acantor

Has anyone tried one of these?

robow

Never tried it but if you've got the cash, how about an ultra small camera fitted to your rear rack and pointed behind and an LCD screen bike computer on the handlebar. Pretty neat !

https://www.cerevellum.com/

Dave Nault

I've never tried one of these either but I find mirrors on my helmet distracting. I think it's going from very up close to far out in front and back to very up close that drives my eye crazy. Some people love them though so I place the blame for it not working squarely on my own shoulders.

NoReg

I don't think being hit from behind is a big problem, we worry about it, but isn't it rare compared to side hits? Anyway, imagine the bad luck of getting run over and breaking a mirror.

I do think the first person to market a handlebar mounted tv/rear camera, like a speedo, will make a fortune, at the right price.

yeamac 

Photo isn't that good, but it looks like it might have 6 vents cut into it. That'd be awful hot here in Texas.

Erick L

Never tried it either but read some less than stellar review a while back. Here's one.

If you're looking for a handle bar mirror for drops, I use a Mountain Mirrycle attached with a light mount. I've rewrapped the tape over the light mount since. Works perfectly for me.

Vernon Huffman

I don't need a mirror on my bicycle. I've commuted for 25 years and toured over 10,000 miles through 28 states without a mirror and I've never (knock on wood) been hit by a car.

* I can hear most vehicles behind me;
* I can turn my head without swerving off my line;
* I don't ride any differently whether or not there is a car behind me.

I believe in safe bicycling. I have high visibility gear and I hold my line as far to the right as practical, which means taking the lane when there's no room to pass. A mirror would not make that any easier, so I don't need one.

Bluelightning

I've tried the Mirrcycle but didn't have the bar clamp, just the bar end mount. It's a nice size, but hated the location. Eventually tried a very expensive German made mirror which I have now, but the actual mirror is smaller than Mirrycle's, making it difficult to see. VH has a point. I almost always hear the vehicle long before I can see it in the mirror. Now, if I could just learn the technique of not swerving as I turn to look back, I would dump the mirror in a heartbeat. One thing I did learn which was strange; If I ride the white line, cars pass me within 3 -4 ft, even when the highway is empty. If I ride just 12" to the left of the white line, almost always the vehicles move to the other lane completely. I still don't trust this theory completely, though.

Wogster

I find the best position (I've have not toured yet, but have riden in heavy urban traffic), is to give yourself a metre, that would be a little over 3' in American measure. Drivers see you as an object to avoid, if they perceive that there is enough room to pass you while staying in the lane, they will do so. The avoidance zone tends to be a circle, the distance you are from the curb tends to suggest with some drivers how wide the avoidance zone should be. I would suggest that if you can't see vehicles fairly far off in your mirror that it may not be adjusted correctly. You should find a car, should be easy, there are lots around, put your bicycle about 5m in front of the car. Now roll your bicycle backward until you can see part of the car in your peripheral vision, adjust the mirror so that you can see at least part of the car in your mirror, could be just a small piece of a corner. Roll your bike forward until your about 10m in front of the car, you should now see most if not all of it. Roll forward another 10m, and you should still see all of it. Your mirror is now adjusted correctly.

Doing the test, remember that cars smaller then the one you test with will disappear from the mirror before they show up in your peripheral vision.

acantor

A lot of interesting thoughts on this thread.

Mirrors: I rode decades without one. I first tried mirrors about 20 years ago, but none were very good. But eventually, I found one that worked well, and I haven't looked back since.

Um, I mean, I look back constantly!

A mirror makes me feel safer. When I hear a vehicle coming from behind, a quick glance tells me whether I've got enough space (99.99% of the time), or whether I need to take evasive action. With the knowledge that the paths of the vehicle and my bike are not going to intersect, I "delete" the vehicle from consciousness. A glance requires less physical effort than ducking my head. If I am unsure, I recheck.

Best Position: When riding in traffic, my goal is to make my movements predictable to drivers. So I avoid weaving. Instead, as much as practical, I ride in a straight line, even if that means riding far from the curb.

This strategy has served me well, as I have never been hit while riding... and I have been riding 45 or 46 years.

Dahon.Steve

I have one collecting dust.

The Reevu mirror has a lot of potential and I can't wait for the improved version to come out next year. However, the old helmet had problems and really needed additional research and development. Here's why my helmet is collecting dust.

1. One Size Does not fit all --- The helmet came in one size and my big head was too large. I was getting headaches because of the tight fit. Lets hope they come in large size next time.

2. The small mirror was too dark - The mirror had a light tint which I made the image too dark even during the day. I can understand why they did that but the mirror was useless at night.

3. The miror was too small ---- The size was about half an inch wide and a quarter of an inch thick. Not big enough.

5. The helmet was not coolest -- I didn't really use the helmet during the summer but it was not that cool since the vents were eliminated to put the reflectors inside the top.

6. Image was kinda distorted --- It was two images being reflected into that small mirror and it kinda made you cross eyed.

Having said that, they have my money next time because it's not far off from satisfactory. In the mean time, my Take A Look mirror is the best money can buy.

bikeideas

Not a helmet mirror, but one I made for my sunglasses...

... copy it or follow my signature link. Thanks

BigBlueToe

I prefer a mirror on my handlebars. I've tried glasses-mounted mirrors and I just don't like having the mirror so close to my eyes.

On my LHT I have a mirror that mounts on my brake hoods. On my Allez, the brifters don't allow a hood-mount mirror, so I have one mounted into my bar end.

Mirrors aren't guarantees of safety from being hit by vehicles approaching from the rear. You'd have to constantly look in the mirror to be sure you saw everything coming, and there wouldn't be time to take evasive action from a car that swerved into you at the last minute anyway.

However, I'm always going to put mirrors on my road bikes. When I hear something that sounds large approaching (like a big truck) I feel better when I look in my mirror to see if I need to pull over. Even more importantly, when I'm on a road with no shoulder I need to know if vehicles are going to swing wide around me or pass within inches. If the latter, I'd prefer to pull off the road and let them by, rather than risk it. So I keep a careful watch on my mirror when there's no shoulder.

Furthermore, when on a road with no shoulder, if someone is going to pass me from the rear at the same time someone goes past in the oncoming lane, there's not going to be room for the overtaking car to swing wide. Then I'll usually pull over just to be safe. I need to know when this is imminent, and it's much easier with a mirror than to always be swinging your head around.

Lastly, when I have to cut across traffic lanes for a left turn, I need to make sure it's clear. I do this by first checking my mirror. When my mirror tells me it's okay, I still turn my head to double check.

mojopt

I would highly recommend the "Itailian bike racing mirror" from aspirevelotech.com. It is the first mirror I've used that does not jiggle the image. It is also a real convex mirror.

Best mirror I've seen.

Best regards,

Mike

acantor

This past summer, I tried both glasses mounted and helmet mounted mirrors. They were better designed than the last one I tried, almost 20 years ago.

They took getting used to, but once I figured out how to adjust and use them to advantage, I loved them. A small head movement was all it took to get a panoramic view of what was happening behind me.

But the plastic "arms" on both snapped within a few weeks, and at $25 a pop, I decided to go back to something more durable.

Vernon Huffman

When riding on a road where there is no room for a motor vehicle to safely pass you, the safest thing to do is to "take the lane." Ride in the center with all your bright and reflective gear obvious. Every state driving manual instructs drivers to follow a safe distance behind a slow moving vehicle until there is room to safely pass on the left. It is a good idea to pull off the road when five or more vehicles are piled up behind you.

Remember, bicycles have a right to use public roadways, while motor vehicles rely upon a licensed privilege, which can be taken away if they fail to follow the rules.

Erick L

That's nice in theory. Try that when two semi-trucks coming off a curve are meeting at 100km/h.

bikeideas

My guess is that you've been given a Middle Finger Salute more than once.

Geez, that's too scary a tactic for me. I never "take the lane" except maybe when its between me and another bicycle.

Even if its my right, I follow my simple rule-of-thumb while in any vehicle... the bigger one has the right-of-way. That's the motorcyclist in me talking.