"DirtRoadie" <
[email protected]> wrote in message
news:
[email protected]...
[email protected] wrote:
> > Are world class racers wearing rear view mirrors, and if not why
> > not? Watching the Tour de Georgia, seems many were wasting energy
> > and speed looking backward.
>
> In California you'll fail the driving test if you don't look back when
> changing lanes. The reason is that even with three mirrors in the
> car, there is still a blind spot that can best be viewed by looking
> back. The same goes for bicycling.
Not entirely true. With a head mounted mirror (helmet glasses, etc)
the rearward field of view is readily adjusted with slight head
movements and there are no obstructions such as roof pillars to create
blind spots. If the mirror is mounted on the left side (best for
seeing traffic approaching from the rear) there IS a blind spot behind
and to the right of the rider. However just because a rider is
wearing a mirror does not preclude him/her from looking there WITHOUT
using the mirror.
>The primary reason for rearview
> mirrors in bicycling is to allay the fears of paranoids, not to see
> whether it is safe to move into a lane for a left turn or the like.
Wrong again. The primary reason for rearview mirrors is to be able to
see to the rear without having to turn ones head. In fact they have
the benefit of being able to see to the rear while the view to the
front is still within one's peripheral vision.
> I doubt that a racer would risk crashing a fellow racer by relying on
> a rear view mirror, one attached to the head one way or another, while
> making a maneuver in a pack.
And that is why any user of a mirror will generally use it in
conjunction with other methods of gathering information (including
sound). Just curious, do cars in Califronia still have rearview
mirrors depsite the State's recognition that they are useless for lane
changing? Or do such mirrors, perhaps, have some other utility?
Beyond that, the information gained by
> skewing one eye to look into that mirror is like trying to read this
> screen with ones head facing 45° to one side.
Why do you make such silly straw arguments? You are describing a
POORLY ADJUSTED mirror orientation.
To quote myself from a thread a few years ago:
I know more "serious" riders who do not use mirrors than those who do.
But speaking only for myself, I first tried one of one of these:
http://www.cycleaware.com/products/viewpoint.php
a few years ago. I 've been using it ever since and wouldn't be caught
riding without it. Once positioned properly it works extremely well. I
like the fact that my view to the rear can be adjusted by head
movement and have found this particular item to be much less
distracting than I found in my very brief and unsatisfactory
experiments with external glasses-mounted mirrors. It may not work
well with glasses which fit tight to the face or with long hair (over
the ears) which may block the view to the rear. It's unobtrusive and
invisible if "geekiness" is a concern.
But for the functional usefulness of a mirror, fashion should really
not be a factor in the equation.
DR
Contrary to what Jobst said about the CA DL test requiring you to turn
your head, I've taken a number of safe driver classes (read traffic
school) given by CA Highway Patrol Officers who unequivically said that it
was unsafe to turn your head and take your eyes off the road in front to
see what was behind you. Years ago I learned to continously scan all 3
mirrors - unlike some drivers who only use their rearview mirror for
putting on lipstick and have no idea what a turn signal is for.
As far as blind spots, my Ford Taurus has some of the biggest blind spots
on any modern car. There is a zone on both sides by the rear corners that
is hard to see. There are some stupid drivers who must think that they are
drafting in a peloton and sit in those blind spots. I used to rent cars 20
to 30 times a year in my business travels so I got to compare a number of
different US and Japanese makes.
When I learned to drive some cars only had inside rearview mirrors. The
lefthand outside mirror was an extra cost accessory and the righthand
mirror was a luxurery - and no, we didn't have to crank the cars by
hand.... ;-)
Old man Chas.
