It’s necessary to get rear view mirrors put in?

[hiteshbangera]

I use my Bianchi for all the inter-city commuting I do. Do you think it’s necessary to get rear view mirrors put in? Any other accessories I should get fitted?

 

[HaloJ]

There has recently been a discussion on mirrors.

See the link below for the thread. Lots of options listed as to what folks use.

https://www.cyclechat.net/

 

[gaz]

What's wrong with looking over your shoulder?
Some people have neck or back problems which limit how much they can turn, in which case they are necessary

 

[BentMikey]

I don't think I'd bother with a mirror on my upright, but they are very useful on the recumbent.

 

[wafflycat]

When cycling on my upright, I've found mirrors to be unnecessary, as I can turn my head when needed. On the recumbent, however, I've found them to be essential as I can't turn my head the same way due to the different positioning.

 

[Moodyman]

As above - unless you have an ailment preventing you from looking over your shoulder, then don't bother.

You'll probably find them more of a hindrance as they get in the way and catch things when your moving the bike in tight spaces.

 

[TheDoctor]

It's *highly* unwise to rely on mirrors.
As m'learned friend says, on a 'bent it's hard to look over your shoulder, but there should be no problem on an upright.

 

[HLaB]

gaz - What's wrong with looking over your shoulder?
Some people have neck or back problems which limit how much they can turn, in which case they are necessary

It's *highly* unwise to rely on mirrors.
As m'learned friend says, on a 'bent it's hard to look over your shoulder, but there should be no problem on an upright.

+2

 

[BentMikey]

I don't know if you can really stretch to saying that using mirrors is "*highly* unwise". Of course they have some disadvantages, one being blind spots that you'll need to look in anyway, and another being that loss of presence and negotiation weight you bring to drivers by looking at them.

 

[HLaB]

I don't know if you can really stretch to saying that using mirrors is "*highly* unwise". Of course they have some disadvantages, one being blind spots that you'll need to look in anyway, and another being that loss of presence and negotiation weight you bring to drivers by looking at them.

Oops I posted too quickly without reading whole post, I think it is highly unwise to rely on mirrors alone; I thought thats what Thedoctor meant. Some people will develop a reliance upon them which is not safe IMO.

 

[StuartG]

Motorbikes have better mirrors than you can ever get on a bicycle but you fail your test if you rely on them. They are there to give background information without taking your eyes off the important bit of the road (in front). But before any manoeuvre or indication it is head over the shoulder.

Having said that I would never go out on a motorbike in an urban setting without them. Same with a bicycle. They are best for spotting traffic approaching from the rear at distance - away from any blindspot. I use it to anticipate whether I'm going to get hemmed it at a junction or pinch point. This enables one to accelerate/deaccelerate to avoid conflict and when you are about to manoeuvre the glance over the shoulder should mean confirming what you expect - so the unexpected stands out a mile.

Mirrors (in urban situations) are a great safety feature to anticipate but not replace the shoulder glance.

IMHO the same applies to car drivers - but unless things have changed the testing authorities disagree.

 

[TheDoctor]

To clarify - I mean use mirrors by all means, but always check by looking over your shoulder.
One of these days it'll save your life, or at least your undies...

 

[dodgy]

Nothing wrong with mirrors, when will people understand that they are not instead of shoulder checks, they're an addition. I have a tiny unobtusive one on my carbon race bike and it's brilliant.

 

[psmiffy]

I debated fitting a mirror for a while - however I have decided that looking behind is much the better option - I can look to both sides quickly and easily and get a full picture of what is going on around me - particulaly when manouvering or at pinch points it enables me to "warn off" drivers by eye contact - I find wearing a helmet with a peak or a baseball cap exaggerates the effect

I decided last year when cycling across Poland on the open road that having a mirror so that I can avoid HGVs "getting" me from behind would be a waste of space - I know they are there - if one was out to get me there would not be much I could do about it

 

[HLaB]

I decided last year when cycling across Poland on the open road that having a mirror so that I can avoid HGVs "getting" me from behind would be a waste of space - I know they are there - if one was out to get me there would not be much I could do about it

Not that I've cycle across Poland, well done on that I came to a similar conclusion when considering fitting a mirror. I also decided that I wouldn't want to see driver bearing down on me, perhaps looking closer than they are as this may cause me to nervously swerve out of the way rather than holding a good position in traffic.