I had one on the right bar of all my bikes and also a helmet or glasses mounted mirror. I found then useful for keeping an eye on traffic, but they do not substitute for a look over the shoulder when manoeuvring.
Now I ride recumbent trikes I have one either side on the trike and a glasses mounted one. Turning my head gives me a good view of the road surface alongside the rear wheel and little else, reclined seats are like that, so rely on thorough observation in all three.
Rear view mirrors?
Re: Rear view mirrors?
"I thought of that while riding my bike." -Albert Einstein, on the Theory of Relativity
2007 ICE QNT
2008 Hase Kettwiesel AL27
2011 Catrike Trail
1951 engine
2007 ICE QNT
2008 Hase Kettwiesel AL27
2011 Catrike Trail
1951 engine
Re: Rear view mirrors?
I think this was suggested earlier in this thread but just want to comment on the Zefal Spy Mirror, which I have fitted to both drops and straight bars. Though small it provides a very good, wide-angle view behind and straps quickly onto any bars (my wife has one on her butterfly bars. They can be fitted or removed in just a few seconds or, if you're in Europe, switched over + are fairly cheap. I can't recommend them enough - I also have a BikeEye which though good is easily obscured by a saddlebag or panniers. On today's roads I find a mirror indispensable and an essential piece of kit.
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Re: Rear view mirrors?
I've recently fitted a mirror to my tourer, which is mainly used for commuting to work. It's a Mirrycle that fits on the right STi lever. Only had it about a week, but I can already see the benefit of it. It vibrates a bit, but you can still make out the image of a car coming up behind you. I know you can hear a car, but that doesn't tell you where a car is positioned on the road behind you.
Where I've found it useful is when a car comes up behind you and is signalling left, but instead of hanging back it carries on and overtakes you, only to then turn left. The classic left hook, but you can see it coming and prepare yourself.
Where I've found it useful is when a car comes up behind you and is signalling left, but instead of hanging back it carries on and overtakes you, only to then turn left. The classic left hook, but you can see it coming and prepare yourself.
Re: Rear view mirrors?
I bought a Bell bar end mirror - fixes on with velcro (!) from Sainsbury's at the weekend for £5.
It's surprisingly good but makes my bike too wide to filter through the traffic!
I don't like how it doesn't fix to the bike - means I have to remove it during the day or will be be pinched
It's surprisingly good but makes my bike too wide to filter through the traffic!
I don't like how it doesn't fix to the bike - means I have to remove it during the day or will be be pinched
Re: Rear view mirrors?
dalifnei wrote:I bought a Bell bar end mirror - fixes on with velcro (!) from Sainsbury's at the weekend for £5.
It's surprisingly good but makes my bike too wide to filter through the traffic!
I don't like how it doesn't fix to the bike - means I have to remove it during the day or will be be pinched
Yes, cars and lorries have the same problem - the best mirrors IMV stick out. You also have problems with leaning the bike against a wall. So it isn't all wonderful - no-one would have a mirror by choice, it's a necessity. A velcro strap-on mirror is very easy to put on and off.
When the pestilence strikes from the East, go far and breathe the cold air deeply. Ignore the sage, stay not indoors. Ho Ri Zon 12th Century Chinese philosopher
Re: Rear view mirrors?
Big T wrote:I've recently fitted a mirror to my tourer, which is mainly used for commuting to work. It's a Mirrycle that fits on the right STi lever. Only had it about a week, but I can already see the benefit of it. It vibrates a bit, but you can still make out the image of a car coming up behind you. I know you can hear a car, but that doesn't tell you where a car is positioned on the road behind you.
Where I've found it useful is when a car comes up behind you and is signalling left, but instead of hanging back it carries on and overtakes you, only to then turn left. The classic left hook, but you can see it coming and prepare yourself.
Been using my mirror for a few weeks now and wouldn't be without it now. The advantage of the Mirrycle over a bar end mirror for drops is that you don't have to move your head to look at it. Just a quick glance down is all that's needed.
Re: Rear view mirrors?
I've used both the STI mounted Mirrycle and the Cateye BM-300G mirror and personally, I favour the much cheaper Cateye.
The Mirrycle uses a glass mirror and gives a slightly better view behind because of this and the fact that it doesn't need to be bent to a steep angle to be of any use. It needs to be tightened up pretty hard to stop it flapping all over the place and that helps against vibration. But! Because the mirror is glass, it's easier to smash in an accident (I've broken 2) and at £8 (amazon) for a replacement mirror, pricy. The fact that it needs to be tightened so much doesn't help either as it can't be swung out of the way when going through narrow gaps and as it can't bend, it has no option other than to break in a accident.
I always found that my forearm was in my line of sight and this was even worse in winter with multiple layers blocking even more of my view. Moving my arm enough to see the mirror or completely taking my hand off the bars wasn't ideal when braking in heavy traffic.
The positioning of the mount wasn't ideal for me either as resting on top of the STI lever, I found it took away one area where I sometimes rest my hands. (this is a personal dislike admittedly)
The Cateye suffers from none of these problems. It's a heck of a lot lighter (means nothing to me, but if you're one of these eejits who counts the carbon fibre strands to see which ones can be removed to save weight, this will matter) and the lens is plastic, no breakage, or at least very difficult to achieve. Being plastic though, the image quality falls slightly short of the Mirrycle here. The mount arm is a bit of thin bendy plastic on a ball joint and oddly enough, this seems to soak up road vibration rather than increase it. Weird I know. There's only one screw holding it all to the insides of the bar by an expanding wedge and this screw is also used to adjust how much force is needed to stop the whole thing flapping about but also allowing you to swing the mirror out of the way. Unlike the Mirrycle, this is handy for when you forget it's there and take out a chunk of wallpaper in your hallway...cough...wasn't me, honest. There's less chance of the whole thing breaking also as it can move in an accident. And if by some small miracle it does get wrecked, the whole thing is about £7. The entire Mirrycle including mount is around £12.
The Mirrycle uses a glass mirror and gives a slightly better view behind because of this and the fact that it doesn't need to be bent to a steep angle to be of any use. It needs to be tightened up pretty hard to stop it flapping all over the place and that helps against vibration. But! Because the mirror is glass, it's easier to smash in an accident (I've broken 2) and at £8 (amazon) for a replacement mirror, pricy. The fact that it needs to be tightened so much doesn't help either as it can't be swung out of the way when going through narrow gaps and as it can't bend, it has no option other than to break in a accident.
I always found that my forearm was in my line of sight and this was even worse in winter with multiple layers blocking even more of my view. Moving my arm enough to see the mirror or completely taking my hand off the bars wasn't ideal when braking in heavy traffic.
The positioning of the mount wasn't ideal for me either as resting on top of the STI lever, I found it took away one area where I sometimes rest my hands. (this is a personal dislike admittedly)
The Cateye suffers from none of these problems. It's a heck of a lot lighter (means nothing to me, but if you're one of these eejits who counts the carbon fibre strands to see which ones can be removed to save weight, this will matter) and the lens is plastic, no breakage, or at least very difficult to achieve. Being plastic though, the image quality falls slightly short of the Mirrycle here. The mount arm is a bit of thin bendy plastic on a ball joint and oddly enough, this seems to soak up road vibration rather than increase it. Weird I know. There's only one screw holding it all to the insides of the bar by an expanding wedge and this screw is also used to adjust how much force is needed to stop the whole thing flapping about but also allowing you to swing the mirror out of the way. Unlike the Mirrycle, this is handy for when you forget it's there and take out a chunk of wallpaper in your hallway...cough...wasn't me, honest. There's less chance of the whole thing breaking also as it can move in an accident. And if by some small miracle it does get wrecked, the whole thing is about £7. The entire Mirrycle including mount is around £12.
Bill
“Ride as much or as little, or as long or as short as you feel. But ride.” ~ Eddy Merckx
It's a rich man whos children run to him when his pockets are empty.
“Ride as much or as little, or as long or as short as you feel. But ride.” ~ Eddy Merckx
It's a rich man whos children run to him when his pockets are empty.