Mirrors yes or no?

Dannyboy95

Evening all

I apologize in advance if this topic has been covered all ready and i do not want to start a mirror rant which would not be dis similar to a helmet rant. But my question is simple do you use mirrors/recommend using them or not if not why not? I'm not sure weather to have them or not.

Many thanks!

dodgy

I have a tiny unobtrusive one on the inside of my dropped bars, hardly anyone notices it's there and my riding mates have often mentioned it's amazing that I always know there's a car coming up behind before anyone else does.

I use them to check on riders who have dropped, as a precursor to a shoulder check (if I see a car coming, no need for a shoulder check, but if I don't see one in the mirror - I do a shoulder check). Also, if you're the competitive type, handy to keep tabs on that guy you're trying to drop.

So yes, I have them on all my bikes, from my lightest carbon bike to my commuter.

tangled_metal

Which model is that and do you have a photo of it? I'm thinking about one but don't like those "wing mirrors" fixed to the bar ends of my drop bars or one of those fixed within the main triangle just behind the head tube. Not sure there's anything else mirror wise.

dodgy

A Zefal Spy mirror, it's tiny, but serves its purpose.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Zefal-95293-Spy-Mirror-Black/dp/B000FY05PG

dodgy

Meant to add that some people attach them to the top tube so they get a view to the rear with just the seatpost slightly in the way.

tangled_metal

Neat product and just what I want. Reckon I like the fork mount option too. I have been looking at images online as to where they can be fitted. Thanks for that dodgy, I had missed that product.

To the OP I can say I am planning to get a mirror shortly. I have noticed since I started commuting that I seem to have less rotational mobility in my body and neck to the right than I do to the left. This means I do not seem to be able to look round as easily to shoulder check. I can turn to my left very easily but the right tends to cause me to lose direction if I try to see too far back (as in exactly behind me). So for me a mirror seems a good option to check there is nobody close then I do a full shoulder check and that way the slight movement out into the road is not dangerous if you follow.

Plus I often tow a child trailer at the weekends so I quite fancy being able to see that without having to turn round.

So whilst everyone is different and have their own views on mirrors I personally think they would be helpful to me due to my strange reduced mobility in turning right to look around. Guess I would not need it if I was outside of UK, Japan and perhaps a few other countries but here is where I ride so it is an issue. Now I have no idea if it will make a difference to me as I have never tried one so this is only a view right now. That view may change with actually trying it, could end up being useless of course.

dodgy

It fits without tools, too. Just a rubber band, which also cuts down on harsh vibrations so you get a fairly stable image. When I go to France on holiday, I put it on the inside of the left handlebar drops.

tangled_metal

Does that not interfere with using the drops?

I ride either on the hoods or on the drops behind the levers (so I can always reach the levers when needed). I wonder where on the drops it could go without my wrists/arms knocking it. I heard that with mirrors on drops there is a risk that you will knock them off and lose them as a result. For me I like the idea of front fork so I can look down and see behind. I do tend to look down there at the speedo anyway so it would be easy to see both (speedo is on my stem).

Not sure I like those bar plug replacement attaching methods for mirrors. Also the Bell Muni helmet has a bracket to allow attaching of a bell flip mirror that goes into the helmet when not needed but flips out. Trouble is most companies tend to ship the left hand version also the idea of something solid right near your front temple in the case of head contacting with something kind of worries me.

As I said above mirror use is possibly more common among traditional tourer types and some commuters. I think it should be more popular since if the system is a good one (with the mirror location / design) then they are a very discrete and usable means to improve your all around sight. Not a substitute to shoulder checking but an addition. At the moment I rely purely on the extra senses we apparently have (is it prioperception - the new senses the boffins have accepted relating to spacial awareness around you). Well I also look behind a lot and use hearing to detect things around me.

dodgy

The mirror can go in any of dozens of places, I'm sure you'll find a place that meets your needs and usage.

whoof

If you do get a mirror please do not rely solely on it but also do a shoulder check as well before manoeuvring. Motorbikes come with mirrors but if you learn to ride one you are also taught to shoulder check as well, it's often known as a 'lifesaver'.

dodgy

That's already been mentioned further up the thread.
Just the same as when driving, I have mirrors, but they're an aid and an accompaniment to a shoulder check.

tangled_metal

Shoulder check is still the last thing I do in a car before turning right or pulling out, etc. Cycling is no difference. The only real difference is cycles do not have to have mirrors as a legal requirement like cars. However I can see no reason why cyclists wouldn't have the same requirement to shoulder check with mirrors like cars. Commonsense really. So there's a lot of cyclists with mirrors who don't look round then!

whoof

[url=http://www.bikeradar.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=19698378#p19698378]Tangled Metal[/url] wrote:

Shoulder check is still the last thing I do in a car before turning right or pulling out, etc. Cycling is no difference. The only real difference is cycles do not have to have mirrors as a legal requirement like cars. Commonsense really. So there's a lot of cyclists with mirrors who don't look round then!

I see a lot of cyclist with and without mirrors not looking over their shoulders. I'm not sure if the ones without the mirrors just don't care and some of the ones with mirrors think that by looking in the mirror they have checked sufficiently. I do know that common sense can be very thin on the ground at times.

dgunthor

no harm in having a mirror, but like on a motorbike, still need to check over your shoulder before moving or turning left/right

dodgy

Getting a bit preachy this thread, nobody has said they got a mirror instead of doing shoulder checks.

oblongomaculatus

I've had a mirror for years and find it useful for increasing awareness of what's around, especially on quiet unclassified roads, when you can see a car coming before you hear it, and also for checking as one passes you that there isn't one or more behind that, their engines masked by the sound of the first one. Also, you can spot the approach of other cyclists, so they don't make you jump when they glide past! The one I use is called the Blackburn road mirror, which attaches to the brake hood with a velco strap. This means that you can have it on either side, or even have two, and it's easy to switch between bikes. It does prevent you riding with your hand right over the hood, but if you just grip the "neck" of the brake hood, it's fine.