Rear view mirror?

[presta]

The mirror is mounted so it's high enough above shoulder height to just look into, works on tops or hoods, and it can't be more than a reverse nod (IYSWIM) to look over a shoulder when on the drops, way less of a movement than glancing between the knees, or over the shoulder.

When I'm on the bike my heads already back nearly as far as it goes whilst just riding normally, which is proably why I'm losing my balance and wobbling all over the road when I try to raise the mirror.

 

[Kempstonian]

The only mirror I've got is the one that came on this bike...

Although I'm doing the bike up I don't think I'll be using that mirror on it! Maybe a Zefal Spin though...

 

[Foghat]

Wow! How does the mirror improve drivers' behaviour?

Motor vehicle approaches cyclist from behind. Frequent scanning of the mirror, through simple lightning-fast minor glancing movements with the eyes (rather than the alternative constant rearward turns of the head which distract cyclist from what's happening in front, much more than using a mirror, and can affect steering) alerts cyclist when it would be an opportune moment to turn around and glare at the approaching driver........and to adopt primary or execute a strategic wobble if appropriate.

Driver, who may have been contemplating a dangerous or inconsiderate move near the cyclist, observes the cyclist turning round and glaring at them, or moving into primary, and possibly strategically wobbling, becomes uncertain what the cyclist might do next, and therefore changes mind about pulling the dangerous/inconsiderate manoeuvre they were contemplating.

Admittedly not foolproof, but it will easily work often enough, reducing the number of dangerous manoeuvres, to make installing a mirror worthwhile in many cycling scenarios, particularly commuting. And of course, just because something may not work 100% of the time is not a sensible justification for dispensing entirely with that piece of equipment from the self-preservation arsenal (which some people use as a reason......not that I'm bothered whether other cyclists do or don't have mirrors).

With unimpaired hearing one can frequently tell from engine or braking sounds, and maybe stereo sound-processing of the motor vehicle's position, when a driver has aborted a risky manoeuvre near one, as well as from the visual evidence of course.....and the timing of these will indicate whether it was the strategically timed and mirror-glancing-facilitated rearward head-turn or adoption of primary that most likely induced the abort. It doesn't take long using mirrors in this way to realise that such use does indeed influence plenty of drivers' behaviour around one when cycling.

I suppose one could achieve the same by constantly turning round to look over the shoulder, plus the rest of the subsequent actions, but with a mirror it is far easier to maintain full forward visibility and awareness while assessing the rear, to reduce/avoid unwanted rear-head-turn-induced inadvertent weaves....and to conduct stealth scanning of what's behind one should that suit one's purposes too (which it can).

 

[Globalti]

Well I disagree. An assertive road user should already be taking the road space to which they are entitled. Wobbling out in front of a car isn't the way to assert your right, it just makes you look uncertain. The only time I will swerve is when approaching a vehicle emerging from a side road when I'll shoulder check then swing out towards the crown of the road, across the driver's field of vision as an approaching, slowly growing object sometimes gets missed. I'm ready to shout and I'm covering the brakes, same as on the motorbike when I would cover horn, brakes and sometimes hold on full beam. I'm watching for wheel movement because car movement is harder to spot from a changing perspective.

I hold my position in the car as taught by the IAM to prevent other drivers from taking liberties; it's about forcing others to behave in the way you want them to. This is not the same as driving aggressively or selfishly, before anybody jumps down my throat - I'm always courteous.

 

[Foghat]

Well I disagree.

What do you mean you disagree - what with, the entire post, or a particular point?

And from the rest of your post, it appears you must have missed my clear references to adopting primary. You also seem to have ignored the use of the qualifying terms 'strategic', 'possibly' and 'if appropriate' in relation to potentially executing a wobble, apparently as a reason to misinterpret it as a recommendation for all circumstances.....which it clearly isn't. But sometimes a tactical wobble does help when strategically applied in certain circumstances, and it's just another weapon in the self-preservation armoury, to be deployed when appropriate.

So, again.....what are you disagreeing with exactly?

 

[Sea of vapours]

I hold my position in the car as taught by the IAM to prevent other drivers from taking liberties; it's about forcing others to behave in the way you want them to.

Good stuff, as do I, but to do that you ideally need constant awareness of what's happening everywhere, including behind you. Ignoring whether the contentious idea of a 'strategic wobble' is or isn't a good idea, overall 360 degree awareness is certainly much improved with very frequent glances in a mirror, as you presumably do in a car (7 seconds is an oft-quoted minimum frequency, subject to circumstances at the time).

In your example above you had to shoulder check: fine and definitely the way to go if there's time, but with regular and frequent mirror use, you could respond quicker to the car about to pull out of a side road. More than that, you could avoid 'swerving' in the first place by simply being constantly aware of what's behind you and being in primary an awful lot of the time (subject to type or roads) and therefore constantly more visible, particularly from side roads, but also ready to allow passes when you choose to since you know what's approaching from behind and can move in if necessary. Personally, I can't do that without a mirror as I'd be shoulder-checking every few seconds, which I don't think is viable or especially desirable; not for me anyway. Mirrors fill that information gap, just as they do in a car.

N.B. I am not saying that mirrors on bikes are either essential or a panacea, but used frequently they can add a great deal to situational awareness in a manner which fairly often allows useful actions.

 

[Mike_P]

As I posted earlier I normally only use one when turning right on a busy A road where the passing traffic is almost continuous. So for some distance before the junction I use it to spot an appropriate gap on the traffic, which if I was just looking back I might miss due to the obvious need to largely look forward, and can then adopt an appropriate position on the road.

 

[Mark pallister]

Motor vehicle approaches cyclist from behind. Frequent scanning of the mirror, through simple lightning-fast minor glancing movements with the eyes (rather than the alternative constant rearward turns of the head which distract cyclist from what's happening in front, much more than using a mirror, and can affect steering) alerts cyclist when it would be an opportune moment to turn around and glare at the approaching driver........and to adopt primary or execute a strategic wobble if appropriate.

Driver, who may have been contemplating a dangerous or inconsiderate move near the cyclist, observes the cyclist turning round and glaring at them, or moving into primary, and possibly strategically wobbling, becomes uncertain what the cyclist might do next, and therefore changes mind about pulling the dangerous/inconsiderate manoeuvre they were contemplating.

Admittedly not foolproof, but it will easily work often enough, reducing the number of dangerous manoeuvres, to make installing a mirror worthwhile in many cycling scenarios, particularly commuting. And of course, just because something may not work 100% of the time is not a sensible justification for dispensing entirely with that piece of equipment from the self-preservation arsenal (which some people use as a reason......not that I'm bothered whether other cyclists do or don't have mirrors).

With unimpaired hearing one can frequently tell from engine or braking sounds, and maybe stereo sound-processing of the motor vehicle's position, when a driver has aborted a risky manoeuvre near one, as well as from the visual evidence of course.....and the timing of these will indicate whether it was the strategically timed and mirror-glancing-facilitated rearward head-turn or adoption of primary that most likely induced the abort. It doesn't take long using mirrors in this way to realise that such use does indeed influence plenty of drivers' behaviour around one when cycling.

I suppose one could achieve the same by constantly turning round to look over the shoulder, plus the rest of the subsequent actions, but with a mirror it is far easier to maintain full forward visibility and awareness while assessing the rear, to reduce/avoid unwanted rear-head-turn-induced inadvertent weaves....and to conduct stealth scanning of what's behind one should that suit one's purposes too (which it can).

I’ve got a garmin radar does the job far better than a mirror

 

[Nigelnightmare]

I can also recommend the Mountain Mirrycle , good bit of kit, good visibility & they don't vibrate like some others I've tried.
It fits on either left or right side.