Less Dorky Mirror



M

Michael

Guest
Which is less dorky: a mirror on the helmet or a mirror on
the handlebars?

I've resisted mirrors all my life, but I must ride a two
lane road with a 55 mile an hour speed limit with absolutely
no paved shoulder. I hug the white line right now, looking
back sometimes but with the chance of going into the road or
into the gravel.

Thanks,

Mike
 
Michael wrote:
> Which is less dorky: a mirror on the helmet or a mirror on
> the handlebars?

I use a helmet-mounter mirror.

Bill "more dorky, and effective (IMO)" S.
 
In article <[email protected]>,
"Michael" <[email protected]> writes:
> Which is less dorky: a mirror on the helmet or a mirror on
> the handlebars?
>
> I've resisted mirrors all my life, but I must ride a two
> lane road with a 55 mile an hour speed limit with
> absolutely no paved shoulder. I hug the white line right
> now, looking back sometimes but with the chance of going
> into the road or into the gravel.

Some handlebar mirrors effectively widen your handlebar, and
thereby makes your bike 'wider' in the eyes of drivers.
Especially the ones that velcro onto MTB handlebars.

I scare other riders with my handlebar width + mirror.
But most of them are too willing to ride in the door
zone, anyway.

It can help to look a little scary, and a handlebar mirror
can do that. Heck, you don't even have to use it. But as (I
think it was Clint Eastwood's 'Diry Harry') said: "A man's
got to know his limitations."

A lot of folks will jump on the part where you say you hug
the white line. Actually, if you're just over the crest of
hill, that might be the best place to be, because in that
situation, there's absolutely /nothing/ you can do to
enhance your visibility. Otherwise, it's best to be where
you can be seen and respected. Even if reluctantly
respected. At least you get to keep your skin on.

You say it's a 2-lane. I assume the lanes are narrow. Those
are the most uncomfortable roads to ride on, when the
traffic is thick. If there are plentious opportunities for
traffic behind you to pass you, I'd say take the lane. If
there isn't, and there's nowhere to ditch, I'd say find an
alternate route. If there's no alternate route, I don't know
what to say.

good luck, Tom

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This sounds like a good case for riding on the wrong side of
the road. I know this will start a war but it is what I do
when I 'must' ride on a road with no bicycle lanes. When you
are going against traffic at least you can see the cars
coming and pull off into the dirt on the side if need be. I
have been hit by a car while riding properly on the right
with no bicycle lane. Teenager in a low rider Datsun pickup.
His mirror hit my elbow wnough to hurt me and knock his
mirror loose and the kid never stopped. The road was wide
enough for him to pull around and there was no traffic
coming. If I had been a 'Wrong Way Rider' I could have just
gone into the dirt. Being legal is a small consolation if
you get killed. BTW, this is only for country roads, which
it sounds like if it is a 55 MPH road. Now everyone else can
tell me what bad advice this is. FWIW I have to ride my MTB
about 20 miles on the road to get to the good off road
stuff. Bill Baka

On Mon, 21 Jun 2004 01:05:33 -0500, Michael
<[email protected]> wrote:

> Which is less dorky: a mirror on the helmet or a mirror on
> the handlebars?
>
> I've resisted mirrors all my life, but I must ride a two
> lane road with a 55 mile an hour speed limit with
> absolutely no paved shoulder. I hug the white line right
> now, looking back sometimes but with the chance of going
> into the road or into the gravel.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Mike
>
>

--
Using M2, Opera's revolutionary e-mail client:
http://www.opera.com/m2/
 
In article <[email protected]>,
Bill <[email protected]> writes:
> This sounds like a good case for riding on the wrong side
> of the road.

If it's a high-speed, narrow-laned road w/ lots of curves
and/or hills and no opportunities for fast traffic behind to
overtake, it might be a good case for riding on neither side
of the road.

If you can do what the cars can't do, it might be worth it.
But if you can't do what the cars also can't do, it's
definitely not worth it. And cars generally can't get away
with wrong-way driving.

regards, Tom

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-- Powered by FreeBSD Above address is just a spam midden.
I'm really at: tkeats [curlicue] vcn [point] bc [point] ca
 
"Bill" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:eek:[email protected]...
> This sounds like a good case for riding on the wrong side
> of the road. I know this will start a war but it is what I
> do when I 'must' ride on a road with no bicycle lanes.
> When you are going against traffic at least you can see
> the cars coming and pull off into the dirt on the side if
> need be. I have been hit by a car while riding properly on
> the right with no bicycle lane. Teenager in a low rider
> Datsun pickup. His mirror hit my elbow wnough to hurt me
> and knock his mirror loose and the kid never stopped. The
> road was wide enough for him to pull around and there was
> no traffic coming. If I had been a 'Wrong Way Rider' I
> could have just gone into the dirt. Being legal is a small
> consolation if you get killed. BTW, this is only for
> country roads, which it sounds like if it is a 55 MPH
> road. Now everyone else can tell me what bad advice this
> is. FWIW I have to ride my MTB about 20 miles on the road
> to get to the good off road stuff. Bill Baka

You wrote: "When you are going against traffic at least you
can see the cars coming and pull off into the dirt on the
side if need be"

But I wonder how you know WHEN to dive for the dirt. It's
not as if every car will force you off the road, but from a
distance, it will probably look like there won't be enough
room for any of them. As cars approach, they probably move
over to make more room, but how can you tell for sure that
they will? If they do, then it wouldn't have mattered what
side of the road you're on and if they don't, it will be too
late for you to do anything about it anyway.

One more thing, there's a potential for meeting cyclists head-
on. Do you pull off the road for them? If not, there's less
room than ever.

All in all, as you suspected, you have offered bad advice.
If the road is that unrideable, don't ride it!

-Don
 
On Mon, 21 Jun 2004 00:14:32 -0700, Bill <[email protected]> wrote in
message <[email protected]>:

>This sounds like a good case for riding on the wrong side
>of the road. I know this will start a war but it is what I
>do when I 'must' ride on a road with no bicycle lanes. When
>you are going against traffic at least you can see the cars
>coming and pull off into the dirt on the side if need be.

Looks like the usual confusion of the specific with the
general. In general there is no doubt that riding with the
traffic flow is much safer. Some people are thrown clear of
burning cars because they are not wearing seat belts. Is
that a good argument for not wearing a seat belt?

Hits from behind are extremely rare. Most crashes are from
cars failing to yield right of way; by putting yourself
where they are looking for traffic you do a lot to reduce
the chances of that - and if we're resorting to anecdotal
evidence, the only time I've been forced to bail out was by
an overtaking car coming the other way. If I'd been wrong-
way riding I'd have been dead.

Start with Effective Cycling. That's known to work.

Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after
posting. http://www.chapmancentral.co.uk

88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at
Washington University
 
"Michael" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Which is less dorky: a mirror on the helmet or a mirror on
> the handlebars?
>
> I've resisted mirrors all my life, but I must ride a two
> lane road with a 55 mile an hour speed limit with
> absolutely no paved shoulder. I hug the white line right
> now, looking back sometimes but with the chance of going
> into the road or into the gravel.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Mike
>

Not sure about the "Dork Factor", but if you want a mirror
that truly works well, get the Take a Look mirror. It has a
wide field of view, and can be mounted to your glasses, or
your helmet. Here are some reviews:
http://www.mtbreview.com/reviews/Extras/product_86204.shtml

http://users.rcn.com/icebike/Equipment/cyclingmirrors.htm

I often ride on roads with 45-50mph traffic, with no
shoulder and fairly low traffic volumes. With the mirror, I
can easily see traffic from behind. When I see someone
coming from behind, I move a foot or so to the left when
they are still quite a ways back. This forces them to start
swinging wider in order to pass me. As they get close, I
drift back to the right so there is a good amount of space
when they go around me. With the mirror, I can easily
monitor the overtaking traffic and if they are not moving
far enough to their left, I have at least 2-3 feet of lane
to my right that I can dive into.

FWIW, if there is oncoming traffic at the same time, I move
to the center of the lane and signal with a rearward-facing
left hand and a shake of my head that they are not to pass.
When it's clear, I move to the right and wave them around.
I've found that this assertive approach is appreciated and
respected by most drivers (especially elderly drivers), who
are otherwise unsure of how to safely pass a bicycle. I even
get waves from folks as they pass (all five fingers most of
the time).

~_-* ...G/ \G http://www.CycliStats.com CycliStats -
Software for Cyclists
 
On Mon, 21 Jun 2004 01:05:33 -0500, Michael wrote:

> Which is less dorky: a mirror on the helmet or a mirror on
> the handlebars?

It's all about how you pull it off--only you can make
it "dorky".

You know those hideous drooping pants that have become the
teen signature over the last decade? From what I've heard,
the root of this style is what happens in jail: they take
your belt and shoelaces, so in addition to being rather at
the disadvantage in a cage, you've the additional
humiliation of having your pants falling down.

Well, somewhere along the line a guy thought--hey I'll just
run with it and behaved like he meant for his pants to
snuggle around mid crack. The others were impressed and
brought this syle to the street with an attitude that says--
you tell me that my pants are falling down and I'll whup you
so damn hard they'll send me to the place where belts are
confiscated!

Take concept, apply to helmet mirror.
 
On Mon, 21 Jun 2004 00:14:32 -0700, Bill wrote:

> This sounds like a good case for riding on the wrong side
> of the road.

There is never a reason for riding against traffic.
You're only confusing the motorist, egregiously breaking
the law, and adding to the potential impact speed vs.
subtracting from it.

Please refrain from riding until you can wrap your head
around this. Seriously--no offense meant at all.

:D
 
"maxo" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:p[email protected]...
> On Mon, 21 Jun 2004 01:05:33 -0500, Michael wrote:
>
> > Which is less dorky: a mirror on the helmet or a mirror
> > on the handlebars?
>
>
> It's all about how you pull it off--only you can make it
> "dorky".
>
> You know those hideous drooping pants that have become the
> teen signature over the last decade? From what I've heard,
> the root of this style is what happens in jail: they take
> your belt and shoelaces, so in addition to being rather at
> the disadvantage in a cage, you've the additional
> humiliation of having your pants falling down.
>
> Well, somewhere along the line a guy thought--hey I'll
> just run with it and behaved like he meant for his pants
> to snuggle around mid crack. The others were impressed and
> brought this syle to the street with an attitude that says--
> you tell me that my pants are falling down and I'll whup
> you so damn hard they'll send me to the place where belts
> are confiscated!
>
> Take concept, apply to helmet mirror.
>

Thanks, everyone, for the information. The riding tips are
especially helpful.

About the dork factor: You don't see the guys on the Tour de
France using mirrors. I'm just saying...

Best,

Mike
 
"Bill" wrote...
> This sounds like a good case for riding on the wrong side
> of the road. I know this will start a war but it is what I
> do when I 'must' ride on a road with no bicycle lanes.
> When you are going against traffic at least you can see
> the cars coming and pull off into the dirt on the side if
> need be.

What if there's no possibility of pulling off into the dirt
(road passes through a narrow road cut, road passes along
the side of a steep slope, road has a guard rail)?
> Now everyone else can tell me what bad advice this is.
Next time you get the urge to offer advice about riding in
traffic, don't. Advice like yours could get someone killed.
--
mark

A: What's the most annoying thing on Usenet?
Q: Top Posters
 
Michael wrote:
> Which is less dorky: a mirror on the helmet or a mirror on
> the handlebars?
>
> I've resisted mirrors all my life, but I must ride a two
> lane road with a 55 mile an hour speed limit with
> absolutely no paved shoulder. I hug the white line right
> now, looking back sometimes but with the chance of going
> into the road or into the gravel.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Mike
>

Why do you "have to" ride on this road? My advice is find an
alternate route. Or use a car. Where I used to live in
California we have lots of those kind of roads with lots of
people in a hurry using them. But if you say you must use
this road while on your bike then I vote for the helmet
mounted mirror for its narrower profile.

Kenny Lee
 
On Mon, 21 Jun 2004 10:12:37 GMT, Don DeMair <[email protected]>
wrote:

>
> "Bill" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:eek:[email protected]...
>> This sounds like a good case for riding on the wrong side
>> of the road. I know this will start a war but it is what
>> I do when I 'must' ride on a road with no bicycle lanes.
>> When you are going against traffic at least you can see
>> the cars coming and pull off into the dirt on the side if
>> need be. I have been hit by a car while riding properly
>> on the right with no bicycle lane. Teenager in a low
>> rider Datsun pickup. His mirror hit my elbow wnough to
>> hurt me and knock his mirror loose and the kid never
>> stopped. The road was wide enough for him to pull around
>> and there was no traffic coming. If I had been a 'Wrong
>> Way Rider' I could have just gone into the dirt. Being
>> legal is a small consolation if you get killed. BTW, this
>> is only for country roads, which it sounds like if it is
>> a 55 MPH road. Now everyone else can tell me what bad
>> advice this is. FWIW I have to ride my MTB about 20 miles
>> on the road to get to the good off road stuff. Bill Baka
>
> You wrote: "When you are going against traffic at least
> you can see the cars coming and pull off into the dirt on
> the side if need be"
>
> But I wonder how you know WHEN to dive for the dirt. It's
> not as if every car will force you off the road, but from
> a distance, it will probably look like there won't be
> enough room for any of them. As cars approach, they
> probably move over to make more room, but how can you
> tell for sure that they will? If they do, then it
> wouldn't have mattered what side of the road you're on
> and if they don't, it will be too late for you to do
> anything about it anyway.
>
> One more thing, there's a potential for meeting cyclists
> head-on. Do you pull off the road for them? If not,
> there's less room than ever.
When I meet a cyclist (rarely) I pull off for him as a
courtesy.
>
> All in all, as you suspected, you have offered bad advice.
> If the road is that unrideable, don't ride it!
Bad roads are all I have. Since I have to deal with logging
trucks and rednecks driving on the right side would be
suicidal in some areas. If there is no bike lane and 3 big
trucks come in a row, not all of them will even attempt to
move. I will pull off just seeing them come. I am still
alive at 55 so it works for me. BTW I ride on the right in
the city and residential areas, and where there are bike
lanes. Bill Baka
>
> -Don
>
>

--
Using M2, Opera's revolutionary e-mail client:
http://www.opera.com/m2/
 
On Mon, 21 Jun 2004 14:36:47 GMT, maxo <[email protected]> wrote:

> On Mon, 21 Jun 2004 00:14:32 -0700, Bill wrote:
>
>> This sounds like a good case for riding on the wrong side
>> of the road.
>
> There is never a reason for riding against traffic. You're
> only confusing the motorist, egregiously breaking the law,
> and adding to the potential impact speed vs. subtracting
> from it.
Survival is a real good reason.
>
> Please refrain from riding until you can wrap your head
> around this. Seriously--no offense meant at all.
If you rode around Beale AFB in northern California you
would see what I mean. The roads are seriously bicycle
unfriendly. Between big trucks, rednecks, and fly boys there
are a lot of drivers who could care less about giving
bicycles part of their road. Bill Baka
>
> :D
>
>

--
Using M2, Opera's revolutionary e-mail client:
http://www.opera.com/m2/
 
On Mon, 21 Jun 2004 15:36:45 GMT, mark <[email protected]> wrote:

>
> "Bill" wrote...
>> This sounds like a good case for riding on the wrong side
>> of the road. I know this will start a war but it is what
>> I do when I 'must' ride on a road with no bicycle lanes.
>> When you are going against traffic at least you can see
>> the cars coming and pull off into the dirt on the side if
>> need be.
>
> What if there's no possibility of pulling off into the
> dirt (road passes through a narrow road cut, road passes
> along the side of a steep slope, road has a guard rail)?
I walk the bike if there is a real bad area. Being in the
saddle 100% of the time is not mandatory.
>> Now everyone else can tell me what bad advice this is.
> Next time you get the urge to offer advice about
> riding in traffic, don't. Advice like yours could get
> someone killed.
It has kept me alive and unhit since I started doing it,
but only on seriously bad roads that I must take to get to
the fun roads. Citys, suburbs, bike lanes, I use the right
side. Bill Baka
> --
> mark
>
> A: What's the most annoying thing on Usenet?
> Q: Top Posters
>
>
>

--
Using M2, Opera's revolutionary e-mail client:
http://www.opera.com/m2/
 
"Michael" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
> Which is less dorky: a mirror on the helmet or a mirror on
> the handlebars?
>
> I've resisted mirrors all my life, but I must ride a two
> lane road with a 55 mile an hour speed limit with
> absolutely no paved shoulder. I hug the white line right
> now, looking back sometimes but with the chance of going
> into the road or into the gravel.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Mike

Personally, I think helmet mirrors look dorky. That might be
in part because I'm not coordinated enough to use one. When
I tried, instead of just moving my eyeballs to see the
mirror, I'd turn my head. Well, then what was behind me
wasn't behind me anymore. I'd end up with headaches from
straining my eyes and neck trying to get the view I wanted
in the little mirror. I could never relax into it. That may
be because I got used to a good handlebar mirror before I
tried the helmet mirror.

There's a very nice little mirror made by Rhode Gear that
plugs right into the bar end where the tape plug would
normally go. It's very unobrusive and doesn't stick out in
traffic. Despite this, it's very effective. At a glance I
get a very full view behind and it isn't much affected by
road vibration. Rhode Gear has several models that attach in
different ways. This one is a mirror affixed by one pivot
bolt to a plug that goes in the bar end. It's very simple
and clean.

If you get one off these, I'd suggest you do the following
to get the best result: use a razor or box cutter and trim
off the bar tape right at the end of the bars. It's very
easy to do. Make the tape flush with the bar end. That way
the rubber plug makes direct contact with the inside of the
bar. After you've ridden the bike and have the mirror
adjusted just right for you, use a little electricians tape
to wrap the exposed part of the plug and the end of the bar.
This keeps the mirror secure and also keeps the tape from
unraveling.

I take a lot of **** from some of the local racer dudes when
I pull up at centuries with my little mirror on my K2 or
Trek 5500. The dork factor drops very quickly when I ride
them off my wheel.

Bob C.
P.S. Please don't take the advice of the guy who suggested
riding on the wrong side of the road. It's a VERY bad
idea. You might get away with it in West Texas where
the sight distance is 30 miles. But where there are
any hills or curves, the suddenness of head-on
encounters creates extreme danger. Besides, nothing
could be dorkier!
 
"Bill" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:eek:[email protected]...
> On Mon, 21 Jun 2004 14:36:47 GMT, maxo
> <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > On Mon, 21 Jun 2004 00:14:32 -0700, Bill wrote:
> >
> >> This sounds like a good case for riding on the wrong
> >> side of the road.
> >
> > There is never a reason for riding against traffic.
> > You're only
confusing
> > the motorist, egregiously breaking the law, and adding
> > to the potential impact speed vs. subtracting from it.
> Survival is a real good reason.
> >
> > Please refrain from riding until you can wrap your head
> > around this. Seriously--no offense meant at all.
> If you rode around Beale AFB in northern California you
> would see what I mean. The roads are seriously bicycle
> unfriendly. Between big trucks, rednecks, and fly boys
> there are a lot of drivers who could care less about
> giving bicycles part of their road. Bill Baka
> >
> > :D

Bill,

There's no sound logic to your argument whatsoever. Large
log trucks and rednecks will overtake you much more rapidly
and with much less reaction time when you're on the wrong
side of the road.

I live in a county where the #1 economic activity is
logging. The #2 activity is watching NASCAR. The roads
are the worst I've seen anywhere and I've lived pretty
much all over the country. It seems I have everything to
deal with that you do. I would NEVER ride on the wrong
side of the road.

Bob C.
 
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