Originally Posted by
MinnMan
Can I hijack this thread? How about helmet mirrors? I mostly ride on roads and frequently in groups, so I greatly appreciate mine and I consider it to be in part a safety feature. But the other day a friend looked at my helmet/mirror setup and said, "But what if you fall? Won't the mirror go smashing into your face or eye?" And I thought, "oh" She could be right. The mirror is, of course, plastic, not glass, but in the wrong circumstances, it could make an unfortunate incident considerably worse....
I think that this is a good, additional point of discussion. Ideally, if you wear a helmet, you want it to be rounded, with nothing protruding to get snagged. You probably don't want a visor on a road helmet. As for myself, I use a cycling cap with a soft brim on all but the hottest days.
Rear view mirrors have the same supporters/detractors as helmets. If you wear one, you probably want one that's made from relatively soft plastic that velcros onto the side of your helmet. Wearing one that clips onto your glasses (like the wire one I used in the '70's), is probably a bad idea.
I really don't mind the well considered arguments for/against helmets. Having had two recent accidents, I'm looking for all of the useful information I can find regarding head safety.
Just one more thing regarding mirrors. As we age, the ability to quickly change eye focus diminishes. By the time you look into the mirror, make a judgement on the speed and position of a closing vehicle, and then look back at the road and readjust your focus, you may have missed something ahead of you. Riding in different areas of the country present different challenges, and mirrors may be a really good safety feature under some riding conditions.
PS : Can we keep the discussion going without the "I'm not, but you are" crap? I'd rather see potentially useful information posted than a locked thread. Thanks!