Bar end mirror, I could not get used to helmet or glasses mounted mirror. They seem to leave a big blind spot (truck size) up and to the left, you know, where trucks usually are. Now I have a bar mounted mirror I probably look at a thousand times per ride to work, just for a second, but it helps a lot, and makes me feel a bit safer when I hear a car coming up to pass. having said that, I ride in the city and often have to merge accross several lanes of traffic to make a left turn. I will not trust my mirrors for that, I use them to see if I should even bother looking over my shoulder, if clear I merge as far as safe then look back to my mirror. Anything that makes you a bit safer is good.

I used to think mirrors were useless, because I was proficient in turning my head while riding in traffic. I rode a friends bike that had a handlebar mount on it and I hated it. 3/4ths of the way on my cross country trip I bought a glasses mounted mirror just to check it out. After the 1st day with one I will never go back. I went 2 years without one and I have had one for a year. I love it and feel much more aware with it. At one time I thought they were useless now I know that you simply cannot turn your head as frequently as you can glance in a mirror.

Hi

I have Zefal Spy Mirrors on all three of my drop bar bikes. I find they work really well for me.

http://farm7.static.flickr.com/6140/...663ccd653b.jpg

https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-f...0/IMG_1874.jpg

Regards
Andrew

I use a helmet mounted mirror. At first it was a slight aid; just a preliminary check before I turned my head. After two years I have gotten so used to where it is and what I can see with it that it has become automatic. I can move my head a little bit each way and see everything behind me while still looking forward. I have become so dependent on it that I constantly glance at that position in space even when it is not there - when I am walking and driving. When it is not there I feel I am partially blind.

I have not tried a bike-mounted mirror, but its position relative to my eyes would change so constantly and drastically that I do not know how I could use it as effectively.

This is exactly how I use my mirror (bar end on both my mountain bike and road bike). I have one downhill stretch on my commute which is a sweeping S-curve with a fork at the bottom where I go left. Traffic isn't heavy but drivers tend to speed a lot and visibility is very short due to the trees and hills. I can use my mirror to time when I reach the bottom so I'm in a nice big gap in traffic.

Also, I find that repeated head turns can sometimes spook drivers behind you. You're waiting for them to pass so you can safely move left, but each time you turn to look they hesitate. Frustrating for both parties.

This. It's just like backing up in a car; never assume that nothing in the mirror means there's really nothing there, but when there's something in the mirror, you can save yourself the hassle of looking back until it goes away.

I also have this one on my non-Bell helmet: http://www.bottlecapbikemirror.com/

It's a pretty cool idea, IMHO. It did fall off once, and it's kind of a pain to get in the correct position, but that may just be me, or my particular helmet.

And I have a Mountain Mirrycle on my hybrid. It works very well, but I keep banging it while taking my bike in and out of buildings.

And anyone who says a mirror gives a false sense of security, just isn't doing it right. It's a tool, just like a car mirror. It isn't intended to replace head-checks.

I have bar-end mirrors on 2 of my bikes, but can't use them on 2 other bikes that have bar-end shifters or brakes. I prefer mirrors and use them just like I do when driving a car -- to keep tabs of traffic around me. I was taught to frequently check mirrors in driver's training, and think it's an important part of being a good driver. However, I have learned to ride without a mirror on some of my bikes, out of necessity, and just try to be more aware of the sound of approaching vehicles. I have tried helmet mirrors and they didn't work for me. I could never keep them adjusted and found it very distracting trying to focus on such a small mirror.

+1 a mirror is a tool, not a crutch. A mirror helps to enhance your situational awareness and is not a substitute for a head check when changing your position on the roadway.

I normally use a glasses-mounted take-a-look, but also have bar-mounted mirrors on the bikes that I sometimes just get on and ride without having to change clothes or hunt down glasses - my Big Dummy for example. Sometimes I don't use a mirror at all...like I said, it's just a tool, not a crutch.

I have Ergons and Mirracycles on all my commuter and family bikes, I have them mounted upward and slightly forward, with no visual blockage by an arm.

I rock a Take A Look mirror on my helmet, and 2 Winkuu turn signal mirrors on the handlebars (primarily for the turn signal function, as opposed to the mirror aspect).

The primary mirror is the Take A Look. I wouldn't ride with out it. I can do a shoulder check for a short period of time---unfortunately not long enough to actually get and process any useful information. With the TAL I can determine everything I need to know with a glance up and to the right, slight turn of the head increases the field of view.

I have my TAL adjusted so that I just see the edge of my left ear and my shoulder on the right side and bottom of my mirror, gives me a reference point to gauge what and where things are behind me.

I wouldn't drive a car without mirrors (plural).

My thoughts.

http://i42.photobucket.com/albums/e3...ing/mirror.gif

I have a similar setup on my road bike, plus I see you have a Contour attached to your bike, do you have a rear mounted Contour as well?

TakeALook on the glasses plus a bar end mount on my Cannondale and my Univega.

Mirror: Always, even on the fast group rides. Helmet mounted. While pricey, this may possibly be the One True BESTEST HELMET MIRROR EVAH! http://www.hubbubcustom.com/store/pr...sp?prod=helmir I own 2 (one for the helmet with lights and one for the helmet without).

I add head turns primarily to communicate with drivers ("yes, I see you, and I know you have seen me.") and as needed if I am unsure what's behind/alongside.

I echo what others have said; the mirror serves to enhance my safety. First I look in the mirror, then I do a shoulder check (just like they taught me in traffic school :D).

Looks nice. This appears to be identical to the bottle cap bike mirror I linked to above, except for the mirror itself, which is of a different shape. And they're both made in Ohio.

http://www.amazon.com/gp/browse.html...=AELTOGH7BXCM2

It's a helmet mounted mirror, but it's about the size of a handlebar mirror. I love the field of view, and being on the helmet means that I can sweep the entire field behind me by turning my head a very small amount.

Because it's a helmet mounted mirror, it's fred. Because it's the size of a handlebar mirror on your helmet, it's not just fred it's !!!FRED!!! That's either a bug or a feature, depending on your outlook. Somehow I think that with my hairy legs, sandals, thick wool socks and Camelbak, the cool kids are never going to let me in their peloton anyway, so what the heck.

I'm adverse to mirrors because I'll always turn my head anyway...not much point if I'm doing a double take no matter what.

Though I use my ears more than my eyes for stuff behind me.

It looks eerily similar to a Chuck Taylor mirror...I'd bet that it probably is. Best helmet mirrors evar!

Take a Look mirror on my helmet. No one should ride a recumbent without a mirror.

Amen! Hammocks are for sleeping! :p

I have a Bell Muni helmet with the bell flip-up mirror that attaches smartly to the visor. Flip it down when I need it in traffic, and flip it up when I don't need it and its out of the way.

It really works, becomes second-nature in a day or two, and it makes you much less paranoid about what's coming up behind you when you take the lane. Your head should be on "full swivel" when changing lanes and approaching intersections, but constantly turning your head 180 degrees to see what's behind you when you're just going straight in a lane is just unreasonable and silly when a good mirror will tell you everything you need to know with just a quick and small head-shake.

I love it so much I rankly wish I had a rear-view mirror for walking around anywhere.

-Warr

+1 exactly how I feel. I use the CycleAware "Reflex" helmet-mounted mirror. http://www.cycleaware.com/index.php?...&products_id=1

Never heard of Chuck Taylor mirrors. Does it look like a shoe? :)