Originally Posted by
greaterbrown
Jim, I think we're mostly in agreement on
+/-'s of using mirrors. My point was to admit that I find the mirror's information limited and
distracting. YMMV, of course.
If there was a digital camera showing me a full and complete view of what's behind me on a handlebar monitor, I believe I would not use it for the same reason.
(BTW: I, like you, was hit from behind and did see it in my mirror. Luckily, I was not hurt badly. Your point about PTSD, may explain my wanting to remove that mirror.
)
Thanks for your reply, but IMO using a mirror is a
++++/-0.001 situation (-0.001 = the risk of eye injury in a fall, with an eyeglass mounted mirror).
Originally Posted by
Jim from Boston
...I've gone down on about four serious falls without injuries from the mirror...
It may well be that I find the use of a rearview mirror to be second nature with a totally adequate field of view. Occasionally subscribers post to mirror threads that they can't get the hang of it. If you do have to concentrate on using a mirror, indeed that may be distracting, but I would recommend practicing under otherwise safe conditions.
And another thing...one advantage of helmet and eyeglass mirrors over handebar and frame-mounted ones is to allow you to change riding position, like standing on the pedals, without losing rearward vision.