Advocacy & Safety - Mirror Recommendations?

I used to have a mirror that mounted to my sunglasses, but it wasn't fully effective because I don't always wear my sunglasses and I had a hard time getting it adjusted right (required lots of fiddling every time I rode). It evenually broke. For these reasons, I am inclined to try a helmet-mounted mirror unless there is something better out there. I am open to suggestions. Plese let me know if you have any recommendations or advice.

[EDIT: I should also note that a bike-mounted mirror probably won't work for me unless it moves easily because I ride several different bikes.]

Thanks.

I have bar-end mirrors on both my summer (cat-eye) and winter commuters (mountain myricle?). I'm happy with both.

I have a Third Eye Pro Mirror ( http://www.3rd-eye.com/ ). I really like it, works great.

Another popular brand is the "Take A Look" mirror. It is square instead of round though, and I heard a bad story about it cutting someone up pretty badly when they crashed once because of the sharp edges. I got the Third Eye Pro Mirror because the rounded edges (it's a circle) makes it safer in my opinion.

I also have the "Third-Eye". At first I had the same problems with adjustment. I stuck with it and eventually I have learned the 'trick' to adjusting it. I use a 'dedicated' pair of glasses and once adjusted it stays until I do something dumb (happens often) and have to readjust, but once the 'trick' is learned it's easy.

If you don't always wear glasses I guess it won't help but the concept of the helmet mounted one is basically the same except you also have helmet wiggle to deal with.

Many will tell you of the Fredness of mirrors but to me a mirror is a big help. Yeah I can accomplish the same by turning or looking under but the mirror keeps me looking ahead and I only glance at it once in a while. Here in Fl ya need all the help you can get and I really don't give a rat's-a** about what the FredFashion mavens think.

I like the Take A Look.

I cannot remember the brand name off the top of my head, however my helmet mounted mirror is wonderful, the main shaft is flexible, the actual mirror/frame rotates 360, plus the connection to the helmet can rotate up and down, which is wonderful to hide the mirror from view when there is blinding sunlight behind you.

I used to have a mirror that mounted to my sunglasses, but it wasn't fully effective because I don't always wear my sunglasses and I had a hard time getting it adjusted right (required lots of fiddling every time I rode). It evenually broke. For these reasons, I am inclined to try a helmet-mounted mirror unless there is something better out there. I am open to suggestions. Plese let me know if you have any recommendations or advice.

[EDIT: I should also note that a bike-mounted mirror probably won't work for me unless it moves easily because I ride several different bikes.]

Thanks.

Go to your LBS and look for glasses that offer multiple lenses and look for one that has clear non-tinted glass. I can only recommend the "Take A Look" because it's the largest mirror out there.

Setting one up on the go is simple. Once you put it on, you should be able to see a very small portion of your ear with the farthest right side of the mirror. That's when you know it's set.

I cannot remember the brand name off the top of my head, however my helmet mounted mirror is wonderful, the main shaft is flexible, the actual mirror/frame rotates 360, plus the connection to the helmet can rotate up and down, which is wonderful to hide the mirror from view when there is blinding sunlight behind you.

Sounds like the one I have, the Cycleaware Reflex (http://www.cycleaware.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=1). I've been pretty happy with it, once I got the hang of it.

Take-A-Look.

I use mine on my glasses. Doesn't require fiddling, yet is adjustable.

I believe it can be mounted to a helmet easily ... I've just never been interested in doing so.

High-quality ... well-constructed.

I have a Third Eye Pro Mirror ( http://www.3rd-eye.com/ ). I really like it, works great.

Another popular brand is the "Take A Look" mirror. It is square instead of round though, and I heard a bad story about it cutting someone up pretty badly when they crashed once because of the sharp edges. I got the Third Eye Pro Mirror because the rounded edges (it's a circle) makes it safer in my opinion.

+1

I have the pro as well. If you look at the website link in the above post, it is the first one. It comes with the adhesive stickers, which, in my experience work great......if you only need it to work for ten minutes.

Use the adhesive to position it, then run some skinny black zip ties to hold it to the helmet.

I found the Third Eye very effective and easy to adjust, but I have now switched to Take-a-Look, because I broke so many Third Eyes. The Take-a-Look isnt as easy to adjust but the view is good.

http://s134.photobucket.com/albums/q119/hotbike/photo_0022-1.jpg

This is a photo of a Blackburn mirror. It can be swapped between bikes easily because it mounts with Velcro.

Other advantages are that it sticks out from the end of the handlebar, so you don't see yourself, and it is convex, which means it has a wide-angle field of view.

find a chuck harris mirror ...

Another happy Third Eye Pro user here. I have to concur about the sticky it comes with; I ended up using some Sumo Glue (very similar to Gorilla Glue--make sure you pick one that will work with styrofoam). That has held it in place beautifully for months.

I've found that bar mirrors tend to get blocked by my hands, or don't fit on the kind of handlebar I often use, or take up space on the bar if they do fit. The helmet mirror is always where I expect it and provides a lot of information at a glance. Dorky, but incredibly useful.

I have come to rely on the Third-Eye glasses mount, as I always use a pair of Smith sport glasses with clear or tinted lenses as needed for eye protection. I use the clip upside-down and spun the mirror around for a slightly more streamlined look.

Adjustment can be a bit finicky - very small movements can make a big difference in the view. Note that the factory tip to increase ball joint friction is to simply press the ball in firmly to tighten. Also, the clip tends to break the plastic tines, especially if the eyeglass stems are thick. Third-Eye sells replacement parts: http://www.3rd-eye.com/repair.htm so I just keep 2 units around in case one breaks and awaits repair.

I am so used to the mirror, I find myself looking for it when walking around and hearing something behind me.

I looked at Take-a-Look, but the metal framed square edges and steel wires look a bit scary to me.

http://s134.photobucket.com/albums/q119/hotbike/photo_0022-1.jpg

This is a photo of a Blackburn mirror. It can be swapped between bikes easily because it mounts with Velcro.

Other advantages are that it sticks out from the end of the handlebar, so you don't see yourself, and it is convex, which means it has a wide-angle field of view.

I've been using one of these for 3 or 4 months and I like it.

97607 It's lighted too.

i mount my mirror to my helmet.
never need to worry about "forgot" or "lost"
a mounting method that works great, and is interchangable is the use of:
Velcro, self adhesive. i stick one side of 3/4# to helmet. to the mounting part of mirror, i add the other side. very adjustable and interchangeable!

http://www.rivbike.com/search/run?query=mirror#product=20-177

I've been using this mirror that I bought from Rivendell for a few months. Nice, large view of the road and fits securely onto my left handlebar.

http://www.rivbike.com/images/products/full/0000/1776/MIRRORon_moustachebest.jpg