rear view mirror

[stephenbadger]

On 3/20/2019 at 12:14 PM, Marty Backe said:

Generally, the last thing I want to do is have any kind of debate with the Police. It's all "Yes Sir", "Will Do", "Thank you", etc.

Pooolice primary policy is to arrest/convict any & as many citizens as possible other than their own families ...it's NOT a life preparation home-truth taught to the kiddies in the schools.

lol, yes, calling one of NZs government policy inforcer thugs an idiot would earn a "fail" on their pig "attitude test" 

Love the wrist-mirror, just what l need to stay alive ...we've gotta lot of PC killers in cars here that think PEVs are the latest thing in bloodsports, ggrrr

[ir_fuel]

On 3/19/2019 at 4:26 PM, Darrell Wesh said:

I had the wrist mounted option but it’s not quick enough as turning your head because you need to position your arm and/or head just right to see where you want to

Funny. It's near instant for me.

Moreover I am not an owl so I can't turn my head 180 degrees.  

I'm currently looking on how to install it permanently on my Flexmeters.

btw, 99% of cyclists manage just fine without mirrors. 

[Planemo]

1 hour ago, ir_fuel said:

 

btw, 99% of cyclists manage just fine without mirrors. 

Very true, although 99% of cyclists have probably never tried one either...

I did, and I would never go back. I use one of these which are discreet and clips onto my spectacles. Can't recommend it enough, and when I venture onto the road with my EUC I shall be using it as I do with my bicycle:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/i/381658451724?chn=ps

[Darrell Wesh]

3 hours ago, ir_fuel said:

Funny. It's near instant for me.

Moreover I am not an owl so I can't turn my head 180 degrees.  

I'm currently looking on how to install it permanently on my Flexmeters.

btw, 99% of cyclists manage just fine without mirrors. 

? How could it be near instant on the wrist when you need to raise your wrist to view the mirror? Assuming your arms at your side like normal EUC stance, you’ll need to raise your arm and then angle it just right to see behind you at the right angle and not behind you at the sky or ground. 

[Marty Backe]

7 hours ago, ir_fuel said:

Funny. It's near instant for me.

Moreover I am not an owl so I can't turn my head 180 degrees.  

I'm currently looking on how to install it permanently on my Flexmeters.

btw, 99% of cyclists manage just fine without mirrors. 

Really? I'm on trails a lot with cyclists and the majority either have helmet mirrors or handlebar mirrors.

Maybe you're talking about mom and pop riding their bicycle lazyly down the street? Or it's a Belgium/American thing, where one culture doesn't use mirrors and the other does?

[Smoother]

12 hours ago, Planemo said:

Very true, although 99% of cyclists have probably never tried one either...

I did, and I would never go back. I use one of these which are discreet and clips onto my spectacles. Can't recommend it enough, and when I venture onto the road with my EUC I shall be using it as I do with my bicycle:

https://www.ebay.co.uk/i/381658451724?chn=ps

That mirror looks like it fits on the left side only. If this is true how are you finding it's practicality on English roads (drive on other side) or have you customised it?

[Planemo]

I believe it flips to either side. I use mine on the right. Not sure if they make lhd and rhd versions, been a good few years since I bought mine. I believe they are made in the states so prob designed for lhd but can be flipped. I will try and get a pic with it fitted

[Planemo]

Here you go...because it is closer to your eye than most alternatives, the mirror can be a lot smaller. A quick glance up and right gives you a very good idea of what is behind. As Marty has said previously, utmost detail at a glance isnt needed, but knowing whether or not a vehicle is behind. At that, it is very good indeed and I prefer it to the other options available due to its size.

Edited April 15, 2020 by Planemo

[Smoother]

As a glasses wearer and seldom (read never) helmet rider, I like this option.  I think I'll get one (even though I just ordered a @ir_fuel style wrist mirror) should have waited a day.

FYI here is the correct item for right hand drive countries, but ouch! the shipping is almost the cost of the product. Different seller, slightly cheaper.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ORIGINAL-METAL-PRECISION-TAKE-A-LOOK-the-Best-Clip-On-Bike-Bicycle-Mirror-NEW/381575074186?epid=2255110230&hash=item58d7a5918a:g:mRgAAOSwnM1cXIjq&frcectupt=true

But then I found this one shipping free locally for only £3.66.  Worth a punt.

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Bike-Bicycle-Cycling-Riding-Helmet-Mirror-Mount-Eyeglass-Rearview-Rear-View-UK/123720253806?epid=11008444498&hash=item1cce4d416e:g:Gc4AAOSwCR9cpDAH&frcectupt=true

Edited April 9, 2019 by Smoother

[stephenbadger]

On 4/9/2019 at 7:31 AM, ir_fuel said:

Funny. It's near instant for me.

Moreover I am not an owl so I can't turn my head 180 degrees.  

I'm currently looking on how to install it permanently on my Flexmeters.

btw, 99% of cyclists manage just fine without mirrors. 

mmm, l think my friend "lightning" Davoid (lightweight racing-bike) operated on the principle that 99.99% of the time he didn't need a mirror ...in the rush-hour returning from work, nearly home to his wife & son ...going around a parked car in the bicycle lane ...hit from behind by a drunk driver in the traffic stream & shunted into the back of another parked car ...instant roadkill ...nearly made it to 50yrs old.

It was the "drunk" that killed him 4 yrs ago, or at least that is the assumption, he was held responsible & convicted/jailed for it, but the pooolice charge was obviously automatic ...l will ask if it was determined if he had any kind of a mirror ...might have saved his life that .01% of the time when fast superdave needed a mirror.

[Guest PogArt Artur]

11 minutes ago, stephenbadger said:

mmm, l think my friend "lightning" Davoid (lightweight racing-bike) operated on the principle that 99.99% of the time he didn't need a mirror ...in the rush-hour returning from work, nearly home to his wife & son ...going around a parked car in the bicycle lane ...hit from behind by a drunk driver in the traffic stream & shunted into the back of another parked car ...instant roadkill ...nearly made it to 50yrs old.

It was the "drunk" that killed him 4 yrs ago, or at least that is the assumption, he was held responsible & convicted/jailed for it, but the pooolice charge was obviously automatic ...l will ask if it was determined if he had any kind of a mirror ...might have saved his life that .01% of the time when fast superdave needed a mirror.

I's sorry to read this sad story.

Reminds me of some other saying - "a 100 of times you can succeed, but at 101 you may fail instead."

[yourtoys7]

Ive learned just to turn my head, once you do it enough times, its easy and you do get a better view

[mrelwood]

1 hour ago, yourtoys7 said:

Ive learned just to turn my head, once you do it enough times, its easy and you do get a better view

Still, with a helmet mirror you are looking back all the time. Every method has it’s pros and cons, but a fixed mirror constantly in ones view can’t be beat for situational awareness.

[stephenbadger]

l ordered 2 little 50mm mirrors, so l can bind one onto the throttle-trigger end of my e-scooter handle-bar (right) on my Dualtron 3 ...l think the helmet option might be more user-friendly/

11 hours ago, mrelwood said:

Still, with a helmet mirror you are looking back all the time. Every method has it’s pros and cons, but a fixed mirror constantly in ones view can’t be beat for situational awareness.

 practicable & l will continue researching which one to buy&try on my cheap K-Mart bicycle helmet ...l hate the continual hassle of trying to find out what's behind me when l venture onto the road, ggrrr

 

l spray-painted my helmet "primer grey" so that it doesn't show grease marks ...someone should do a topic on "helmet decor" 

[null]

Started using a helmet mirror a couple of days ago, its pretty reassuring to get a glance back now and then. The wind in your ears can cover the sound of cars, and while I have no problem turning my head, I won't be doing that at a regular basis. Other than making you look even dorkier and having to be careful handling the helmet, it seems like a useful safety item.

Edited April 23, 2019 by Mimolette

[Smoother]

I recently bought a helmet (glasses actually) mirror and wrist mirror.  I prefer the wrist mirror to the glasses mirror I bought.  The glasses mirror is set on spring steel and vibrates up and down ALL THE TIME.  Even when I'm just sitting calmly, I can read my heart rate through the mirror; it's that sensitive.  It also only uses flat glass, so the field of view is very restricted.  I found myself constantly messing with it or turning my head this way and that to get a view behind.

That was a cheap eBay mirror about $5.  Maybe a more expensive one like @Planemo uses, would work better. Just to be clear, this is not a broblem with helmet mirrors in general, just this brand of glasses mirror (clips onto arm of glasses)

Edited April 25, 2019 by Smoother

[Guest PogArt Artur]

8 minutes ago, Smoother said:

I recently bought a helmet (glasses actually) mirror and wrist mirror.  I prefer the wrist mirror to the glasses mirror I bought.  The glasses mirror is set on spring steel and vibrates up and down ALL THE TIME.  Even when I'm just sitting calmly, I can read my heart rate through the mirror; it's that sensitive.  It also only uses flat glass, so the field of view is very restricted.  I found myself constantly messing with it or turning my head this way and that to get a view behind.

That was a cheap eBay mirror about $5.  Maybe a more expensive one like @Planemo uses, would work better. Just to be clear, this is not a broblem with helmet mirrors in general, just this brand of glasses mirror (clips onto arm of glasses)

I'm going get the wrist mirror after long t8me of rethinking both options.

First of all, the helmet mirror would will make me very gently every time, otherwise it woukd be too easy to knock the mirror off or just disrupt the angle of view.

Wrist mirror seems to be less sensitive, and more convenient ... 

It's my personal point of view only

[Smoother]

25 minutes ago, PogArt Artur said:

I'm going get the wrist mirror after long t8me of rethinking both options.

First of all, the helmet mirror would will make me very gently every time, otherwise it woukd be too easy to knock the mirror off or just disrupt the angle of view.

Wrist mirror seems to be less sensitive, and more convenient ... 

It's my personal point of view only

The BIG advantage of the helmet mirror (if you find one you like) is that it shows you what is behind you even when you don't remember to look.  It's one thing to look before you make a change of direction etc, but it's something completely different if someone zooms up behind you when you aren't looking at your wrist mirror.  I'd like to think that movement in the helmet mirror would draw your eye to it.  Of course that only applies when you are wearing your helmet.  You always wear your wrists.

Edited April 25, 2019 by Smoother

[Guest PogArt Artur]

3 minutes ago, Smoother said:

The BIG advantage of the helmet mirror (if you find one you like) is that it shows you what is behind you even when you don't remember to look.  It's one thing to look before you make a change of direction etc, but it's something completely different if someone zooms up behind you when you aren't looking at your wrist mirror.  I'd like to think that movement in the helmet mirror would draw your eye to it.  Of course that only applies when you are wearing your helmet.  You always wear your wrists.

I do agree, all you saying is,that the helmet mirror will continuously driving your attention, because it's just blink of an eye to check it...

Unfortunately it's also kind of aerial sticking out...

So easy to knock it off, simply by passing the branches etc.

Wrist mirror is more solid on the other hand,and it's more like car's mirrors to me.

You need to move your head to check the mirror, but I can't see any problem to do that, because I'm doing it on daily basis for many hours anyway hahahaa (driving buses).

Now when I started commuting it's time for me to get the mirror on my wrist

 

[Smoother]

5 minutes ago, PogArt Artur said:

I'm doing it on daily basis for many hours anyway

I used to drive buses too, so I know what you mean.  Mirror checking (for those who don't drive buses in England) is a massive part of the training.  Just pulling away from a bus stop requires "officially" something like 8 different mirror checks AND the foot well of the door to make sure someone hasn't got their foot stuck in it (happened more than once apparently) There's a lot more to professional bus driving than stopping at the stops and driving between them.

[Planemo]

1 hour ago, Smoother said:

I recently bought a helmet (glasses actually) mirror and wrist mirror.  I prefer the wrist mirror to the glasses mirror I bought.  The glasses mirror is set on spring steel and vibrates up and down ALL THE TIME.  Even when I'm just sitting calmly, I can read my heart rate through the mirror; it's that sensitive.  It also only uses flat glass, so the field of view is very restricted.  I found myself constantly messing with it or turning my head this way and that to get a view behind.

That was a cheap eBay mirror about $5.  Maybe a more expensive one like @Planemo uses, would work better. Just to be clear, this is not a broblem with helmet mirrors in general, just this brand of glasses mirror (clips onto arm of glasses)

Re the vibration, possibly mine is less flexy, difficult to tell without testing them together I guess. I don't notice any issues with vibration on mine though.

Not sure if mine is convex or not, I'm pretty sure it isn't. I don't struggle with field of view though due to how close it is to my eye. Difficult to work out the aspect ratio at the mo but gauging the width of it by hand and looking at my computer screen,  it's probably like a 15" monitor at 3 feet. I find it enough to see if there's anything behind me for sure. If I get a chance I will actually fit it to my glasses and do the monitor check again accurately.

Edit: Just looked at your Ebay one Smoother - it looks like the mirror is suspended from a very thin single piece of metal rather than the metal tube sections of my 'Take a Look' one. This may very well make the difference in vibration between the two. The mirror on mine is also a piece of Perspex, yours looks like metal/glass? Mine is very light indeed, which hanging off the end may well reduce vibration further.

Edited April 25, 2019 by Planemo

[Guest PogArt Artur]

17 minutes ago, Smoother said:

I used to drive buses too, so I know what you mean.  Mirror checking (for those who don't drive buses in England) is a massive part of the training.  Just pulling away from a bus stop requires "officially" something like 8 different mirror checks AND the foot well of the door to make sure someone hasn't got their foot stuck in it (happened more than once apparently) There's a lot more to professional bus driving than stopping at the stops and driving between them.

Thank you for keen words

I didn't know (or I've forgot) you used to be a bus driver too 

So you know I mean...

I'm doing it frequently anyway, so it won't bother me if I put the mirror on my wrist

While commuting I'm passing under the tree's branches very often, they're overhanging so low ,and I'm forced to bend my knees ...

Sometime it's an overgrown bush at a side of the pavement...

I've just returned helmet mirror recently.

It was the best I could think of  Take-a-look Helmet(glasses) Mirror.

There's YouTube advertisement/review if you interested @Smoother .

It cost over £17...

But I've changed my mind...

I love it, don't get me wrong, but I prefer wrist mirror at the moment.

I might change my mind, though

We need to try out different stuff to get it know better, so we can judge then, whether it's working for our needs or not

 

Edited April 25, 2019 by PogArt Artur

[Marty Backe]

All of my helmet mounted mirrors are epoxied to the helmet. They've never come off even when I've gently whacked the mirror.

The one I'm using now has a very slight convex shape to the mirror. This is great because it picks up movement and draws my attention to the mirror without me having to look at it.

There is a fair amount of vibration in the mirror (can't tell if it's a Chevy or Ford). But all I care to know is if there's a vehicle or bicyclist approaching me. One of my most recent videos is of me cruising down a mountain road. I never had to turn my head or raise me arms yet I always knew if a car was approaching so that I could get out of the center of the road. It's very liberating.

[NylahTay]

Wow, I've never thought about using a mirror. Coming from riding skateboards all the time,  I've always been used to just turning my head. Totally shopping amazon for a wrist mirror now. 

[Smoother]

On 4/25/2019 at 3:32 PM, NylahTay said:

Wow, I've never thought about using a mirror. Coming from riding skateboards all the time,  I've always been used to just turning my head. Totally shopping amazon for a wrist mirror now. 

on a skateboard your body is already turned 45 degrees or so, so whats behind you is almost in your peripheral vision anyway.  A few more degrees of head turn  and any activity behind you becomes identifiable.  I must say, even on an Euc, turning your head, neck, shoulders 90 deg. produces the same effect.  But again, one is only looking when one chooses to look; which doesn't identify things that approach when you aren't looking.

@NylahTay get the type that pops up like a compass and then swivels.  I have found that it can be easily viewed with the wrist still down , or mostly down by you side; so there's no need to push you fist out in front like Superman taking flight.

I tried the one on a nylon strap that velcros in one position and I didn't like it.

Edited April 28, 2019 by Smoother