oldwheels
Legendary Member
- Location
- Isle of Mull
This shows my Brompton with mirror which when the bike was folded tucked in nicely without any adjustment.
Bar end mirrors
- Thread starter UphillSlowly
- Start date
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presta
Legendary Member
I just ended up on the roof of the car. Fortunately the occupants were too embarrassed about being parked on a double yellow line to ask how I got there.
Why? Those buffers look as if they're on the right side already.
OP
OP
UphillSlowly
Making my way slowly uphill
The reverse of these exist already. They are called Belayers glasses. Climbers use them
a.twiddler
Veteran
That's excellent! Can get them with adjustable angles, too. so you can see past the edge of your UCI mandated helmet in a head down position. Next, someone will say that the UCI don't approve of stuff like that as it gives the rider an unfair advantage. If not dying from riding into something can be seen as an "advantage". Maybe appealing to snooker players? Just the thing when you have to change a ceiling light fitting if your neck is as creaky as mine.
presta
Legendary Member
a.twiddler
Veteran
Not quite the same thing, but shows how adaptable humans are.
steveindenmark
Legendary Member
I use bar end mirrors on all my bikes. I ride a lot in the dark and as light travels a lot faster than sounds. I can see the cars behind far quicker than hearing them.
Bristolian
Über Member
- Location
- Bristol, UK
Having read this thread I fitted a pair of bar end mirrors to my bike today but haven't had a chance to head out and see how well they work.
Hopefully, if Storm Isha has blown itself out sufficiently I will get to try them tomorrow
EDIT to add: I've had the chance to try the mirrors on a couple of rides now and am quite pleased with them. I have a problem twisting my head to the right making looking back a rather painful experience. If a car is reasonably close and to my right I can see it's there but nothing else whereas the mirrors let me see stuff several hundred metres behind and gauge its closing speed. I feel much safer now when turning right or moving into the right hand lane approaching a roundabout.
Hopefully, if Storm Isha has blown itself out sufficiently I will get to try them tomorrow
EDIT to add: I've had the chance to try the mirrors on a couple of rides now and am quite pleased with them. I have a problem twisting my head to the right making looking back a rather painful experience. If a car is reasonably close and to my right I can see it's there but nothing else whereas the mirrors let me see stuff several hundred metres behind and gauge its closing speed. I feel much safer now when turning right or moving into the right hand lane approaching a roundabout.
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Arjimlad
Tights of Cydonia
- Location
- South Glos
Another happy Zefal spy user here. I miss it when I forget to transfer it between bikes.
ColinJ
Puzzle game procrastinator!
- Location
- Todmorden - Yorks/Lancs border
I finally got my CAADX back on the road so I needed an extra mirror. I just ordered a Zefal Spy for that.
Arjimlad
Tights of Cydonia
- Location
- South Glos
Hope it gives satisfaction. I really miss it if I forget to switch it between bikes.
ColinJ
Puzzle game procrastinator!
- Location
- Todmorden - Yorks/Lancs border
Why not just treat yourself to another one for the second bike?
Arjimlad
Tights of Cydonia
- Location
- South Glos
not a bad idea!
This. Or, even better, a glasses mirror. There are several reasons for having the mirror there. It gives a wider view than a handlebar mirror, especially as you can turn your head to pan, and your own arm and body don't block the necessary view; it doesn't have the vibration problem of a handlebar mirror, and you don't have to look down to see it. It doesn't shift around as much as your helmet (which would be my second choice for where to mount a mirror). The way I mount them, there's no way an accident could drive it into my eye; but of course the whole reason it's there is to prevent the accident anyway! It does take some learning, as everything seems backwards, like that you turn your head left to see more to the right, and so on; but once you learn, you'll never want to be without it again.
Mirrors can give you a surprising degree of control of the traffic behind. The greatest danger in city traffic is the intersections, and one of the dangers is that drivers, perhaps on the phone, are not thinking about what they're doing when they plan to pass you and then immediately turn right. With a mirror, you learn to predict it and use a combination of hand motions (not insulting!) and your positioning in the lane to get their attention and prevent the accident. I give them room to pass on the right, then wave them by to make their right turn. They don't understand how I can see them, but they appreciate that I'm looking out for everyone's safety. Also, sometimes the best course of action to handle a situation developing up ahead will depend also on what's behind.
One man on a forum showed off his radar which told when a car was coming; but here in southern California there could be cars as far as the eye can see, and if every fifth one is farther to the right than is safe for you, your radar won't help you one bit!
I could describe many other scenarios; but a serious one I'll mention is that on a curvy mountain road I was climbing, there were lots of people going up to a lake for a vacation, some with boats on wide trailers, and they'd forget that just because the tow vehicle would clear you didn't mean the trailer's right wheel and fender wouldn't kill you; and also people who had rented RVs and didn't realize how much width they take up on the right, especially in tight turns! I'd be dead without a mirror.