Bike mirror

"archierob" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Can anyone recommend a bike mirror for a conventional 'racing bike' ie
dropped handlebars and ordinary brake levers. Have had 3 eye ops for a
detached retina and until the 4th for a cataract op have effectively
only one eye. It is the left eye that is affected - not so bad here as
we ride on the left but will be going to France in May to pal's
apartment for my annual visit and of course there they ride on the
right, I am thinking that may be a bit too dangerous.

If you wear a helmet take a look at a Reflex Cycleaware mirror. I keep mine
on the right when in France as it's fixed in relation to the eye you only
have to turn your head a fraction to scan the view behind. If you do buy one
fit a bit of fishing line between the mirror and the arm as the mirror can
be knocked off when not wearing the helmet.

Quoted message said:

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/product-0-Cycleaware-Reflex-Helmet-Mounted-Mirror-687.htm

Ken

On 01/04/2008 19:47, archierob said,

Quoted message said:

Can anyone recommend a bike mirror for a conventional 'racing bike' ie
dropped handlebars and ordinary brake levers. Have had 3 eye ops for a
detached retina and until the 4th for a cataract op have effectively
only one eye. It is the left eye that is affected - not so bad here as
we ride on the left but will be going to France in May to pal's
apartment for my annual visit and of course there they ride on the
right, I am thinking that may be a bit too dangerous.

Don't listen to anything anyone else says :-) you want this one
http://tinyurl.com/327t6g (links to SJSC) It fits over the brake hoods,
but still allows you to ride on the hood in comfort. I happened to have
a photo of it fitted, as you do:
http://www.pbhome.myzen.co.uk/ebaypics/bb_mirror.jpg Oh - it fits on
either side - in fact, technically it's designed to be fitted on the
left hood because the writing is the right way up then :-)

--
Paul Boyd
http://www.paul-boyd.co.uk/

archierob said:

Can anyone recommend a bike mirror for a conventional 'racing bike' ie
dropped handlebars and ordinary brake levers. Have had 3 eye ops for a
detached retina and until the 4th for a cataract op have effectively
only one eye. It is the left eye that is affected - not so bad here as
we ride on the left but will be going to France in May to pal's
apartment for my annual visit and of course there they ride on the
right, I am thinking that may be a bit too dangerous.

If by "ordinary" brake levers you mean non-low-profile (i.e. the cable
comes out of the top of the lever) then the legendary Mirrycle is THE
mirror to get. It leaves your bars free of clutter and unlike most
bar-end mirrors it can actually be positioned to show the view behind
you rather than a close-up of your arm/leg/stomach.

sjscycles.co.ukproduct 0 Mirrycle Original Mirror for drop bars (mounts on NON aero brake levers) 685.htmOpen ↗

- or just Google for "mirrycle".

The only downside is that it requires a bit of faffing about to mount
it, possibly including taking a Stanley knife to the top of the brake
lever hood.

Paul Boyd said:

On 01/04/2008 19:47, archierob said,

Quoted message said:

Can anyone recommend a bike mirror for a conventional 'racing
bike' ie dropped handlebars and ordinary brake levers. Have had 3
eye ops for a detached retina and until the 4th for a cataract op
have effectively only one eye. It is the left eye that is
affected - not so bad here as we ride on the left but will be
going to France in May to pal's apartment for my annual visit and
of course there they ride on the right, I am thinking that may be
a bit too dangerous.

Don't listen to anything anyone else says :-) you want this one
http://tinyurl.com/327t6g (links to SJSC) It fits over the brake
hoods, but still allows you to ride on the hood in comfort.

I have one and will say it's better than nothing but it isn't a patch on
the old Mirrycle Mirror that mounted on old fashioned brake levers (with
the cable coming out the top). It's hard to get in the right position,
and is next to useless if the road surface is anyway rough because it
vibrates. On the other hand, it fits with a velcro attachment, so it is
quite quick to switch to the left for riding in France, and there
doesn't seem to be anything better for drop bars.

If I were you I'd check out whether a helmet mirror set up for your good
eye will work for both sides of the road.

Brendan

--
Brendan Halpin, Department of Sociology, University of Limerick, Ireland
Tel: w +353-61-213147 f +353-61-202569 h +353-61-338562; Room F2-025 x 3147
[email hidden] http://www.ul.ie/sociology/brendan.halpin.html

In message <XbqdnTYTS7UjMG_anZ2dnUVZ8umdnZ2d@plusnet>, Andy Key
<[email hidden]> writes

Quoted message said:

archierob said:

Can anyone recommend a bike mirror for a conventional 'racing bike'
ie dropped handlebars and ordinary brake levers. Have had 3 eye ops
for a detached retina and until the 4th for a cataract op have
effectively only one eye. It is the left eye that is affected - not
so bad here as we ride on the left but will be going to France in May
to pal's apartment for my annual visit and of course there they ride
on the right, I am thinking that may be a bit too dangerous.

If by "ordinary" brake levers you mean non-low-profile (i.e. the cable
comes out of the top of the lever) then the legendary Mirrycle is THE
mirror to get. It leaves your bars free of clutter and unlike most
bar-end mirrors it can actually be positioned to show the view behind
you rather than a close-up of your arm/leg/stomach.

http://www.sjscycles.co.uk/product-0-Mirrycle-Original-Mirror-for-drop-b
ars-(mounts-on-NON-aero-brake-levers)-685.htm

- or just Google for "mirrycle".

Yeah that would be very much my preferred option.

I don't like helmet/glasses mounted mirrors.

I have heard that people have mounted Mirrycle on Aero levers by
drilling the top of the levers.
--
Chris French

Paul Boyd said:

On 01/04/2008 19:47, archierob said,

Quoted message said:

Can anyone recommend a bike mirror for a conventional 'racing bike' ie
dropped handlebars and ordinary brake levers. Have had 3 eye ops for a
detached retina and until the 4th for a cataract op have effectively
only one eye. It is the left eye that is affected - not so bad here as
we ride on the left but will be going to France in May to pal's
apartment for my annual visit and of course there they ride on the
right, I am thinking that may be a bit too dangerous.

Don't listen to anything anyone else says :-) you want this one
http://tinyurl.com/327t6g (links to SJSC) It fits over the brake hoods,
but still allows you to ride on the hood in comfort. I happened to have
a photo of it fitted, as you do:
http://www.pbhome.myzen.co.uk/ebaypics/bb_mirror.jpg Oh - it fits on
either side - in fact, technically it's designed to be fitted on the
left hood because the writing is the right way up then :-)

We have one of these on the tandem and yes they are very good but you
have to watch for the Velcroey bit slipping up the brake hoods and
fouling the STI mechanism.

This happened to us and I couldn't select gears properly and was all
ready to take it to the LBS to be repaired ( we were on holiday at the
time ) when The Stoker said " Are you sure it's not that bit of Velcro
thingy catching in it........."

"No dear of course its not"

Red face!!

Sam Salt

---
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Sam Salt said the following on 02/04/2008 09:49:

Quoted message said:

We have one of these on the tandem and yes they are very good but you
have to watch for the Velcroey bit slipping up the brake hoods and
fouling the STI mechanism.

STI? Nothing that sophisticated on my commuter!! (Valid point though...)

--
Paul Boyd
http://www.paul-boyd.co.uk/

archierob said:

Can anyone recommend a bike mirror for a conventional 'racing bike' ie
dropped handlebars and ordinary brake levers. Have had 3 eye ops for a
detached retina and until the 4th for a cataract op have effectively
only one eye. It is the left eye that is affected - not so bad here as
we ride on the left but will be going to France in May to pal's
apartment for my annual visit and of course there they ride on the
right, I am thinking that may be a bit too dangerous.

I've seen a few audaxers using bar end mirrors. You might want to
consider something like this. <http://shop.devercycles.co.uk/product/
3574/Blackburn_Multi_mirror_bar_end>

I've no idea how good that particular shop is but it does have the
advantage of not being Evans who come up first in the Google search.

--
Dave...

"archierob" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Can anyone recommend a bike mirror for a conventional 'racing bike' ie
dropped handlebars and ordinary brake levers.

Dunno if it helps, but I use one of these http://www.bike-eye.com/. I came
back to cycling last year after a long gap and in the intervening period my
hearing deteriorated to a level where I now have to wear a hearing aid in
each ear. My first time back on a bike scared me sh(w)itless because I
couldn't judge properly what was coming up behind me. Hearing aids are
great, but they do not fully replace the "depth" that natural hearing gives.
I knew I had to sort out some kind of "see-back-o-scope", but I wasn't
really happy about adding something to the handlebars which I could
perceivably catch or knock off (the hearing loss has affected my
coordination to a degree), so the bike eye seemed to fit the bill. In use,
it's absolutely brilliant for me and I'd be lost without it. And no, I have
stuff all to do with the company...in fact, I'd much rather not have to use
a mirror at all, but needs must.

HTH

Kevin the Lurker

Kevin Harper writtificated

Quoted message said:

My first time back on a bike scared me sh(w)itless because I
couldn't judge properly what was coming up behind me.

Sometime I can hear a slow lorry thirty feet behind me, and I think I can
move out to turn right/go through a pinch point/round a parked car

A quick look over shoulder and I get one of those [censored]-IT'S-A-REAR-ENGINED-
BUS-SITTING-TWO-FEET-OFF-MY-BLOODY-WHEEL moments. Makes me jump when I
find 10 tonnes of bus where I'm *really* not expecting anything to be 🙂

"Mark T"
<pleasegivegenerously@warmail*turn_up_the_heat_to_reply*.com.invalid> wrote
in message news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Sometime I can hear a slow lorry thirty feet behind me, and I think I can
move out to turn right/go through a pinch point/round a parked car

A quick look over shoulder and I get one of those
[censored]-IT'S-A-REAR-ENGINED-
BUS-SITTING-TWO-FEET-OFF-MY-BLOODY-WHEEL moments. Makes me jump when I
find 10 tonnes of bus where I'm *really* not expecting anything to be 🙂

That can be how it is for me with my hearing aids in. If I forget to wear
them, I don't hear whatever it is until it's alongside me (or sometimes I
just don't hear it at all) and then it's a case of "I didn't know that was
there!" Or words to that effect ;-)

I've got into the habit of using my bike mirror just like I do the rear view
mirror in the car even to checking behind every few minutes whether I'm
going to manoeuvre or not and it's taken away almost all of the WTF moments.

Kevin the Lurker.

dkahn400 said:

I've seen a few audaxers using bar end mirrors. You might want to
consider something like this. <http://shop.devercycles.co.uk/product/
3574/Blackburn_Multi_mirror_bar_end>

Brake-hood mounted mirrors have two big advantages over bar-end mirrors
on drop bars:

1: They don't get in the way as much (if you actually use the drops)

2: They are at more-or-less the correct viewing angle whether you're
sitting upright, riding on the hoods or on the drops[1] whereas the
bar-end mirror is good for one position only.

And of course, looking over your shoulder is far more effective than
looking in a mirror!

Brendan

[1] I remember the Mirrycle being better than the Blackburn in this
respect, being a little higher and forward.

--
Brendan Halpin, Department of Sociology, University of Limerick, Ireland
Tel: w +353-61-213147 f +353-61-202569 h +353-61-338562; Room F2-025 x 3147
[email hidden] http://www.ul.ie/sociology/brendan.halpin.html

In article <[email hidden]>, Kevin Harper
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

I've got into the habit of using my bike mirror just like I do the rear view
mirror in the car even to checking behind every few minutes

Every few minutes?

On 03/04/2008 03:36, Rob Morley said,

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>, Kevin Harper
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

I've got into the habit of using my bike mirror just like I do the rear view
mirror in the car even to checking behind every few minutes

Every few minutes?

Indeed. A lot can happen in a few minutes.

--
Paul Boyd
http://www.paul-boyd.co.uk/

Paul Boyd writtificated

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

I've got into the habit of using my bike mirror just like I do the
rear view mirror in the car even to checking behind every few
minutes

Every few minutes?

Indeed. A lot can happen in a few minutes.

I think Rob was surprised that it wasn't checked more often.

On 03/04/2008 18:54, Mark T said,

Quoted message said:

I think Rob was surprised that it wasn't checked more often.

Yes - I realised that - I was agreeing with him.

--
Paul Boyd
http://www.paul-boyd.co.uk/

"Rob Morley" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

In article <[email hidden]>, Kevin Harper
[email hidden] says...

Quoted message said:

I've got into the habit of using my bike mirror just like I do the rear
view
mirror in the car even to checking behind every few minutes

Every few minutes?

Figuratively speaking! Obviously, I vary the checking to suit the
conditions, whether cycling or driving.

Kevin the Lurker

archierob said:

Can anyone recommend a bike mirror for a conventional 'racing bike' ie
dropped handlebars and ordinary brake levers. Have had 3 eye ops for a
detached retina and until the 4th for a cataract op have effectively
only one eye. It is the left eye that is affected - not so bad here as
we ride on the left but will be going to France in May to pal's
apartment for my annual visit and of course there they ride on the
right, I am thinking that may be a bit too dangerous.

Do you wear spectacles? If so, I find spec mounted mirrors better than
helmet mounted ones as they are less affected by vibration. Both of these
(below) can be fitted to either side, without obscuring your distance vision
too much, and give a better field of view than bar or frame mounted mirrors
as they sit close to the eye They are also plane mirrors, so you don't get
the minification that most remote mirrors cause.. It might be possible to
wear it on your left side and position it so the right eye looks across your
nose to see behind, but it's not designed for that. It will get in the way
to a certain extent, so you need to try it first if possible.
http://www.allterraincycles.co.uk/product/105753.html
thirdeyemirrors.com(05).htmOpen ↗
--

Martin Bulmer