Bike-eye...

[andyoxon]

mirror...  I know mirrors aren't everyone's cup of tea,  but has anyone used one of these: http://www.bike-eye.com/new/product.shtml

They were being advertised at the ride on Sunday.

Andy

[Charlotte]

They look a bit shit.

Largely because if you're carrying any luggage at all, they won't work. 

IMHO, mirrors are an answer waiting for a question.  I still think that if you absolutely must see behind you without being able to look over your shoulder (particularly for 'bent riders) the best option is a very small mirror on your glasses.

Giving people mirrors (particularly kids and new cyclists) stops them doing "lifesaver" looks over their shoulder.  This is Not Good.

[rogerzilla]

I can see the case for a mirror if you cycle with earphones.

[Notsototalnewbie]

I've got one because I was seduced into it by someone raving about them on Bikeradar about a year ago.

It's useful for seeing what's coming up behind you, but absolutely no substitute for looking over your shoulder either. It doesn't vibrate like mirrors on bars do which is something. But I don't think I'd buy it again given the chance.

[Greenbank]

I'm still not convinced about mirrors.

Part of me wants to say they're unnecessary as you can/should just twist your head and look behind you. It's not difficult.

and part of me wants to say that I'd keep looking behind me as often as I already do, but a mirror could help me check even more often. And I'm big and clever enough not to end up looking behind less often (even though this is what will probably happen).

Bike-Eye wouldn't work for me as I almost always have a Carradice Barley on the bike and although I like the look of it I don't think I need to be able to keep looking at it whilst riding.

I can see the case for a mirror if you cycle with earphones.

I don't. I believe you should look behind just as often whether you can hear or not.

[Ian H]

Years ago I tried the Mirricycle, which was a reasonable mirror, but they never sorted out where to mount them when cables no longer sprouted from brake lever hoods. However, I gave it up because, as others have said, it's no substitute for looking behind. A head-mounted mirror might be better, but I'd have to have my skull drilled and tapped to fit one.

[harvey]

I use this helmet mirror and find it really good and have been using one for donkeys.  Third eye mirrors are good too and can mount to eye glasses for the helmet-less.  Bike mounted mirrors vibrate excessively IMO.

I'm always looking behind me too but find they add an extra bit of security knowing what's behind you with just a quick glance.  I've never quite understood that argument not to have one because you should turn your head to look behind... does that apply to cars and motorcycles too?

[Charlotte]

Yes.

I ride a motorcycle and back in the day when I had a funky cafe racer, I used to ride it without mirrors.  I still don't use them much now that I have a BMW with good mirrors.  You can't beat a look over your shoulder.

[Ian H]

...I've never quite understood that argument not to have one because you should turn your head to look behind...

My experience was that, if you saw something in the mirror you knew it was there, but if you saw nothing in the mirror it didn't prove there was nothing there. So a glance behind is still necessary ( and adds less weight than a mirror).

[border-rider]

I have a mirror on the trike, that used to be on the commuter Pomp. I find it really useful for keeping a watching eye on  traffic coming up from behind with a millisecond glance - I'd always do a proper look before manoeuvring - so I can spot the numpties who are going to pass too close and too fast, and time a strategic wobble.  Very gratifying on the trike as it stops them dead

[Jaded]

I have more neck movement looking to my left than to my right. It's not as easy to glance back as it might be for others. Having said that I rely on ears a lot.

[harvey]

Mirrors are just a tool and certainly should not take the place of looking behind you at critical moments.  Turning your head to look, listening, and using a mirror are not mutually exclusive.  And, for someone who says not to use one because it impedes my behaviour to look behind me, well, it's just plain...

Ian, it's that extra weight that's slowing me down - thanks for that!

[FatBloke]

I used one for a year when commuting and quite liked it.
When I sold my commuter I took it off. It's still in the garage, so I guess I can live without it. 

[nuttycyclist]

I've said it before and I'll say it again.  (sorry).

I've got mirrors on my main bikes and I absolutely love riding with them.

Of course they are no substitute for proper looking, but when you're traffic jamming and in urban commuter mode they really are great.  They let you judge the speed the motorbike's filtering up behind you (you're aware of it anyway through the noise) and so judge your own speed so that you get to a gap as the bike catches you so you can flick left and then back out again behind it - No delay to you or the motorbike.

Even better, and where I find them invaluable, is on the approach to a right hand turn on a major road.  Without mirrors you have to keep looking behind and trying to find a gap (cos you can't just stick your arm out and pull out into moving traffic - muppets will keep overtaking even when you're out at the white line ).  Having a mirror on the bike lets me subtly locate a gap 15 or 20 cars back, then adjust my own speed so that as I approach the turning the gap is approaching me.  Them, with a proper lifesaver and signal, you can just pull straight through the gap and get out to the white line.


Of course it's possible to ride without mirrors, but as an additional item they're pretty good.

[Greenbank]

I have more neck movement looking to my left than to my right.

My reason for considering a mirror (despite what I say above) is that the vision in my right eye is about 20/200.

[andygates]

Makes sense to power-up your one good eye.  Ravenbait does lots of looking around and ends up with  acrick in her neck

The Bike Eye, I'm not convinced.  That looks like a good candidate for getting knocked off or out of whack when I lean a bike against a lamppost.  Whatever mirrors are available, that looks like a crap one.

[mr magnolia]

Years ago I tried the Mirricycle, which was a reasonable mirror, but they never sorted out where to mount them when cables no longer sprouted from brake lever hoods.

or if you got Dia Compe levers.
 
I thought the Mirricycle was great for long days on long roads with camping/touring loads when a wobble could be unrecoverable!  It never replaced looking back, but having looked back, it allowed easy tracking of the progress of the vehicles behind - as per nutty's comment.

[Cunobelin]

I never saw the point of mirrors until I bought my first recumbent in 1990.  The mirror became second nature, although as above, not a replacement for a proper look) I soon found out that I missed them on my other bikes, and fitted them. Now all my bikes have mirrors (usually Mirrycles) fitted.

However when I bought the Nomad last year, the bar end grips precluded this and I bought a Bike-Eye. It has  survived two long tours, a crowded garage, and several train journeys without any damage.

As for view - that is the drawback...

You need to "cock your leg" to get the best benefit, as otherwise you only see through the narrow tunnel of your thighs. Apart from that with head movement, the angle of view is reasonable. Luggage is a problem as the top of the panniers exclude part of the mirror, the remaining view is adequate for most things though. A low fixing rack like the Tubus  would solve this. 

All in all, if you can fit a Mirrycle, but if you can't then the Bike-Eye is a suitablecompromise.

[HTFB]

I inherited a Bike Eye from someone on the old forum. It serves a valuable purpose on the tandem to let me look at the drive chain (to trim the front mech, or what have you; see rants on acf passim for the exciting and persistent ways in which the previous edition of the drive chain would go wrong). It's quite hard to adjust to give a useful view even for this limited purpose. Like everything on the down tube, it would be more use on a frame smaller than 25"; but I can't imagine it providing any real benefit for seeing traffic.

The tandem also has a Mirrycle mirror mounted on the brake hood. I find this useful for the more vehicular style of riding that the tandem encourages: maybe its presence just reinforces the subconscious knowledge that I'm driving something big and unwieldy. I don't miss it when on a singleton bike.

[andrew w]

I agree 100% with everything in Nutty's post.  I have mirrors on all my bikes - I even have one on my Trek Madone - how uncool is that?  I use the Busch & Muller bar-end mirror, which I find excellent.  It's slightly susceptible to being pushed out of alignment if you lean your bike against a wall, but it's very easy to re-adjust (no tools), and it doesn't vibrate or go out of adjustment whilst riding.  It's also fairly inconspicuous.  This is the one:

http://www.dotbike.com/ProductsP3039.aspx?Track=FGL

The shaft screws into the bar-end, leaving only the mirror protruding from the bar-end.

Andrew