shauns@vice.UUCP (Shaun Simpkins) (05/14/84)
With all this worry about helmet/glasses mount rearview mirrors, has anyone
out there considered bicycle mount mirrors?
I've used a Mirrycle mirror for a year now and have absolutely no complaints.
It has a much wider angle of view than the head mount mirrors, is less likely
to get out of adjustment and much easier to correct when it does, and doesn't
get in the way like bar end or helmet mount mirrors.
It's a bit of a pain to put on if you don't have Dia-Compe style brake levers,
but once on and adjusted it becomes just another dependable part of your bike.
I never have to worry about it, and as a result I use it more. It's also small
enough to avoid the Quadrophenia Vespa effect on observers.
Highly recommended.
The wandering squash,
--
Shaun Simpkins
uucp: {ucbvax,decvax,chico,pur-ee,cbosg,ihnss}!teklabs!tekcad!vice!shauns
CSnet: shauns@tek
ARPAnet:shauns.tek@rand-relaydsn@umcp-cs.UUCP (05/21/84)
-- > From: shauns@vice.UUCP > I've used a Mirrycle mirror for a year now and have absolutely no complaints. > ... Highly recommended. I have a Mirrycle, and DO have a complaint: About one-third of the image in the mirror is a reflection of my wrist or lower arm. The mirror will show me PART of the road behind me, but not enough to be satisfactory unless I steer slightly to the left to get my arm out of the way. It's inconvenient to have to change direction whenever I want to see what's behind me. How do you handle this problem, Shaun? Mirrycle could easily solve it if they made the mirror mount extend out a bit farther. -- Dana S. Nau CSNet: dsn@umcp-cs ARPA: dsn@maryland UUCP: {seismo,allegra,brl-bmd}!umcp-cs!dsn
shauns@vice.UUCP (05/30/84)
RE: view obstruction with Mirrycles:
Viewing angle has a lot to do with your normal riding position. Most of the
time I hang my thumbs over the brake hoods, a more inboard and therefore less
obstructing position than on the the drops. When I ride this way, no more than
1/4 of the field is obstructed. When I'm on the drops the field of view
shrinks, but not offensively.
There are other things to consider with the Mirrycle; two come immediately to
mind:
a) Brake lever angle. I've noticed on some bikes that the brake levers are
rotated inward. This shortens the effective length of the mirror
standoff. My levers are set dead straight ahead.
b) Handlebar type. My old bike had randonnee bars, a type whose drops don't
drop vertically but flare out much more than my present bike's bars,
which are almost vertical. The randonnee drop places the arm farther
outside of the brake lever and thus obstructs the mirror. I notice
much less difference between drop and on top positions with my new
bars, whereas on the old bike only the on top position was satisfactory.
As a final comment - if you have more than 3/4 of the mirror clear, that's
excellent. The only time you can critically align a mirror is when the driver
and vehicle are fixed relative to each other, as in a car. With all the
shifting around that bicyclists do as they pedal, the field of view varies all
over the map.
The wandering squash,
--
Shaun Simpkins
uucp: {ucbvax,decvax,chico,pur-ee,cbosg,ihnss}!teklabs!tekcad!vice!shauns
CSnet: shauns@tek
ARPAnet:shauns.tek@rand-relay