Mirrors

For six years I didn't use a mirror on a bike because I though they were a little tacky. After a recent close-call I put one on my bike:
After using it for the last three months, I've reached the conclusion that, other than lights and a helmet, its the single most important accessory I have. Because I'm moving faster and in more traffic, I simply don't have time to keep my head on a pivot, scanning my surroundings. It allows for much faster spacial awareness.

And it doesn't look tacky.

If you don't have one, get one!
 
Being a recumbent rider now days, mirrors are given (cannot turn in the "saddle") but even prior to that riding my diamond frames I also used mirrors and agree with you EBS about their importance.

I have Zefal Spy mirrors on one of my recumbents and Busch & Muller Cycle Star mirrors on the other one.

This is the Zefal Spy mirror in place ...

zefal-spy-mirror-bicycle.jpg

and the Busch & Muller Cycle Stars in place

busch-and-muller-cycle-stars-mirror.jpg

Regards
Andrew
 
For six years I didn't use a mirror on a bike because I though they were a little tacky. After a recent close-call I put one on my bike:

https://www.mirrycle.com

After using it for the last three months, I've reached the conclusion that, other than lights and a helmet, its the single most important accessory I have. Because I'm moving faster and in more traffic, I simply don't have time to keep my head on a pivot, scanning my surroundings. It allows for much faster spacial awareness.

And it doesn't look tacky.

If you don't have one, get one!

Bought the same mirror last month.. Although it does look tacky, I think it's very helpful when you have to share the road...
 
I can see that for drop handlebars.. Straight bars the mirror needs to be up imo.. I tried both ways.
 
I decided I didn't want anything else on the handlebars so I tried one of those mirrors that attaches to your helmet/glasses. That didn't work at all, kept moving around, and was too small. I am going to try this next. Could be just the thing for a quick glance, which is really all I want, as long as I don't have to mess with it too much.

upload_2014-3-23_18-30-23.jpeg
 
I have used a Blackburn helmet mirror for many years now, and while it's a bit stiff at the beginning, it eventually gets easier to position. I recently ran across an articulated mirror that looks liek the Safe Zone Helmet Mirror, but which was cheaper. I don't know the name off the top of my head, but it was in the Walmart bicycle row. It was about $15, so I bought it in case I lose the mirror currently on my helmet.
 
I got my mirrycle bike mirror today in the mail. Installed it and went for a ride. It works great. I love that you can easily swing the mirror to the inside for going thru doorways. One does have to pay attention to cars looking farther away than they are because this is a convex mirror.
I got that mirror a couple of weeks ago. It really makes a difference. I think it is a commuting must have.
 
I mentioned on May 4, 2014 that I bought a mirror similar to the Safe Zone Helmet Mirror in case I lost the Blackburn helmet mirror I already had installed. Turns out, it wasn't the Blackburn that I lost... I lost the Safe Zone knockoff. :mad:

Ever since then, I've been mulling over spending the $40 on the Safe Zone mirror, and I finally did it earlier this month. Upon receiving it in the mail, I found that it was incompatible with my Bell Multi-sport Helmet because the mirror requires holes along the area above the left ear. So, I tromped out to Walmart to buy a $30 helmet for my $40 mirror. :oops:

I've taken a short ride with it installed on the new helmet, and I AM IN LOVE! The mirror surface is 3-4x the width of the Blackburn mirror, and makes it so that I can passively watch what's going on behind me. The Blackburn model is so small that it works only for checking what's going on behind me before making a lane change. On that short ride with the Safe Zone mirror, I saw a motorhome coming up behind me and pulled off to allow it to pass on the narrow road. So, it's only a slight exaggeration to say that it has SAVED MY LIFE once already. :D
 
Mirrycle mirrors are great, right up until they break and fall off.
While very strong, they will get bumped out of alignment (all mirrors do) and you WILL move them back into place without loosening the fasteners (we all do eventually) and that will eventually crack and break suddenly and you'll go "jeez, why did that just happen". ;)
 
Since I started using mirrors I have come to appreciate daytime headlights. Cars are sometimes invisible in full daylight for different reasons, especially if the sun is behind them. Also I have to wipe the mirrror clean with my shirt every week, that helps immensely. Considering how many people ride around on low air tires, I don't think mirrors will catch on much generally.
 
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