bike-Eye mirror. It mounts to the frame and is very stable. The new wider version allows you to see more to the left of you.

Something that might prevent the problem... instead of correcting it are neck exercises.


However.... mirrors on cycling glasses seems to be good too (I use them).