Less Dorky Mirror - Page 4 - Cycling Mob: Road Cycling, Mountain Biking and More

06-21-2004, 03:37 AM

On Mon, 21 Jun 2004 00:14:32 -0700, Bill <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in
message <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ].com>:

>This sounds like a good case for riding on the wrong side of the road.
>I know this will start a war but it is what I do when I 'must' ride on a
>road with no bicycle lanes. When you are going against traffic at least
>you can see the cars coming and pull off into the dirt on the side if need
>be.

Looks like the usual confusion of the specific with the general. In
general there is no doubt that riding with the traffic flow is much
safer. Some people are thrown clear of burning cars because they are
not wearing seat belts. Is that a good argument for not wearing a
seat belt?

Hits from behind are extremely rare. Most crashes are from cars
failing to yield right of way; by putting yourself where they are
looking for traffic you do a lot to reduce the chances of that - and
if we're resorting to anecdotal evidence, the only time I've been
forced to bail out was by an overtaking car coming the other way. If
I'd been wrong-way riding I'd have been dead.

Start with Effective Cycling. That's known to work.

Guy
--
May contain traces of irony. Contents liable to settle after posting.
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

88% of helmet statistics are made up, 65% of them at Washington University

06-21-2004, 06:38 AM

"Michael" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
news:UTuBc.20479$[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]-kc.rr.com...
> Which is less dorky: a mirror on the helmet or a mirror
> on the handlebars?
>
> I've resisted mirrors all my life, but I must ride a two lane
> road with a 55 mile an hour speed limit with absolutely no
> paved shoulder. I hug the white line right now, looking back
> sometimes but with the chance of going into the road or into
> the gravel.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Mike
>

Not sure about the "Dork Factor", but if you want a mirror that truly works
well, get the Take a Look mirror. It has a wide field of view, and can be
mounted to your glasses, or your helmet. Here are some reviews:
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

I often ride on roads with 45-50mph traffic, with no shoulder and fairly low
traffic volumes. With the mirror, I can easily see traffic from behind.
When I see someone coming from behind, I move a foot or so to the left when
they are still quite a ways back. This forces them to start swinging wider
in order to pass me. As they get close, I drift back to the right so there
is a good amount of space when they go around me. With the mirror, I can
easily monitor the overtaking traffic and if they are not moving far enough
to their left, I have at least 2-3 feet of lane to my right that I can dive
into.

FWIW, if there is oncoming traffic at the same time, I move to the center of
the lane and signal with a rearward-facing left hand and a shake of my head
that they are not to pass. When it's clear, I move to the right and wave
them around. I've found that this assertive approach is appreciated and
respected by most drivers (especially elderly drivers), who are otherwise
unsure of how to safely pass a bicycle. I even get waves from folks as they
pass (all five fingers most of the time).

~_-*
....G/ \G
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
CycliStats - Software for Cyclists

06-21-2004, 06:38 AM

"Michael" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
news:UTuBc.20479$[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]-kc.rr.com...
> Which is less dorky: a mirror on the helmet or a mirror
> on the handlebars?
>
> I've resisted mirrors all my life, but I must ride a two lane
> road with a 55 mile an hour speed limit with absolutely no
> paved shoulder. I hug the white line right now, looking back
> sometimes but with the chance of going into the road or into
> the gravel.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Mike
>

Not sure about the "Dork Factor", but if you want a mirror that truly works
well, get the Take a Look mirror. It has a wide field of view, and can be
mounted to your glasses, or your helmet. Here are some reviews:
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

I often ride on roads with 45-50mph traffic, with no shoulder and fairly low
traffic volumes. With the mirror, I can easily see traffic from behind.
When I see someone coming from behind, I move a foot or so to the left when
they are still quite a ways back. This forces them to start swinging wider
in order to pass me. As they get close, I drift back to the right so there
is a good amount of space when they go around me. With the mirror, I can
easily monitor the overtaking traffic and if they are not moving far enough
to their left, I have at least 2-3 feet of lane to my right that I can dive
into.

FWIW, if there is oncoming traffic at the same time, I move to the center of
the lane and signal with a rearward-facing left hand and a shake of my head
that they are not to pass. When it's clear, I move to the right and wave
them around. I've found that this assertive approach is appreciated and
respected by most drivers (especially elderly drivers), who are otherwise
unsure of how to safely pass a bicycle. I even get waves from folks as they
pass (all five fingers most of the time).

~_-*
....G/ \G
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
CycliStats - Software for Cyclists

06-21-2004, 06:38 AM

"Michael" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
news:UTuBc.20479$[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]-kc.rr.com...
> Which is less dorky: a mirror on the helmet or a mirror
> on the handlebars?
>
> I've resisted mirrors all my life, but I must ride a two lane
> road with a 55 mile an hour speed limit with absolutely no
> paved shoulder. I hug the white line right now, looking back
> sometimes but with the chance of going into the road or into
> the gravel.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Mike
>

Not sure about the "Dork Factor", but if you want a mirror that truly works
well, get the Take a Look mirror. It has a wide field of view, and can be
mounted to your glasses, or your helmet. Here are some reviews:
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

I often ride on roads with 45-50mph traffic, with no shoulder and fairly low
traffic volumes. With the mirror, I can easily see traffic from behind.
When I see someone coming from behind, I move a foot or so to the left when
they are still quite a ways back. This forces them to start swinging wider
in order to pass me. As they get close, I drift back to the right so there
is a good amount of space when they go around me. With the mirror, I can
easily monitor the overtaking traffic and if they are not moving far enough
to their left, I have at least 2-3 feet of lane to my right that I can dive
into.

FWIW, if there is oncoming traffic at the same time, I move to the center of
the lane and signal with a rearward-facing left hand and a shake of my head
that they are not to pass. When it's clear, I move to the right and wave
them around. I've found that this assertive approach is appreciated and
respected by most drivers (especially elderly drivers), who are otherwise
unsure of how to safely pass a bicycle. I even get waves from folks as they
pass (all five fingers most of the time).

~_-*
....G/ \G
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
CycliStats - Software for Cyclists

06-21-2004, 06:38 AM

"Michael" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
news:UTuBc.20479$[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]-kc.rr.com...
> Which is less dorky: a mirror on the helmet or a mirror
> on the handlebars?
>
> I've resisted mirrors all my life, but I must ride a two lane
> road with a 55 mile an hour speed limit with absolutely no
> paved shoulder. I hug the white line right now, looking back
> sometimes but with the chance of going into the road or into
> the gravel.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Mike
>

Not sure about the "Dork Factor", but if you want a mirror that truly works
well, get the Take a Look mirror. It has a wide field of view, and can be
mounted to your glasses, or your helmet. Here are some reviews:
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

I often ride on roads with 45-50mph traffic, with no shoulder and fairly low
traffic volumes. With the mirror, I can easily see traffic from behind.
When I see someone coming from behind, I move a foot or so to the left when
they are still quite a ways back. This forces them to start swinging wider
in order to pass me. As they get close, I drift back to the right so there
is a good amount of space when they go around me. With the mirror, I can
easily monitor the overtaking traffic and if they are not moving far enough
to their left, I have at least 2-3 feet of lane to my right that I can dive
into.

FWIW, if there is oncoming traffic at the same time, I move to the center of
the lane and signal with a rearward-facing left hand and a shake of my head
that they are not to pass. When it's clear, I move to the right and wave
them around. I've found that this assertive approach is appreciated and
respected by most drivers (especially elderly drivers), who are otherwise
unsure of how to safely pass a bicycle. I even get waves from folks as they
pass (all five fingers most of the time).

~_-*
....G/ \G
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
CycliStats - Software for Cyclists

06-21-2004, 06:38 AM

"Michael" <[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]> wrote in message
news:UTuBc.20479$[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]-kc.rr.com...
> Which is less dorky: a mirror on the helmet or a mirror
> on the handlebars?
>
> I've resisted mirrors all my life, but I must ride a two lane
> road with a 55 mile an hour speed limit with absolutely no
> paved shoulder. I hug the white line right now, looking back
> sometimes but with the chance of going into the road or into
> the gravel.
>
> Thanks,
>
> Mike
>

Not sure about the "Dork Factor", but if you want a mirror that truly works
well, get the Take a Look mirror. It has a wide field of view, and can be
mounted to your glasses, or your helmet. Here are some reviews:
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]

I often ride on roads with 45-50mph traffic, with no shoulder and fairly low
traffic volumes. With the mirror, I can easily see traffic from behind.
When I see someone coming from behind, I move a foot or so to the left when
they are still quite a ways back. This forces them to start swinging wider
in order to pass me. As they get close, I drift back to the right so there
is a good amount of space when they go around me. With the mirror, I can
easily monitor the overtaking traffic and if they are not moving far enough
to their left, I have at least 2-3 feet of lane to my right that I can dive
into.

FWIW, if there is oncoming traffic at the same time, I move to the center of
the lane and signal with a rearward-facing left hand and a shake of my head
that they are not to pass. When it's clear, I move to the right and wave
them around. I've found that this assertive approach is appreciated and
respected by most drivers (especially elderly drivers), who are otherwise
unsure of how to safely pass a bicycle. I even get waves from folks as they
pass (all five fingers most of the time).

~_-*
....G/ \G
[Only registered and activated users can see links. ]
CycliStats - Software for Cyclists

06-21-2004, 07:36 AM

On Mon, 21 Jun 2004 00:14:32 -0700, Bill wrote:

> This sounds like a good case for riding on the wrong side of the road.

There is never a reason for riding against traffic. You're only confusing
the motorist, egregiously breaking the law, and adding to the potential
impact speed vs. subtracting from it.

Please refrain from riding until you can wrap your head around this.
Seriously--no offense meant at all.

06-21-2004, 07:36 AM

On Mon, 21 Jun 2004 00:14:32 -0700, Bill wrote:

> This sounds like a good case for riding on the wrong side of the road.

There is never a reason for riding against traffic. You're only confusing
the motorist, egregiously breaking the law, and adding to the potential
impact speed vs. subtracting from it.

Please refrain from riding until you can wrap your head around this.
Seriously--no offense meant at all.

06-21-2004, 07:36 AM

On Mon, 21 Jun 2004 00:14:32 -0700, Bill wrote:

> This sounds like a good case for riding on the wrong side of the road.

There is never a reason for riding against traffic. You're only confusing
the motorist, egregiously breaking the law, and adding to the potential
impact speed vs. subtracting from it.

Please refrain from riding until you can wrap your head around this.
Seriously--no offense meant at all.

06-21-2004, 07:36 AM

On Mon, 21 Jun 2004 00:14:32 -0700, Bill wrote:

> This sounds like a good case for riding on the wrong side of the road.

There is never a reason for riding against traffic. You're only confusing
the motorist, egregiously breaking the law, and adding to the potential
impact speed vs. subtracting from it.

Please refrain from riding until you can wrap your head around this.
Seriously--no offense meant at all.