Rear View Mirror

I've noticed that you can buy rear view mirrors for either your handle bars or helmet. Any thoughts on which is preferable?

My brother in law has them for commuting in the city;his attach to his glasses and he says they are invaluable

Personally, I have not used any since I have come back to cycling...

I tried one attached to my glasses last year, and I hated it. I suspect I would have the same problem with a mirror attached to my helmet. The mirror is in my line of forward vision. It only gave me a vague idea of what was behind me, and I decided that it didn't help enough to make it worth losing a spot in my forward vision.

I haven't tried one on the handlebars, I keep thinking that there would be a shaking sensation there.

Just my bad experience, lots of others like mirrors. Guess I'll have to keep on looking behind me when I need to move to the left. Not as convenient as a mirror, but I've been doing that for years, so I suppose it works!

--- Denise

Anne, that's a great question. I'm a newbie, too, so I've wondered. One person swore I had to get one right away (he uses the helmet kind) but I have this fear that if I crash, I'm gonna wind up with that rod in my eye!. Gruesome, I know. But so far, I feel that if I'm keeping my back and neck really limber, I can do a quick check behind me without much effort. But I don't know if that works at higher speeds than mine.

I tried the helmet kind years ago and hated it. Currently, I'm not riding with one. But Thom is trying out the handlebar mounted one this week on his commute. He's added a space pod and it's on that - since we use bar end shifters.

V.

Ditto, tried the helmet one & hated it. Very distracting. I've ridden a long time by listening to traffic and looking around, so I don't feel I'm at a disadvantage.

When you turn to look, be sure you keep your handlebars straight. :eek:

I've seen someone with small mirrors that replace the caps at the end of the drop part of the handlebars. They're about 2 X 1 ", ellipse shape, slated. She really liked it. (Sorry, couldn't find any on the web to show you.)

Other option is one of those small mirrors that clip on to your glasses/sunglasses. A friend of mine has worn his forever and can't live without it.

I however use none. I wish I could listen to music while I ride, but no. I try to remain extremely aware of the sounds around me and have practiced a lot at turning around to glance at my angles without swerving. That's an important skill I think. Even when there's no noise at all I glance back once in a while as there could be another bike behind me and that could become a security issue too (plus I'd hate to blow my nose or spit and then realize there's someone behind me!!! haha).

Thanks for the idea about the one at the bottom of the handlebars. I hadn't thought of that. I am a little weary about the idea of having something attached to my head (poke myself in the eye when I crash or lose some forward vision) but I'm thinking I really need some sort of device to look behind me. I do a lot of biking around town and it would really help when there's too much noise to differentiate where cars are coming from. I'll look for that.

I have the Blackburn multi mirror and its on sale at Nashbar this week. It fits in the bar end of my drops and is very positionable and has a wide oval. It does not rattle at all. You put it in the bar end and turn the knob till its tight. They also have one that mounts to the brake hoods but I didn't want anything near where my hands are that might interfere.I tried the helmet mount and hated it, always seemed to be in my peripheral vision and distracting. My husband has the mirrors that also fit in the bar ends and are a little more compact from Sprintech. They come in black, red, yellow and maybe one other color. They ususally have an add in the back of Bicycling Magazine. He likes them, I prefer a larger mirror.

Thank you! I'll try that.

I use this mirror with my road bike. After a small learning curve I love it and hate to ride without it. It is amazing how much you can see behind you with such a small thing.
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With my old mountian bike I liked using a handlebar end mounted mirror. I couldn't quite figure out how to put a handlebar mirror on my road bike to get good visibility.

I bought a helmet mounted mirror. The first time, I didn't like it, but I didn't have it adjusted properly. Second time, better... I was able to spot a biker coming up behind me... but cars move too quickly and I sometimes have trouble focusing on them and then my eyes go cross-eyed. I think that I just have to get used to it more.

I second the recommendation of the Take a Look mirror. I have been using it attached to my glasses, and when properly adjusted it is not in the line of vision I use to watch forward. I do have to move my head just a bit to get a good look behind me, but it is easy to glance up and check traffic when I need to. The attachment to the glasses is secure enough to do the job, but I think it would easily be knocked off in a fall. The way I mount it I think it would move up and away from my face first, but of course in a fall things can be a bit unpredictable. I feel much safer when I wear it, and find that I plan routes that are not limited to right turns!

Another Take-a-Look user here. I absolutely love this mirror and would not ride without it. It attaches to your glasses with wire and is amazingly stable once in place - no moving around or vibration. Once adjusted properly, it sits off to the side and does not block any of my forward vision whatsoever. I don't trust myself to hold my line perfectly straight when looking back over my shoulder, and with the Take-a-Look I don't have to. Adjusted properly, there is NO blind spot, and it's super light. Just an all-round excellent product.

My husband tried it, but his eyes couldn't handle the quick shift from distance to close vision. I don't have that problem.

I tried a helmet-mounted mirror once, but it vibrated a lot and the sticky stuff doesn't last long. It kept falling off my helmet in between rides, so I finally ditched it.

Hope this helps!
Emily

Add my name to the Take-A-Look fan club. I started riding with it mid-summer and won't leave home without it! Mine is attached to my helmet cause it works OK on my sunglasses but not my regular glasses. It does have a learning curve, but once through that it's great. I ride in traffic alot and like to know what's coming behind me.

It would also be handy for walking through parking lots. I've caught myself glancing up for my mirror on more than a few occasions! :D BikerHen