Should mirrors be mandatory?

[Toshiba Boy]

No.

 

[Randy Butternubs]

It felt like you were implying that those who have tried and dismissed mirrors had misused them. The mirror has to be so far out that the reflected line of sight clears the rider's arm, shoulder and hip. Mirrors on extension arms nearly all get criticised in reviews for various types of distortion, which was my experience too. Shorter flat handlebars like yours may well help - only my folding bike has that, with porters and drops on my most-used bikes.

Plenty of the most popular mirrors are on or below the bar end like the Zefal Spy which means you can't see much on the opposite side of the bike unless it's a long way back and I think it's not the stuff a long way back you have to worry about. I've seen plenty of people with mirrors like the Spy or the between-the-legs-but-can't-use-longflap-saddlebags-or-racktops Bike Eye spend far longer peering down and wobbling around than they would have with a quick look behind if they were physically capable.

I didn't meant to imply that. This happens a lot to me so I'm probably bad at communicating.

I've got a Cateye BM300 which works well.

And a Mirrycle which is on a bit of a stalk and also works well. Real glass that doesn't scratch! I don't get issues with vibration.

I've got a Zefal Spy but find it pretty useless and cheaply made.

 

[glasgowcyclist]

I rode once with a guy who used one of those. We had quite a long chat about it and he said he'd been using it for years and found it very effective. And who am I to doubt him? He also said he'd used some other brand which was less so. Unfortunately I can't remember the name of either brand.

I used to use the Blackburn version when I had my recumbent:


It was quite useful, given that I couldn't turn my head around but it was very easy to knock out of alignment. It also meant wearing a helmet and any time you sat the helmet down somewhere it moved the mirror arm. A mirror can be helpful in certain circumstances but I would be against compulsory fitting.

 

[lutonloony]

Only for reversing

 

[Widge]

Until I got one....I would have said no and thrice no....so UN-Velominati and unnecessary??
That is-until I invested a small amount of squidos on a 'Sprintech' roadbike bar end mirror after putting my shoulder out a few months ago. I think there are geeky looking and largely wobbly ineffectual mirrors-and then there are the 'Sprint-tech' type. Largely unobtrusive-blend into the lines of the bike and bars-easy to fit and adjust on the fly (although mine holds adjustment admirably unless I knock it with my knee mounting and dismounting. They give a somewhat compromised but clear enough view of what is going on behind you at a glance-but distances are hard to judge until you simply get used to it like one does with car wing mirrors.
Does it replace the over the shoulder look?
NO and thrice no
Does it it give some element of increased awareness of what is happening around you?
YES and thrice yes.
Should they be mandatory?
No!

I wouldn't be without mine as an additional situation awareness tool.....but then... I AM a situational awareness tool!

YMMV

w

 

[BoldonLad]

I've got a Cateye BM300 which works well.
View attachment 383234
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Me too....

 

[freiston]

I tried a helmet mounted mirror but found that it vibrated too much on the end of the plastic flexible arm to be of much use. It detached itself from the arm during a food and drink stop at a pub near Warwick; by the time I noticed, I didn't consider it worth turning round to retrieve.

I have fancied a decent sized bike-mounted mirror but the only ones that have grabbed my interest have been bar-end mounted and I use bar-end shifters and so cannot fit such a mirror.

I do sometimes struggle to look over my shoulder and get a clear view of what is behind me and this is why I have an interest in rear-view mirrors. I have one short-sighted eye and one long-sighted eye so I can get by without wearing spectacles but when I look over my right shoulder, I lose my distance-vision. I wear bifocal spectacles for everything other than the computer - when I look through the lens over my shoulder, there is very little that I can see clearly.

 

[NickNick]

I wander if they've done any proper safety tests on those mirrors that attach to helmets, to me most of them look like they'd have a high chance of causing some quite nasty injuries to the face and or eyes in the event of a fall.

 

[Apollonius]

I think @Milkfloat makes a very good point. Turning round to look is clear indication to a vehicle behind that you have seen it. The sort of roads that I favour (narrow winding lanes) make passing difficult for powered vehicles unless the rider (me) is co-operating. The backward look, maybe even eye-contact, is an essential part of the communication process, which lets the driver know you are aware he is there and you are looking for a place where you think it safe for him/her to pass. I know all this could be achieved with a mirror as a supplementary aid, but I fear I would become lazy. Apart from that, after many years of "offs", I know how little of a projecting object it takes to remove a chunk of flesh I would prefer to have kept.
I am still just about flexible enough to turn my head, even though 70 isn't far away. Not for me, thanks, but if you want to use one, why not?

 

[Threevok]

On a side note - has anyone toyed with the idea of an LCD screen on your bars - linked to a rear camera on the bike ?

I'm not talking 21" screen here, just a small 2 or 3 inch display

 

[Randy Butternubs]

The backward look, maybe even eye-contact, is an essential part of the communication process, which lets the driver know you are aware he is there and you are looking for a place where you think it safe for him/her to pass.

That's a possibility but I think it's equally likely that:
- The driver is now certain that you know he is there and will squeeze past with (mistaken) confidence that you will not deviate from your line.
- The driver isn't paying any attention to you or your road positioning.

There's a fast but windy road I often cycle on which opens up for a possible overtake just before I turn off. Every time, I give a strong, early left arm signal and every time, the driver behind overtakes literally 2 seconds before my turn whether it's safe or not.

 

[Randy Butternubs]

On a side note - has anyone toyed with the idea of an LCD screen on your bars - linked to a rear camera on the bike ?

I'm not talking 21" screen here, just a small 2 or 3 inch display

It sounds like a ridiculous idea on the surface but given how awkward mirrors are to mount on a bike it might not be.

Garmin do a 'radar' system - the Varia Rearview Radar. It isn't a camera but it is meant to give a warning of drivers coming up behind you and an approximate distance. It makes a lot more sense if you already have the screen in the form of a big GPS cycle computer. Even then it costs a whopping £100 (£215 for the full kit!) and the sensor desperately needs to be slimmed down.

 

[potsy]

Well, I am a fan of mirrors on my bikes and keep one on there all the time.

I quickly swap mine between bikes and if I ever forget to I soon go back and get it.

The only exception being the mtb where I haven't yet fitted one, as it's rarely used on anything but trails it's not a problem.

Even as a fan I wouldn't want them made compulsory though.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

If you mount a mirror where does your make up go?

 

[glasgowcyclist]

I wander if they've done any proper safety tests on those mirrors that attach to helmets, to me most of them look like they'd have a high chance of causing some quite nasty injuries to the face and or eyes in the event of a fall.

Any more so than sunglasses or spectacles?