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Bikes are supposed to ride "as far to the right as practicable", but this can mean "in the center of the lane" if there is not enough room for cars to safely pass anyway.

Cyclists, meanwhile, should be paying attention, and should let cars pass them when they find they've been impeding traffic.

(a) Often the pavement at the very edge of road is rough, has debris, or is otherwise unsuitable for riding on, and you can't necessarily even see that from your car. Furthermore, riding at the very edge of the road encourages some drivers to pass when there's not actually room enough to do it safely.

(b) Do you think it's safe to pass a cyclist on a section of road that narrow?

(c) motorists use the distance from the bicycle to the edge as a gauge for the "safe passing distance".

(d) leaving 2+ feet of space to your right gives the cyclist the ability to swerve right if needed.

I think your mirror will survive the shock of such a harrowing maneuver for the seconds it takes to pass a bicyclist.