Mirrors
 

Back on the bike again after a 5 yr. hiatus, not near as flexible now and getting harder to hear, any suggestions for a mirror for left side, I ride a road bike, drop down handles, always wear a helmet, and prescription glasses ?

I use a take-a-look mirror on my road bike. It attaches to your glasses and is very effective. I don't ride without it...or at least not on the road.

https://takealookactive.com/

I ride a mountain bike and use the Mountain Mirrycle. They also make a road version. Love it, wouldn't ever ride without one again, end of discussion, as far as I'm concerned. But brace yourself, this is going to turn into a very long thread about bar-mounted vs. helmet-mounted mirrors and then which ones are the best.

another vote for take-a-look.

This is great. I just started cycling and was thinking


Why should I crane my neck all the time?

+1 for the Take-A-Look. I'd be lost without it and even purchased a second one a couple of weeks ago to have as a spare in case something happens to my current one.

I use Sprintech bar end mirrors. They do a decent job and installation is easy.

https://www.jensonusa.com/Sprintech-Dropbar-Mirror

Yup, I use mirrors almost every ride. My neck has been injured a few times, pretty badly twice from being hit by cars, so I need mirrors to offset limited range of motion. It's gotten better with physical therapy but I'm still more comfortable with mirrors. And road/wind noise can obscure the approach of some cars, especially newer electric, hybrid and fuel efficient cars that are much more aero and use tires with minimal tread that make very little road noise.

On my hybrids with flat and riser bars, I've used Mirrycle mirrors -- inexpensive and really tough. Mine have survived a few crashes and bike drops.

A couple of years ago I tried Take-A-Look mirrors for my safety glasses and helmets. I have a couple, one mounted to my primary helmet using zip ties, and another that I swap between my clear and tinted safety glasses.

After noticing some 50+ friends using aerodynamic bar-end mirrors (pricey Italian things) on their drop bar bikes, I tried the less expensive Sprintech, which may be even better despite being cheaper. The Sprintech are easy to mount, easy to adjust on the fly but retain the desired position until I knock 'em with my knee or hand. Road vibration won't jar the Sprintech mirrors out of position. Highly recommended for drop bar bikes. The pricier Italian mirrors need to be set in one position and held in place with bar wrap, so it's not easily adjustable while riding. The Sprintech uses a soft rubber plug for the bar-end, with a socket joint for the hard plastic ball-end on the mirror itself. Very handy design, although it's a bit longer than the Italian mirror.

Occasionally when I'm chasing a Strava PR I'll omit the Take-A-Look mirror on my helmet or sunglasses, wear an aero helmet with magnetic mount visor (no place to mount a mirror), and rely on the Sprintech bar-end mirror. I'm still more comfortable with the 1:1 view of the Take-A-Look mirrors -- easier to see approaching vehicles and closing speed at a glance. But the Sprintech helps when I'm approaching tricky intersections with traffic merging diagonally from behind me. My aero helmet and kit are good for maybe a 1 mph improvement over distance, and the Sprintech mirror doesn't seem to add any drag.

The Sprintech bar-end mirrors for drop bars cost about $25 or less for a pair. They're intended to be mounted on both bar-ends of a single drop bar, and are slightly curved rather than neutral in shape. But I've mounted one from the pair on two road bikes, left hand side, and the slightly mismatched curve hasn't been a problem when mounting the "right hand" mirror on the left side.

I particularly like that I can quickly adjust the angle of the Sprintech to suit whichever riding position I'm in. If I plan to work on getting out of the saddle and standing to pedal a lot, I can quickly adjust the mirror so I can glance down occasionally and see behind me. And when I sit to use the drops it takes only a moment to adjust it again. The roughly elongated teardrop shaped mirror is visible from the usual drop bar positions -- tops, hoods, drops -- without any adjustment.

After four and a half decades of being grumpy about mirrors I got a Take A Look. It wasn't love at first sight (pun not intended), but it's useful and I've made peace with it. Especially good when I ride with my wife so I can keep from getting too far ahead. She doesn't mind it, but I do...

I use the Third Eye Hardshell Helmet Mount Mirror.with its plastic screw clamp. But I never liked the attachment to the helmets I used. So I've been making my own mounts for years. I take thin sheet aluminum, bend it to fit the helmet visor. (I wear prescription glasses, not contacts and visors simply mean life is better.) Then I fiberglass both sides with light glass cloth and epoxy. Drill 2 #4 holes in mount and visor and use screws. The mount will outlast several helmets so if I can find the same model next time, I drill 2 tiny holes and done.

I've also used the EVT Safety Zone mirror (Cycle Oregon; broke my mirror and that is what the Bike Gallery traveling store offered - also developed by a former Bike Gallery employee and Cycle Oregon mechanic). Those mirrors are excellent ,,, but huge and goofy looking. My far shorter mirror places it exactly at the best location I can put the EVT and being far closer, it gives me the same field of view.

I will probably never wear a glasses mounted mirror or handlebar mirror. I move around too much for a handlebar mirror to be useful unless it is convex like a car right hand mirror and I cannot judge distance with those mirrors, My glasses are simply too important (and expensive) to risk damaging them with a lever sticking out to grab things. (Those event are also hard on my nose.) My helmet doesn't care. Catch that mirror and it just breaks. Helmet's fine. The mount is fine. (And those Third Eyes are cheap. $11 on Amazon right now.)

Pet peeve - why don't the mirror and helmet people talk to each other and come up with a bracket like mine? $5 would be far more than it it cost to make and package. And if there was a system that good, more riders might start using mirrors. And the helmet makers that took on that standard might well sell a few more helmets. I don't have it in me to push for another new product and I don't have the need to have it because I have the skills and material on hand all the time to make them.

Ben

I use a take-a-look mirror. I prefer the compact rather than full length. I have mine attached to my helmet visor, and anchored in place with zip ties.
Road bike and prescription glass here too.

I have 3. Lol. One got run over by a car and some of the backing paint got scraped off. I just put some reflective bike tape over the back.

Another another vote here for Take-A-Look.

I put mine on my helmet, not on my glasses. My glasses move around a lot, and putting the mirror on the glasses would make that worse. The helmet moves on my head some, but not as much, and I get good results. I do have to adjust before every ride and make sure it's all the way pushed on the helmet. It takes some lighting (I usually ride at night) to adjust so you can see what's behind you. As long as I can see the outer edge of my ear and the top of my shoulder, it's pointing the right way.

Several people here have said, once you get used to a helmet mirror, you'll miss it when you walk without one.

I also use a handlebar mirror. That may give me a view behind even if I have to turn my head away because the sun or headlights are blasting me in the helmet mirror.

Take-a-Look sells a small plastic mount, but I have never used mine---I just wedge mine between the side of the visor and the helmet shell .... but a lot of roadies seem to scoff at visors (I don't care but some might.) I get the long-arm mirror---plenty of bendable metal so I think almost any sort of mounting system could be devised and the arm bent to provide the necessary field of vision.

Duct tape fixes everything, I hear.

Thanks for all the replies, looks like the Take-a-look is the right one for me as I have ride from work, home and cottage, 3 different bikes. Save me from having to buy 3 sets of Sprintech.

Have had constant 15+mph winds lately so plenty of time on aero clamp-on bars since I'm riding solo. I like the following mirror mounted upside down thus elevating the mirror providing a better view of behind. Due to the winds many of yesterday's solo 111 miles and Wednesday's mostly solo 152 miles were on the aero bars

https://www.amazon.com/CycleAware-He...EQ3ZGXTKEYZ2B8

p.s. -- my preference is for having a plastic mirror near eyes instead of metal

I like using two when possible. One at the end of my drop bar & one on my glasses. Each provide features & benefits unique to their respective position & compliment ea other because they both have unique shortfalls. Bar end mount provides a bigger better quality image w less movement/shake but requires looking down which is bad approaching intersections. Unit on mirror (take a look) allows a glance backward while still looking forward which is great but the image is small & jittery & creates a blind spot- sometimes albeit rare at an inopportune moment. I’ve tried both versions of the take-a-look & haven’t noticed an appreciable recommendation for one over the other. A word of caution tho just cuz I use mirrors doesn’t mean I’ll be aware of all overtaking traffic. Meaning having them isn’t the same as using them

unknown brand bought at a consignment shop
https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...bc7de3b9b8.jpg

sometimes Wifey blends in even w/ hi-viz wear
https://cimg0.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...6848f9632a.jpg

the Take-a-Look
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...5f63780c71.jpg

https://cimg6.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...cb7dc691a4.jpg

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...98028c57a4.jpg

the shorter model
https://cimg2.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...32a9241da9.jpg

https://cimg8.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...84243cd85a.jpg

Depends on what you like but I use the Italian Road Bike mirror.

even w 2 mirrors I find certain traffic situations are still safer w a quick look backward w my eyeballs. like when crossing 2 lanes of two-way traffic to make a left down a side road. nothing in my mirror(s) & nothing seen directly. then it's safe to make the move

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/bikefor...2b7f3f5186.jpg

got a pic? & Funny how helmet makers took so long to incorporate lights. Wonder if someday a helmet maker will incorporate front/rear cameras

I also prefer eye mirror and use models like Third Eye. I use epoxy to make a more secure helmet attachment.

Good point, yes, I imagine it’s kind of like in a car. Actually looking is needed to confirm all safe. But it seems like they would be great to have so much more awareness in general. Here is a good article from a pro who once thought they were “dorky” to a believer...

https://www.bicycling.com/bikes-gear...ular-cyclists/

“The first mirror I tried was a bar-end design that fit into my handlebar’s drop, but I didn’t like that I had to take my eyes off the road completely to use it. So I switched to a sunglass-mounted model. On my first ride, I saw the benefits immediately: With a quick glance to my left, I could see approaching vehicles. Cars that previously went unheard and passed too close were now on my radar. If there was not much of a shoulder to ride on and I needed to protect my space, I could slowly drift out and gauge how drivers were reacting to me. I could see whether they were slowing down, if they were moving over. I was always looking out for the driver who made no adjustment. Now that I could create enough room between myself and the shoulder, I had a space to move into when they got closer.”

In addition to the Mirrycle I mentioned above, I've also used a home-made invention that involved attaching one of those small wide-angle mirrors to the top-side of my cycling glove. This gave me the flexibility to move the mirror around and capture any part of the road I needed to see. Of course, the downside was that I had to remove one hand from the bar to use it, a bad idea when rolling downhill really fast or cutting a tough corner. Lots of people copied me, though. I wonder if they are all still alive?

That works if you can turn your head far enough to see behind. With enough cycling you may find that no longer possible. (I've accumulated enough collarbone and shoulder injuries that I cannot turn to the right much at all and have to twist my whole torso to see to the left.)

Yes, I have blind spots. Every car I have ever driven has had them also. The one helmet mirror on the left is better than even the best of those cars. (And the places I cannot see are to my right, where cars rarely are. It's cyclists that I lose. Good thing is that contact with them is much better for me than them and they can see me just fine. Biggest issue is cyclists who come up behind me and choose no to tell me they're there.)

rumrunn - I am still digital photo illiterate and am choosing to stay that way.

Ben

If you aren't on a budget, you might also consider a Garmin Varia. My son has one and it alerts for overtaking cars well before they get to you. It even does a pretty good job at alerting for cyclist overtaking you too, but since the unit is doing a comparison of relative speeds, it sometimes will let a cyclist sneak up on you. It's also an excellent taillight.

I'm not recommending it instead of the mirror, but something else to use in conjunction with the mirror.