REFLECTIONS...

CLOSE UP OF ZEFAL BIKE 'SPY' MIRROR 

I certainly wouldn't consider having any form of mirror on my Felt or Tifosi bikes but it does seem a good idea if you have a regular commute or want to do some touring.

When we were in France a couple of months ago I noticed that I had less movement in my neck when I had to twist to look over my left shoulder compared to looking over my right shoulder as I do when cycling here in the UK.

Mike had fitted a mirror to the handlebars on Chris's bike and I saw that Peter had also fitted one to the downtube on his bike. Both of these mirrors were large and in my opinion a bit unsightly, but of the two Chris's seemed to be the best  as it gave a clear uninterrupted view to the rear.

The one on Peter's bike was supposed to give him a view to the rear between his legs- which in theory sounds ok but in practice tended to have a view often blocked by the panniers he was carrying on the bike.
Anyway...the more I 'reflected' (sorry) on the idea of a mirror for touring, the more I liked the idea as a way of overcoming my aging neck problem.

After trawling all the usual internet sites I came up with the Zefal Bike Spy Mirror. The great thing about this mirror is that it is small - so it doesn't look as if you have a cup and saucer fitted to the end of your handlebars and you don't have to remove your bar end stops to fit it. It has a rubber fitting catch that binds around the end of your bar and can be fitted and removed in seconds... This means  you can instantly swap it from one side to the other.....ideal for when you go from the UK to Mainland Europe.

Although the mirror is small it poses no problems in seeing what is behind you as you cycle along and is also easily adjusted as you cycle.... I am hoping that this will do the job well for me as I cycle back from Gibraltar.

ZEFAL MIRROR FITTED TO TOURER

When the idea was originally conceived to cycle back from Gibraltar to the UK it was not my plan to raise money for a charity by doing it...
I just wanted to do it for my own sense of achievement I suppose and anyway, each of the long distance rides I have done with JD and others in the past were for charity so I felt that I had done enough..
However the more I thought about it, the more I thought that it would be an opportunity wasted!

On the long distance rides for charity that I have done with JD it has been for a charity that was basically decided upon by him and although I was perfectly happy to support him and his charity choice (all of which were first class charities by the way) on this ride I wanted it to be for a charity that was a bit closer to me.

Being told that you have cancer is pretty bad news for anyone....for a child or young person and their families  it must be devastating....after all, their lives have only just begun. At least when I was told I had cancer I had already done a fair bit of living!

'Cyclists Fighting Cancer' is the charity I have chosen to raise money for and their purpose is to provide bikes, adapted tricycles and equipment to children and young people whose lives have been affected by cancer.
The bikes provide a fun and practical way to regain lost strength, fitness and confidence.

You only need to read my blog over the past year to see what a difference riding my bikes made to my recovery process so please help me to raise funds for this really deserving cause...........
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