Recumbent - Mirrors: Flat or Convex?

It's difficult to look over the shoulder on a recumbent.

What makes a better handlebar mirror, flat or convex?

I would say flat for a helmet or glasses mirror and convex for a handlebar one, because of the distance between the mirror and the rider's eyes. Convex changes the distances but after a while not a real problem. A flat mirror is more accurate but may not give you a wide enough angle.

Have you thought of a mirror that mounts on eye glasses like the Take-A-Look?

i use helmet mounted mirrors for every bike i ride. do not ride with-out your helmet = never with-out your mirror. you should forget about handle-bar mounted mirrors since you (as of) now are using a helmet mirror. Knowledge is price-less! spin safe!

Maybe its just me, but I could never seem to see adequately with a helmet or eyeglasses mirror. So I made up one with a RAM mount and stick on convex mirror that you stick on larger auto mirrors for a more panoramic view. Now I can see approaching traffic very well, particularly when they come in from a side angle. I was just on a recumbent ride and met a guy who had the same trouble I did and solved it with a clamp on motorcycle mirror.

Maybe its just me, but I could never seem to see adequately with a helmet or eyeglasses mirror. So I made up one with a RAM mount and stick on convex mirror that you stick on larger auto mirrors for a more panoramic view. Now I can see approaching traffic very well, particularly when they come in from a side angle. I was just on a recumbent ride and met a guy who had the same trouble I did and solved it with a clamp on motorcycle mirror.

I'm perplexed by your problems with eyeglass/helmet mirrors. The field of vision with the seemingly small mirror so close to the eye is phenomenal. And there is significantly less image blurring vibration problems with the eyeglass mirror compared to barends/clipons.

Personally, my left eye is very moderatley weak at close distances (as in eye-to-helmet/glasses-frame-mounted-mirror). Given that I ride generally to the right of traffic, and certainly to the right of the most threatening traffic, the handlebar mount is *far* more useful /for me/. It has the added advantage that its view is less suceptible to microchanges in helmet position or riding stance. I don't encounter the blur you refer to; that's with a Mirrcycles on my V-Rex. Were my left eye not so screwed up for this purpose, I would probably go with both mirroring options. Sheesh, the experiment costs only a few bucks for to see what's best for one's situation.

What I *have* finally learned is that it takes me more time to learn how to use these things than I had initially thought it would; the experience on a bike with mirroring is far different (for me) than that in an auto.

Regards, and thanks for these threads!

Personally, my left eye is very moderatley weak at close distances (as in eye-to-helmet/glasses-frame-mounted-mirror).

Yes but you don't focus on the mirror, you focus on whatever the mirror reflects, so your eyes see exactly the same thing from a close mirror as from a remote one. Of course, with a handlebar-mounted mirror, you see the reflection with both eyes, which I find a lot better.

As for flat vs convex, there's no question for me : with a convex mirror, I see of lot of things that are too small to make out properly, so it's useless to me. Not to mention, cars that big enough to get worrying in a convex mirror are actually almost hitting me, I don't like that. I find a flat mirror mounted on the bar a lot better, especially since I just have to move my head slightly, or turn the handlebar a bit to see things nearby better, and the distant field of vision is adequate since it covers the entire road behind me.

EDIT: I forgot to mention, if you wear a helmet, you should consider one of these --> http://togoparts.com/articles/article.php?artid=57&pageid=1

I'm perplexed by your problems with eyeglass/helmet mirrors. The field of vision with the seemingly small mirror so close to the eye is phenomenal. And there is significantly less image blurring vibration problems with the eyeglass mirror compared to barends/clipons.


Helmet and eye glass mounted mirrors WON'T stay on for me......so I have one clamped to the T-bar on my trike.....very nice.

I know a lot of people use helmet mounted mirrors, but I feel I see better with a big handle bar mounted one. I'm open minded, though, so will try a helmet mirror again with the large handlebar mounted one and "see" which one I "see" better.
The helmet mounted one would be better as I ride several bikes. Today I rode about 12 miles without a mirror and felt like a car target. Any mirror is better than nothing!

I know a lot of people use helmet mounted mirrors, but I feel I see better with a big handle bar mounted one. I'm open minded, though, so will try a helmet mirror again with the large handlebar mounted one and "see" which one I "see" better.
The helmet mounted one would be better as I ride several bikes. Today I rode about 12 miles without a mirror and felt like a car target. Any mirror is better than nothing!
I would highly recommend the Take-A-Look with the helmut mount (or just use it on glasses). I bought one of the others when I lost my first one and there was no comparison. I gave the little round one to a buyer of a bike I sold--he thought I was being nice (well, it DID work). The Take-A-Look is a bit bigger with a better view and much easier to adjust.

Chip