Originally Posted by
banerjek
This will definitely prevent you from seeing anything.
Mirror placement is important. Glancing into it needs to be a natural process or else you'll find yourself looking for (and then at) it. If the image reflected back needs to be interpreted because the mirror angle is weird, that could also throw you off.
There is no way I'd ride in heavy traffic with no mirror. Mirrors pick up all kinds of things you couldn't possibly hear or follow with occasional glances over your shoulder such as vehicles setting up to turn in front of you, drifting in on you because driver is distracted, overhanging cargo, and other factors. They allow you to spot gaps in traffic far behind, time encounters, direct traffic behind you, and a number of other very useful things. Way more important than a helmet in my view given that the best way to avoid injury is to not crash in first place.
They are legally required on motor vehicles for good reason, and they don't become less useful just because you're even slower relative to other road users.
You don't need to convince me that I need a mirror... I commuted to work for over 35 years on a bike... always with a mirror. I used handlebar mirrors... my favorite is Mirrycle Mirror.
My current issue is that a trails bike tends to be ridden in places that tend to knock things off of handlebars... ie mirrors. I want a mirror as I am on the road getting to trails. I understand the need for a mirror. Now I have to figure out how to make one work that isn't likely to be knocked off each ride.
I DID get some fair functionality the other day... but not nearly as good as what a handlebar mirror has always done for me. One plus of the helmet mirror... you CAN change your view quickly with a slight shift of your head.
