Commuting - Questions about mirrors ??

First of all I know that there have been threads about mirrors in the past, I don't feel like searching for old topics. Since this is a new year I thought I just start a new thread.
After riding for over 5 years now, I am thinking of getting a mirror. I want to hear from people who have experience (not opinions but actual experience), with helmet vs handlebar mounted mirrors. The reason why I want a mirror is because I regularly ride along rural roads with no shoulder and I think it would be nice to see what's behind instead of swinging my head around all the time. So which one do you prefer ?? Helmet mount or handlebar mount ??

I prefer bar end. Spend the money, get a nice one. The most useful piece of safety equipment you will ever have.
Most of them have reflective plastic lenses. This works OK, but glass is sooooo much nicer especially if you ride at
night or pre-dawn. :)

do you have marbles/hot potatoes in your mouth?

or are you Danish?

i was quite impressed with The Chemist's mirror in his/her photos on the last page of the "post your commuting bike" thread.

I prefer the lightweight mirror which attaches to the side of my eyeglasses/sunglasses (moves with my head), although I use a bar-mounted mirror also. If I ride a bike without mirrors, I feel as lost as I would if I drove a car with no rear-view mirrors.

- Wil

do you have marbles/hot potatoes in your mouth?

or are you Danish?



LOL :lol:I just realized I spelled the title of this thread wrong. I tried correcting it but it wouldn't work. I hope one of the MODS corrects it.

I like the bar end mirror myself. Compact and effective.

LOL :lol:I just realized I spelled the title of this thread wrong. I tried correcting it but it wouldn't work. I hope one of the MODS corrects it.

just busting yo' chops

:lol:

check out The Chemist's mirror as it looks quite good to me.

personally, I ride mirrorless on the street as there's no where I could go if I was to be hit anyway.

It's a question impossible to answer as not all helmet mirrors are equal and not all handlebar mirrors are equal. You could prefer a better helmet mirror than a bad handlebar mirror even if you prefer handlebar mirrors in general.
So I can only answer on the case by case basis.
For now i prefer this helmet mirror
http://www.mec.ca/AST/ShopMEC/Cycling/BellsMirrorsReflectors/PRD~1899-715/third-eye-mirror-helmet-visor-mount.jsp
over that one
http://www.mec.ca/AST/ShopMEC/Cycling/BellsMirrorsReflectors/PRD~1899-749/third-eye-mirror-foam-helmet-mount.jsp.
that one
http://www.mec.ca/AST/ShopMEC/Cycling/BellsMirrorsReflectors/PRD~1899-707/mirrycle-mountain-mirror-handlebar-mount.jsp
and that one
http://www.amazon.com/Zefal-96018-Mirror-Spin/dp/B001KS2YBE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1357410139&sr=8-1&keywords=zefal+handlebar+mirror

The main cons i have found with the helmet mirrors i have used is that I constantly need to adjust them before each ride as because those are attached to my helmet they constantly hit something when I put my helmet away. The one i prefer is less sensitive to that but the mirror lens can fall off if I adjust it too many times without pushing to keep the clip system in place.
The main cons of the handlebar mirrors i have tried is that i have to remove them from the bike each time or accept that someone steals or breaks it. Another cons is that they are too far from the eyes and small and that without suspensions on a bumpy road those are pretty much useless

By the way humans like chicken have a kind of stabilizing system in the neck not bikes except those with suspensions
Here is an actual test of steadiness via a camera on the head of a chicken, a human and in hand
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=adlgpovEv7g

...So which one do you prefer ?? Helmet mount or handlebar mount ??
I recently posted on another thread:


Jim, this is interesting that you use two mirrors...


I got the idea for an additional right-hand mirror besides the usual left one, from an acquaintance who rode with only the right one. The advantages of two mirrors are:

Riding on the left-hand side of the one-way street
Riding down the center of a wide two-way street, or in a rotary
Riding into a curve in the road to the right
When the sun is directly behind, often one mirror will be out of direct sunlight

A perennial argument against mirrors is that a cyclist should be able to turn and look behind themselves while keeping control of the path of the bike. I counter with Jim’s Law of the Road: “No matter of how well-paved and lightly traveled a Road is, you will likely encounter and obstacle on the right, as a vehicle passes you on the left.” In an emergent situation, I think it's difficult to turn around and view behind while maintaining total control of the path of the bike approaching an obstacle. Even then, the view behind is limited. For example, I find when being passed by one car, it's hard to tell if a second car is behind it just from the sound, and I don't think I can turn around far enough comfortably to check behind the first car.

Furthermore, by occasionally and easily scanning behind, one has a foreknowledge of upcoming traffic, and may not even need to look behind. My own preference is for an eyeglass-mounted mirror since I do wear eyeglasses, and IMO such mirrors require the least head and eye movement for rapid response while still facing forward towards the path of the bike...

For about 6 months in 2012, I rode with both a bar-end mirror (Mirrycle) and an eyeglasses clip-on (Take-A-Look), because I was new to bicycle commuting and wanted to figure out which worked best for me, in the interest of safety.

It didn't take very long for me to find out that I strongly prefer the eyeglass clip-on mirror. I even was switching twice daily between clear safety glasses and sunglasses, and it was a quick, easy swap out.

The eyeglass clip-on mirror gave me the best quality image, and it truly became second nature after a couple of rides to just look up and left to see what is behind me. I sometimes now catch myself during the day looking up and to the left to see something behind me, it is that second-nature now.

The biggest drawbacks to me for the bar-end mirror were (1) skaky, lower-quality image, and (2) whenever I did any bike maintenance that involved flipping the bike over to place it upside down on the ground, the bar-end mirror got bent out of position.

I rode with both on the bike for at least 6 months, even though I really preferred the eyeglass clip-on and used it constantly. Toward the end of the bar-end mirror's tenure on the bike, I would occasionally look down at it when stopped for a red light and realize that it was out of alignment and probably had been all ride to that point, since I didn't use it. Still, I kept it on the bike because it did provide another view angle and it did provide a better-than-nothing insurance for the couple of times that I forgot to put glasses on for a short quick trip to the grocery store, etc. The bar end mirror eventually worked itself loose from too many times being bent when I flipped the bike over for maintenance, and it fell off my bike one morning in traffic at the corner of 5th and Laurel, to be crushed by the car behind me.

Mirrors are a personal choice, and I can see why a bar end would work well for some riders. I really prefer the eyeglass clip-on, though.

Here is an Amazon link:
http://www.amazon.com/Bike-Peddler-Cycling-Eyeglass-Mirror/dp/B001VTQNVO

and a picture:
291876

That's a great picture, and useful link! Thanks for posting! I was trying to think of a way of doing the same thing, but you saved me the effort! That's exactly the same one I use, I love it, thanks again!

- Wil

The Take-A-Look mirror is awesome, been using it for two years now. I always know it is in alignment while riding because I can see just a bit of my jersey and helmet strap in the mirror.

j

check out The Chemist's mirror as it looks quite good to me.

It is a good mirror. All metal with a glass mirror. It's actually designed for the electric scooters that are very popular in China, but it fits my handlebars just fine.

I used to use a helmet mounted mirror (Third Eye) but the bar mounted mirror is FAR better IMO as it doesn't need to be adjusted every ride and I find it gives a clearer view of what's behind me.

For reference, here's mine again:
291906

Mirrcycle. Requires certain brifters, but if you have them, it's great.

During the winter, I'm using a helmet cover, so a helmet mounted mirror won't work.

I have a bar end mirror on one bike with flat bars. It works, except the field of view is limited.

My favorite mirror is the Take-a-Look. Provides a good field of view, easy to check with minimal movement and I can change where and what I'm looking at with a slight adjustment of the head. Comes in handy when you need to check anything behind you from different angles....... large group of cyclist, angry motorist, dogs, big trucks etc....

I prefer bar end mirrors. I just never could get used to helmet or glasses mounted mirrors.

Another vote for the take a look. I have had it only a week, but I really like it. I used bar end type mirrors in the past, and found that I had to adjust them all the time as they got bumped in the bike rack. They tended to break within a year or so,another drawback. I got the tale a look for $11 shipped to my house, hard to beat that.

I have always used bar end mirror and can't see being in traffic without it. I recently upgraded my handlebar grips to the ones with the built in adjustable bar ends and now have no way to use my bar end mirror. I will need to get something else, but to answer your question, You need a mirror, its a personal choice and you may want to try different ones but you'll never ride without one after you use one.

I've used a third eye eyeglass mirror and a rather small Sprintech drop bar bar end mirror. It's a trade off: better view with the Third Eye. More convenient with the bar end. I lost two Third Eyes, so I'm sticking with the Sprintech bar end:
291938

Have used helmet- or glasses-mounted mirrors for more than thirty years.
Take-a-Look mirror for several years - my favorite.

From the OP: "I think it would be nice to see what's behind instead of swinging my head around all the time." There you go. That's it. Get yourself a mirror and see what's behind you.

I use a helmet mounted mirror that attaches to my visor. My one experience with a bar mounted mirror wasn't good. Too much vibration to really see what was approaching from behind.

First of all I know that there have been threads about mirrors in the past, I don't feel like searching for old topics. Since this is a new year I thought I just start a new thread.
After riding for over 5 years now, I am thinking of getting a mirror. I want to hear from people who have experience (not opinions but actual experience), with helmet vs handlebar mounted mirrors. The reason why I want a mirror is because I regularly ride along rural roads with no shoulder and I think it would be nice to see what's behind instead of swinging my head around all the time. So which one do you prefer ?? Helmet mount or handlebar mount ??I point my bullhorns out and have a bar-end on the left bullhorn. Visabilty is awesome with this setup.

291991

Decided, I am gona go with the handlebar mount. Just gota visit few local LBS and see what they have available.

^^^^that would be a mistake in this rider's opinion. It is certainly better than no mirror at all but...

It's worth the effort to learn how to use a head mounted (helmet/glasses) mirror.

Stationary mirrors are entirely too restrictive limiting the search area to where the bars are pointed.

The movable mirror can scan 180 degrees in the blink of an eye.

Not using that type of mirror denies you the best vision possible. Why would you do that?

^^^
I hear you, point taken. I may just try both of them and see how each of them performs.

First of all I know that there have been threads about mirrors in the past, I don't feel like searching for old topics. Since this is a new year I thought I just start a new thread.
After riding for over 5 years now, I am thinking of getting a mirror. I want to hear from people who have experience (not opinions but actual experience), with helmet vs handlebar mounted mirrors. The reason why I want a mirror is because I regularly ride along rural roads with no shoulder and I think it would be nice to see what's behind instead of swinging my head around all the time. So which one do you prefer ?? Helmet mount or handlebar mount ??

I've tried both. The mirror at the end of the handlebar was difficult for me to see. I would have to adjust my position to get the picture I needed in it. As far away as it was, it was hard to make out things in it. Furthermore, it extended the length of my handlebars further, which is a bad thing considering there is at least one intersection on my commute where I regularly filter forward through the cars to get up to where a bike box should be.

Conversely, I love my helmet mirror. I chose the Safe Zone mirror, partially because I was concerned about the small size of other helmet mirrors and that I wouldn't have a good view. The Safe Zone gives a great view of everything over my left shoulder. So much so, that I actually rarely look over my shoulder anymore. This mirror seems to sit just at the edge of my vision, so that even when I'm not directly looking at it, I know whether or not there is a car coming up behind me. I love having a mirror on my helmet and would never go back. With a helmet mounted mirror I can turn my head and change the view, whereas with the bike mounted mirror its perspective was fixed.

I've had a Safe Zone mirror for over a year now and it doesn't show any signs of the joints getting loose or any other ill effects of wear and tear. When I first took it out of the packaging I was a little concerned that the joints in the arm would get loose, but it is still as stiff as the first day, and that is with a little tweaking each week. Inevitably I'll bump it setting the helmet down and it'll get slightly out of adjustment, but it only takes a second to tweak it back into place once I'm in the saddle and can adjust it to the sight picture I want.

...Not using that type of mirror denies you the best vision possible. Why would you do that?

Because it's an option that doesn't work for everyone... you need to understand that (considering your many posts about how much you think a helmet mount mirror is better than handlebar mounted). Maybe it's my age or bad eyes but a helmet mounted mirror was always a bad idea... concentrating my focus from my surroundings to a tiny target six inches away from my head just has never worked for me and I'm sure I'm not alone.

Be that as it may many of us who don't use a helmet mounted mirror have done well keeping track of our surroundings by using handlebar mounted mirrors. BTW, if you drive a car or ride a motorcycle I hope you use your helmet mounted mirror for safety sake.

BTW, if you drive a car or ride a motorcycle I hope you use your helmet mounted mirror for safety sake.

As mentioned earlier, any mirror is better than none at all but it cannot be questioned that a movable mirror is more efficient (no blind spots) in spite of your inability to be able to use one.

An added benefit is I don't have bulky objects extending from my handlebars, I like that too. Just need that little mirror and it does the job that it takes 3 to do in a car.

Back when I still used the original handlebars on my hybrid, I had a bar-end mirror. It worked, but it was a convex mirror, so I could never accurately judge the distance and speed of traffic coming up from behind, and the plastic connector had lots of vibration when going over rough areas. When I switched to trekking bars, I bought a peewee herman style mirror (http://www.amazon.com/Sunlite-Deluxe-Bicycle-Mirror-Reflector/dp/B000AO9P6Q/ref=cm_cr_pr_product_top) with a nice supersolid metal bar. The flat glass mirror gives me a much better idea of what's going on behind me, and things are quite stable, after I crank down all the nuts tight enough!

However, if I were going to do it over, I'd have gone with a helmet or glasses mounted mirror, just so I could flip my bike upside down to work on it. I've never used those mirrors though, so I'm not sure which ones would best suit my desire for a stable view without a convex mirror's "objects may be closer than they appear" effect.

We have difficulty keeping the D&D Oberlauda mirror (http://store.biketouringnews.com/ultralite-german-mirror/) in stock. People love this thing!

^ That mirror looks to be quite excellent.

While vibration may be a problem with some handlebar mirrors, I sure don't have an issue with it with mine, as my mirror is very stable.

The other thing I like about it compared to the helmet mirror is that it's significantly larger, making seeing things behind me easier - and whereas the helmet mirror was pretty much useless after dark, I can at least somewhat see behind me with the handlebar mirror.

... As mentioned earlier, any mirror is better than none at all but it cannot be questioned that a movable mirror is more efficient (no blind spots) in spite of your inability to be able to use one...

Well actually yes it can be questioned. In order for a helmet/glasses mounted mirror to scan the blind spot, especially to the rear right (in the instances where traffic is 'right' oriented) one must move one's head. Instead of moving one's head to view what is on either side through a mirror, one could just turn one's head to scan the intended area directly (all apologizes if you're disable or have had a C4 or C5 fusion and your range of motion is limited due to an injury/disability). Try it... it really works. I use my mirror to see what is approaching from behind at a distance. If I'm not aware of what is nearby to either side of me or next to me, then shame on me for being complacent. Take it from someone with a stout spine and range of motion... keeping track of your surroundings entails the use of a mirror to see whats approaching... if you need it see what's next to you, then I suggest you wake up while you're riding.

^ That mirror looks to be quite excellent.

While vibration may be a problem with some handlebar mirrors, I sure don't have an issue with it with mine, as my mirror is very stable.

The other thing I like about it compared to the helmet mirror is that it's significantly larger, making seeing things behind me easier - and whereas the helmet mirror was pretty much useless after dark, I can at least somewhat see behind me with the handlebar mirror.

I had this concern about helmet mirrors too, but the Safe Zone has a quite large mirror. Most of my riding in low light conditions (several days a week) and it works quite well for me.

Well actually yes it can be questioned.

Ok, I agree, if a rider can't figure out how to use it, then it is less efficient.

btw, regarding some other posted comments. I can see every bit as wide a picture with the head mirror and it works just as well at night...it is not useless after dark as someone mentioned.

And the movement necessary to see the big picture? Minimal.

So who does the OP listen to? I've used both, you've used one.

Bottom line is that it's worth the effort to figure out how to dial it in and it really isn't that hard. Just harder than sticking one on your bike and using it like the familiar car mirrors.

^ That mirror looks to be quite excellent.

While vibration may be a problem with some handlebar mirrors, I sure don't have an issue with it with mine, as my mirror is very stable.

The other thing I like about it compared to the helmet mirror is that it's significantly larger, making seeing things behind me easier - and whereas the helmet mirror was pretty much useless after dark, I can at least somewhat see behind me with the handlebar mirror.

I ride mirror-less because I don't see the value on my solely urban commute, but if I was going to go with a mirror, I agree with you, and that looks to be an excellent choice. I do however like your retrofitting of a scooter mirror as well, especially because it's metal and should have a very secure attachment bracket due to the normal scooter vibration.

Are you really a chemist in China? Just curious as I'm looking at several positions in China (Xi'an, Shenzhen and HK, primarily).

When I finally decided to ride with a mirror, I decided on an eyeglass-mount mirror. The available models out there were either too bulky or too expensive... actually, they all were BOTH. So I made my own.

http://www.messengermirror.com/mmfullview.jpg

Posted here for you to copy and make your own.

I used a bar end mirror for months. Then I tried a helmet mirror but hated it. Back to the bar end mirror. After a ride with a friend and seeing how aware he was of passing cars with his helmet mirror I gave it another try, putting much more effort into getting it configured perfectly. Once I did, I took off the bar end mirror and never looked back (see what I did there). Point being, it may take more adjusting and practice but ultimately I found the helmet mirror to be much better.

I had this concern about helmet mirrors too, but the Safe Zone has a quite large mirror. Most of my riding in low light conditions (several days a week) and it works quite well for me.

The bar mounted mirrors that I have tried all seem to have too much vibration making it really tough to tell what I was looking at. So, I decided to chance it and spent the money for a Safe Zone mirror. I'm glad I did as this mirror really allows me to see. There's no vibration, I can adjust the mirror to see exactly where I want to look and it doesn't interfere with my forward vision. For me, the Safe Zone mirror was money well spent and I wouldn't ride without it.

The bar mounted mirrors that I have tried all seem to have too much vibration making it really tough to tell what I was looking at. So, I decided to chance it and spent the money for a Safe Zone mirror. I'm glad I did as this mirror really allows me to see. There's no vibration, I can adjust the mirror to see exactly where I want to look and it doesn't interfere with my forward vision. For me, the Safe Zone mirror was money well spent and I wouldn't ride without it.

Congratulations! I love mine! I really like how big of a mirror it is. I tried handlebar mounted ones, and I don't get what people are saying about the mountings being secure. The problem for me is the roads I ride over are full of anomalies. Seams in the concrete slabs every 4-6', rough patches, etc, most of my commute = terrain that made a handlebar mirror vibrate, it didn't matter that it was well secured. Maybe they are lucky enough to have nicer roads? *shrugs*

Even if where I cycled was over glasslike asphalt I wouldn't go back to a handlebar mirror though. Being able to sweep the area behind me by slightly moving my head is invaluable and not something I'd give up. When I had a mirror mounted on the handlebars I would have to jockey around in the saddle trying to find a good angle to see behind me and didn't have as good a view as my Safe Zone Mirror anyway.

I'm glad handlebar mirrors work for some people, but I'm sold on a good helmet mirror, and I haven't seen anything near as good as the Safe Zone.

Love the last two posts. With a little extra effort, others can also see the benefits of a head mounted mirror.

Safe Zone, Take-A-Look, Third eye, Cycleaware Reflex.....they all work equally well.

Hey gang, I'm looking into the Take-a-Look now, because of the many positive mentions in this thread. Amazon shows two variants, "Original" and "Compact" -- any thoughts/experiences?

The bar mounted mirrors that I have tried all seem to have too much vibration making it really tough to tell what I was looking at.

Except with some fork suspensions, helmet mirrors will have less vibration than handlebar mirrors due to the chain of springs which dissipate energy.
saddle, fat and muscles at the bum area, spine, stabilization system at the neck area, handlebar padding, muscles and fat at the palm area, joints, arms, shoulders etc..

Except with some fork suspensions, helmet mirrors will have less vibration than handlebar mirrors due to the chain of springs which dissipate energy.
saddle, fat and muscles at the bum area, spine, stabilization system at the neck area, handlebar padding, muscles and fat at the palm area, joints, arms, shoulders etc..High quality bar-end mirrors don't vibrate. Mine doesn't. Either helmet or bar-end mirrors work well, if you get decent quality and you mount correctly. To my way of thinking it's a matter of taste.

I'll take a bar end mirror every time. I did a whole summer with a helmet mounted mirror, and hated it. Too much messing around with the mirror, and it was too "in your face" for my taste. It took too much of my attention off of what was in front of me.

Hey gang, I'm looking into the Take-a-Look now, because of the many positive mentions in this thread. Amazon shows two variants, "Original" and "Compact" -- any thoughts/experiences?

I'd recommend the original to start with.

Let me reflect on that question...

When I had a mirror mounted on the handlebars I would have to jockey around in the saddle trying to find a good angle to see behind me

...why I could never be happy with a stationary mount. Eyes in the back of your head on the other hand, is really cool.

I like the Take A Look mirror. I've tried many, and like this the best.

Another vote for the Take-a-Look, which I started using a few years ago when my I put trekking bars on my then-bike, a hybrid, and lost the easy mount point for my bar end mirror that had been on the end of my MTB style handlebars. I've been looking back ever since... in a good way, that is, with just a quick glance up and to the left. I love my Take-a-Look.

Let me reflect on that question...:lol::lol::lol: