Originally Posted by
downhillmaster
more contradiction.
So you don’t use a mirror because your ‘ears and an occasional head check’ have never failed you yet you are concerned enough about getting hit from the rear that you are going to wear clown socks. Instead of using a tried and true mirror ofc.
No inconsistency here. "Tried and true" is far from reality. Although now I feel lost without my helmet-mounted mirror, initially I had a hard time adapting to using one. I tried a few bar mounted mirrors, but their small size and sometimes convex surface resulting in my being fooled about the presence, speed, and distance of vehicles to the rear. Same with helmet or eyeglass mounted mirrors. These definitely have a adjustment sweet spot, outside of which may not give you the information that you need. I found that I felt more reliably safe using my eyes and ears directly and almost gave up using a mirror because I just didn't trust it. I am glad that I kept with it because now I understand both how to adjust and use correctly and, more importantly, its limitations.
Also, riding with a mirror is not likely to change the probability of getting hit from behind.
This sub-topic is a good example of what @
Paul Barnard originally asked, i.e. it's a focus point that through discussion on A&S we can all reflect on the diversity of opinions and, with an open mind, consider changes in our personal riding strategies. There's a lot to learn here in this forum if one has a reasonable objectivity.