Rear-View Mirrors
 

Well, after five months of virtually no riding after my serious
accident, I finally found weather, my busted bones, and need in synch,
and I went out and rode today! (It's like riding a bicycle, once you
learn, you never -- wait a minute...) Being me, I was loathe to start
easy, so I biked/bused clear across town to an appointment, around ten
miles total of riding. Four hours post-ride, my elbow is complaining
rather loudly, but the shoulder, the leg muscles, and the saddle-butt
interface area don't seem to have minded too much.
New to my equippage this ride were a helmet to replace the one that
saved my skull in September, and a rear-view mirror mounted to same.
But hmmm, maybe it's where I mounted it, or the angle, or something, but
I found the new dingus kind of difficult to use. (I wear glasses, and
maybe it was because the mirror was right at the edge of the lens.)
So, question for others who have used helmet-mounted mirrors. Do
they take a while to get used to? Does anyone have any suggestions
about positioning? Any other sage advice for a mirror neophyte?


Thanks,
Bill

__o | Get a bicycle. You will not regret it, if you live.
_`\(,_ |
(_)/ (_) | -- Mark Twain

Rear-View Mirrors
 

A mirror mounted on your glasses will likely be more stable than one
on your helmet. I've used such a mirror for years and it's saved my
ass a few times; I feel naked riding without it.

Rear-View Mirrors
 

In article ,
writes:

Any other sage advice for a mirror neophyte?

Learn to not use one before you do. And never
trust a mirror to give you the full picture.


cheers,
Tom

--
Nothing is safe from me.
I'm really at:
tkeats curlicue vcn dot bc dot ca

Rear-View Mirrors
 

Never used one and I doubt I ever will. They are distracting and block
part of your field of view. Some people like them, but I hate them in
all forms.

Chris

Rear-View Mirrors
 

On Jan 30, 8:43*pm, wrote:
* *Well, after five months of virtually no riding after my serious
accident, I finally found weather, my busted bones, and need in synch,
and I went out and rode today! *(It's like riding a bicycle, once you
learn, you never -- wait a minute...) *Being me, I was loathe to start
easy, so I biked/bused clear across town to an appointment, around ten
miles total of riding. *Four hours post-ride, my elbow is complaining
rather loudly, but the shoulder, the leg muscles, and the saddle-butt
interface area don't seem to have minded too much.
* *New to my equippage this ride were a helmet to replace the one that
saved my skull in September, and a rear-view mirror mounted to same. *
But hmmm, maybe it's where I mounted it, or the angle, or something, but
I found the new dingus kind of difficult to use. *(I wear glasses, and
maybe it was because the mirror was right at the edge of the lens.)
* *So, question for others who have used helmet-mounted mirrors. *Do
they take a while to get used to? *Does anyone have any suggestions
about positioning? *Any other sage advice for a mirror neophyte?

Thanks,
Bill

* *__o * | Get a bicycle. You will not regret it, if you live.
*_`\(,_ *|
(_)/ (_) | * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * -- Mark Twain


Dear Bill,

Most bicyclists never use a helmet mirror. If you just don't like it,
drop it and give a handlebar mirror a try.

If you need encouragement to try a little more . . .

"The Third Eye® Pro is my personal favorite, and I never ride without
it."

"Since it's so close to your eye, a helmet mirror has a field of view
similar to an automobile mirror. In addition, by turning your head,
you can scan an even larger area. Since the mirror is flat, your eye
remains focussed at infinity, and distances are not distorted."

"It attaches to any helmet with an adhesive pad. While it may be
attached to the outside of most helmets, it is usually better to stick
it to the inside."

--Sheldon Brown
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/harris/mirrors.html

Sheldon's mirror and glasses:

http://www.sheldonbrown.com/eagle.html

Cheers,

Carl Fogel

Rear-View Mirrors
 

" wrote:
[...]
So, question for others who have used helmet-mounted mirrors. Do
they take a while to get used to? Does anyone have any suggestions
about positioning? Any other sage advice for a mirror neophyte?

I much prefer a handlebar mounted mirror to a head mounted mirror, as
the former location allows me to determine much more precisely the
location of other traffic compared to a mirror that turns with my head.

--
Tom Sherman - 42.435731,-83.985007
LOCAL CACTUS EATS CYCLIST - datakoll

Rear-View Mirrors
 

I've always used a helmet-mounted mirror, but last September I
conducted an involuntary experiment. While getting my bike and gear
out of the car for a century, in near-darkness, I knocked the mirror
off and couldn't find it. After looking for it for awhile I decided I
had to get going, and rode the whole century without it.

Much to my surprise I adjusted to its absence pretty quickly, and
completed the century without incident. Turned out that sound,
peripheral vision, and glances to the rear provided 80-90% of the info
that I thought I could get only from the mirror!

The next day I replaced my lost mirror, and still use it, but more
realistically. And BTW, I've become aware that too much of a
preoccupation with the mirror can take your attention away from the
road ahead, which is where it needs to be. As in glass, flat tire,
etc.

Rear-View Mirrors
 

Rear-View Mirrors
 

wrote in news:4983f0da$0$1676
:

Mike Yankee wrote:

A mirror mounted on your glasses will likely be more stable than one
on your helmet. I've used such a mirror for years and it's saved my
ass a few times; I feel naked riding without it.

As I have often mentioned, try reading this text with your head turned
so that the angle of vision replicates looking into a glasses or
helmet mounted mirror, and tell me if you can read it. I cannot
decipher text with one eye at such an angle, something that tells me
the method does not replicate using mirrors in a car. Even those
mirrors are not fool proof as a driver's test will reveal. One must
turn the head and look to the rear or fail the test.

I'm looking for cars, not reading 10-point font.

Beyond that, I must assume the mirror folk don't hear well so they
have no idea what is approaching from behind. As may be apparent, I'm
no advocate of head mounted mirrors. I believe they are reserved for
the paranoid just as the HID headlights (some even flashing) that burn
my eyes in broad daylight all to often.

Facing forward, with the approaching sound of a car, can you tell if the
car is moving a couple feet to the left? Can you tell if the car is
hugging the right, oblivous to the biker?

Just guessing, but probably 3-10 cars pass per mile (wide variation
depending on road). Do a century and that's hundreds of cars. It's
paranoid to want to know how hundreds of cars behave as they approach me,
rapidly, from behind?? Not to start a helmet war, but the most valuable
thing about my helmet is the mirror attached to it.


It all seems to be part of John Forester's lectures in his "Defective
Cycling" the origin of "Take the Lane" bicycling, something that will
assure abuse from motor vehicle drivers who are impaired and insulted
by these condescending notions.

You needn't take this on faith, listening to non bicyclists describe
the arrogant, healthier than though, bicycle racer allusions should be
convincing. If the person is aware of speaking to one of these
elitists, they usually pack up and become silent because they are
aware of the abuse they will get from the take the lane faithful.

When I think of the thousands of miles I have ridden over more than
sixty years without having such encounters and not having been run
down by cars and trucks on so many narrow mountain roads, I have a
different perspective and cannot even have a civil discussion about it
with many of today's riders.

For startes try:

http://www.trentobike.org/Countries/...our_of_the_Alp
s/

Jobst Brandt

Rear-View Mirrors
 

On Sat, 31 Jan 2009 08:53:33 -0600, blanny wrote:

(Tom Keats) wrote in
:

In article ,
writes:

Any other sage advice for a mirror neophyte?

Learn to not use one before you do. And never trust a mirror to give
you the full picture.


cheers,
Tom


Do you, would you, drive a car without mirrors?

Do you wear a metal cage with blind spots around your scalp?

I'd argue that car
mirrors are less important than bike mirrors.

That's the argument of a moron. Sure you wanna commit?

Most likely, no cars are
going to pass you. On a bike, "every" car from behind is going to pass
you. I want to know, just what level of effort the car behind me is
doing to account for me.

Don't you have ears? Use 'em. Experienced cyclists can tell what cars are
doing behind them by listening.