Any Opinions on Bike Mirrors?

[Mark Blacknell]

I experimented a long time back with bike-mounted mirrors. I didn’t find them particularly helpful – road vibration just makes it all look fuzzy, to me.

I ended up with a glasses-mounted mirror, like this – http://www.treefortbikes.com/product/333222338946/148/Take-A-Look-Model-100-Eye.html. I use it when leading group rides with people who need an eye kept on them. There are other, safer (i.e., plastic around mirror) alternatives. The one I use looks perfect for putting someone’s (okay, my) eye out.

[Dirt]

I use the Italian Road Mirror on my Big Dummy. it works quite well.

http://www.aspirevelotech.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=PROD&Product_Code=RBM_1001&Category_Code=MIRROR

Pete

[MCL1981]

I had one of the little gooseneck ones on my handlebar before I smashed it off my accident. I find it is too small to see much in daylight. At night they are great because headlights stick out.

[chris_s]

I have the Mirrycle Mirror on my hybrid and use it constantly – I like to always know whether it is safe to bail out of the bike lane into the traffic lane in case of emergency. As a near-sighted glasses wearer, I find it difficult to quickly glance backward over my shoulder far enough to be able to see traffic through my glasses rather than just in my blurry peripheral vision, the mirror makes this mostly moot.

Actually, I have to admit I often find myself instinctively looking for it even when I’m not on the bike (for instance, when I’m pushing my son in his stroller).

Mirrycle makes mirrors for other types of handlebars as well.

[DCAKen]

I use a helmet mounted mirror, the Third Eye Pro. I find it more flexible than a handlebar mounted mirror as I switch back and forth from the handlebars to the aero bars. When my old mirror fell off (old adhesive lost grip in a heavy downpour), I felt more vulnerable without it as I cycled Beach Drive on my daily commute. I really like being aware of what’s coming up behind me.

[Greenbelt]

For drop bars, I’ve tried both the bar-end plug in mirror and also the kind that clamp on the side of the drop part of the bar and extend out to the side. The plug in ones are great but I’ve had a couple where the plug in connecting stuff wore out or broke off. The clamp ones can interfere with your hands when you’re in the drops, and they are easy to knock around when you lean your bike against a wall or getting out a door. However, on balance, I prefer the clamp on type. They have lasted longer for me.

[consularrider]

I’ve used glasses mounted, helmet mounted, and bar mounted mirrors. Below is my experience with them:

I’m very partial to the Take-a-look glasses moutned mirror that Mark linked to above. I’ve been using one for five years now and it vibrates very little. I’ve crashed with it on, cracked my helmet, but did not put my eye out.

I picked up a Chuck Harris mirror at a bike event in Indiana. Chuck mounted it to my helmet, but I bent it on another fall and can’t get it adjusted to the replacement helmet, and you have to find Chuck at various bike events.

I also have a helmet visor mounted one that is specific to my Bell Metro helmet that I use to commute. That one is a little small and vibrates more than my Take-a-look.

Another popular glasses mounted mirror is the Third Eye. I used this before I got the Take-a-look, and find that it doesn’t stay on the glasses as well and that the ball joint loosens up over time.

As far as handlebar mirrors, I have tried two that fit into the ends of the handlebars on my hybrid. To be honest, I don’t remember the brands. The first broke off when I crashed on ice (seems like I have crashing issues when referring to bike mirrors, doesn’t it ). I lost its replacement because I didn’t check the tightness of the adjustment screw and the mirror fell off while I was riding and I didn’t miss it immediately and couldn’t find it when I retraced my route.

[DaveK]

@Mark Blacknell 22164 wrote:

I ended up with a glasses-mounted mirror, like this – http://www.treefortbikes.com/product/333222338946/148/Take-A-Look-Model-100-Eye.html. I use it when leading group rides with people who need an eye kept on them.

Fred.

[KS1G]

I dislike glasses-mounted mirrors, handlebar mirrors can’t be aimed, and many of the helmet-mounted mirrors are semi-permanent (double sided tape), don’t fit some helments (or at least those I use), or they don’t hold up (same issue reported above for 3rd Eye).

My helmet-mirror-of-choice is the Hubbub – a commercial version, I believe, of the “Chuck Harris”. I own two. Nigh-indestructible (one of mine survived a 20mph crash) and seems to fit about anything. Hubbub sells replacement mirrors, too (reflective ‘silvering” wore off my older mirror after several seasons of year-round use). Costs a bit more (initially) but I can easily move it to another helmet and it-just-don’t-break.

[vvill]

I’ve tried two or three mirrors.

This one:
@consularrider 22193 wrote:

Another popular glasses mounted mirror is the Third Eye. I used this before I got the Take-a-look, and find that it doesn’t stay on the glasses as well and that the ball joint loosens up over time.

And two drop handlebar mounted ones.

I haven’t found one that’s really worked and haven’t really missed not having the mirror so I still commute mirrorless. Whenever I had a mirror I found myself fiddling with it to try to make it useful, more than actually benefiting from it. The Italian one Dirt linked to looks decent though.

[chris_s]

@KS1G 22211 wrote:

…handlebar mirrors can’t be aimed…

My handlebar mirror swivels left and right and up and down. Is it special or do you mean something else by “aimed’?

[KLizotte]

I use one of these – it was recommended to me by ArlingtonRider. So far it has worked really well; vibration is not a problem and it gives a remarkably wide view. I can’t imagine riding without it now; I’m always glancing to see what is going on behind me. It’s particularly useful when I see a car hanging back a respectful distance – when that happens, I’ll go out of my way to move far to the right, even stopping if necessary, and motion for the car to go around me. I figure if they are nice to me I can be nice to them.

The only downside is having to readjust it each time I get on the bike if I’ve put my helmet down on something thus moving the mirror.

It has the advantage that it is cheap enough that if I lose it I won’t much care. And somehow the mirror never seems to get smudged despite my fingers being all over it.

[pfunkallstar]

@vvill 22222 wrote:

I’ve tried two or three mirrors.

This one:

And two drop handlebar mounted ones.

I haven’t found one that’s really worked and haven’t really missed not having the mirror so I still commute mirrorless. Whenever I had a mirror I found myself fiddling with it to try to make it useful, more than actually benefiting from it. The Italian one Dirt linked to looks decent though.

I’ve been commuting for at least six years now and have never even thought about getting a mirror, maybe I put undue faith in those riding behind me. Also running away from the masses is kind of my M.O. so I don’t worry about fasty passers that much.

[DaveK]

To add something constructive to this thread, I’ve never seen a need for a mirror on my bike. I just turn and look back for a second. This isn’t as simple as it sounds. If you’re not used to doing it, your bike will naturally travel in the direction you’re looking when you do so. So when you’re turning to see if it’s safe to merge left, your bike drifts left. It’s important to practice this skill until you’re confident you can look backwards without deviating from your line.

[Mark Blacknell]

@DaveK 22200 wrote:

Fred.

Yeah, but if I’d had it when you “dropped your chain” in Philadelphia, I would have noticed and you wouldn’t have been so lonely for the next few miles.

[Author]

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