'Sprintech' rear view cycle mirrors.

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reohn2
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Re: 'Sprintech' rear view cycle mirrors.

Post by reohn2 »

FWIW,I don't like the look of the Springtech drop bar mirror as it seems to project too much rearward and is a potential knee knocker in tight manoeuvres etc.
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zenitb
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Re: Use on tandem ?

Post by zenitb »

reohn2 wrote:
horizon wrote:
zenitb wrote:Useful thread. I have been cycling solo bikes on the road for almost 50 years now (!!!!??? :-0) and so far have survived with the "listen, look back, signal, final look, wave of thanks" technique.



You may not quite have meant this but I want to say that I profoundly disagree with the idea that a mirror is for look, signal, manouvre. You can do whatever you want (e.g. look over your shoulder) when you need to turn right for example. The mirror OTOH allows you to have constant awareness of what is behind you, enabling you to take up the best road position to deal with it. This might mean moving into the centre of the lane to prevent overtaking for example. With a mirror, you control the road. Without one, you simple buckle down and hope for the best.

Nail,head,on.
I use the now discontinued Cateye BM300G and have done for 20 odd years,first fitted to the tandem,I think I last about three weeks before fitting them to my solos.I wouldn't ride on the road without one :wink:

Interesting that it was the tandem that triggered you getting one in the first place reohn2...I am actually quite open to trialing new stuff (for better or for worse - eg belt drive) so it sounds like I should at least give it a try. Our tandem - or rather the routes we take it on - gets a real bashing on its extremities..so it is going to have to be quite rugged to survive! !
reohn2
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Re: Use on tandem ?

Post by reohn2 »

zenitb wrote:Interesting that it was the tandem that triggered you getting one in the first place reohn2...I am actually quite open to trialing new stuff (for better or for worse - eg belt drive) so it sounds like I should at least give it a try. Our tandem - or rather the routes we take it on - gets a real bashing on its extremities..so it is going to have to be quite rugged to survive! !

If you can get hold of a Cateye BM300G they're very robust,I've never broken one yet!
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fausto copy
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Re: 'Sprintech' rear view cycle mirrors.

Post by fausto copy »

In our case it's my stoker who has the mirror and she keeps me informed on what is going (or rather coming) on and advises me when it's safe to pull out for example. Ours re the Blackburn / Rhode Gear oval ones that strap onto the brake hood.
I once tried a helmet mirror but couldn't really focus close enough and found my head wandering all over the place trying to get the correct image.
ChrisButch
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Re: 'Sprintech' rear view cycle mirrors.

Post by ChrisButch »

Is there any fix which makes it possible to use both a bar-end mirror and bar-end shifters?
LollyKat
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Re: 'Sprintech' rear view cycle mirrors.

Post by LollyKat »

The Mirrycycle - best mirror of all....but you need non-aero brake levers. (Though I'm sure Brucey could bodge some aero levers to fit!)

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JohnW
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Re: 'Sprintech' rear view cycle mirrors.

Post by JohnW »

reohn2 wrote:FWIW,I don't like the look of the Springtech drop bar mirror as it seems to project too much rearward and is a potential knee knocker in tight manoeuvres etc.

Have you tried them John?
That is something that did occur to me and I asked that question earlier on the thread.
There's only been one reply on that matter, from Paulatic; he says that he's not had a problem, but he's not specific to the 'Springtechs'.
My cycling colleague who has them doesn't report a problem - but I'll ask him. He's away on business at the moment.
Mine have arrived today, and I'll fit and try them tomorrow, and report back..
reohn2
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Re: 'Sprintech' rear view cycle mirrors.

Post by reohn2 »

John
No I haven't tried one but they seems to project rearward about the same as a bar end gear lever which I have tried and don't like for that reason,however I could be wrong in that assumption.
If your mate has one best bet is trying his on your bike.
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jon.k
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Re: 'Sprintech' rear view cycle mirrors.

Post by jon.k »

My sprintech has never hit my knee on the tandem even on tight turns. It has the advantage over other mirrors I looked at of not increasing the width of the bike. I want a mirror for our thorn with ergo grips but the sprintech won’t fit, which is a shame because we can’t afford to make that any wider.
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Cugel
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Re: 'Sprintech' rear view cycle mirrors.

Post by Cugel »

Audax67 wrote:I have a Zefal Cyclops on the offside. Used to use a Sprintech on the nearside as well but could never get it to stay put, and it was very easily scratched so I ditched it.


I'm surprised it wouldn't stay put. Do you mean it didn't fit in the handlebar end very well? The mirror joint that's part of the mirror assembly itself seems very stable. I often go downhill at 30-40mph and the Sprintechs don't move at all, whereas two other types I used to have always did.

The mirror surface isn't hard glass so can scratch easily if you scratch at it. There's an obvious solution to that. :-) I'm careful to only clean them with a clean microfibre cloth of the type made for spectacles, after carefully dabbing off (not wiping) any sticky muck.

Cugel
“Practical men who believe themselves to be quite exempt from any intellectual influence are usually the slaves of some defunct economist”.
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Cugel
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Re: 'Sprintech' rear view cycle mirrors.

Post by Cugel »

JohnW wrote:
reohn2 wrote:FWIW,I don't like the look of the Springtech drop bar mirror as it seems to project too much rearward and is a potential knee knocker in tight manoeuvres etc.

Have you tried them John?
That is something that did occur to me and I asked that question earlier on the thread.
There's only been one reply on that matter, from Paulatic; he says that he's not had a problem, but he's not specific to the 'Springtechs'.
My cycling colleague who has them doesn't report a problem - but I'll ask him. He's away on business at the moment.
Mine have arrived today, and I'll fit and try them tomorrow, and report back..


If you steer in a way that requires the bars to be turned, rather than just using lean, the Spintechs can rub a knee. Personally I never seem to perform such low speed steering maneuvers but there are many riding styles.

The mirror can also rub on the knee if you honk (because your knees move forward) but only f you're a bit of a knee-flapper. Again, it doesn't happen to me (and I climb quite a bit out of the saddle) even on the bike with only 40 cm wide bars. But knee-knock will depend largely on how your leg stroke goes as you pedal. Some lads have sticky-out knees whilst others piston away in a more leg-linear fashion.

In all events, if a Sprintech mirror does get knocked out of alignment, it can be put back in a trice; and when on the move, if necessary. A human hand can easily move them precisely, despite them being highly resistant to wind movement. They seem to have got the rubber ball joint grip just right.

Cugel
“Practical men who believe themselves to be quite exempt from any intellectual influence are usually the slaves of some defunct economist”.
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JohnW
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Re: 'Sprintech' rear view cycle mirrors.

Post by JohnW »

Right then, I bought the 'Sprintech's from SJS - friendly and quick service incidentally :D :D .
The mirrors fit into the bar ends and are amazingly easy to fit.
I've done e couple of rides with them - nothing impressive, longest was just over 60 miles, but enough to gain an impression.
On my bike, with down-tube levers, the mirrors don't foul on anything but I have to take a bit of care when mounting/dismounting.
There's no vibration when riding, the 'screen' is surprisingly stable.
I had to get used to them - I still keep forgetting to use them! - but there are just one or two locations where they're showing to be a real boon.
The mirrors are easy to adjust for angle/position when riding, but beware diverting attention from what's in front.
I do find that I knock and disposition the mirrors when I park the bike. I then have to re-adjust one or both of them on the road.

I've always, or at least often, found that when wanting to turn right, and turning my head to look over my shoulder for anything behind before indicating (i.e. putting my hand out) many drivers see me doing that, and anticipate before I put my hand out - I find this a safety aspect and whilst it relies on the driver behind being a decent human being :D :D (which they aren't all :roll: :roll: ) I do find it helpful when the driver holds off for a second or two and allows me to pull out :D :D . I've noticed that following drivers don't notice when I'm looking down at the rear-view mirror. I've learned to beware of that.

I have two bikes - I bought two pairs of mirrors and fitted one. I rode the mirror-less bike yesterday, and found that I did miss the mirrors - I shall now fit them.
JohnW
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Re: 'Sprintech' rear view cycle mirrors.

Post by JohnW »

I'm just doing an update on my last post -if anyone's interested.

I continue to find them a boon. They don't work a miracle, they don't give you a perfect view - how could they considering their size and location - but they make a good attempt. I wouldn't be without mine.

I finally fit them on my 'other' bike today. I'd not fitted them on that bike at the same time as I'd fitted the first pair. I really did miss them on that bike. I found myself looking down for them.

I encountered a problem on the 'other' bike. Both bikes have drop 'bars, but I found that the angel of the drop on the 'other' bike made it impossible to adjust the mirrors to give me a rear view. I had another pair of 'bars and I decided to fit them. I then found that the existing 'bars on the 'other' bike were different diameter from the spares. I had a spare stem - a fraction longer but it fits. So..........fitting the mirrors entailed changing the bars, which included moving the levers and the light brackets and the computer bracket, new handlebar tape and a couple of hours work! I see it as worth it though. Having had the mirrors I consider it's worth the effort if necessary.
So - it's a good idea to check. The nearer to horizontal you have the drops, the easier it is to adjust to the right angle.
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Cugel
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Re: 'Sprintech' rear view cycle mirrors.

Post by Cugel »

JohnW wrote:I'm just doing an update on my last post -if anyone's interested.

I continue to find them a boon. They don't work a miracle, they don't give you a perfect view - how could they considering their size and location - but they make a good attempt. I wouldn't be without mine.

I finally fit them on my 'other' bike today. I'd not fitted them on that bike at the same time as I'd fitted the first pair. I really did miss them on that bike. I found myself looking down for them.

I encountered a problem on the 'other' bike. Both bikes have drop 'bars, but I found that the angel of the drop on the 'other' bike made it impossible to adjust the mirrors to give me a rear view. I had another pair of 'bars and I decided to fit them. I then found that the existing 'bars on the 'other' bike were different diameter from the spares. I had a spare stem - a fraction longer but it fits. So..........fitting the mirrors entailed changing the bars, which included moving the levers and the light brackets and the computer bracket, new handlebar tape and a couple of hours work! I see it as worth it though. Having had the mirrors I consider it's worth the effort if necessary.
So - it's a good idea to check. The nearer to horizontal you have the drops, the easier it is to adjust to the right angle.


Lower drop bar angle of dangle can mean that some bars won't allow the sprintechs to be positioned at the right angle for the rider's normal head position. Compact bars seem to work best. Happily, this is what I have on all my bikes. I suspect the worst bars for dangle angle will be the older fashioned deep drop racer bars - unless the rider has their tops canted well forward.

Another bar issue is to do with bar width. Narrow bars do bring the mirrors inboard a little so if you have a big erse (big hips, to be accurate) the rearward view will be more restricted, especially if the road behind bends a bit. Two mirrors helps a lot as if you can't see 'round the rearward bend with one, the other is likely to give a clear view.

Those gravel bike bars with a wide flare of the dropped part of the bars would probably suit these mirrors best. Such bars would put the mirrors outboard by a much greater amount than with standard bars, giving a wider field of view around one's hips.

So far, after having these mirrors about a year now, they're still performing as when new: no vibration; not moved by wind pressure or rough road vibrations; not scratched yet.

One further point, though - the mirrors are quite small and although the convex aspect gives a wide field of view, one's eyesight must be good enough to discern the details of what's reflected. I use prescription sunglasses and have no problem obtaining a clear and detailed view. But anyone cycling with less than very good eyesight (native or with specs) would have difficulty differentiating the lorry from the car coming up behind.

Cugel
“Practical men who believe themselves to be quite exempt from any intellectual influence are usually the slaves of some defunct economist”.
John Maynard Keynes
JohnW
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Re: 'Sprintech' rear view cycle mirrors.

Post by JohnW »

Cugel wrote:
JohnW wrote:I'm just doing an update on my last post...............................The nearer to horizontal you have the drops, the easier it is to adjust to the right angle.


Lower drop bar angle of dangle can mean that some bars won't allow the sprintechs to be positioned at the right angle for the rider's normal head position. Compact bars seem to work best. Happily, this is what I have on all my bikes. I suspect the worst bars for dangle angle will be the older fashioned deep drop racer bars - unless the rider has their tops canted well forward.

Another bar issue is to do with bar width. Narrow bars do bring the mirrors inboard a little so if you have a big erse (big hips, to be accurate) the rearward view will be more restricted, especially if the road behind bends a bit. Two mirrors helps a lot as if you can't see 'round the rearward bend with one, the other is likely to give a clear view.

Those gravel bike bars with a wide flare of the dropped part of the bars would probably suit these mirrors best. Such bars would put the mirrors outboard by a much greater amount than with standard bars, giving a wider field of view around one's hips.

So far, after having these mirrors about a year now, they're still performing as when new: no vibration; not moved by wind pressure or rough road vibrations; not scratched yet.

One further point, though - the mirrors are quite small and although the convex aspect gives a wide field of view, one's eyesight must be good enough to discern the details of what's reflected. I use prescription sunglasses and have no problem obtaining a clear and detailed view. But anyone cycling with less than very good eyesight (native or with specs) would have difficulty differentiating the lorry from the car coming up behind.

Cugel


From my experience I endorse all that Cugel has said.
This comes with the caveat that I've never had, nor ridden, nor had anything to do with 'Gravel Bikes' or their 'bars.
Even so I can understand Cugel's logic.
My 'bars are all 420mm centre-to-centre - as Cugel says, wider are better for use of '"Sprintech" mirrors than narrow 'bars. One of my bikes does have compact bars. I have a frame to rebuild a bike on - and I'll get compact bars for that.
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