7th September 2019 See me. See my mirror, Jimmy.

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Saturday 7th 53F, cool, but bright and sunny start. Walk first. Ride later. A Red kit was soaring over a copse but moved away as I stared through my binoculars. I walked to the lanes where I spotted a trio of dwarf deer. They were  sunbathing at the foot of a hedge on the other side of a field.

The low sun was almost right behind me so they had little chance of seeing me clearly. Sadly, they were too far away for a close-up. So I snapped away at full zoom on my TZ7 and hoped for a clear shot. It is years since I last saw dwarf deer. They were grazing on the lawns of a summer house area down by the coast. Back then I didn't even know they existed. So it seemed almost surreal seeing these dog-sized deer scampering about in the open.

A little online research later and they appear to be Roe deer. I usually see the much larger [Red?] deer at least once a week in the wild.

Interestingly, Wikipedia suggests that Roe deer bark when disturbed. I often hear barking in the forest. The sound is usually very loud and quite terrifying when you fear wolves are present! Though highly unlikely. Because wolves haven't spread to Fyn as far as I know. They would have to cross long and busy bridges to reach Fyn from Jylland.

The news is that finally, using a mobile telephone while driving will cost a clip on ones license as well as a fine. There has been quite a delay until the introduction of the new law while the police fixed a computer software problem. Last year 22,500 drivers preferred to pay a £200 fine for handheld phone use in Denmark. The lack of rural police suggests that those caught represented a tiny fraction of the total in mobile phone abusers and probably city dwellers.

Cyclists are also subject to the same law while in motion or waiting for a red light. I shall have to watch out.[sic] I use my phone to check the time since I no longer own a wristwatch. I wonder how the law stands on cycle computers? Dare one press a button while in motion?

It is further reported that six out of ten Danish children have their mobile telephones switched on, beside their beds, while they sleep. There is no sane reason, that I can think of, for allowing this.

An afternoon ride to the shops. Returning heavily laden. Going well. Wind on a diagonal to my route. 16-17mph going. Headwind and 10mph on the way home. Hardly any drivers keeping to the speed limits. Particularly in the villages. Though a number held back before overtaking when there was oncoming traffic.

I always give them a brief wave of thanks as they pass. Just as I ALWAYS hold as close as possible to the verge when I see a car approaching from the rear in my mirror. I'd happily make rear view mirrors compulsory on every cycle and wouldn't be without mine. Having near silent, high speed electric vehicles and bikes coming up behind you is a damned good reason to fit one now. Too snobby to have a 60g mirror on your carbon fibre, weekend chariot? Well, fool you! Lose 60g in body weight to compensate! Or spend thousands on the next groupset you can't possibly live without. A fool and his money are soon parted.

A Zefal Cyclop bar end with lightweight, fully adjustable elbow, works just as well on dropped [racing] handlebars as straight ones. It is made of chromed, unbreakable plastic so is incredibly light and safe in an accident. The mirror is also flat. So does not give a completely false impression of distance from an overtaking vehicle. Being so light and compact the Zefal doesn't shake with a low frequency vibration. The view is rock solid.

Zefal has a whole range of mirrors to suit different viewing distances and tastes. I tried their tiny "Spy" for a few years but it was just too small on the bottom end of dropped bars when I was sitting upright on the hoods. Then I spotted the Cyclop[ in a shop and have used them ever since. A trike is a special case because the rear tyre sprays the mirror with grit in the wet. So I only get about 3 years before the mirror is rather pitted but still usable. A bike wouldn't have such problems.

If I was in charge of the world I would make all the managing directors of convex, glass, cycle mirror factories eat a whole one of their products in public and online. It would only take one such meal to stop making such lethal contraptions worldwide!

 Trikes and (odd) bikes.: 15th December 2014 Reflecting on Zefal mirrors

I saw a female Kestrel hovering effortlessly beside the road while I was struggling with the headwind. 14 miles.

Click on any image for an enlargement.

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