A good mirror: Zefal's Dooback
Andre Jute
a satisfied user reports
by Andre Jute
Zefal's Dooback is a rectangular plastic mirror with one corner cut
off. It fits on a plug in the end of 22mm bandlebars and comes with a
shim. Once mounted, it flips over on spring loading to be out of the
way for parking the bike.
The makers claim it is shockproof but mine broke when the mirror as
dropped on a tiled floor while I was changing grips. Nonetheless I
couldn't find anything better and bought a second Zefal Dooback. It
cost 17 euro landed from XX Cycles in France, the cheapest combo of
price and carriage (to Ireland) I could find.
Zefal's Dooback is easy enough to install but is not toollessly
adjustable if you often change your position on the bike. A proper
installation turns the Dooback into a rock solid part of the bike,
which makes up for the lack of more than very minor adjustment once
the single bolt fixing is done up. However, the plastic mounting
assembly is so adaptable that I cannot imagine a bike on which this
mirror cannot be made to fit.
Note that Zefal Dooback mirrors are handed. If you order only one, you
must speficy for which side. I suggest that if you ride on the
righthand side of the road, you order a lefthand Dooback, and if
you're British, Irish, South African or Japanese you order a righthand
Dooback. If you will use two, order one of each.
The mirror is large, and on top of that is convex, and on top of that
the corner cut off the rectangle is precisely positioned to show the
road disappearing at infinity behind you on country lanes, or to find
the cars in your own lane behind you if you're on a multilane road:
they are directly under this cut-off corner. The way the mirror
mounts, the cut-off corner is also the highest point of the mirror and
thus defines the horizon behind you. To the inside of this is a
triangle which defines the lane to the outside of the road, parked
cars or a slower lane. To the outside of the cutoff corner the mirror
shows cars overtaking you. Because the mirror is convex, the nose of
the overtaking car is well into your peripheral vision before the
mirror loses the rear end of the car. That alone is worth the price.
The positive location of every car in the mirror on even the quickest
glance makes that cut-off corner a stroke of industrial-design genius.
Because Zefal's Dooback is convex, you have to learn that cars are a
lot nearer to you than they appear in the mirror. I adapted quickly,
perhaps a bit slower at night than during daytime for the obvious
reason, that at night there are no other reference points in the
mirror besides the cars' lights.
Besides the minor irritation of inadjustability once fixed (which is
roundly compensated by the mirror being rock solid, zero shimmy), and
the short learning period to adapt to the convex nature of a wide-
angle mirror, are there any other problems? Yes, there are. First of
all, the mirror is made of plastic for rider safety but that also
means it is soft enough scratch easily; don't rub it with dirty
gloves! In fact, keep your fingers off it altogether, as greasy marks
are hard to get off again. Of course, these are mickey complaints that
apply to every bicycle mirror you can buy, but I don't see that it
would be too hard to make mirror-plastic scratch resistant.
This is a mirror that really shows you the road, with all hazards on
it instantly located in space. I reveled in the secure feeling of
knowing what was going on behind me, which I missed after I broke my
first Dooback and, while I waited for the replacement to arrive, was
trying to puzzle out what was going on with a helmet mirror.
The Dooback's flip feature is very useful for getting wide handlebars
through doors. I also use it on a footbridge to avoid hitting people
with the mirror, and on a narrow pavement I ride on at night to curl
bike and body around some inconveniently placed lamp posts.
All in all the best bicycle mirror I've ever had. Pricey but superior,
so just about worth the high price. Highly recommended.
Coypright © 2009 Andre Jute
Free for reproduction on non-profit netsites. Any other use contact
author.
Chalo
>
> Zefal's Dooback is a rectangular plastic mirror with one corner cut
> off. It fits on a plug in the end of 22mm bandlebars and comes with a
> shim. Once mounted, it flips over on spring loading to be out of the
> way for parking the bike.
I don't use a rearview mirror on my bicycles, but I have used Third
Eye handlebar end mirrors for many years on my motorcycle.
http://www.3rd-eye.com/(09).htm
It offers some advantages over any other motorcycle mirrors I have
tried:
It doesn't vibrate to the point of uselessness like most lever-mounted
motorcycle mirrors.
It is convex, providing a larger field of view than most motorcycle
mirrors.
It mounts low and well off center compared to lever-mounted mirrors,
meaning I can see behind me instead of looking at my handsome brawny
arms.
It costs $10-12, making it far cheaper than motorcycle-specific
replacement mirrors.
Compared to other bicycle mirrors, I like the Third Eye unit for its
ruggedness, simplicity, and overall lack of "features". It uses a
glass element where bicycle mirrors usually seem to employ plastic.
Chalo
landotter
I can break one of those in two days by breathing at it wrong.
For motorbikes, I'm a big fan of Napoleon bar-ends.
Chalo
>
> Chalo wrote:
> >
> > I don't use a rearview mirror on my bicycles, but I have used Third
> > Eye handlebar end mirrors for many years on my motorcycle.
> >
> >http://www.3rd-eye.com/(09).htm
> >
> > ruggedness, simplicity, and overall lack of "features". It uses a
> > glass element where bicycle mirrors usually seem to employ plastic.
>
Mine endure until I drop my motorbike on that side, which they never
survive. Actually, the last one I had to replace made it for years
until the adhesive holding the glass became crispy. I looked down one
day to find a mirror with no mirror in it.
> For motorbikes, I'm a big fan of Napoleon bar-ends.
I used a cheap Emgo-branded copy of those once. They worked fine
unless the engine was running. When the engine was running they shook
so badly there was no using them.
Chalo
someone
Turn off engne, then comb hair.
Chalo
>
> Chalo wrote:
> >
> > landotter wrote:
> > >
> > > For motorbikes, I'm a big fan of Napoleon bar-ends.
> >
> > I used a cheap Emgo-branded copy of those once. They worked fine
> > unless the engine was running. When the engine was running they shook
> > so badly there was no using them.
>
Only as necessary:
It's Chris
shakiest part of the vehicle. In the case of a bicyclist that part is
the head.
I use a Third-Eye "Pro". Very hard to find, but the best designed of
this type, again, IMO. It mounted to the H****t, is larger than most
eyeglass/H****t mirrors and has ball/socket adjustments at both ends of
the arm, resulting in almost infinite positioning.
And of course as with all head mounted mirrors, it's view isn't limited
to just what's directly behind the bike, nor is it ever "out of
adjustment" because the handlebars may be turned in the wrong direction
at the moment.
A slight twist of the head lets the rider scan the entire road behind
him/her, all without losing sight of what's in front, because he(or
she)'s not having to take their eyes off the road in order to look down
at the bars.
- -
Compliments of:
"Your Friendly Neighborhood Wheelman"
If you want to E-mail me use:
ChrisZCorner "at" webtv "dot" net
My website:
http://geocities.com/czcorner
someone
Hey!