Gear: Reflecting about Cycling Mirrors
There was recently a flurry about mirrors on our Facebook Page after I posted an Amazon link to the Take-A-Look mirror. Opinions on mirrors are varied. Some swear by them, others think they are the epitome of Fred-om and a fashion abomination. Say what you will, we think they’re infinitely useful and are an underrated safety tool.
Why would you want a mirror? Looking back to when we were novice cyclists riding on the roads, one of the most unnerving things is not knowing whats going on behind you. This is presumably why some people ride in the wrong direction in traffic. A much safer and legal solution would be to just get a mirror. With a mirror, you can judge the speed of approaching traffic, how wide the vehicle is and their general behavior.
Many people will say, “just look over your shoulder.” You could do that, but some people simply can’t hold a straight line while doing a shoulder check. Not to mention when you turn your head to look behind you, you’re completely blind to what is happening in front of you (where most causes of bicycle accidents will occur). A mirror allows you to look behind you with minimal of effort and still be aware of what is going in front of you.
A mirror is infinitely useful in making left turns in heavy traffic and twisty mountain roads. You’re constantly being updated about what traffic conditions to your rear. While on tour, you can use it to check on your touring partner riding behind you as well.
All this being said, not all mirrors are equal. After several years of touring and commuting we’ve developed some fairly strong opinions about what make a good cycling mirror. Two of the most important ones are that head mounted mirrors are more useful than handlebar mounted mirrors and horizontally oriented mirrors are better than vertically oriented ones.
For some, a head mounted mirror (either one that clips n glasses like the Take-A-Look mirror or one that attaches to your helmet like an EVT mirror) is too distracting, like having a constant picture in picture effect in front of you at all times. We can certainly sympathize. When we first started using a mirror it took some time to get use to filtering the simultaneous visual data and still pedal a straight line. However, in the long run, we feel that a head mounted mirror is better. You can quickly sweep your head (without turning your handlebars) and get a quick lay of the land behind you. Head mounted mirrors are also less prone to vibration since your body and neck act as suspension. While on the subject of head-mounted mirrors, we also find that those use adhesive or velcro will fail in short order. It is better to get something that friction clamps to your glasses and helmet like a Take-A-Look, EVT or Chuck Harris Hubbub Mirror.
Rear view mirrors in automobiles are horizontally oriented because they give you a useful panoramic field of view. However, for some reason, many bicycle mirrors are vertically oriented. I’m not quite sure why that is. Is it some misguided notion of aerodynamics? a fashion statement? A horizontally mounted mirror simply lets you take in more useful traffic information quicker and has less of a “blind spot”.
In New Zealand, my EVT mirror snapped off my helmet when I was trying to get on board a ferry and is now somewhere with the fishes in the tiny settlement of Orapu. The only decent head-mounted mirror I could find was one by Zefal. However it had an odd vertically oriented ovalized mirror and it attached with velcro to the helmet. During a ride, the velcro would shift around and narrow image was damn near useless at times since I had to constantly sweep my head to look at traffic. It drove me bonkers. As soon as we arrived in the US, I tossed it aside and bought another Take-A-Look mirror.
Here are some mirrors that we’ve tried and our thoughts on them:
Take-A-Look Mirror (original size)
This is a solid and inexpensive mirror that you will never break. They friction fit over the arms of your glasses and provide a nice clear horizontal picture. Adjusting the mirror is easy and it stays in place. This is by far one of the best mirrors out there, don’t let the nondescript packaging fool you.
EVT
This mirror provides a giant picture and is very sturdy. It’s Alien-esque looks can be somewhat intimidating for some. It seems to be optimized to mount on vented helmets better than the new style rounded urban helmets that don’t have as many possible mounting points though I have been able to get it on both Nutcase and Bern helmets with some creative zip tying.
Zefal
This was the best mirror I could find in NZ and I wasn’t all that excited about it. The narrow shape was frustrating narrow and the velcro attachment wasn’t very stable.
CycleAware Reflex
This was one of the first mirrors that I used and loved it, but I ultimately began to see some design flaws. The mirror is vertically oriented and the plastic ball join will eventually wear out and it won’t hold its position.
Chuck Harris Hubub Mirror
This mirror has a bit of a cult following. While we haven’t used it personally, it has the characteristics of a good mirror. Large and useful image area, head-mounted and friction fit to a helmet.
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Proud to say I have relinquished much pride and started using a mirror ( think I have accomplished enough in cycling to be able to just do what I please). Learned early on to ride completely by looking around my arm with head horizontal and on its side, or glancing under the arm with head inverted – being all the while able to keep the bike on the intended line of travel – as a performance skill to ride in a group. I now look like a dork with the helmet-mounted mirror, but can still out perform most people on a bike.
I’ve tried a couple of different helmet-mounted mirrors and HATED them. I couldn’t stand the distraction of having the reflection right near my eye, and DID have vibration problems.
Tried again with a Rhode Gear mirror (no longer available) that I loved and used for years until it got crunched in a crash.
Next, I tried Mirrycle mirrors and they’ve been great. I’ve had this one on my mountain bike for years. It’s been extremely durable and has replacement parts available by mail from the manufacturer. If I’m taking the bike on a train or through a narrow space, I use a 3mm hex wrench to loosen one of the bolts and fold the mirror in so it’s no wider than the handlebars.
I use this Blackburn mirror on my Dahon folder. I’ve had it for years. It gives a wide view of the road and adjusts easily on the fly.
Cyclists denying the usefulness of mirrors are a laugh. Can you imagine driving a car without one? I drove trucks fro years where the only info from the rear must be from mirrors and I have been using them on my bike for the same reasons since the early 80s. Now after cancer surgery makes turning my head nearly impossible the mirror is even more important for me and I would be worried about riding a bike without one.
I love the “Take a Look” mirror – if glasses-mounted mirrors don’t bother you, it’s definitely one of the best. The interesting thing is when I don’t take it off before going into a store, I’m frequently asked if it’s a mirror, and how well it works. And I have to say that after years of using one, I feel naked on the road without it. Last year during a trip to Yellowstone, I lost my mirror and had 2 replacements sent out to the post office in Jackson, WY since I couldn’t find another one locally. I wanted to make sure I had a spare in case I lost it again – fortunately I completed the tour without having to use the backup mirror.
I live in las vegas nevada and wouldnt ride without my take a look mirror, too many loony, rude drivers who care about nobody but themselves out here. Its nice knowing if some big truck or bus is coming up behind you or right turn cutoff artists are zooming up behind.
I had bar-end mounted mirrors on all 4 of my bikes. When I started using bar-end shifters on 1 of them, I zip-tied a Take A Look mirror to my helmet. In a short time I found I was using the helmet mirror all the time anyway, so the handlebar mirrors came off the other bikes. The handlebar mirrors were always getting bumped going in & out doors, locking my bike up, & loading the bike on & off the racks on the front of the bus.
I’ve got the “Take a Look” mirror. As Terry said, they do mount nicely to your helmet visor with plastic zip ties. I’ve used several mirror over the years, both bike and helmet mounted. So far, I’m liking the Take a Look the best. The feild of view is wide and the image is clear. I will often ride sweep (in the rear) and it’s nice to give cyclists ahead of me a “Car Back” warning when needed.
Great Post, Jack
Here’s a great option for those who do not like the helmet mounted mirrors: http://www.adventurecycling.org/store/index.cfm/product/425_101/ortlieb-ultralite-bike-mirror.cfm
Thanks for your write-up! Seems as though everyone is on the quest for a great mirror.
If you’re cheap and crafty, you can pretty easily make your own. I wrote an Instructable on one such technique ( http://www.instructables.com/id/The-Pocket-Sized-Clip-On-Rear-View-Mirror/ ). It’s probably heavier than every commercial variety, but it works, stays in place, doesn’t immediately break upon dropping (and is easy to replace), and holds its position forever.
I’m always very wary indeed about helmet mounted mirrors. You have to consider what would happen if you came off the bike. The idea of having what is effectively a spike so close to your eye doesn’t bear thinking about.
My wife and I have used the Take-a-Look mirror for years and can’t imagine riding without it. We mount ours to our helmets by slipping it over the plastic band that the sweat pad attaches to and holding it there with a wrap of black tape. Works like a charm!
Occasionally we’ll spend a lot of time in the saddle and catch ourselves trying to look in the mirror as we walk down the street. Does that happen to anyone else?
Cool racers on closed roads don’t need ’em. But at 58 years old on open roads I sure like my Take-a-Look. My head just doesn’t swivel like it did 20 years ago. I may be a Fred, but I’m a Fred that rides double centuries and 8000 miles a year. I love everything about my mirror, except looking like a dork.
Ha! Move over helmet war, here come the mirror wars! 🙂
I like mirrors too but I see them mostly as a comfort device because I figure they won’t stop a driver from running me over. The main safety device in my opinion is riding position.
I don’t wear glasses or anything to mount the mirror on, so I use a tiny bar-mounted mirror called Zéfal Spin. It’s on the left side of my Brompton. It’s very discrete and I doubt other people notice it. Maybe I’ll try the take-a-look though, sounds cool to have eyes in the back of my head.
I’ve cycled all my life in town and never felt the need for a mirror, but on country highways it’s a nice thing to have.
Bell makes a dedicated horizontal mirror for their “Muni” helmet. Folds. Stays put in use. Best mirror ever.
A mirror is the important safety feature there is along with your eyes and ears. You are absolutely correct.
I’ve been using a number of helmet mirrors (I think four – on various helmets) over more than thirty years of touring and urban riding. I prefer them over handlebar mirrors because I find I have more immediate control over rear visibility when the mirror is always where I want it to be. I need to adjust them each time I put on the helmet – it takes a couple of seconds, but what the heck, I know what I’m dealing with.
Recently my helmet mirror broke and I ‘borrowed’ a handlebar mirror from my daughter’s bike for a few days. I was so conditioned to the helmet mirror that I consistently looked up to the left whenever I heard a sound behind me. I actually catch myself doing that when walking down the street. They become a conditioned reflex and are utterly trustworthy.
Totally agree on the usefulness. Yes, I have been walking, heard a car approach from behind, and by habit look for the mirror. I would not ride without the helmet mirror. The Reflex brand broke and scratched quickly. It has a flat base, to mount to a curved helmet! The Third-Eye brand mirror also came apart the same way – the plastic ball came out of the socket. I’ll get the Take-a-Look next. One advantage: I can scan left rear and right rear by turning my neck, which is useful when I hear the bark but don’t see the dog. Also allows me to pan and keep an approaching driver in view until they pass.
So I have a folding bike and a helmet mounted mirror sounds great, but these mirrors seem designed for you to peer over your left shoulder with your left eye and I don’t have a left eye (so it’s scary how long I’ve done without a mirror!) Do you know any good solutions for those of us with monocular vision? Thanks!