One thing I don't understand

[Spinney]

I do have a mirror, but it does not replace the shoulder check.

I find it difficult to turn my head around far enough so that I can see through my glasses at the road behind rather than partly between the gap between my glasses and my face, so don't like doing shoulder checks all the time. Also, esp. when I first started riding, if I did a shoulder check and there was a vehicle there that I had not heard/was not expecting, it could induce a bit of a wobble.

So I use a mirror to keep a general eye on what is behind me while bimbling along, and to check if the road is clear before pulling out/turning right - but the latter is always followed up by a shoulder check before making the manoeuvre.

I think what would really draw flak on here is a suggestion that using a mirror can replace the shoulder check (and you did not say this )

(PS about four messages appeared before this one while I was typing!!)

 

[deptfordmarmoset]

Eye contact is also very useful for gaining attention from a vehicle behind when there's some kind of communication to come, e.g. signalling, a lane change. (I rarely wear glasses for this reason.)

 

[simonjohnross]

I do have a mirror, but it does not replace the shoulder check.

I find it difficult to turn my head around far enough so that I can see through my glasses at the road behind rather than partly between the gap between my glasses and my face, so don't like doing shoulder checks all the time. Also, esp. when I first started riding, if I did a shoulder check and there was a vehicle there that I had not heard/was not expecting, it could induce a bit of a wobble.

So I use a mirror to keep a general eye on what is behind me while bimbling along, and to check if the road is clear before pulling out/turning right - but the latter is always followed up by a shoulder check before making the manoeuvre.

I think what would really draw flak on here is a suggestion that using a mirror can replace the shoulder check (and you did not say this )

(PS about four messages appeared before this one while I was typing!!)

Absolutely NOT! for those that do indeed check over their shoulder, there's nothing better. I'm NOT suggesting it replaces a proper look over the shoulder, of course not, But just to have a general view of whats going on behind you. Surely it must be safer to take a quick glance in a mirror AS WELL AS looking over your shoulder?

 

[simonjohnross]

A week ago I had a cyclist swerve out in front of me around a massive manhole. He didn't know I was there, he was riding slowly in a 40mph limit and I was giving him plenty of space. The fact is he swerved so violently and so very far out (it was almost comical the distance he veered away from the manhole), very nearly caused me to hit an oncoming car. I'm pretty sure if he'd known I was there he would have swerved but probably nowhere near as much. JMHO.

Simon

 

[Origamist]

Guys, guys........Please don't talk rubbish....I have a mirror on my bicycle, I use it ALL the time, it's NOT useless, I can see behind me perfectly well.
Origamist.....Surely knowing what's behind you MUST help? A car approaching at speed too close to you.......A tipper lorry swerving....any number of things. Surely ANYTHING that keeps you safer has GOT to be a good thing?
DRYysted......Mirror creating problems? pray tell how?
Drago....Vibrates?...we talking about a motorcycle here?????

Well, that's persuaded me. I'm going to get a glasses mirror, bar end mirror, and headtube mirror as that will make me even SAFER - SUPER SAFE!

 

[PhilDawson8270]

Mirrors are useful for checking nothing is coming up behind you when you pull out to overtake something at 30+ mph.

On a bicycle, you don't often pull out to overtake stuff, and you're often not going so fast you can't have a look around first.

 

[Globalti]

I actually failed my motorcycle test first time around because I only used my mirrors. You are supposed to ride along with your head swivelling behind every now and again to check traffic but most don't because they trust the mirrors.

Same for cyclists really.

 

[simonjohnross]

"Well, that's persuaded me. I'm going to get a glasses mirror, bar end mirror, and headtube mirror as that will make me even SAFER - SUPER SAFE!"

Brilliant, let's take the pi55 out of someone who's concerned about safety! I'm sure the cycling community need someone like you like a hole in the head. I tried to start a constructive discussion asking a genuine question, and it seems to have got your back up. Obviously as you know it all, you will no longer need to contribute to this discussion.

Simon

ps, I have a friend who I ride with, when we see someone acting like a jerk (red lights, inside lorries etc) his first comment is "He'll be dead by Christmas..."

 

[Dogtrousers]

I used to have one that attached to the top of the brake lever, where the cable entered. It was, IIRC, excellent. Unfortunately most brake levers have under-tape routing now so that design doesn't work. I've tried a few mirrors but none have been very satisfactory as they all tend to shake loose when riding over rough road surfaces (ie nearly all the time) and end up pointing in weird directions so when you really want to see behind, all you see is your knees, or the sky, so you have to shoulder check anyway. If I discover a really good one, I'll use it.

Edit:

Rule #66 // No mirrors. Mirrors are allowed on your (aptly named) Surly Big Dummy or your Surly Long Haul Trucker. Not on your road steed. Not on your Mountain bike. Not on your helmet. If someone familiar with The Rules has sold you such an abomination, return the mirror and demand a refund, plus interest and damages

Read more on Velominati: http://www.velominati.com/the-rules/

If the velonobbers say I shouldn't have one, I definitely want one.

 

[MontyVeda]

...
Brilliant, let's take the pi55 out of someone who's concerned about safety!
...

Whilst your concerns may be genuine... you seem to have dismissed those who don't agree that a rear view mirror is essential on a bicycle. I don't need one. I shoulder check regularly. The view i get using my eyes is bigger than that given by a small convex mirror. Therefore, an RV mirror on a bike is useless in my opinion. That doesn't alter that fact that you prefer a mirror. Good for you. If it works it works... but maybe not for everyone. Happy cycling.

 

[Yellow Saddle]

I'm Italian. Therefore nothing that's behind me in the traffic matters. Mirrors are for plucking nose hair.

 

[Sharky]

Following a collarbone break, I had difficulty looking over my shoulder and I used a mirror for a while and it did help a little, but never fully trusted it and often had to stop on the left, and turn whole body to check that it was clear behind, before making a right turn. When fully recovered and had the ability to look backwards again, was not needed.

 

[Boo]

Simon,

You posted an entirely valid discussion point. Many posters here hold a different view from you. Some of them may have have been slightly sarcastic in putting their point across, many of them weren't.
What I would say is that I suspect that most of them have many, many years experience of riding bicycles, and that if adding a mirror was going to make a fundamental difference to their riding safety, they would have done it by now. That fact that the vast majority of cyclists don't use a mirror, to me, speaks volumes.
If it works for you though - great! But don't get annoyed with people for disagreeing with you!

Ride safe!

 

[simonjohnross]

It seems that common sense is sadly lacking in the cycling community.
Origamist, you're calling me a Troll? Pot....Kettle...Black?
Ok I'm done with this, it's obvious I'm not wanted here, I will depart and leave you to the likes of Origamist...God help you all.
Ride safe everyone (mirrors or not)

Simon

 

[martint235]

Well that was a fun thread to read.

Just my twopenneth. I have a mirror on both my road bikes. I commute on busy London roads where it's far more important that I see what's going on in front of me (I'm thinking South Circular here where lane changing is done at a seconds notice with no indication). Mirrors will not replace a shoulder check but they are a useful indication of what is going on behind you.