Mirrors: worth it, or not?

allen-uk

I've been on four wheels for nearly 40 years, and have recently come back to two.

And what I miss most is mirrors... So I've tried a couple of different sorts, the ones you screw into the end of your handlebar, and neither is very satisfactory. The first gave too small an image, and it took me ages to work out whether that car in the far distance was actually just behind me or not. The second was a bit better, but too close to my body, so I have to lean out to my right to see anything behind me.

Any recommendations? I want a longish stalk, with plainish glass, so that the image is a bit similar to a car's wing mirror.

Or do you proper riders think it isn't worth it?


Allen,London.

KeithG

I don't like them myself.
I tried a friend's bike with one on and it spoilt the ride. Increased my paranoia about traffic behind me and didn't give me any more useful info than my ears. It just seemed to be there begging me to use it and look for chavs in Corsas speeding too close.
I've seen some Americans with mirrors attached to their helmets and I was worried the stalk would go straight in their eye if they hit a branch or came off.
Never one to sit on the fence but there's an obvious reason, imho, why nobody uses them: they worse than useless!

Nick6891

whats wrong with looking over your shoulder to see traffic?
i only turn around when cars are stuck behind you or when im turning, and having eye contact with the car can show them your intention to move out infront of them to turn, where as if its a mirror they wont even know you have looked

allen-uk

Fair comments.

I have perfect vision in my left eye, but in my right it's a bit ropey, but I take the point that I could probably get as much useful info by attempting to look over my right shoulder as from the mirror.

I shall practice the looking instead!


Allen.

doyler78

allen-uk wrote:

Fair comments.

I have perfect vision in my left eye, but in my right it's a bit ropey, but I take the point that I could probably get as much useful info by attempting to look over my right shoulder as from the mirror.

I shall practice the looking instead!


Allen.

Balance on a bike is a big problem for most people when they start out. I know for me that even getting my water bottle out of the cage and back in again was a real chore, now it is easy. When you are not confident about looking over your shoulder or taking your hands of the bar then such prospects can be daunting. As you say practice is the only thing that give you the confidence that you need in order to do what the rest of us take for granted ie look over your shoulder, etc. It doesn't take long to find your balance so just give it a bash and I am sure you will find that mirrors become an unnecessary distraction.

Crapaud

I've tried handlebar and bar-end mirrors in the past and came to the conclusion that they're rubbish - for some reason they never pointed where i needed them no matter what I tried. Then I was persuaded to try a glasses mounted mirror: a Third Eye...



It took a couple of days to get used to - you need to move your head to see what's in the blind spot to the front right, and it can be alarming when you look into it and see an artic apparently bearing down on you - but with a small movement of the head you can see right behind yourself.

If you play 'The Game' it's handy for spotting someone trying to scalp you, then you can play games with them - when they speed up, you speed up; when they slow down, you slow down. Unlesss they get close enough to get a good look at the mirror, they'll be none the wiser.

rally200

I wouldn't if I were you. on a bike mirrors have a tiny field of view, and if you can manage to point it in the right direction, vibrate too much to see anything anyway. When I took my motorbike test instructors advised me to take mirrors off! (before anyine mentions the Construction & Use regs - I am incredibly old)

allen-uk

Thanks for the continuing thoughts.

Like rally200, I too am old, and in my case also one-leggèd, and have poor sight in one eye (my right eye). All those things contribute to my current inability to look over my right shoulder and see what's coming.

I think practice will improve that position, and maybe I will have to develop the ability to look over my LEFT shoulder instead, although that might be a trick denied to this old dog.

Poodling around quite slowly around fairly quiet suburban roads helps, and I do not intend to go through London during the rush hour, not this side of the grave anyway.


Allen.

feel

Mirrors are worth it if they help you. If my wife (an infrequent rider) turns to look over her shoulder she also veers across the road and my old dad didn't have the neck mobility to look over his shoulder without seeing stars .

ugo.santalucia

worth only if you are a mod!

allen-uk

Talking of mods, and there's a word I haven't heard for some decades, am I dreaming or can I remember scooter-riders using big 'truck'-type mirrors? They seem like a good idea, as at least then you get a big view of the road behind.

I've had a look at some motorbike web sites, and they do have a much bigger mirror on a longer stalk than 'cycle' mirrors. I might try one.

Allen.

ugo.santalucia

allen-uk wrote:

Talking of mods, and there's a word I haven't heard for some decades, am I dreaming or can I remember scooter-riders using big 'truck'-type mirrors? They seem like a good idea, as at least then you get a big view of the road behind.

I've had a look at some motorbike web sites, and they do have a much bigger mirror on a longer stalk than 'cycle' mirrors. I might try one.

Allen.

Oh yes, like the ones for caravans... Can't wait to see it... please send picture when you've done it! A GB sticker on the back of the saddle would look good as well!

Big Red S

Nick6891 wrote:

whats wrong with looking over your shoulder to see traffic?

The fact that so few cyclists do it?

Nick6891

Big Red S wrote:

Nick6891 wrote:

whats wrong with looking over your shoulder to see traffic?

The fact that so few cyclists do it?

lol their fault when they get hit by a car then

allen-uk

Before we all get carried away with the ho-ho-ho of scooters and caravans, could I bring you back to the point, which is:

There is no point in looking over my shoulder, as my vision in my right eye is impaired.

Balance with a hand off the bars is difficult, as I have only one real leg, and thus balance is always a problem.

What I am looking for is a solution rather than a laugh.


Allen.

antfly

http://www.aspirevelotech.com/Merchant2 ... de=Mirrors
Have you considered one of these italian road mirrors?is this the one you tried or are you on a flat bar bike?
Also,when i started road cycling last year i used a tiny mirror stuck on the inside of my cycling glasses which actually worked surprisingly well and was invisible to others.Only problem is it works best the further from your eye it is so no use on wraparound glasses, which excludes most cycling glasses.I stopped using it when i bought new glasses.

allen-uk

Thanks antfly.

The bike (an old Claude Butler Enduro) has flattish bars, so the drop bar mirrors wouldn't work, plus I am bulky, and I understand you have to have a pretty slim profile for them.

The cycling glasses mirrors wouldn't work, due to the limited vision in my right eye! I suppose I could use one in my left (good) eye, but it wouldn't do the job, would it.


Allen.

Big Red S

I don't know how much you mind what they look like, but these are probably worth a look from a practical standpoint:

http://www.fisheroutdoor.co.uk/public/i ... /MR01.html
http://www.fisheroutdoor.co.uk/public/i ... /MR12.html
http://www.fisheroutdoor.co.uk/public/i ... /MR25.html

allen-uk

Thanks Big Red, useful site that.

The closest I've come in orthodox cycle mirrors to what I want is:

http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stor ... yId_165550

which works fairly well, but just doesn't stick out far enough. I suppose I could fettle up an extension bar to go between handlebars and mirror, at a push.

The scooter mirror I am thinking of looks similar, but has a handlebar fitting and comes with extra long stalks:

http://www.classic-motorcycles.co.uk/cgi-bin/cb.cgi



Allen.

rally200

Allen

I'm not taking the mickey - there are mirrors available as you describe with very long fittings

http://www.classicpartsltd.com/vespaaccessories.htm

very pricey, and I should think very heavy - but would do the job - if you search the net for vespa / lambretta you might find better prices

allen-uk

Hello rally200. Yes, they're the ones I was looking at, too. If I get them I'll let you know if they are heavy, but for suburban street poodling I don't think a bit of weight here or there will matter much!

At the moment I'm still using the Cat Eye (ex Halfords) – it's okay when you've got time to look at it and maybe reposition your body a little to get a better view, but I'd still like one where the image in the mirror is always available, like a car wing mirror.

Thanks for the help, it's appreciated.


Allen.

allen-uk

One thing that occurred to me just as I was going to press the 'Submit Order' button was this:

What is the mirror going to fix on to? The 'natural' place at the end of the handlebars is where my hand goes! Then I've got a Shimano grip-twist, so the first free bit of bars is another five inches in.

Pity, because it did look right, as did the Louis mirror and clamp from GetGeared.

I think I shall have to look for a bar-end big mirror instead, unless anyone's got any ideas for clamping? I've got that soppy bit of 'cowhorn' bar extending upwards at the end of the main bars, but it's smaller than the main bars, and would thus be harder to clamp.

Shall I post a photo?

Thanks for your help.

Allen.

neillcp

Have you considered one of those mirrors that clamp onto the downtube, so you look downwards for the mirror, rather than having it at the bar-end.

Something like this:

http://www.bike-eye.com/new/product.shtml


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allen-uk

Hello Neill.

I have, but given the fact that my bike is bulky, and I am bulkier, I think I need something that sticks out so I can see ROUND me. (Most of the bar-end mirrors for bikes give you a good picture of your body and shoulder, and only a bit of road!)


Allen.

crispyweet

Hello Allen,

I wondered if the Busch and Muller mirrors are available in the UK. B&M products are well made. Some parts of their range are imported by Amba Marketing in the UK.

B & M site - http://www.bumm.de/index-e.html?docu/spiegel1-e.htm

Also both Dotbike...

http://www.dotbike.com/ProductsP3042.aspx?Track=FGL

and SJS Cycles

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/product-Busc ... -16567.htm

Seem to have some of them listed.

Hope it helps.

Chris

allen-uk

That helps a lot! Thanks Chris, I think it might be the answer - long-stemmed plus handle-bar end.

Thanks again.


Allen.

stewpotcp

Allen,

I will put my two bobs [ 10p if you were born after 1971] worth in and say - buy a mirror.I got one recently after getting hit from behind by a tw*t in a white van.

To cut a long story short, this spooked me big style, and i started to get nervous in traffic, particularly when I could hear a wagon rumbling up behind me.

I bought a mirror for £8 in my LBS and am glad i did. The type I have plugs into the end of your drops and gives a really wide and clear field of view- it has massively increased my confidence out on the roads.It is vibration free and makes right turns a whole lot safer IMO.

It could be the solution for you too- and if not you've not spent a fortune.


Safe cycling......Stuart Pearson

marmitecp

I've got the bike eye mirror mentioned above.

It gives a good field fo view once you've managed to set it up properly and only requires a slight movement of your right knee. Its no good if you use rear panniers though.

I always look behind before committing to a maneouvre. The mirror just helps me relax a bit more knowing what is behind me, particularly on quieter roads.
More relaxed = more enjoyable to me.

allen-uk

I bought the Busch and Muller mirror that Chris recommended, and it is the best I've tried for my purpose. The actual mirror COULD be a bit bigger, but the long stem and the mirror's clever design makes it almost infinitely adjustable, and more than adequate for me to see some of what's behind me.

I would LOVE to just look over my shoulder, but 90% vision-loss in my right eye means that I could look all day long, and not actually see anything!

Allen.

feel

Hi Allen bit after the event now but did you consider mounting the mirror in the end of your "cowhorn" rather than in the end of your handlebar? I don't know if yours does but some certainly have removable end plugs. This might give a bit more of a range of positions and bring the mirror higher up so reducing the need to look down quite so much.

allen-uk

Hello feel.

No, I didn't, but now you've mentioned it I'm going to have a look to see if it would help.

Thanks.


Allen.