Helmet mirrors

"John Pitts" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Since buying a bike to commute/shop/ride for fun last year I've
persevered without mirrors, but I'm thinking that a way of seeing
traffic coming up behind me would be a good idea.

Why do you want to be able to see what's coming behind you? Chances are
that the guy that is going to try to hit you is going to come from in front
of you.... eyes forward!!
:-)

On 2005-10-16, John Pitts (aka Bruce)
was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:

Quoted message said:

TimC said:

I got mine from Goldcross cycles, Camberwell.
...
About $20 from Camberwell. Seems flimsy (just light plastic), but
mine survived a year (lost it several times too).

Thanks Tim. Can't find it on Goldcross' website. What brand is (was)
yours (maybe LBS can get it in for me)?

Nope, don't seem to have the packaging for it anymore. Might remember
to find out when I have to go there tomorrow...

--
TimC
What did you type in wrong to get it to crash?

John Pitts said:

Since buying a bike to commute/shop/ride for fun last year I've
persevered without mirrors, but I'm thinking that a way of seeing
traffic coming up behind me would be a good idea.

I don't like handlebar-mounted mirrors - they get in the way, and they
vibrate (or at least they used to when I was a kid). I've seen
helmet/sunglass mirrors mentioned here and elsewhere, but I've never met
anyone who uses them. Neither of the two LBSes here seem to sell them.

Anyone tried them? Anyone know where to get them?

Greetings,
Make your own is the quickest and cheapest way. See local dentist for
half a dozen old mirrors (they chuck them out all the time), then obtain
bit of old spoke, small electrical connector, some five minute glue and
a pair of pliers to bend the spoke to desired shape and angle. Can be
mounted to glasses if you wear them, or with large paper clip to rim of
helmet if you don't. Initial adjustment and getting the angle right can
be fiddly, but once you have it set up you have a friend for life. I
certainly wouldn't be without mine.
Regards,
Ray.

Gemma_k said:

"John Pitts" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Since buying a bike to commute/shop/ride for fun last year I've
persevered without mirrors, but I'm thinking that a way of seeing
traffic coming up behind me would be a good idea.

Why do you want to be able to see what's coming behind you? Chances are
that the guy that is going to try to hit you is going to come from in front
of you.... eyes forward!!
:-)

I must say I agree. The only real option open to you if someone from
behind is going to hit you is too accelerate hard. Which on a pushy
works for only the elite few 🙂 swerving left is going to get you into
more trouble. Mostly they just look like they are going to hit you..
its a very rare accident. I would just rather not know.

But different folks, different strokes. Just dont ride on the left of
a guy with a mirror. Can be scarey

Ray Peace said:

Make your own is the quickest and cheapest way. See local dentist for
half a dozen old mirrors (they chuck them out all the time), then obtain
bit of old spoke, small electrical connector, some five minute glue and
a pair of pliers to bend the spoke to desired shape and angle. Can be

What's the electrical connector for?

--
John <[email hidden]>
(Remove hat before emailing)

dave said:

I must say I agree. The only real option open to you if someone from behind is going to hit you is too accelerate hard. Which on a pushy
works for only the elite few 🙂 swerving left is going to get you into
more trouble. Mostly they just look like they are going to hit you..
its a very rare accident. I would just rather not know.

It's pretty unlikely that a mirror will help for someone who's going to hit you from behind - by the time you realise they're going to hit you, it'll be way too late.

I use a bar end mirror on my mtb and you seriously have no idea whether they'll hit you or not. I like it for that fact that if I have to merge into the centre lane to go past a bus or some other vehicle, I can see if there's another car in my lane behind me - I know he won't be next to me because I generally claim the lane, forcing them to change lanes to overtake me.

It IS good for spotting d!ckheads who like to overtake and turn left as soon as they pass you (assuming they indicate), and for seeing when you're holding up a long line of traffic, or a bus whose stop is just up ahead but he's not bothering to overtake - I usually put in a sprint so I don't hold them up too much.

I figure that if people see me making an effort not to hold them up ( 🙄 idiots, as if I really hold them up anyway) they'll give me the space I need.

John Pitts said:

Ray Peace said:

Make your own is the quickest and cheapest way. See local dentist for
half a dozen old mirrors (they chuck them out all the time), then obtain
bit of old spoke, small electrical connector, some five minute glue and
a pair of pliers to bend the spoke to desired shape and angle. Can be

What's the electrical connector for?

The crimp type for joining two wires.
My guess is that you use it to crimp onto the end handle of the mirror
stalk and onto the end of the bike spoke. You chop off the fat part of
the mirror handle.

John Pitts said:

Ray Peace said:

Make your own is the quickest and cheapest way. See local dentist for
half a dozen old mirrors (they chuck them out all the time), then obtain
bit of old spoke, small electrical connector, some five minute glue and
a pair of pliers to bend the spoke to desired shape and angle. Can be

What's the electrical connector for?

Greetings,
The elctrical connector, set in the five minute glue, holds the end
of the bit of spoke and the end of the mirror together. There are other
ways of doing it, but this one is simple and cheap, the connectors cost
less than $1 from any [censored] Smith or the like, and gives a good solid
join. You want me to draw a diagram and post it?
regards,
Ray.

Ray Peace said:

John Pitts said:

What's the electrical connector for?

You want me to draw a diagram and post it?

Thanks Ray, no I've got the idea now.

(Looking up dentists in the yellow pages now...)

--
John <[email hidden]>
(Remove hat before emailing)

Peka said:

dave said:

I must say I agree. The only real option open to you if someone from
behind is going to hit you is too accelerate hard. Which on a pushy
works for only the elite few 🙂 swerving left is going to get you into
more trouble. Mostly they just look like they are going to hit you..
its a very rare accident. I would just rather not know.It's pretty unlikely that a mirror will help for someone who's going to

hit you from behind - by the time you realise they're going to hit you,
it'll be way too late.

I use a bar end mirror on my mtb and you seriously have no idea whether
they'll hit you or not. I like it for that fact that if I have to merge
into the centre lane to go past a bus or some other vehicle, I can see
if there's another car in my lane behind me - I know he won't be next
to me because I generally claim the lane, forcing them to change lanes
to overtake me.

It IS good for spotting d!ckheads who like to overtake and turn left as
soon as they pass you (assuming they indicate), and for seeing when
you're holding up a long line of traffic, or a bus whose stop is just
up ahead but he's not bothering to overtake - I usually put in a sprint
so I don't hold them up too much.

I figure that if people see me making an effort not to hold them up (
🙄 idiots, as if I really hold them up anyway) they'll give me
the space I need.

Sounds fair.I prefer to turn my head and look. But horses for courses

Dave

There are reviews of various mirror designs here:
icebike.orgcyclingmirrors.htmOpen ↗

May give you some idea on how to make your own.

On 2005-10-18, roshea (aka Bruce)
was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:

Quoted message said:

There are reviews of various mirror designs here:
http://www.icebike.org/Equipment/cyclingmirrors.htm

"Every helmet or eyeglass mirror wearer I have ever met remarks that
they become so use to the mirror being there that they will glance
toward the upper left when they hear foot steps behind them while
walking down the street."

Oh good, it's not just me then. :rollseyes:

PITY OTHER PEDESTRIANS CAN'T CHECK BEHIND THEM!

--
TimC
When I'M trying to get somebody fired, I always walk a mile in their
shoes first. That way, when I get them fired and they get all angry
with me, I'm a mile away, and I'VE GOT THEIR SHOES! HAW HAW!
--Beable van Polasm, alt.religion.kibology

TimC said:

On 2005-10-18, roshea (aka Bruce)
was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:

Quoted message said:

There are reviews of various mirror designs here:
http://www.icebike.org/Equipment/cyclingmirrors.htm

"Every helmet or eyeglass mirror wearer I have ever met remarks that
they become so use to the mirror being there that they will glance
toward the upper left when they hear foot steps behind them while
walking down the street."

Oh good, it's not just me then. :rollseyes:

PITY OTHER PEDESTRIANS CAN'T CHECK BEHIND THEM!

greetings,
I have mine mounted on the upper right. This is on the outside of the
bike and gives a better view of traffic. I have to swap to upper left
when I get in the car, but long experience allows that with no problems.
I don't wear it when walking, that would be silly, and don't look behind
me in that situation unless there is good reason.
Regards,
Ray

On 2005-10-18, Ray Peace (aka Bruce)
was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:

Quoted message said:

TimC said:

On 2005-10-18, roshea (aka Bruce)
was almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea:

Quoted message said:

There are reviews of various mirror designs here:
http://www.icebike.org/Equipment/cyclingmirrors.htm

"Every helmet or eyeglass mirror wearer I have ever met remarks that
they become so use to the mirror being there that they will glance
toward the upper left when they hear foot steps behind them while
walking down the street."

Oh good, it's not just me then. :rollseyes:

PITY OTHER PEDESTRIANS CAN'T CHECK BEHIND THEM!

greetings,
I have mine mounted on the upper right.

Duh. The page was written for the US, afterall.

Quoted message said:

This is on the outside of the
bike and gives a better view of traffic. I have to swap to upper left
when I get in the car, but long experience allows that with no problems.
I don't wear it when walking, that would be silly, and don't look behind
me in that situation unless there is good reason.

I hate walking down a path, trying to get somewhere, and those old
fogies who are just weaving in and out of everything slowly, without
looking. They need a mirror 🙂

--
TimC
So y'know, when the girl octopus slaps the boy octopus for being too
forward, he could say it wasn't his fault, the arm just kind of did its
own thing. -- Kasatka in AFAFDA

roshea said:

There are reviews of various mirror designs here:
http://www.icebike.org/Equipment/cyclingmirrors.htm

May give you some idea on how to make your own.

In the old "Freewheeling" mag of the 80's (forerunner of "Australian
Cyclist"😉 there was once an article on how to make your own sunglasses
mirror. I'm sure that it spawned many [censored] inventions.
You start with a trip to the dentist, you or the next one your family
makes, ask your dentist for any old dental mirrors. Most are only
1-1.5cm wide but that's big enough. You don't want it too big anyway,
you'd be trading one blind spot for another.
Then you use the tube from an old biro, connecting the mirror to a
length of old (but shiny) spoke. You can either bend this spoke in the
style of the 3 prongs as that webpage above illustrates or attach it to
one of those small paper clamps/clips/whatever and this clamps onto the
arm of your glasses. Bend and rotate the spoke and mirror to suit. Has
worked for me but you might want to experiment.

quote='DD'roshea said:

There are reviews of various mirror designs here:
http://www.icebike.org/Equipment/cyclingmirrors.htm

May give you some idea on how to make your own.

In the old "Freewheeling" mag of the 80's (forerunner of "Australian
Cyclist"😉 there was once an article on how to make your own sunglasses
mirror. I'm sure that it spawned many [censored] inventions.
You start with a trip to the dentist, you or the next one your family
makes, ask your dentist for any old dental mirrors. Most are only
1-1.5cm wide but that's big enough. You don't want it too big anyway,
you'd be trading one blind spot for another.
Then you use the tube from an old biro, connecting the mirror to a
length of old (but shiny) spoke. You can either bend this spoke in the
style of the 3 prongs as that webpage above illustrates or attach it to
one of those small paper clamps/clips/whatever and this clamps onto the
arm of your glasses. Bend and rotate the spoke and mirror to suit. Has
worked for me but you might want to experiment.[/QUOTE]
Yeah, been there, done that. First iteration was a bulldog clip and dentist mirror on a Guardian helmet (remember those?). After going through a few of those I bought one from the Bikecentennial people in the US. This served me well for many years, though the mirror kept falling off the wire arm so I had to araldite it back a few times. There were two narrow clips which could fit glasses but fitted well to the edge of my helmet visor.

Lost that one a couple of years ago during the Kona 24 hour race (I should have taken it off) and tried a cheap $10 one but the ball joint become loose very quickly. It also had a slightly convex surface to the mirror which I didn't get used to.

Now I have a Blackburn ($14 I think) which is ok. It has a nice flat surface, it can clip on and off quite easily although the mount does need to be stuck on. However the arm vibrates a bit too much for my liking. I might try to secure it to the visor.

Thanks to everyone for their hints and advice.

I looked harder, and found one at the other LBS. It's a stick-on
affair, with an adjustable plastic arm, about $16.

I just installed it - I'll give it a go later.

--
John <[email hidden]>
(Remove hat before emailing)