Go Back  Bike Forums > Bike Forums > Advocacy & Safety
Reload this Page >

Help this blind guy see better when riding

Notices
Advocacy & Safety Cyclists should expect and demand safe accommodation on every public road, just as do all other users. Discuss your bicycle advocacy and safety concerns here.

Help this blind guy see better when riding

Old 09-07-20, 04:53 PM
  #1  
JakeNY
Junior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: May 2020
Posts: 10
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 5 Times in 3 Posts
Help this blind guy see better when riding

I only have tunnel vision out of my left eye, and am completely blind in my right eye, and have been using the Take A Look Eyeglasses Mirror. I fine tuning my adjustment the best I can, to see as much as I can, which obviously isn't much, as I stop every few minutes or so over the first mile, but I know that all I can hope to see is someone coming up on me as I ride as I can't resolve much with this particular mirror as I ride my Topstone 105.
If you're thinking you should be scared I'm out there on 2 wheels I hear you, but Know that I'm riding smart, and that I have yet to maim or kill anyone yet (and doubt I ever will). I'm thinking I need to try a new mirror that gives me a wider view.
Recommendations? (Yes you can tell me to stay off my bike, but I need the exercise, love riding, and my wife could spend hours describing just how stubborn I am immediately after telling you how well I actually do ride).
JakeNY is offline  
Old 09-07-20, 07:07 PM
  #2  
CB HI
Cycle Year Round
 
CB HI's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Honolulu, HI
Posts: 13,644
Mentioned: 6 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1316 Post(s)
Liked 92 Times in 59 Posts
If you are strictly following traffic code, using hand signals and calling out passes, you are likely riding safer that many, maybe even most in this forum, let alone other less informed cyclist.

It would seem the hardest part of your riding is making sure it is clear behind you when moving left for left turns, passing, coming out of the bike lane, etc. You may find a bar mounted convex mirror might be a good addition for checking a wider angle behind. I would still use the Take A Look Eyeglasses Mirror for a more refined specific view behind.

You may want to try L shaped left turns. Ride across the intersetion next to the cross walk, stop on the other side, rotatate 90 left while stopped, search for oncoming traffic and the cross the street next to that cross walk.
__________________
Land of the Free, Because of the Brave.
CB HI is offline  
Old 09-07-20, 07:17 PM
  #3  
CB HI
Cycle Year Round
 
CB HI's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2005
Location: Honolulu, HI
Posts: 13,644
Mentioned: 6 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1316 Post(s)
Liked 92 Times in 59 Posts
Page 9 bottom diagram shows a 2 staged L shaped left turn.
https://www.codot.gov/programs/bikep...estrian-manual
__________________
Land of the Free, Because of the Brave.
CB HI is offline  
Old 09-07-20, 08:04 PM
  #4  
Iride01 
I'm good to go!
 
Iride01's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jul 2017
Location: Mississippi
Posts: 14,811

Bikes: Tarmac Disc Comp Di2 - 2020

Mentioned: 50 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 6100 Post(s)
Liked 4,732 Times in 3,262 Posts
You might take a look at the Garmin Varia radar. My son has been using one for 3 or so years and it works well. He gets alerted to cars well behind him. Likely further than most with mirrors. Though I don't know since I've never used mirrors for cycling. It may or may not show you other cyclists. If they approach slowly it probably won't alert on them. However if they are closing fast on you, then you'll probably get an alert.

It works well on open roads. In city traffic if probably will be more of a bother.
Iride01 is offline  
Likes For Iride01:
Old 09-08-20, 12:25 AM
  #5  
dragoonO1
Junior Member
 
Join Date: Jan 2015
Location: Planet Earth, Sol star system, Milky Way galaxy
Posts: 123

Bikes: My bicycles have two wheels.

Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 12 Post(s)
Liked 12 Times in 8 Posts
Originally Posted by JakeNY
I'm thinking I need to try a new mirror that gives me a wider view.
Recommendations?
You might like the EVT Safe Zone bicycle helmet mirror, although it costs more than the Take-A-Look mirrors. I'm a Take-A-Look user myself. I don't have any financial interest in either brand or product.

https://www.amazon.com/EVT-Safe-Bicy...dp/B003LVHZ4O/

eBay link if you'd prefer

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Efficient-V...r/123342456415

Customer review compares the EVT Safe Zone to a Take-A-Look field of view here:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/customer-r...SIN=B003LVHZ4O

Last edited by dragoonO1; 09-08-20 at 12:30 AM.
dragoonO1 is offline  
Old 09-08-20, 05:47 AM
  #6  
rymz
Newbie
 
Join Date: Sep 2020
Posts: 3
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 1 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 1 Time in 1 Post
Im legally blind. I can just see. I stay off the road during peak hours. Im home before 3pm. Get yourself a tandem bike.
Take the train out into the country side then find yourself some quiet roads. Maybe team up with someone who can drive. I have a car and trailer.
Lastly the local public velodrome is one of my favourite spots. Blind tandem racing is popular where I live.
rymz is offline  
Likes For rymz:
Old 09-08-20, 09:56 AM
  #7  
Leisesturm
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 5,970
Mentioned: 26 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2475 Post(s)
Liked 722 Times in 513 Posts
The SafeZone mirror by EVT mentioned earlier is really the ONLY mirror on the market that puts such a large mirror on a helmet or eyeglass mounting. There are bar mounted mirrors that are 2.25" like the SafeZone but they will be quite far away in normal use. I've tried both and prefer the EVT. That being said, no mirror made can make compromised eyes work better. I am not sure why the o.p. thinks a bigger mirror will work better than anything else if they have tunnel vision. I'm not sure we are really qualified to help.

I actually know the person who makes the EVT mirrors. They are available for a lot less money than is advertised on their website if you go to certain local retailers. Lastly, one does not use a mirror to help them not kill anyone. They use a mirror to help them not be killed by anyone. Millions don't use any kind of mirror at all and manage that objective. I ride while partially sighted but with orders of magnitude more vision than the o.p. I doubt seriously that I would ride at all if my visual deficit was greater than it is. There are much safer ways to stay fit. And I am certainly not impressed that, to date, nothing serious has yet happened to the o.p. Do you think the many, many departed souls we discuss in this forum were on their first ever outing on a bike when crap happened?
Leisesturm is offline  
Old 09-08-20, 07:33 PM
  #8  
JakeNY
Junior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: May 2020
Posts: 10
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 5 Times in 3 Posts
Originally Posted by Leisesturm
The SafeZone mirror by EVT mentioned earlier is really the ONLY mirror on the market that puts such a large mirror on a helmet or eyeglass mounting. There are bar mounted mirrors that are 2.25" like the SafeZone but they will be quite far away in normal use. I've tried both and prefer the EVT. That being said, no mirror made can make compromised eyes work better. I am not sure why the o.p. thinks a bigger mirror will work better than anything else if they have tunnel vision. I'm not sure we are really qualified to help.

I actually know the person who makes the EVT mirrors. They are available for a lot less money than is advertised on their website if you go to certain local retailers. Lastly, one does not use a mirror to help them not kill anyone. They use a mirror to help them not be killed by anyone. Millions don't use any kind of mirror at all and manage that objective. I ride while partially sighted but with orders of magnitude more vision than the o.p. I doubt seriously that I would ride at all if my visual deficit was greater than it is. There are much safer ways to stay fit. And I am certainly not impressed that, to date, nothing serious has yet happened to the o.p. Do you think the many, many departed souls we discuss in this forum were on their first ever outing on a bike when crap happened?
Thank you for the information on the EVT mirror.
I don't think a bigger mirror will help, I'd like to find out if a different mirror will help. Correct, in my case, I don't use a mirror to help not kill anyone, it was tongue-in-cheek; self-deprecating humor helps get me, and others I know in my situation, through discussing my/our situation.
I choose how I stay fit, not you.
Dion't give yourself too much credit, I'm not trying to impress you, but I would impress upon you is to keep the negativity to yourself, and that one does not use the transitional word "lastly" to begin the second sentence of a paragraph.
Don't ask me questions like "Do you think the many, many departed souls we discuss in this forum were on their first ever outing on a bike when crap happened?" because, after a chain of rude remarks, you don't impress me enough to answer you.
I've read a number of your posts, and many of them share the tone of someone who likes to scold others. In the future, please provide any advice you would like to offer in a more affable manner.
I hope your vision issues do not progress.

Thank you folks for your helpful input, it is much appreciated.
JakeNY is offline  
Likes For JakeNY:
Old 09-08-20, 10:17 PM
  #9  
Leisesturm
Senior Member
 
Join Date: Jul 2005
Posts: 5,970
Mentioned: 26 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 2475 Post(s)
Liked 722 Times in 513 Posts
Originally Posted by JakeNY
Thank you for the information on the EVT mirror.
I don't think a bigger mirror will help, I'd like to find out if a different mirror will help. Correct, in my case, I don't use a mirror to help not kill anyone, it was tongue-in-cheek; self-deprecating humor helps get me, and others I know in my situation, through discussing my/our situation.
I choose how I stay fit, not you.
Dion't give yourself too much credit, I'm not trying to impress you, but I would impress upon you is to keep the negativity to yourself, and that one does not use the transitional word "lastly" to begin the second sentence of a paragraph.
Don't ask me questions like "Do you think the many, many departed souls we discuss in this forum were on their first ever outing on a bike when crap happened?" because, after a chain of rude remarks, you don't impress me enough to answer you.
I've read a number of your posts, and many of them share the tone of someone who likes to scold others. In the future, please provide any advice you would like to offer in a more affable manner.
I hope your vision issues do not progress.

Thank you folks for your helpful input, it is much appreciated.
I get it. My post hurt your feelings. Nevertheless I stand by it. I've said nothing that isn't true. I wasn't telling you how to exercise I was suggesting that maybe cycling on roads where one needs a mirror ... ... anyway, I'm sorry. I was being as affable as I can manage. If that doesn't work for you, my feelings won't be hurt but it won't do any good for you to tell me how to write. Most often in life it's the people who don't sugar coat things that we should listen to.
Leisesturm is offline  
Old 09-09-20, 10:13 AM
  #10  
JakeNY
Junior Member
Thread Starter
 
Join Date: May 2020
Posts: 10
Mentioned: 0 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 5 Post(s)
Likes: 0
Liked 5 Times in 3 Posts
Originally Posted by Leisesturm
I get it. My post hurt your feelings. Nevertheless I stand by it. I've said nothing that isn't true. I wasn't telling you how to exercise I was suggesting that maybe cycling on roads where one needs a mirror ... ... anyway, I'm sorry. I was being as affable as I can manage. If that doesn't work for you, my feelings won't be hurt but it won't do any good for you to tell me how to write. Most often in life it's the people who don't sugar coat things that we should listen to.
Yawn. You didn't hurt my feelings, I don't even know you, therefore you are nothing to me, hence, you cannot possibly be empowered with the ability to hurt my feelings. Again, you give yourself too much credit.
You failed to apply the common known conventions of courtesy- edit and filter for tone, we shouldn't tell other people how to live their life.
Whilst your statement "Most often in life it's the people who don't sugar coat things that we should listen to "may sometimes be true, it's always best to suggest and share your message in a manner that will make them/us want to consider your suggestion. Don't be off-putting, and you're guidance will be appreciated.
Now, don't get angry and hit that reply button- I could have treated you equally as rudely. And, even though my feelings were not hurt, your apology was considerate, accepted and appreciated. I'm of the mind that the maintenance of civility is paramount in all situations.
i'm looking forward to trying the suggested EVT mirror after it is delivered on Thursday, should the weather forecast for my area improve.
Peace.

Last edited by JakeNY; 09-14-20 at 02:02 AM.
JakeNY is offline  
Likes For JakeNY:
Old 09-09-20, 02:51 PM
  #11  
livedarklions
Tragically Ignorant
 
livedarklions's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jun 2018
Location: New England
Posts: 15,613

Bikes: Serotta Atlanta; 1994 Specialized Allez Pro; Giant OCR A1; SOMA Double Cross Disc; 2022 Allez Elite mit der SRAM

Mentioned: 62 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 8186 Post(s)
Liked 9,094 Times in 5,053 Posts
I know absolutely nothing about this, but I would suggest you might want to start a thread in the adaptive cycling forum. Advocacy and Safety is a problematic forum with many people who fancy themselves gurus of one sort or another.

I admire your troll-management skills, BTW.
livedarklions is offline  
Old 09-11-20, 01:56 PM
  #12  
Wanderer
aka Phil Jungels
 
Wanderer's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: North Aurora, IL
Posts: 8,234

Bikes: 08 Specialized Crosstrail Sport, 05 Sirrus Comp

Mentioned: 5 Post(s)
Tagged: 0 Thread(s)
Quoted: 202 Post(s)
Liked 86 Times in 60 Posts
Have you tried handlebar mount mirrors? I find my Mountain Myrricle to be an excellent tool!
Wanderer is offline  

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is On
HTML code is Off


Thread Tools
Search this Thread

Contact Us - Archive - Advertising - Cookie Policy - Privacy Statement - Terms of Service -

Copyright © 2024 MH Sub I, LLC dba Internet Brands. All rights reserved. Use of this site indicates your consent to the Terms of Use.