Friday, August 29, 2008

Review of Mirrycle Mirror: Best Mirror I've Found.


I have this Mirrycle handle bar mirror that I can’t recommend more highly. I tried other mirrors and they just can’t compare with this Mirrycle. There was one I tried that you had to stick into the handlebar and had some sort of expanding rubber to hold it in place. I think it was called the Cateye handlebar MTB mirror. It wobbled too much as you rode. You had to constantly readjust it so you could have the appropriate line of sight. Not with this Mirrycle. It has an expanding cylinder (with two handlebar width sizes) that will hold this mirror firmly in place. The kit comes with a L-shaped hex key to adjust. In addition, you can adjust it once and forget it. It pretty much stays the way you left it. I wouldn’t tighten it too much because if you bike falls over or you hit a parking meter or something you may break it. Better that it be slightly loose so it can “give” in case you rub it against something.

I’m also not a fan of those stick on mirrors that you put on your glasses or on your helmet. I’ve only got one pair of glasses and I’m pretty rough with them. I toss them when I take them off and I don’t think a protruding mirror would last too long with the way I treat my glasses. Same thing with the helmet mirror. These usually stick on to the outside of the helmet. I toss my helmet in a small shelf in the garage when I remove it. Again, my rough treatment could cause these small mirrors to come off.

If you’re a regular commuter you should make a rearview mirror as one of your top 3 accessories to outfit your bike with. Using my mirror, I’m always looking behind me to see traffic approaching. Generally, I try to take the lane as much as possible to 1) avoid being “doored” from cars on the right and 2) to more be more visible to traffic. When I spot a car coming up behind me, I move slightly to the right to allow them to pass me. Although I’ve never been hit from behind, I think a rear mirror would also allow me to jump off or leave the bike if a car does strike me.