[John_V]

I use the Mirrcycle Bar End mirror on my hybrid and a Third Eye Pro, helmet mounted mirror for the road bike. I have the mirror attached to the helmet with Velcro so that it can be removed when needed (i.e. riding the hybrid). It also makes it easy to use on more than one helmet. I only use the helmet mirror when riding on public roads and don't attach it when riding a MUP.

[curly]

Started using mirrors back in the late 70's. Used to commute to downtown Milwaukee to my job. Worked 5 pm to 12:45 am. Was riding home one night and noticed a pickup truck pull out of side street and saw they were coming up pretty close behind.

Saw an open spot between parked cars and zipped in the spot as they passed. There was a guy hanging out the window with a stick in his hand.

Don't know what would have happened if I hadn't had a mirror to see what was going on behind me. I never ride without a mirror, I like to know what's going on behind me in case I would have to bail to avoid being hit. Have mirrors on all my bikes and a helmet mirror also, might be 'over kill' but I'm still alive.

[newleaf150]

Wow, Curly, thanks for sharing. So many things wrong with those motorists. Glad you had a mirror!

I use mine any time I head out, and it's helped me to feel safer and more confident on the road. I've also been surprised by the frequency with which I use it out on the MUP.

[LarryM]

Originally Posted by newleaf150

I LOVED my sunglasses-mounted mirror, until it broke It let me see other cyclists coming up to pass me on the MUP, and let me keep an eye on the road and oncoming cars behind me when playing in traffic. Such mirrors are far from perfect, but offer a lot of advantages. You still have to look over-the-shoulder in traffic to safely change lanes or that type of thing. I found mine very valuable and am currently looking for a replacement.

I use a Take-A-Look Mirror glasses mount mirror, but have it mounted to my helmet. A piece of velcro keeps it from getting knocked around when the helmet is off my head.

The mirror is helpful in planning a lane change, to see if it's worth scanning to verify that there is enough room to change lanes or road position. But like newleaf150, even with the mirror I never change lanes without first doing an actual over-the-shoulder look.

I like the way some MSF trainers describe mirror use. 'Mirrors have a one word vocabulary. They can only say No. To safely change lanes you need to verify its clear with an actual look over the shoulder. '

[newleaf150]

Originally Posted by LarryM

I use a Take-A-Look Mirror glasses mount mirror, but have it mounted to my helmet. A piece of velcro keeps it from getting knocked around when the helmet is off my head.

The mirror is helpful in planning a lane change, to see if it's worth scanning to verify that there is enough room to change lanes or road position. But like newleaf150, even with the mirror I never change lanes without first doing an actual over-the-shoulder look.

I like the way some MSF trainers describe mirror use. 'Mirrors have a one word vocabulary. They can only say No. To safely change lanes you need to verify its clear with an actual look over the shoulder. '

Nice! I actually ended up going with a Take-A-Look mirror myself, and it's far better than the more stylish model it replaced. I mounted it on my helmet for a bit, but couldn't get it to hold reliably on my visor. Too bad, because it was just perfect there.

I've had great luck with it mounted on my glasses, but moving it up and out to the helmet visor gave me a view which was better by orders of magnitude. I'd be interested in more detailed pics of the way you've mounted yours. Mine is still great on my glasses, but I'd love to get it back on my helmet.

Totally the 'mirrors can only say no' line. It even holds when you consider distracted drivers: Keep an eye on your mirror and it just might give you a life-saving 'no' to the ongoing question of whether you can occupy the particular piece of ground you are on without having that occupancy contested by a suburban-driving super-commuter drifting hither and thither while attending to breakfast and the phone meeting du jour.

[LarryM]

Originally Posted by newleaf150

Nice! I actually ended up going with a Take-A-Look mirror myself, and it's far better than the more stylish model it replaced. I mounted it on my helmet for a bit, but couldn't get it to hold reliably on my visor. Too bad, because it was just perfect there.

I've had great luck with it mounted on my glasses, but moving it up and out to the helmet visor gave me a view which was better by orders of magnitude. I'd be interested in more detailed pics of the way you've mounted yours. Mine is still great on my glasses, but I'd love to get it back on my helmet.

Totally the 'mirrors can only say no' line. It even holds when you consider distracted drivers: Keep an eye on your mirror and it just might give you a life-saving 'no' to the ongoing question of whether you can occupy the particular piece of ground you are on without having that occupancy contested by a suburban-driving super-commuter drifting hither and thither while attending to breakfast and the phone meeting du jour.

The edge of the visor bends down to form a vertical mounting area. The Take-A-Look is mounted on the vertical edge with the mounting feet pointing up. I use a velcro cable tie to stabilize it and keep it from getting bumped off when the helmet is off my head.

Another option is to use a zip tie.This photo shows a zip tie mounting with a hole drilled in the visor edge for the zip tie. The zip tie + hole does look cleaner, but it's not really necessary. Besides, the velcro enhances my reputation as a bona fide Fred

Here are two links to writeups about the Take A Look with additional info about mounting.

http://travellingtwo.com/resources/take-a-look-mirror
http://www.calhouncycle.com/shopcast/?p=224

[newleaf150]

Larry,

Great info, thank you! How did I never think to use a Zip tie!? That'd fix it right up.

[starhawk]

I have always had a mirror since I first tried one, now on the trike I have two, gives a good view of what's behind you so you don't do anything foolish. One is probably ment for a Moped but it is a bit awkvard so I will be swapping it for a second MTB handlebar mirror as soon as I screwed on the new Mirrormount bar