Winter Cycling - Winter resistant mirrors

I'm looking for options and opinions on mirrors that can survive the slips and falls that seem synonymous with winter biking. I'm now on my third MTB handle bar mirror this winter. It seems when I find something slippery I always go down on the left side, causing mirror damage, even when using 26x2.1 inch knobby tires with 4 rows of studs.

The first mirror was a bar end Mountain Mirricycle (http://performancebike.resultspage.com/search?p=R&srid=S7%2d1&lbc=performancebike&w=mirror&url=http%3a%2f%2fwww%2eperformancebike%2ecom%2fshop%2fProfile%2ecfm%3fSKU%3d296%26item%3d37%2d6651&rk=6&uid=359915438&sid=7&ts=custom&rsc=iU5LzgJYN7HzpaNm&method=and&isort=score) that survived a number of "minor" slips and falls, just pivoting out of the way, before a major fall broke the glass on the bar end handgrip.

The second mirror was something I was able to fit to the Mountain Mirriycle arm, and it worked until a "home plate slide" broke the Mirricyle arm last week.

The third mirror is a Blackburn Multi Mirror (http://performancebike.resultspage.com/search?p=R&srid=S7%2d1&lbc=performancebike&w=mirror&url=http%3a%2f%2fwww%2eperformancebike%2ecom%2fshop%2fProfile%2ecfm%3fSKU%3d14655%26item%3d40%2d1170&rk=7&uid=359915438&sid=7&ts=custom&rsc=n0ZGVbVhZnIh2BlK&method=and&isort=score), but it looks like it would snap rather than pivot out of the way in a fall, so much so that I took it off before yesterday's aborted snowy commute. (Something about not being able to pedal in snow up to my hubs made me give up...)

I've looked at eye glass mount mirrors, but didn't find any that would work with my winter goggles in place. I've also looked at helmet-mount mirrors, but didn't find any that were compatible with my helmet (Giro Eclipse).

If you use a mirror in winter, what have you found that survives the seemingly inevitable falls?

This mirror was hand made by some older cyclist who lives in Mt. Vernon, Ohio. I got it at a bike shop, but he sells them before group rides. Maybe someone who sees this will know his contact information. It is fantastic. It's glass, and held to my helmet with a nicely bent heavy spoke. It stays in place, doesn't bounce, and gives a great field of vision. I can also use it with googles in really cold weather.

What type of tires do you have? Depending on your riding style and the type of maintenance they do on your streets, you should probably look into either studded tires or at the very least knobbies. And if you already have studded tires and fall all the time, either your studs are kaputt or you need to cycle more carefully. Falling in winter should NOT happen more often than in summer if you ride according to the conditions.


I have a helmet-mounted mirror that fell the last time I fell, which was 2 or 3 years ago, on foot, a few minutes after I had parked my bicycle. It flew on its own, but I was able to re-install it on the helmet.

And if you already have studded tires and fall all the time, either your studs are kaputt or you need to cycle more carefully. Falling in winter should NOT happen more often than in summer if you ride according to the conditions

I have to disagree. A lot of the sidestreets even in Toronto are rutted ice right now, and studs do not work miracles on off-camber ice and where there is liquid water between the snow and the road underneath. Crashes in winter aren't an everyday occurrence, but they're certainly more likely than on bare pavement no matter what I have for tires and no matter what speed I ride at.

can you show us how that mirror attaches to your helmet with the brim off? anybody know the guy that makes these?

What type of tires do you have? Depending on your riding style and the type of maintenance they do on your streets, you should probably look into either studded tires or at the very least knobbies. And if you already have studded tires and fall all the time, either your studs are kaputt or you need to cycle more carefully. Falling in winter should NOT happen more often than in summer if you ride according to the conditions.

I use 26x2.1 inch studded knobby tires when the roads are in bad shape or when I plan on riding the MUP that has been snow covered nearly all winter.

Typically falls only happen on:

puddles that froze overnight (i.e. it was water on the way home in the evening, but glare ice the next morning)
ice I just didn't see (less often since I upgraded my lights)
deep/loose snow/slush (and 2 inch wide tires just aren't wide enough, don't have a Pugsley (http://www.surlybikes.com/pugsley.html))

can you show us how that mirror attaches to your helmet with the brim off? anybody know the guy that makes these?
Here they are:

Thanks for the pic's,i wrote the lbs in MT Vernon to see if i can track the guy down,thanks...vger

Ouestion, do you think he solders the spoke to the mirrow frame??

Ouestion, do you think he solders the spoke to the mirrow frame??
No, because the mirror rotates on the spoke.

This guy is great. You should see his homemade rear derailleur.

OH, yes,i see what you mean, i got to get me one of those,time to get the dog's out!