Mirrors - Pros and cons?
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I'm so used to using my Take A Look mirror I'd be totally lost without it. It would be like driving a car without mirrors. In fact I have 2. One mounted to my sunglasses and the other to my non tinted glasses I use for cloudy days. The area I ride in is wide open and I can generally see vehicles coming from a long ways away so it is very seldom I have one sneak up on me. That being said I also run a Varia 510. The two kind of compliment each other for me with the Varia being superior in areas with a lot of curves and hills that don't have long sight lines. And the Take A Look mirrors are dirt cheap which is something not very common in this sport.
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I'm also 70 and use a bar end mirror. It works well for me. It also looks like it belongs on the bike, more or less. Vanity getting the better of me, I don't think I could put a big round mirror on my bike, but I'd be very uncomfortable riding the roads I do without the mirror.
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#28
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A brand of helmet-mounted mirror I haven't seen discussed is from Monkey Mirrors. That's what I've been using the last couple years. Very tough and stays put.
I wouldn't feel comfortable riding without a mirror. I want to know who's coming up to pass me on the MUP! I get passed a lot.
I wouldn't feel comfortable riding without a mirror. I want to know who's coming up to pass me on the MUP! I get passed a lot.
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72 yo starting back again after twenty years and 4 back operations. Found out real quick that I cannot do my racing bars. Installing flat bar tomorrow.
MY POINT- I have seen several riders use a rectangular mirror attached to the backside of their left hand. can't find commercially so I think they're hand made?
Any thoughts????
MY POINT- I have seen several riders use a rectangular mirror attached to the backside of their left hand. can't find commercially so I think they're hand made?
Any thoughts????
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B088DFKVB9...dDbGljaz10cnVl
-scott
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I use a round Mirrycle on my left bar end. I love it and when I switched to a new bike really felt nervous the couple of times I rode the new bike without the mirror. I kept looking for it as I rode. It may look goofy to some but it provides a large view behind me so no surprises.
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#32
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bar mirror
$5
sits on a cross pivot joint - so can turn it almost 360 degrees
$5
sits on a cross pivot joint - so can turn it almost 360 degrees
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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?
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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?
Last edited by But its me; 09-25-20 at 10:10 AM.
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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?
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#39
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+1 Both are very good mirrors and work very well. I use the 3rd Eye. Only gripe is that the clamp to the helmet visor is just OK, but I started making custom brackets for them years ago and now the mount is first class. (And much stronger than the mirror, so when the mirror snags something, it's just new mirror time. Brackets last until I go to a different style helmet and have to make another. I use the 3rd Eye with the screw clamp. Haven't tried any of their others.)
I've bought 2 EVTs, both at the week long Cycle Oregon when I've broken my 3rd Eye. (Last year, we had 4 straight days of rain. Much more than usual came inside the tent. There were a couple of accidents!). Field of view and usability are almost identical between the 3rd Eye and the EVT.
Edit: I;ve had enough bike crashes that I cannot turn my neck fully. I have to twist my upper body to take a look behind. Good mirrors are a huge asset.
Ben
I've bought 2 EVTs, both at the week long Cycle Oregon when I've broken my 3rd Eye. (Last year, we had 4 straight days of rain. Much more than usual came inside the tent. There were a couple of accidents!). Field of view and usability are almost identical between the 3rd Eye and the EVT.
Edit: I;ve had enough bike crashes that I cannot turn my neck fully. I have to twist my upper body to take a look behind. Good mirrors are a huge asset.
Ben
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#41
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I have a "Life On" helmet mounted mirror bought from Amazon.
It's a helmet mounted mirror that uses double sided tape. Well, the tape came unglued on a humid night. However, I use velcro tape to securely mount the mirror to my helmet. No vibrations, and only a slight look to the left to see traffic behind me.
I'm so used to this mirror, I never feel safe without it anymore.
It's a helmet mounted mirror that uses double sided tape. Well, the tape came unglued on a humid night. However, I use velcro tape to securely mount the mirror to my helmet. No vibrations, and only a slight look to the left to see traffic behind me.
I'm so used to this mirror, I never feel safe without it anymore.
#43
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Probably for the same reason that they do not ride in bike lanes or stay as far right as practicable. Racers are usually not riding in unrestricted traffic with motor vehicles driven by the general public.
Last edited by I-Like-To-Bike; 09-25-20 at 07:56 AM.
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I have the round mirror attached to my helmet and I like it okay. I don't love it.
The game changer for me though was getting a Garmin Varia tail light with radar. It works with my Garmin bike computer, or you can download an app for it on your smart phone. Alerts you to cars approaching from behind, shows how close they are getting, and shows you how many. It's the single best bike accessory I've ever bought.
The game changer for me though was getting a Garmin Varia tail light with radar. It works with my Garmin bike computer, or you can download an app for it on your smart phone. Alerts you to cars approaching from behind, shows how close they are getting, and shows you how many. It's the single best bike accessory I've ever bought.
#45
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This is it in ten words. Especially when riding the fine line between being in the single directional lane of traffic and being in the parked car door zone. The mirror tells me when the risks of drifting left are going up.
#46
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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?
If driving erratically, the mirror affords me enough time to pull them over and punch them - repeatedly.
https://www.amazon.com/Zefal-95293-S...1043884&sr=8-8
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0859...?ie=UTF8&psc=1
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These are what I use. They stay put pretty well, but, if you take them in and out too much, they tend to loosen up inside the joint and bounce around a lot.
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I used to use what is called "Italian Road Bike Mirror". It provided the best non-vibration field of view of all the mirrors I have tried (including helmet and glasses mounted mirrors). It also was never knocked off axis and always stayed in the right place. The only drawback is it's set it based on your position on the bike. There is no pivot. As great as the FOV was, I always looked behind me prior to taking any lanes and/or hearing any vehicles behind me...much like the mirrors in a car...you always look over your shoulder before committing to a maneuver. Having said all of that, I stopped using a mirror because it became redundant. I'm not advocating not using a mirror at all. I'm just giving my perspective on using one and my decision to just look over my shoulder.
#49
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I have a "Life On" helmet mounted mirror bought from Amazon.
It's a helmet mounted mirror that uses double sided tape. Well, the tape came unglued on a humid night. However, I use velcro tape to securely mount the mirror to my helmet. No vibrations, and only a slight look to the left to see traffic behind me.
I'm so used to this mirror, I never feel safe without it anymore.
It's a helmet mounted mirror that uses double sided tape. Well, the tape came unglued on a humid night. However, I use velcro tape to securely mount the mirror to my helmet. No vibrations, and only a slight look to the left to see traffic behind me.
I'm so used to this mirror, I never feel safe without it anymore.
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Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
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#50
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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?
I like to default to a position in the lane. Cleaner pavement, better sight lines. If someone approaches from behind, and it is safe and reasonable to share the lane, I can then drift right. If it is not safe to share the lane for any of a multitude of reasons, I'm already in it! No need to negotiate a merge or encourage a squeeze. I just hold my line and continue to monitor and verify that the driver is taking me into account... without having to continuously turn my head and look away from my direction of travel.
I'd rather not be surprised by unsafe overtaking, and frankly cannot remember a time that it has happened to me.
Also, left turns and lane changes are much easier to plan and facilitate with a mirror.
By monitoring behind in real time in the manner that only use of a proper mirror allows, I can also mitigate dangerous situations by adjusting my speed and position prior to any possible conflict situations, making things easier and safer for everyone.
No matter how one prefers to ride, I’d say it’s still going to be safer having this “driver verification” information available to you at split second notice.
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