Hi All, I have been doing a lot of biking on the roads lately, and have been thinking about getting a mirror. I really could care less what I look like or if it’s not cool, but I like to know what’s coming up behind me. Rather safe then sorry. What is everyones thought on this? What works better, A mirror attached to the bike, sunglasses or helmet? Any suggestions? Thanks
Glasses are about the only mount that will give a vibration-free view. But… You really have to refocus your eye to see the view. Gets visually fatiguing.
I’ve had the best success with the glasses mounted mirrors. While the bike ones don’t have as much dork factor, with the vibration and the distance from your eyes to them, they also don’t work anywhere near as well for seeing what’s behind you.
If your helmet doesn’t move on your head, that could work well as well. I’ve never had good luck with a helmet mounted one, but if the mount is good and the helmet fits snugly, they should work well.
Been using a Rhode Gear brake hood mount mirror for years. Vibration free, large viewing area, easy to adjust, easy to add/remove, fits tri bike with a little adaptation. The extra drag during training makes you stronger and more importantly gets you to the starting line with a heartbeat.
It is much faster and safer to just quickly peek behind you. I would think that trying to focus on a shaky 1" piece of mirror would be like texting while driving…
When I tried a helmet mounted mirror I found that I was turning to look anyway for the reasons mentioned. I never felt that I had it aimed in the right location.
Rule # 66
the important thing is what is in front of you not behind you unless you are changing lanes. quick look over your shoulder is much safer than a mirror.
you are not wearing headphones by any chance, eh?
I’m not a mirror guy but I have a general safety tip that works pretty well for me.
I ride on mostly single lane roads.
Motorists in my area are reasonably good about sharing the road.
I always keep an eye on on-coming traffic as an alert if someone is coming up behind me.
If I notice that an on-coming vehicle is giving me a wide berth (ie: moving over to the shoulder) it’s usually a pretty good indicator that there is a vehicle behind me and the on-coming vehicle is making room for all 3 of us.
Rule # 66
I had a handlebar mounted mirror that vibrated so much it was difficult to make out the cars. Once I read “The Rules” I removed it, and learned to look behind me when I needed to turn.
I like having a mirror and have used the Take a Look glasses mounted mirror for years…yes it makes me look like a geek…but I ride a lot by myself and like to know what’s behind me…generally I think that catastrophe, such as death, is more likely to come from the rear…though i have no proof of such
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No, I don’t wear headphones, but why is that even a question?
I’ve been using the ‘Take a look’ mirror that attaches to your glasses. It has lots of variability in it’s positioning so you can view whatever space behind you, you are most interested in. I like to use it esp when riding in a group - keeps me aware of who’s falling back, or who’s overtaking etc. But it’s also nice on roads that don’t have adequate bike lanes/shoulders. Just a slight shift with the eyes is much safer than a quick turn of your head (IMO).
Here’s one link to it:
http://www.rei.com/product/752285/bike-peddler-take-a-look-mirror
On my road bike for two seasons, no vibration, easy to check for traffic, allows me to ride up beside team mates and be the first to call car back. It’s made group rides more enjoyable, order this quality mirror, it’s slightly smaller than others so it doesn’t look awkward on the bar end like some http://www.aspirevelotech.com/...Category_Code=MIRROR
And no, I have no affiliation with this company, I just like the product.
I used to use mirrors a lot but as I get older I find the a trained ear and a quick look is quicker than the time it takes to refocus my eyes.
Rule # 66
the important thing is what is in front of you not behind you unless you are changing lanes. quick look over your shoulder is much safer than a mirror.
you are not wearing headphones by any chance, eh?
baloney. I commute about 50k / day and use a mirror attached to my glasses. It is fantastic and much quicker and safer than turning your head. With a slight glance of my eyes I know exactly what is going on behind me AND my head isn’t turned so my peripheral still knows what is going on in front of me.
I have these and they are fantastic.
http://www.mec.ca/AST/ShopMEC/Cycling/BellsMirrorsReflectors/PRD~5013-612/bike-peddler-take-a-look-cyclists-mirror.jsp
I did a large (week-long, 2000+ riders) bike tour years ago that required a rear-view mirror for all bikes/riders. Went with one mounted on the brake hoods. Once I got used to it, it was actually kinda nice to have. In normal riding, I’m used to a quick turn of the head, but with that much traffic it would get to be pretty annoying to keep checking so often. That first one vibrated too much, which was a pain as that also tended to cause it to migrate over time, but I replaced it with one that has a solid metal arm instead of plastic and it stays exactly where I want and doesn’t vibrate enough to note. I’ve since done several more tours with it and really like it.
Some of those tours I did with my dad and/or brother and they had the helmet or sunglass-mounted styles, and it seemed like they had to be much more careful when taking them off not to break them or jar them out of position and have to readjust after every stop. Probably less of an issue for most training-style rides with fewer stops, though.
+1 for the “take a look” mirror. I mounted it to my helmet and it is great. The refocus excuse is ridiculous, it takes a hundredth of second for the eye to view the mirror and then readjust to your forward view. There is no way that looking back over your shoulder while in the aero position is faster or safer. I could care less about the dork factor. The roads around here are pretty poor, potholes, frost heaves, broken glass, random car parts, and tree branches are a part of every ride, no matter how long. Riding the white line exclusively is simply not feasible. It is nice to know if anyone is behind behind you if you need to use part of the road to avoid an obstacle. It has become second nature to regularly check the rear view, the same as driving, and I am very conscious of all traffic behind me at all times. I have zero faith in the rest of society allowing me to get back home to my family safely after a ride. Way, way, way too many people have their cell in one hand and the wheel in the other. Watch closely next time you are out running. On long runs I do it to pass the time. 2 out of 3 drivers here in CT is pretty typical. Not to mention the redneck factor. If some hillbilly woodbugger is hanging out the passenger window of his buddy Bubba’s pick up truck, poised to throw his Piels bottle half full of dip spit at me, I like to see it coming.
When touring I used a helmet mounted mirror. I got so used to it that I kept trying to look in it when I went out for a walk. It would feel really weird walking because I’d hear something but couldn’t instantly see what it was, had to turn around until I got used to ignoring things behind me.
IF I had worn a mirror of some kind last summer while cycling with my 2 older sons on the highway near Penticton, the one would not have been hit from behind by the vans mirror. Fortunately he didnt go down after getting hit but had a pretty good scrape down his back. In this case my son was holding his line, to the right of the painted fog line, on a four lane highway and the a$$hole driving the van was too far over to the right and hit him on the back with his mirror. I was right behind my son but further over to the right so didn’t get hit. And fortunately my son was on the drops at the time or he would have been hit in the back of the head.
So, the point of the mirror, as I learned when touring, is to always be situationally aware and know what is coming up from behind without looking over your shoulder every 10 seconds or whatever it would take in busy traffic. With the mirror you get to see what the approaching vehicle is doing. 99.99% of the time the isn’t an issue but every once in awhile some is swerving a bit or a big rig is a bit closer to the fog line or a rental motor home has their steps fully extended to their right or the driver is scared and driving way too far over to the right. You’ll pick these up with a mirror and avoid a potential fatal rear ender. Fortunately it happens very infrequently.
No, I don’t wear headphones, but why is that even a question?
Because headphones, mirrors, bells, and flowery baskets generally go together.
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No, I don’t wear headphones, but why is that even a question?
Because headphones, mirrors, bells, and flowery baskets generally go together.
Wow, that’s a good one. HaHAHa now I get it!!! Thanks for the helpfull response.