I now wear a mirror when riding

[Gowest]

I have always seen people wearing mirrors while riding their bikes and always thought "not me"....no way....so not cool.

NEVER AGAIN!!! I purchased a mirror on someone's advice for a trip out west -and I will never ever ride without a mirror if possible. I can't stress enough how much safer I felt on the road. I took it out once I got home and was AMAZED and how much more secure I felt while riding my normal routes - I never was a "nervous" rider - but now that I see what is going on behind me - maybe I should have been!

I don't care how "dorky" a mirror looks - I am a life long convert now. Even my racing leg-shaving hubby tried one and he will be wearing one regularly as well.

this is the mirror I tried - it mounts on my glasses and I did not notice any distortion - nor does it move around. It is very easy to adjust and does not interfere with your vision. It is less than $20 and could save your life.

11988

[marni]

just remember that in addition to the mirror, you should always check back over your shoulder and or under your arm before doing anything. Like a car mirror, your mirror has blind spots, and a car can swing out suddenly unexpectedly so last thing before you do anything check back, check your mirror and check back again.

Saves everyone's nerves.

Welcome to the club of better safe than cool.

marni

[PamNY]

Glad you like your mirror. It looks like this one (http://www.teamestrogen.com/prodPP_100TAL.html).

I love mine.

[Bike Chick]

DH and I both have one of those and they work great. The Amish man at the bakery we ride to on Saturday mornings was fascinated with it and wanted one for himself.

[kjay]

Thanks for telling us about the increased safety you feel when using a mirror. I've never ridden with one but I shall definitely rethink my choices.

[jobob]

It's nice to see how, the longer one rides, the less concerned one becomes about how "cool" they look to others.

Safety, comfort and practicality trumps cool, everytime. IMHO. :cool: :)

[Blueberry]

Any tips for getting used to helmet or glasses mirrors? I've tried mirrors on the bike, and found that they moved too much to be useful. But - when I tried my DH's helmet mirror, I got very sea sick. It was odd - but I've been hesitant to try again. Is it just an adjustment thing? I could care less what others think - but I've got to find a mirror that works.

[RolliePollie]

I have a helmet mirror and I would never ride without it! I love it so much that sometimes I wish I could have one on all the time...like when I'm out on walks. I don't care if it looks dorky...and mine looks especially dorky because I have duct tape on my helmet to hold it on securely. But my helmet it silver and white so the tape sort of blends in :p

As far as getting it adjusted just right, that can be a challenge. Mine has two places where it can swivel and move...I put a drop of Gatorade on those periodically to keep them sticky so it will hold its adjustment and not move around every time I hit a bump.

[PamNY]

Any tips for getting used to helmet or glasses mirrors? I've tried mirrors on the bike, and found that they moved too much to be useful. But - when I tried my DH's helmet mirror, I got very sea sick. It was odd - but I've been hesitant to try again. Is it just an adjustment thing?

Yes. It is an adjustment thing, and for me it was a big one. I used to say I had to grow new brain cells to use the mirror (http://www.teamestrogen.com/prodPP_100TAL.html).

Just keep practicing. Adjusting it before you leave home helps. I figured out some "landmarks" in my house that meant it was perfectly adjusted -- for example, if I'm standing at Point A, I should be able to see Point B in the mirror.

[zoom-zoom]

I have a bar end mirror on my left side, like this:
http://www.pricepoint.com/images/styleImages/D_235%20RTBST7.jpg

I must say that now I feel kinda naked when I run on the roads or MUP and can't see what's coming up behind me.

[Catrin]

I have a bar-end mirror on my beloved steel steed. I wouldn't cycle without it!

[warneral]

I have a bar end too. I should like to try the helmet type but I honestly haven't tried it b/c it seems too tricky!

[badger]

I have straight bars, so bar end wouldn't work.

I was going to ask if the ones that fit on the bike itself works, but blueberry alluded to it not. Anyone else with experience with mirror on bike? If not, I'll try the helmet mirror.

[zoom-zoom]

I have straight bars, so bar end wouldn't work.

I was going to ask if the ones that fit on the bike itself works, but blueberry alluded to it not. Anyone else with experience with mirror on bike? If not, I'll try the helmet mirror.


There are some models that will work on straight bars. Look here (http://www.google.com/images?um=1&hl=en&newwindow=1&client=safari&rls=en&biw=1476&bih=903&tbs=isch%3A1&sa=1&q=bar+end+bicycle+mirror&aq=f&aqi=&aql=&oq=&gs_rfai=) for some ideas.

[evangundy]

One of the tricks for "learning" to see in those small mirrors, is to look at the image, not at the mirror. I always used bike mount mirrors when I rode an upright, I wasn't coordinated enough to just turn my head to look backwards - the whole bike moved left - not safe. The shorter the post it's on, the less image distortion because of vibrating.

When riding a recumbent, you really can't turn around to look behind you. A mirror makes riding so much nicer. I've tried both helmet and glasses mount and found I prefer glasses mount. You swivel your head from side-to-side to see behind you. I've ridden with a mirror since I started in the mid 90's - I won't ride without one. Safety far outweighs dorkiness factor.
Edna

[malkin]

That 'look at the image' thing worked for me. I used to get sick looking at the mirror too.

I gave up on my mirror though because I kept knocking it off my glasses and I got better at turning to look behind me anyway.

[Catrin]

I have straight bars there are bar-end mirrors work made for them :D I use the Mirrycle Mountain mirror (http://www.mirrycle.com/mountain_mirrycle.php) and I wouldn't cycle without it. I've no desire for other types of mirrors - you will find fans here of all of the different types of mirror for the bike. Experiment and find what works best for you. My mirror is quite steady/stable and also inexpensive - I don't think any of the mirrors are really all that expensive which makes them easy to replace should something happen.

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

I love my helmet mirror. Once it broke, and I felt terrible- like one would feel if driving a car with no mirrors. :eek:
Mirrors are wonderful things. :) And yes, you should always use a quick head glance too whenever possible- just like you do when you're car driving.

I use a "Third Eye" helmet mirror.

And yes, helmet and eyeglass mirrors take getting used to. After a few days or weeks (depending on how much you ride) your brain and your eyes adapt to the strange newness and then typically you just love it.
One tip- when you are just starting with a mirror attached to your head somewhere, don't look at it all the time- just glance at it sometimes (like maybe when you hear a truck approaching far behind you) and adjust its position. You'll start to get used to it more naturally that way than if you keep obsessively looking at it.

[emily_in_nc]

It's nice to see how, the longer one rides, the less concerned one becomes about how "cool" they look to others.

Safety, comfort and practicality trumps cool, everytime. IMHO. :cool: :)

Absolutely! I ride with the same type of mirror (the Take-a-Look) and can't imagine life without it! :)

[Owlie]

Zoom-zoom, what mirror do you have? I'm looking at bar-end mirrors. :)

I shall also keep the flat-bar one in mind for a hypothetical commute bike.

[zoom-zoom]

Zoom-zoom, what mirror do you have? I'm looking at bar-end mirrors. :)

It looks like that one in the photo I posted...not sure on brand. Our LBS sold it and installed it for me.

[kmehrzad]

Zoom-zoom, what mirror do you have? I'm looking at bar-end mirrors. :)

I shall also keep the flat-bar one in mind for a hypothetical commute bike.

Owlie,

I use this mirror all the time on a number of my bikes. It's my favorite mirror and has good visibility.

http://www.ubcbike.com/store/product/119847/Mirrcycle-Mirrcycle-ATB-Mirror-(Black)/

[Jo-n-NY]

Yup, don't leave home without it. If I do I ride back to go get it as I almost cannot ride without it.

[tangentgirl]

Yes. It is an adjustment thing, and for me it was a big one. I used to say I had to grow new brain cells to use the mirror.


That is how I feel. I find the mirror really distracting. My eyes are drawn to it, rather than the road, enough so that I had to take it off after a few ride.

Any suggestions on that?

[lph]

I've been back and forth on mirrors. Rode for years without one, but I'm really good at turning my head and checking the road often without veering, and I've passed many a rider who had mirrors but weren't paying attention anyway. Then I won a handlebar mirror, it lay around in my spare parts box for 6 months or so, I put in on on a whim, got really distracted, and kept turning around to check the road anyway from old habit. But after a while I got used to the split-focus thing and enjoyed the ease of being able to keep tabs on my back at all times. Especially useful when I got another cyclist on my wheel, actually.

Then I took a tumble, broke the mirror, and freaked out a little at feeling "blind". Planned to go get a new one, but within a week I'd got used to turning around again, and I still haven't replaced it.

I feel they're a great idea and a good supplement (and it spares your neck and back a bit) but looking behind you properly is a basic skill that needs to be there anyway.

[PamNY]

That is how I feel. I find the mirror really distracting. My eyes are drawn to it, rather than the road, enough so that I had to take it off after a few ride.

Any suggestions on that?

Just practice. I did work at it -- look ahead to be sure the road is clear, glance at the mirror, then look ahead again.

One day it just clicked in. I saw a screaming yellow biker coming up behind me and realized I was using the mirror without thinking about it.

My mirror was a gift, and I didn't want to disappoint the giver. I probably would have given up otherwise. I'm glad I persevered.

[tctrek]

Love my mirror and don't ride without it.,, I use the same one as OP. I did try bar end mirrors first, but just couldn't see anything with them except my knees!

[Melalvai]

I've been opposed to mirrors because I was told 1) they distract you from the more important traffic and terrain in front of you and 2) you get into the habit of relying on them when you should be scanning. I still believe what I was told but I will add 3) on rural roads they can save your (or your daughter's) life.

Based on this thread I'm getting the Take A Look mirror. I'll order an extra one for my daughter, but I will need to encourage her to get in the habit of wearing either sunglasses or goggles. She should wear eye protection anyway.

It'll be very easy to convince her of that. She's highly safety conscious right now. Last night she said to her dad, "The speed limit is 70 mph.' (He was driving 75 mph.) "The speed limit is there for our safety." He slowed down to 70.

[emily_in_nc]

Melalvai - SO glad to hear you're going to try the Take-a-Look and have your daughter try it too. I really believe in wearing a mirror, and I truly don't think it distracts me from what's in front. It's similar to a rear-view mirror in a car, where you just want to give it a quick scan, not stare into it for more than a moment. I definitely think my mirror keeps me safer than if I didn't have one and might forget to scan behind me often enough.

You'll have to let us know what you think of it, but give yourself a few rides to get used to it.

[tulip]

This is the one I have on both road bikes. It's essential to me as I cannot see out of my left eye.

http://www.ortliebusa.com/CartGenie/prod-4.htm

[Catrin]

I love my bar-end mirror on my flat bars - won't leave home without it. I have this one (http://www.rei.com/product/723518?preferredSku=7235180010&cm_mmc=cse_froogle-_-datafeed-_-product-_-7235180010&mr:trackingCode=F7794FFE-FB85-DE11-B7F3-0019B9C043EB&mr:referralID=NA). Granted, most of my riding is in the country, but it really helps me to keep an eye on what might be coming from behind. I don't stare into it, just quick glances are enough.

[featuretile]

When I had a flat bar bike, I used a handlebar mirror. It was nice and big and felt like a car mirror and I loved it. Then I got a road bike and it would not fit. I had tried a helmet mirror and it made me nauseous. It moved around and I could not be sure what I saw, so probably was more unsafe than nothing. Then I got a Take-a -Look glasses mirror. It took a few days to get used to, but now I really like it - would not ride without it.

What really surprises me is that my left eye is weak and needs glasses for distance. But my prescription glasses have too thin a frame to support the mirror. Since my right eye is really strong, I really don't need to wear prescription glasses anyway and just use wrap around cycling glasses. What I do not understand is why I can see pretty well in the glasses mirror with my left eye. It's like doing eye exercises and I think it is actually helping my vision in that eye. I can see cars and my riding partner. Most of the time I am just using it to see if the person I am riding with is still there without having to turn my head and to know when to wait up.

[Leazerbeam]

I must confess - I purchased the Take a Look mirror and couldn't for the life of me figure out how to attach it to anything!
Help!

[emily_in_nc]

I must confess - I purchased the Take a Look mirror and couldn't for the life of me figure out how to attach it to anything!
Help!

This is really hard to explain without photos, and I'm about to head to bed so don't have time to take and upload a photo, but maybe this will help a little:

There are three little padded pieces on the end of the mirror, joined by the wire. The trick is to bend the wire slightly so that the outer two padded pieces go on the outside of the left "arm" of your sunglasses frame, while the middle padded piece goes on the inside of the "arm" of your sunglasses frame. You'll basically bend the wire slightly so it starts to form a "V", then slide it over the arm of your glasses frame. (Sorry if it isn't called an "arm"; I'm not sure what it's called, actually!)

I have two different pairs of sunglasses I wear with the Take-a-look; one has much wider "arms" than the other, so I have to adjust the wire a bit each time I move it from one pair of glasses to another. It's really quite simple once you get the hang of it.

Maybe some kind person will post a photo since this is really hard to explain!

[Leazerbeam]

Good Morning -
Thanks Emily, hope you had a good night's sleep!
Your explanation makes sense. Most likely I was trying to be too gentle when working with the arm of the mirror. I'll try again.

[emily_in_nc]

Good Morning -
Thanks Emily, hope you had a good night's sleep!
Your explanation makes sense. Most likely I was trying to be too gentle when working with the arm of the mirror. I'll try again.

Yes, the Take-a-Look is quite sturdy; that wire can take a lot of bending. I constantly have to bend it more or less to change back and forth between my two pairs of sunglasses, and it's held up for years. Good luck!

[maryellen]

I really liked my Take a Look mirror. Recently though as my eyesight has gotten worse I've found that I can't see the reflected image without reading glasses so I'm going to add a bar end mirror to the bike I use most. I already have one on my other bike and although the bar end mirror does need to be adjusted from time to time (especially on bumpy roads), I find the adjustments easy to make on the go--unlike adjustments of the Take a Look mirror, which I didn't seem to be able to adjust without stopping.

[Melalvai]

The mirrors arrived while we were on vacation! We got back last night and I went for an 18 mile bike ride today and used the mirror.

You are right, it takes some getting used to. I found that I have to squint my right eye closed to look in it. That's a little awkward at first. But I soon got the hang of it.

I didn't trust it at first and I kept scanning first and then looking in the mirror to see if I could see there what I'd just seen by scanning. Then I started checking the mirror and confirming by scanning what I saw in the mirror. By the end of the ride I was comfortably using both scanning and the mirror.

After 1 1/2 hours with the mirror, my opinion is that it's going to be great for rural roads, but I don't think I'll use it much in town. So for my situation right now, which is that I live on a rural road just outside of town, this is perfect.

I did one thing that was really funny. We stopped to drink water (I'm not a big fan of drinking on my bike, though I can do it, I prefer to stop.) I was startled because I thought there was someone behind us and I spun around--it was our own shadows behind us that I'd glimpsed in the mirror!

[ShubieGA]

:DI have been struggling the last year, with some eye surguries that have deminished my left eye vision. I need to put that mirror on my Christmas wish list!

[Melalvai]

My lbs was out of stock so I ordered it. It was $15 through TE: http://www.teamestrogen.com/prodPP_100TAL.html