Mirrors - Pros and cons?
#51
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Thanks - I get it. I remember sharing the road in Boston - a mirror probably would've been wonderful.
In New Mexico, there is no such thing for me as "a safer position." If there is traffic around, I will always be in the absolute most-conservative spot on the route, and usually I stick to bike lanes (which are ample here). Sad to say, my adopted home state has the nation's highest bike-fatality rate, and it's no joke: the driving culture of the state does not go well with cycling.
When I am in traffic around here, and there is no bike lane, I am always prepared to immediately go off-road. It just has to be that way if I do not want to become one of ABQ's many, many ghost bikes.
What I really wonder about are the people I see on MUP's who are constantly eyeing the other cyclists in their mirrors. Why? It's 8-11 feet wide with a double yellow stripe down the middle. "Stay right except when passing" and ... no one will be hurt (we hope). What are they thinking is behind them?
In New Mexico, there is no such thing for me as "a safer position." If there is traffic around, I will always be in the absolute most-conservative spot on the route, and usually I stick to bike lanes (which are ample here). Sad to say, my adopted home state has the nation's highest bike-fatality rate, and it's no joke: the driving culture of the state does not go well with cycling.
When I am in traffic around here, and there is no bike lane, I am always prepared to immediately go off-road. It just has to be that way if I do not want to become one of ABQ's many, many ghost bikes.
What I really wonder about are the people I see on MUP's who are constantly eyeing the other cyclists in their mirrors. Why? It's 8-11 feet wide with a double yellow stripe down the middle. "Stay right except when passing" and ... no one will be hurt (we hope). What are they thinking is behind them?
#52
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Let me add: if I were ever taking a left turn here across an intersection with traffic, there is absolutely zero chance I would ever do so without looking - nay, staring - into any and all traffic. Rely on a mirror? I'd be dead. I'm not kidding - if you've visited, you've seen our ghost bikes around town. Way, way too many.
#53
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I had a Hafny mirror on my hybrid and sold that bike a few months ago. When looking for a bar-end mirror for my new road bike, I bought a Hafny bar-end mirror and Springtech bar-end mirror, both of which had great reviews. Both were unobtrusive and easy to mount. Their sizes were virtually identical. I chose the Hafny because I thought the optics were clearer and showed a wider range. I returned the Springtech. It's been a few months now and I am still satisfied. Never wobbles out of place and it’s positioned so that I barely have to move my end to see what’s coming up behind me.
Last edited by oldwinger14; 09-25-20 at 09:55 AM. Reason: Fixed a typo
#54
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Let me add: if I were ever taking a left turn here across an intersection with traffic, there is absolutely zero chance I would ever do so without looking - nay, staring - into any and all traffic. Rely on a mirror? I'd be dead. I'm not kidding - if you've visited, you've seen our ghost bikes around town. Way, way too many.
Sometimes, turning and looking behind can have an undesirable effect... A driver seeing this may think you are planning to merge/turn in front of them, and then hit the brakes when you don't want them to because you were only checking... and saw a more favorable gap behind them. A head turn can be interpreted somewhat like a signal in some situations.
And seriously, I have found zero blind spots in my properly set up helmet/eyeglass mirrors. With a slight head turn I can see it all. No place for a car to hide. Every time I do turn and look, I see nothing new.
Seeing ghost bikes can be concerning, but keep in mind that we don't really know what happened, or how the cyclist was riding or paying attention. Obviously not all cyclist behavior is the same, and some take on more risk... often without even being aware of it.
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I have never used a mirror, and am curious to hear from people as to what benefits they get looking behind them? (Not saying I don't turn and look sometimes, I do). I just figure that all I'd get from it is seeing the truck actually hit me, vs. a quick and peaceful end? How does what you see change what you're doing?
#57
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I'm actually much more confident on the road with my mirrors. Since I see the cars, I worry less, and actually, have less rage against them.
And, (I know this is nearly taboo), on much less trafficked country roads, by clearly knowing what's behind me, I'll even put in earbuds and enjoy music for the ride.
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#58
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For a hand mirror, someone on this forum glued or velcroed a small rear view mirror for a car, onto the back of their left biking glove. The image is around here. I may try to find it and share.
#59
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Thread Starter
Being a newbie I was surprised there were so many replies to my thread.
It looks like there are more people in favor of mirrors than those who don't.
There was quite an exposure to the types: bar mounted, helmet mounted and glasses mounted.
Safety seems to be the main driver especially for us older folks who find it difficult to turn our heads to look for traffic.
The type of mirror is a more personal choice and depends on the type of riding, the number of bikes, the amount traffic and the age of the rider.
I am sticking with my glasses mounted mirror because I have 4 bikes. But at 70 and when on the down bars of my road bike it may not be the best choice.
I will add a bar mirror to my road bike that I saw on this thread. Might be redundant to have 2 mirrors (glasses and/or bar mounted) but I put safety first.
Thanks for the replies. It might be time to let this thread die.
It looks like there are more people in favor of mirrors than those who don't.
There was quite an exposure to the types: bar mounted, helmet mounted and glasses mounted.
Safety seems to be the main driver especially for us older folks who find it difficult to turn our heads to look for traffic.
The type of mirror is a more personal choice and depends on the type of riding, the number of bikes, the amount traffic and the age of the rider.
I am sticking with my glasses mounted mirror because I have 4 bikes. But at 70 and when on the down bars of my road bike it may not be the best choice.
I will add a bar mirror to my road bike that I saw on this thread. Might be redundant to have 2 mirrors (glasses and/or bar mounted) but I put safety first.
Thanks for the replies. It might be time to let this thread die.
Last edited by msdumo; 09-25-20 at 06:44 PM.
#60
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What I really wonder about are the people I see on MUP's who are constantly eyeing the other cyclists in their mirrors. Why? It's 8-11 feet wide with a double yellow stripe down the middle. "Stay right except when passing" and ... no one will be hurt (we hope). What are they thinking is behind them?
Picture this: you're northbound on the MUP, on a 26er with knobbies doing about 12mph.
Going southbound toward you on the other side of the yellow stripe, 3-4 casual cyclists on cruisers, or 3-4 similarly slow riders on hybrids or MTBs.
Going northbound about 30' behind you and gaining on you, 8-9 cyclists drafting each other on carbon-fiber road bikes doing 20mph.
Is this group ride going to slow down in view of the apparent "choke point" looming just ahead of it? Hell no. They are gonna blast on through.
(Santa Ana River Trail - Southern California. I have seen this happen many times this summer.)
(Can't picture how such situations play out on the generally narrower San Gabriel River Trail.)
In such a situation, a mirror could be helpful - more helpful than an "on your left".
#61
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Sprintech bar-end mirror, one on the left side of each drop bar road bike. One bike has the "right" mirror on the left side but the reversed comma shape doesn't hinder it.
And Take-A-Look mirrors on two main helmets. No mirror on my aero helmet, although I still rely on the bar end mirrors for those occasions.
Mirrycle on one hybrid. Nothing on the other hybrid because it uses bar end shifters and I haven't decided on a handlebar mirror I want for that bike.
And Take-A-Look mirrors on two main helmets. No mirror on my aero helmet, although I still rely on the bar end mirrors for those occasions.
Mirrycle on one hybrid. Nothing on the other hybrid because it uses bar end shifters and I haven't decided on a handlebar mirror I want for that bike.
#62
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#63
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Well, I'm over 50 and had a C5-C6 disc bulge that was pretty harsh in my 30's. Eventally it calmed down, but I know how horrible neck pain can be. I was rock climbing a lot at the time, and couldn't look up. Think on that one.
Just to clarify, I am not anti-mirror, and I am pro-awareness. Fortunately, I am able to look around constantly, and I do. I want to know where absolutely everything on the road is. This includes road debris, small lizards, large trucks and people living out their New Mexico fantasy by riding their horse next to bike trails when they are 50 feet from a signed equestrian trail ("Just move here from California? How'd I guess?").
Albuquerque is a kick ass place to live. But riding here is not like the riding I've known in coastal areas. I won't detail it because I'm going on as it is, but we have the nation's highest DUI and cycling fatality rates, and the way the roads are built makes riding here a completely different matter. It's an unusual place - very low density, and 6 hours of 80mph driving from the next nearest big city (Denver).
I won't trust myself with a mirror. Hell, I won't trust traffic or myself in traffic, most places. I'm just not good enough to monitor a terrifying environment with a small reflective window. I can see that it would be awesome - but in my scary world, I need to know that truck is behind me with 30 seconds lead time, and move to a preposterously removed position on the shoulder.
Lest you think me alarmist, please note what I wrote above: prior to a disability, I frequently ice and rock climbed. Yes, trad leads - I don't scare easy. In the 'burbs of Boston, I used to ride Route 117, maybe some here know it. Small shoulder, irritated suburbanites driving too fast ... but I still felt a LOT safer there than on an empty state highway in (say) Madrid, NM.
I'd love to rock a mirror - but the general low level of skill and awareness of both drivers and other cyclists around here makes me go "wide screen," all the time.
Just to clarify, I am not anti-mirror, and I am pro-awareness. Fortunately, I am able to look around constantly, and I do. I want to know where absolutely everything on the road is. This includes road debris, small lizards, large trucks and people living out their New Mexico fantasy by riding their horse next to bike trails when they are 50 feet from a signed equestrian trail ("Just move here from California? How'd I guess?").
Albuquerque is a kick ass place to live. But riding here is not like the riding I've known in coastal areas. I won't detail it because I'm going on as it is, but we have the nation's highest DUI and cycling fatality rates, and the way the roads are built makes riding here a completely different matter. It's an unusual place - very low density, and 6 hours of 80mph driving from the next nearest big city (Denver).
I won't trust myself with a mirror. Hell, I won't trust traffic or myself in traffic, most places. I'm just not good enough to monitor a terrifying environment with a small reflective window. I can see that it would be awesome - but in my scary world, I need to know that truck is behind me with 30 seconds lead time, and move to a preposterously removed position on the shoulder.
Lest you think me alarmist, please note what I wrote above: prior to a disability, I frequently ice and rock climbed. Yes, trad leads - I don't scare easy. In the 'burbs of Boston, I used to ride Route 117, maybe some here know it. Small shoulder, irritated suburbanites driving too fast ... but I still felt a LOT safer there than on an empty state highway in (say) Madrid, NM.
I'd love to rock a mirror - but the general low level of skill and awareness of both drivers and other cyclists around here makes me go "wide screen," all the time.
#65
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Mirrcycle bar end mirrors.
#66
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It's similar to these two
https://www.amazon.com/Zefal-95293-S...1043884&sr=8-8
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0859...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
#67
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I got it from my local amazon
It's similar to these two
https://www.amazon.com/Zefal-95293-S...1043884&sr=8-8
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0859...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
It's similar to these two
https://www.amazon.com/Zefal-95293-S...1043884&sr=8-8
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0859...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
#68
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One drawback of mirrors, not a big one but still, is if it takes you an extra second to focus on the mirror and watch something strange going on you could miss a road hazard in front of you.
While it would probably never be an issue if you're going 10 or 15 mph, at 25 mph you could be running over something that was 50 to 75 feet ahead of you when you looked in the mirror. It's not the same as glancing in a car mirror. Those are stationary, steady, and easy to see. The bike mirror, whether it's on your handlebars or moves with your head, requires extra time to check. Extra time to see what's changed in the traffic (speed, direction etc). It can make a difference.
That's the biggest reason that handlebar mirrors on a drop bar just doesn't work for me. There is no way possible for the mirror to work both for the hoods and the drop position, without shifting my whole body. Craning my head. It takes extra time compared to my sunglass mirrors. I need to shift my head and focus so that takes extra time also, but not as much.
While it would probably never be an issue if you're going 10 or 15 mph, at 25 mph you could be running over something that was 50 to 75 feet ahead of you when you looked in the mirror. It's not the same as glancing in a car mirror. Those are stationary, steady, and easy to see. The bike mirror, whether it's on your handlebars or moves with your head, requires extra time to check. Extra time to see what's changed in the traffic (speed, direction etc). It can make a difference.
That's the biggest reason that handlebar mirrors on a drop bar just doesn't work for me. There is no way possible for the mirror to work both for the hoods and the drop position, without shifting my whole body. Craning my head. It takes extra time compared to my sunglass mirrors. I need to shift my head and focus so that takes extra time also, but not as much.
#70
Newbie
I second the recommendation for the Garmin Varia Radar. I love it! The RTL510 is also sensitive enough that it will alert me to bicyclists who are coming from behind me.
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#71
Newbie
Thread Starter
I am very tech savvy but why spend a lot of money (>$250) and have a device that relies on battery life, electronics and sensors to warn you of a dangerous situation when an inexpensive mirror with your focused attention would probably give you better results. Technology is great but it is not the answer to everything.
Last edited by msdumo; 09-26-20 at 07:05 PM.
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#73
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I'm a recreational/fitness rider and have a mirror on both of my bikes. Wouldn't leave home without one. The argument about hitting something in front while looking in the mirror probably doesn't apply to me since I average 12-15 mph on my rides. At 76, my neck isn't as flexible as it once was.
#74
Newbie
just found this...maybe it will fit the bill for you.
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B088DFKVB9...dDbGljaz10cnVl
-scott
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B088DFKVB9...dDbGljaz10cnVl
-scott
#75
Newbie
The Cons
The cons are the same as in your car. There are definitely blind spots with any mirror. If you rely on a mirror exclusively, either in the car on the bike, you're going to miss something someday. I'm not advocating against them, but make sure to look over your shoulder as well.