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A work colleague of mine who commuted by bike ended up in a pretty serious accident because of a mirror. The road was rough enough that he was always fussing with it, kept taking a hand off the bar, lost control of the bike, ended up on the ground in front of an overtaking car. Sometimes they are a good idea, other times maybe not.
The reason people don't use mirrors? They just don't want to use a mirror.
And then they get very creative, inventing all these reasons as to why not using a mirror is supposedly safer than using one, which make about as much sense as the excuses offered up by bicycle (and motorcycle) riders who insist that not wearing a helmet is actually safer than wearing one - which is to say, no sense at all.
Those who ride rail trail or greenways really do not need them but those of use who ride on roads without much in the way of shoulders should use them. I do because of that reason. I don't like cars sneaking up on me especially near the highway where noise can mask a vehicle coming up behind you.
The reason people don't use mirrors? They just don't want to use a mirror.
And then they get very creative, inventing all these reasons as to why not using a mirror is supposedly safer than using one, which make about as much sense as the excuses offered up by bicycle (and motorcycle) riders who insist that not wearing a helmet is actually safer than wearing one - which is to say, no sense at all.
I had a beach cruiser I road at about 7-9mph max. At that speed, my ears did as good a job with telling me what was behind me as a mirror. None of the roads I was on were high traffic and all of them had lots of people riding on them in bikes, walking on them, and riding a whole manner of other weird transportation devices- like a skateboard was a legitimate mode of transport. Do you think that people install mirrors on their skateboards? Come on. Plus, the mirror is not particularly helpful when what is behind you is people doing those things and you need to check for them shooting into the road before making a turn.
Don't have one and haven't really felt the need, peripheral vision and head turning seems to do just fine. That said, I don't ride a lot of miles and I don't ride where there is a lot of traffic..
Same when I used t oride my bike... I didnt have a mirror I just looked to the side.......
I’m 69 years old with a stiff neck and diminished hearing. I use a mirror, one of those jobs that fits in the end of the handlebar where it’s quite secure and solid. Despite the faults a mirror may have it’s better for me than no mirror. And that’s that.
Only a minority use mirrors. Never had a need nor desire to concentrate on who was overtaking me. Unfolding situations to the front needed attention which have applied for over 200,000 miles of pedaling to work and serious recreational riding. Have been taken down a number of times but have lived to retirement age and weight just 20 pounds more than what the scale said when I graduated high school. Having a mirror would be a grave safety issue for me.
People used to ask me why I rode on the opposite side of the road (Cars facing you)
I was scared to ride with cars behind me.... You wouldnt know if someone came swearving towards you until its too late most likely..... With the cars coming towards you,you can jump off your bike/get out of the way hopefully before they hit!!
I dunno...... I just felt safer seeing what was on the road..... (Or who I mean)
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