Questions about Mirrors

[sweetpotatopie]

I tried finding a thread about this but didn't see one. I hope I'm not asking a repeat question!

I'm still pretty new to cycling, but am looking into getting some kind of mirrors. DH and I have noticed we have problems riding straight when we turn to look behind us-- What are some of the pros/cons of eyeglass/helmet mounted ones and the kind you attach to the bike? Do you prefer one or the other (or both??)?

Thanks! :)

[PamNY]

I use the eyeglass-mounted Take a Look mirror (http://www.teamestrogen.com/prodPP_100TAL.html) and I love it. It takes some getting used to, but I love it and feel handicapped if I don't have it.

This is the only one I've used so I can't compare/contrast.

Pam

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

Here are a few previous threads on mirrors, with lots of good information and recommendations:

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=16838&highlight=helmet+mirror

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=8627&highlight=helmet+mirror

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=686&highlight=helmet+mirror

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=2578&highlight=helmet+mirror

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=4294&highlight=helmet+mirror

http://forums.teamestrogen.com/showthread.php?t=7220&highlight=helmet+mirror

[Resi]

I use the eyeglass-mounted Take a Look mirror (http://www.teamestrogen.com/prodPP_100TAL.html) and I love it. It takes some getting used to, but I love it and feel handicapped if I don't have it.

This is the only one I've used so I can't compare/contrast.

Pam

Hi, I have the same and they are great.

Resi

[Pedal Wench]

I hate to say this, but get a mirror, but also learn to look behind you. It's an essential tool because the mirrors do not give your the entire road behind you. I just did my first ride with a mirror (the kind that slips into the bar-end of a drop bar) and I liked it, but would never trust my life on seeing a car in a blind spot.

[Grits]

Just to give a different perspective, I use the helmet mounted mirror and feel naked without it.

I have also used the mirrors that clip onto your sunglasses, and they work just as well as far as visibility goes, but I had a problem with the little things that clip onto the sunglasses breaking off eventually, and they also scratched up my sunglasses. Maybe I was just too rough with them. I also wore my sunglasses for other things than cycling so had to keep taking the mirror on and off. If you could leave it on, it wouldn't be a problem.

The only down side to the helmet mounted mirror is at first, with the adhesive that came with it, it would come off sometimes. One time when it came off, a friend let me use some adhesive things she had, and it has never come off again. Unfortunately, I don't know what particular adhesive she had.

[Biciclista]

i have the take a look mirror too. I only see out of one eye so i rejected it soundly when my husband mounted it on my helmet the first time because it gave me a blind spot. I tried again and again in desperation and finally got used to it. It gives me a lot more confidence on the road - now i feel naked without it.
As a matter of fact, recently I was walking and heard a car coming up behind me and i looked up expecting to see my little mirror, but alas, i was not wearing my helmet!

[BleeckerSt_Girl]

i have the take a look mirror too. I only see out of one eye so i rejected it soundly when my husband mounted it on my helmet the first time because it gave me a blind spot. I tried again and again in desperation and finally got used to it. It gives me a lot more confidence on the road - now i feel naked without it.
As a matter of fact, recently I was walking and heard a car coming up behind me and i looked up expecting to see my little mirror, but alas, i was not wearing my helmet!

I have the exact same experiences!

Once when my mirror broke it took a few days to replace it, and in the meantime it feel just like driving a car without any mirrors and without a rearview mirror....creepy!

[tulip]

Mimi, I can't imagine using an eyeglass mirror. I, too, am blind in one eye. It happens to be my left eye, so having an eyeglass mirror on my left side wouldn't do me any good.

Given this situation, I cannot turn to the left to see traffic over my left shoulder, as I'd have to turn to see out of my right (good) eye. But I can, and do, look over my right shoulder.

I have a handlebar-mounded mirror that I got from the Rivendell website. It's wonderful. I think it's made by Ortlieb. I have one on each bike.