What do you do for mirrors?
04-12-25 | 02:59 PM
#26
Sunshine
Joined: Aug 2014
Posts: 18,744
Likes: 10,299
From: Des Moines, IA
Bikes: '18 class built steel roadbike, '19 Fairlight Secan, '88 Schwinn Premis , Black Mountain Cycles Monstercross V4, '89 Novara Trionfo
I turn and look behind me.
I use a Garmin Varia.
Between those, I have always felt comfortable and safe knowing what is behind me.
The Varia doesn't take much juice to charge and I've easily used it on multi-day touring. It the off position so it only lights when there is traffic, it lasts well beyond the time it takes for me to ride a century.
I use a Garmin Varia.
Between those, I have always felt comfortable and safe knowing what is behind me.
The Varia doesn't take much juice to charge and I've easily used it on multi-day touring. It the off position so it only lights when there is traffic, it lasts well beyond the time it takes for me to ride a century.
04-20-25 | 09:26 AM
#29
Francophile
Joined: Nov 2015
Posts: 4,830
Likes: 2,150
From: Seattle
Bikes: Lots
I should add that in the old days I used a SeeBak mirror, which was "mounted" on the back of your hand, held in place by an elastic strap. It was quite big and gave a really good view. There's a NOS one on the bay now. https://www.ebay.com/itm/13563981485...mis&media=COPY
I used it for years but my salty sweat eventually worked through the paint on the mirror's metal backing. The mirror fell out and broke, dammit.
I used it for years but my salty sweat eventually worked through the paint on the mirror's metal backing. The mirror fell out and broke, dammit.
__________________
Keeping Seattle’s bike shops in business since 1978
Keeping Seattle’s bike shops in business since 1978
04-20-25 | 12:59 PM
#30
Senior Member
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 12,760
Likes: 2,114
From: Madison, WI
Bikes: 1961 Ideor, 1966 Perfekt 3 Speed AB Hub, 1994 Bridgestone MB-6, 2006 Airnimal Joey, 2009 Thorn Sherpa, 2013 Thorn Nomad MkII, 2015 VO Pass Hunter, 2017 Lynskey Backroad, 2017 Raleigh Gran Prix, 1980s Bianchi Mixte on a trainer. Others are now gone.
I should add that in the old days I used a SeeBak mirror, which was "mounted" on the back of your hand, held in place by an elastic strap. It was quite big and gave a really good view. There's a NOS one on the bay now. https://www.ebay.com/itm/13563981485...mis&media=COPY
I used it for years but my salty sweat eventually worked through the paint on the mirror's metal backing. The mirror fell out and broke, dammit.
I used it for years but my salty sweat eventually worked through the paint on the mirror's metal backing. The mirror fell out and broke, dammit.
04-25-25 | 11:15 PM
#31
Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2011
Posts: 2,924
Likes: 530
From: Turku, Finland, Europe
Bikes: 2011 Specialized crux comp, 2013 Specialized Rockhopper Pro
Most of my bikes now have a mirror. Still need to get one for the actual road bike.
Drop bar mirrors are tricky, because traditional drop bars without flare in the correct width aren't wide enough for a mirror to show much aside from your thigh. With panniers it gets even worse. I use gravel bars with a bit of flare at the bottom and that helps immensely with mirror visibility.
The reasons I opt for mirrors instead of radar are mainly because a mirror is standalone, is better and doesn't require recharging. With a good enough a mirror one doesn't need to look over one's shoulder anymore (though that's not really achievable with drop bars).
Haven't gotten on with helmet mirrors. I've tried a few different types but I can't get a clear picture with them. As I recall shaking was mostly the reason but the field of view also wasn't great. I might try some of the bigger mirrors shown here in this thread, but I'd need to get a dedicated mirror helmet for that. Considering that only very expensive helmets seem to fit me, I might have to wait a while.
Drop bar mirrors are tricky, because traditional drop bars without flare in the correct width aren't wide enough for a mirror to show much aside from your thigh. With panniers it gets even worse. I use gravel bars with a bit of flare at the bottom and that helps immensely with mirror visibility.
The reasons I opt for mirrors instead of radar are mainly because a mirror is standalone, is better and doesn't require recharging. With a good enough a mirror one doesn't need to look over one's shoulder anymore (though that's not really achievable with drop bars).
Haven't gotten on with helmet mirrors. I've tried a few different types but I can't get a clear picture with them. As I recall shaking was mostly the reason but the field of view also wasn't great. I might try some of the bigger mirrors shown here in this thread, but I'd need to get a dedicated mirror helmet for that. Considering that only very expensive helmets seem to fit me, I might have to wait a while.
04-26-25 | 05:35 AM
#32
Senior Member
Joined: Jul 2010
Posts: 13,921
Likes: 1,243
From: Montreal Canada
Most of my bikes now have a mirror. Still need to get one for the actual road bike.
Drop bar mirrors are tricky, because traditional drop bars without flare in the correct width aren't wide enough for a mirror to show much aside from your thigh. With panniers it gets even worse. I use gravel bars with a bit of flare at the bottom and that helps immensely with mirror visibility.
-this was why I liked my rhode gear one back in the day as it mounted to non sti type hoods and went out to the side and up, giving a pretty good view back. Not a ton of options for any modern hoods really.
The reasons I opt for mirrors instead of radar are mainly because a mirror is standalone, is better and doesn't require recharging. With a good enough a mirror one doesn't need to look over one's shoulder anymore (though that's not really achievable with drop bars).
-absolutely my opinion on rear radars also, recharging and battery life down the road just isnt worth it--not to mention of course a rear radar only giving you limited info "incoming object" rather than at a glance you can see immediately if its a normal car giving you space, or a sleepy head truck driver crowding the shoulder. Imagine in your car not knowing at a slowup on the highway if its sleepyhead truckdriver or slowing down Nissan Micra coming up to you as you slow down to a stop for a jamup or whiteout? No, noone would drive their car like this, lets be realistic.
Haven't gotten on with helmet mirrors. I've tried a few different types but I can't get a clear picture with them. As I recall shaking was mostly the reason but the field of view also wasn't great. I might try some of the bigger mirrors shown here in this thread, but I'd need to get a dedicated mirror helmet for that. Considering that only very expensive helmets seem to fit me, I might have to wait a while.
-interestingly enough I have always found helmet mirrors are not shakey blurry like a bike mounted mirror, our bodies dampen out most vibrations, not the case with bike mounted and I have a lot of experience with both.
But yes, I use a helmet with a visor , where I attach my Take-A-Look. I pretty much eliminate non visor helmets from when I need a new helmet, but then I also really like a sun visor for riding and I am happy enough with the fit of reasonably priced helmets.
re field of vision--I prioritize a flat mirror for the vastly improved judging distance and timing thing vs convex (wide angle) type mirrors--but I get on well with slightly moving my head to get a better picture, and really appreciate being able to change my rearward view with just a slight shift of head (to see the entrance of a tight corner behind me to see what cars are doing, impossible with a fixed mirror)
Drop bar mirrors are tricky, because traditional drop bars without flare in the correct width aren't wide enough for a mirror to show much aside from your thigh. With panniers it gets even worse. I use gravel bars with a bit of flare at the bottom and that helps immensely with mirror visibility.
-this was why I liked my rhode gear one back in the day as it mounted to non sti type hoods and went out to the side and up, giving a pretty good view back. Not a ton of options for any modern hoods really.
The reasons I opt for mirrors instead of radar are mainly because a mirror is standalone, is better and doesn't require recharging. With a good enough a mirror one doesn't need to look over one's shoulder anymore (though that's not really achievable with drop bars).
-absolutely my opinion on rear radars also, recharging and battery life down the road just isnt worth it--not to mention of course a rear radar only giving you limited info "incoming object" rather than at a glance you can see immediately if its a normal car giving you space, or a sleepy head truck driver crowding the shoulder. Imagine in your car not knowing at a slowup on the highway if its sleepyhead truckdriver or slowing down Nissan Micra coming up to you as you slow down to a stop for a jamup or whiteout? No, noone would drive their car like this, lets be realistic.
Haven't gotten on with helmet mirrors. I've tried a few different types but I can't get a clear picture with them. As I recall shaking was mostly the reason but the field of view also wasn't great. I might try some of the bigger mirrors shown here in this thread, but I'd need to get a dedicated mirror helmet for that. Considering that only very expensive helmets seem to fit me, I might have to wait a while.
-interestingly enough I have always found helmet mirrors are not shakey blurry like a bike mounted mirror, our bodies dampen out most vibrations, not the case with bike mounted and I have a lot of experience with both.
But yes, I use a helmet with a visor , where I attach my Take-A-Look. I pretty much eliminate non visor helmets from when I need a new helmet, but then I also really like a sun visor for riding and I am happy enough with the fit of reasonably priced helmets.
re field of vision--I prioritize a flat mirror for the vastly improved judging distance and timing thing vs convex (wide angle) type mirrors--but I get on well with slightly moving my head to get a better picture, and really appreciate being able to change my rearward view with just a slight shift of head (to see the entrance of a tight corner behind me to see what cars are doing, impossible with a fixed mirror)
04-26-25 | 11:17 AM
#33
Senior Member
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 12,760
Likes: 2,114
From: Madison, WI
Bikes: 1961 Ideor, 1966 Perfekt 3 Speed AB Hub, 1994 Bridgestone MB-6, 2006 Airnimal Joey, 2009 Thorn Sherpa, 2013 Thorn Nomad MkII, 2015 VO Pass Hunter, 2017 Lynskey Backroad, 2017 Raleigh Gran Prix, 1980s Bianchi Mixte on a trainer. Others are now gone.
04-26-25 | 09:47 PM
#34
Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 3,815
Likes: 434
From: Thailand..........currently Nakhon Ricefield, moving to the beach soon.
Bikes: inferior steel....alas....noodly aluminium assploded
I had a mirror decades ago that attached to a helmet or glasses with a clamp, the shaft that held the mirror out in front of me was a metal wire that may have been too long for the purpose. That vibrated. But the plastic shaft one I now use does not vibrate at all, has a shorter shaft.
Neat little mirror with no vibration. Sadly the mirror surface came unstuck and lost half the view. Replaced with one of those black resin types, but the two ball-socket pivots never held on bumps, and the arm broke easily. Same with the replacement.
04-27-25 | 05:59 AM
#35
Senior Member
Joined: Aug 2010
Posts: 12,760
Likes: 2,114
From: Madison, WI
Bikes: 1961 Ideor, 1966 Perfekt 3 Speed AB Hub, 1994 Bridgestone MB-6, 2006 Airnimal Joey, 2009 Thorn Sherpa, 2013 Thorn Nomad MkII, 2015 VO Pass Hunter, 2017 Lynskey Backroad, 2017 Raleigh Gran Prix, 1980s Bianchi Mixte on a trainer. Others are now gone.
I think I had that same mirror. Wire extension, attached to eyeglass arm with a spring clamp, covered in red vinyl, square mirror. Came with the used paramount I bought in '90.
Neat little mirror with no vibration. Sadly the mirror surface came unstuck and lost half the view. Replaced with one of those black resin types, but the two ball-socket pivots never held on bumps, and the arm broke easily. Same with the replacement.
Neat little mirror with no vibration. Sadly the mirror surface came unstuck and lost half the view. Replaced with one of those black resin types, but the two ball-socket pivots never held on bumps, and the arm broke easily. Same with the replacement.
04-27-25 | 06:23 AM
#36
Senior Member
Joined: Feb 2004
Posts: 3,815
Likes: 434
From: Thailand..........currently Nakhon Ricefield, moving to the beach soon.
Bikes: inferior steel....alas....noodly aluminium assploded
You described it perfectly, but mine had some vibration. Perhaps because I was riding a road bike then with tubular tires that had as much pressure in them as I could possibly get into them. That was back in the days when super high pressure was deemed to be faster, but the clinchers of the era had high rolling resistance, so the tubulars actually were faster.
Needed to add some spongy tape for a firm connection.
04-27-25 | 12:26 PM
#37
Senior Member
Joined: Apr 2010
Posts: 2,965
Likes: 520
From: Elevation 666m Edmonton Canada
Bikes: 2013 Custom SA5w / Rohloff Tourster
Nothing but these for me now. I can see half a mile back. There's hundreds of big trucks going by most rides.
It's so big everybody can see I have it. The oldest one I glued up one of the loose swivels, doesn't really need it anyway.
It's so big everybody can see I have it. The oldest one I glued up one of the loose swivels, doesn't really need it anyway.
05-04-25 | 02:50 PM
#39
Junior Member
Joined: Apr 2022
Posts: 138
Likes: 114
From: Mississippi
Bikes: Kona Sutra SE
I like the EVT Safe Zone helmet mirror. It's huge (2.25"), infinitely adjustable and attaches to your helmet vents with two simple wire ties ...
05-04-25 | 05:23 PM
#40
Newbie
Joined: Mar 2025
Posts: 8
Likes: 1
From: British Columbia, Canada
Bikes: Tommasini Prestige w/ Campy Super Record. 2012 BMC RaceMachine Ultegra. Kona Jake the Snake 105, Guerciotti Aelle/Gipiemme, Giant 890/Shimano STX.
I love my Sprintechs, which mount in the bar end. Just a glance down gives ne a good look behind, although I always do a shoulder check to make sure before any serious maneuver! I have one on my road bike and on my commuter, As I get older, I feel I loose a bit of flexibility and reaction time, so these mirrors are just of bit of extra insurance for a safe ride.
All the best,
Clint
All the best,
Clint
05-06-25 | 06:06 AM
#41
Full Member
Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 385
Likes: 30
From: Austin, TX
Bikes: 2005 Bike Friday NWT, 2015 Brompton, 2019 Titanium Bilenky Midlands
I like the EVT Safe Zone helmet mirror. It's huge (2.25"), infinitely adjustable and attaches to your helmet vents with two simple wire ties ...
05-06-25 | 03:48 PM
#43
Senior Member
Joined: Mar 2016
Posts: 2,093
Likes: 591
Bikes: '87-ish Pinarello Montello; '89 Nishiki Ariel; '85 Raleigh Wyoming, '16 Wabi Special, '16 Wabi Classic, '14 Kona Cinder Cone, 2023 Surly Disk Trucker
I've been using Take-a-Look mirrors for many years. I will not ride without one.
https://takealookactive.com/
https://takealookactive.com/
05-08-25 | 05:49 AM
#45
Junior Member
Joined: Apr 2023
Posts: 138
Likes: 22
From: Hautes-Pyrénées
Bikes: Saracen Conquest. Claud Butler Majestic. Viking VK500. Crossmaxx 28" Pinion.
For drop handlebars, the Mirrycle was PERFECT for me.
See: https://mirrycle.com/products/original-mirrycle-mirror
See: https://mirrycle.com/products/original-mirrycle-mirror
