Tricking out the Bike V: Rear View Mirror

With the coming of the cold weather, I wear my hood under my helmet. When it hits -7 below Celsius, I'll be wearing a neck tube and a tuque under the hood. At -15C, I'll replace the tuque with a balaclava. Wearing a balaclava, a neck tube, a hood and a helmet, it gets a little hard to turn my head to see what traffic is coming up behind me. "I need a rear-view mirror," I've been thinking. But at this time of year, it's not easy to get reasonably priced bicycle accessories. Then I remembered the convex mirrors I bought in my shopping spree at the Dollar Bank. Just need a way to securely attach the mirror to my handlebars. Something so it won't bounce all around. Two days later, I had my brainwave. Here is the recipe: Ingredients:

• one 2" wide angle blind spot mirror ($1.50 at the Dollar Bank);
• an old-fashioned corkscrew with a handle flat enough for attaching the mirror (no hinges, levers, wings) ($1.00 at the Dollar Bank);
• a cork removed from a wine bottle (one of those black plastic ones would be cool, I bet); and
• Some duct tape.

Directions:

1. Use a hammer or mallet to bang the cork into the opening at the end of the handlebar. (This may require removing your handlebar grip, or cutting it. I didn't have an air compressor around to help me remove mine, so I made an "X" cut in the rubber. If you removed the handlebar grip, put it back on once the cork is in place.)
2. Screw the corkscrew into the cork.
3. Fasten the mirror to the corkscrew with the duct tape. Sit on the bike and adjust the angle so it works for you. Almost vertical, with the top of the mirror about 10 degrees or 15 degrees away from me, works for me.
4. Bonus: A corkscrew every where you go.

Links:

• The Dollar Bank Shopping Spree