Fastflash DLX Mirror

Every time I read through the news, which is daily, it seems there is a new and disturbing article about an accident involving a cyclist and a vehicle, the cyclist always loses. What I find troubling is how many people are oblivious to the extra safety precautions they can easily take to avoid being another unfortunate and possibly preventable statistic.

Cycling Mirrors are not usually a very exciting subject. They often conjure the image of a dorky rider with a reflective vest, a helmet pushed far back on their head –displaying a good amount of forehead- and a milk crate secured with faded bungee cords on a rusted pannier rack –I apologize if this describes anyone reading this. Okay, that’s not true a lot of people use mirrors, but certainly not the majority.

But if you commute by bicycle they are an important safety item. Cars and the bicycles motorized cousins, the motorcycle have figured this out, even fighter pilots use mirrors (watch Top Gun closely, Tom Cruise has one in his plane), and we all know fighter pilots are damn cool, but in the cycling world the common mirror remains firmly in the realm of cycling nerds. They are clumsy, awkward and often just get in the way. I think that Axiom has a solution to all this nerdery, and lack of safety with its new FastFlash DLX Universal Mirror, and I’ll tell you why.

See the World around You: a Mirror is inexpensive safety

Have you ever noticed that when you do a good and proper shoulder check you tend veer a bit to the side of where you are looking, it might just be me but I think that could be dangerous. This is a normal tendency; you go where you are looking, but it could lead into the path of danger –also known as a vehicle. A mirror can help prevent you from straying into traffic, with a quick glance you can make sure the coast is clear, shoulder check for extra safety and then make your move. The mirror is an inexpensive way of keeping yourself out of harm’s way, and off the grill of larger vehicles.

Mount it Anywhere, I mean anywhere

The Fastlash was designed to be mounted anywhere and everywhere. You could probably use that as a party trick if you wanted, but it also means that no matter where you want to mount it you can. With more mounting choices than a Starbucks has coffee, you can make sure that you have the best position possible for your mirror. They can mount on: flat bars, moustache bars, cruiser bars, road bars, road brake hoods, over road tape, aero bars, 31.8 bars, and too many other places to mention here, you get the picture though.

Convex or Super-Convex that is the question

Well, maybe not the question but a question none the less. A regular convex shape gives you a medium-wide field of view and better long distance magnification; great for roads in areas with less traffic. Super-Convex shape for the widest field of vision possible, this is ‘most good’ for urban areas with higher density traffic. The optics have been designed to be free of any inconsistencies or ripples that you might normally find in a cycling mirror, and they have been given a treatment to make them scratch and shatter resistant.

Mirrors are inexpensive, they can help you avoid veering in front of traffic and give you a clear view of the world around you, how can you lose? Getting a mirror for your bicycle seems like a small price to pay for a lot of extra safety, but maybe that’s just me and I don’t like the idea of being a hood ornament.