Let's see, I have a choice of seeing a little behind me or everything or anything I want behind me. How is that not obvious? I can see around a substantial curve, can you?

Although it's small, the helmet mirror is (or should be) quite close to your eye, making it effectively quite large. It also is (or should be) a flat mirror that gives stuff an accurate size in relation to its distance, not a convex one that makes it difficult to see stuff that's more than a short distance away. Being mounted on one's head, helmet mirrors are also not so prone to vibration. I love my helmet mirror :) Steering it to see where I want to see is instinctive. I sometimes try to look in my helmet mirror when it's not even there, that's how ingrained it's become. No mech, you do NOT have the inherent power to see backwards :P

Disclaimer: I don't have corrective lenses, and I realize that can be a deal-breaker.

I can write my name in the snow, not everybody can, so what?

Seriously? So what? You can't see the value of knowing what may be coming around a curve that you cannot see with your bar mounted mirror? You can't see the value of knowing 100% of the time what is there? What, you guys ride on perfectly straight roads? If that's the case, good for you, a bar mount will work fine.

Yes, I look over my right shoulder.

Which isn't necessary for me. I have no blind spots. You do. Tell me, which is more efficient and gives better awareness 100% of the time? If you are OK with being clueless with what's back there part of the time, I understand that. I prefer to know.

I used to have both a helmet mirror and a Mirrycle mirror on the left side. I now ride with Mirrycle mirrors on both sides and no helmet mirror. For some reason, I always found myself using the Mirrycle mirror instead of the helmet mirror. And neither one worked well when I was turning left onto a busy highway and then trying to merge from the suicide lane over towards the right lane, so I added another one on the right side.

There's cars back there. For the most part I ride in an urban environment and I'm going faster than they are anyhow. You still need to look behind you before you move, the mirror is a convenience item. I'm not sure what "blind spots" you're referring to either; I can see the entire road behind me. Unless someone comes at me from directly above and behind I can see them coming.

I'm pretty sure I listed several things I didn't like about helmet mounted mirrors, and you didn't dispute them.

I just told my wife there was a heated debate about helmet vs. handlebar mounted mirrors going on here. She said it was like having a heated debate about whether red or blue was a better color.

+1

I have 2 inexpensive Bell mirrors mounted to the bar ends on my handlebars. (I wasn't using the bar ends much and decided they'd be better used to mount the mirrors.) I love having the ability to see behind me and wouldn't go back to riding without mirrors. However, just like with car mirrors, you'll have blind spots so you'll still need to turn your head and view what's around you. Here's a picture of mine taken after cold weather descended upon us, forcing me to get the pogies on.


http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=130608

Smart woman...glad to see she knows the difference between partial and total awareness when sharing the road with cagers. She used a mirror before has she?

and I hate to point it out ;) but mech earlier responded to your erroneous claims about head mounted mirrors. And as far as heated debates go, this along with headphones and helmets typically are interesting.

Not with a head mounted mirror.

I must have missed that. I only saw the post where mech explained some reasons for having a different preference with regard to one (and only one) of the several issues I brought up.

I'll point it out for you then....you claimed a head mirror had a smaller field of vision. The smaller field of vision is obviously supplied by the stationary object you use. Let's see, large field of vision or small? Tough call. I'm sorry but what you get is only adequate, not the best possible. I'll take a lot of reasons why a person may want to use a bar mount but one I won't accept is that it is more efficient at making you aware. That's simply a losing argument.

yes I'm bored today....:o

And riding on sidewalks, ignoring stop signs, drop bars, multi-use paths, etc. :)

In the past a mirrorcycle bar-mount.

Nowadays nothing at all.

I disliked the take-a-look when I used it, but I fail to see the basis for a heated BF argument on this point.

Boiled down, the dumb arse argument is what gives you a better more efficient view of a larger area behind? A stationary mirror or one that can be moved. I know, dumb argument. It's obvious.

I'm sure it doesn't matter to everyone, but for me, any sort of convex mirror is [Monty Python] right out [/Monty Python] because I want to be able to spot stuff at a decent range, such as a semi at >2000 feet back in daylight on a 60mph highway where I need to get through a 500-foot-long right-turn lane without causing a problem for overtaking traffic. I can see backwards with my mirror FAR more clearly than if I turn my head, unless I sit bolt-upright and turn my whole upper body.

As a bike mechanic, I've ridden countless bikes equipped with convex mirrors, including Mirrycle and probably every other common model, and darned if I can make out anything at a distance. With the helmet mirror, which is flat instead of convex, I can easily tell if the semi has its turn signal on from >1/4 mile, to continue on with the scenario I described above, and I can track it non-stop instead of having to keep making head checks.

As for blind spots, I don't have fantastic neck flexibility but I can still flick my mirror's POV practically anywhere, and any vehicle that's truly in my immediate "blind spot" on either side is going to be audible, unless it's a cyclist. I do make head checks quite often, but purely as a "yes, I know you're there" body-language cue that assures motorists I'm aware of them.

Even if I grant the field of vision argument in question, which I don't, that's still only one point and I brought up several. If you're going to claim an "obvious" superiority, you need to show that I'm wrong on all points, or at least that the ones I'm not wrong about are irrelevant.

Personally, I find the helmet mounted mirror distracting if I get it very close to my eye, and, at any distance, I find it not to provide more field of vision for a single viewing angle than a handlebar mounted Mirrycle (which can also be turned, by the way, if you're determined not to turn your body to look behind you).

More generally, I agree with I_bRad's assessment that no matter how much you can see in a mirror you should always turn to actually look if it's important to know what's there.

OK then. I get that. btw, you don't need to grant me the argument of which mirror is more efficient. It's a done deal. There is no argument. Go grab your hand mirror in your bathroom. Which way can you see more when looking behind you, holding it still or moving it?

I use the one stuck on the side of my helmet. Works for me.

Has there ever needed to be an actual basis for one to start? :lol:

What exactly is behind you that you're so afraid of, Daredevil?