How did you get used to Helmet Mirror?
06-10-23, 06:49 PM
#51
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Big fan of largish helmet mirrors. specifically the Cat Eye one with the short stem and the screw clamp. But I don't clamp it to the helmet. I make a bracket that screws to the helmet with two small (#4) screws. Bracket is made of sheet aluminum bent to fit the helmet and with a lip at the bottom so the clamp cannot slide off. I then fiberglass both sides. Clean up, drill for screws, done. Lasts until I can no longer find a helmet it will fit to.
With this approach, I can make brackets that put the mirror exactly where I want it. I love it. I've been doing this about twenty years. (Thank you Cat Eye for keeping that same mirror in stock. I may even reuse an old bracket if and when my current helmet goes out of style.)
For me, the real reason for mirrors is to know what's coming so I can make the best choices on how to handle what's in front of me. With a helmet mirror, that look is fast and I barely have to take my eyes off what's ahead. Also I can "wander" all over the bike and not change my mirror access and view. (Push back all the way on the seat to power climb, "ride the rivet" very far forward, stand, ride no hands ...) And (I'm sure this has never happened to anybody else here) I have crashed enough that I cannot turn my head fully to see behind. I have to use enough shoulder that it affects my balance and riding a straight line is hard. Racing days - I was taught to master that seamless look back. Last season of racing after my "big one" I could no longer look back over my right shoulder. I raced that season planning my ride so I didn't need to know who was there. (If possible, I made moves from the right edge of the road where I could monitor everybody.)
With this approach, I can make brackets that put the mirror exactly where I want it. I love it. I've been doing this about twenty years. (Thank you Cat Eye for keeping that same mirror in stock. I may even reuse an old bracket if and when my current helmet goes out of style.)
For me, the real reason for mirrors is to know what's coming so I can make the best choices on how to handle what's in front of me. With a helmet mirror, that look is fast and I barely have to take my eyes off what's ahead. Also I can "wander" all over the bike and not change my mirror access and view. (Push back all the way on the seat to power climb, "ride the rivet" very far forward, stand, ride no hands ...) And (I'm sure this has never happened to anybody else here) I have crashed enough that I cannot turn my head fully to see behind. I have to use enough shoulder that it affects my balance and riding a straight line is hard. Racing days - I was taught to master that seamless look back. Last season of racing after my "big one" I could no longer look back over my right shoulder. I raced that season planning my ride so I didn't need to know who was there. (If possible, I made moves from the right edge of the road where I could monitor everybody.)
06-10-23, 09:39 PM
#52
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I spaced when I wrote that. I fasten to the visor. But I cut the screws to flush with the nut so I am simply not worried about them.
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06-10-23, 09:54 PM
#53
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I got used to a helmet mirror by not using one and instead using the power of technology to project objects behind me onto the screen of my GPS unit.
- Garmin Varia rear light and radar- it displays the number of vehicles behind me, shows how fast they are approaching relative to my speed, notifies me when one appears, and notifies me when all within 150 yards of me are no longer traveling faster than my speed.
The Varia really shines on gravel roads. I can ride wherever I want on the road and can freely pick the best line, wherever it may be, while not worrying if a car is inconvenienced behind me. This is especially true since I cant always hear vehicles approaching due to wind and surface noise. Once the radar notifies me, I check back and move to the right to allow the car to pass.
- Garmin Varia rear light and radar- it displays the number of vehicles behind me, shows how fast they are approaching relative to my speed, notifies me when one appears, and notifies me when all within 150 yards of me are no longer traveling faster than my speed.
The Varia really shines on gravel roads. I can ride wherever I want on the road and can freely pick the best line, wherever it may be, while not worrying if a car is inconvenienced behind me. This is especially true since I cant always hear vehicles approaching due to wind and surface noise. Once the radar notifies me, I check back and move to the right to allow the car to pass.
I ride a lot of beat to crap country roads where the only decent paved part is down the center of the lane. With Varia, I can ride down the center without constantly monitoring what’s coming up behind me. When I get an alert, I move to the right and watch the icons to see when traffic has cleared and then do a quick head-check to verify and move back to the center. It makes all the difference between feeling beaten to death (or your standard gravel ride) and smooth sailing. Will never ride without it.
I know, I know: 'But a mirror costs so much less!' Yeah, it does. But a good helmet is designed to roll with your body in order to minimize neck injuries; attaching anything to it will reduce its effectiveness. And there's no way I'll ever attach anything to my sunglasses -- not since I helped a friend who was literally impaled through the cheek by a broken arm from his metal-framed eyeglasses. If that had gone just a few millimeters one way or the other, he could've lost sight in one of his eyes. I don't want anything extraneous anywhere near my face.
Varia seems expensive... But after using it once, I decided it was money very well-spent. If something happened to my unit, I would order a new one immediately.
Last edited by Koyote; 06-10-23 at 10:00 PM.
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06-11-23, 07:38 AM
#55
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06-11-23, 10:46 AM
#56
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I never cared for the helment mirror - was worried that, in a crash, I have that piece of metal close to my eye.
Plus, they have a high "dork factor" and coefficient of Fred-ness
Unlike @Iride01 above, I do like to have situational awareness of what's behind me so all my bikes have a bar-mounted mirror, and on the ebike I have used the Garmin Varia "radar" which is a fantastic product.
where I live I am fortunate that there is not much traffic, but I feel much safer with a mirror, and the radar
/markp
Plus, they have a high "dork factor" and coefficient of Fred-ness
Unlike @Iride01 above, I do like to have situational awareness of what's behind me so all my bikes have a bar-mounted mirror, and on the ebike I have used the Garmin Varia "radar" which is a fantastic product.
where I live I am fortunate that there is not much traffic, but I feel much safer with a mirror, and the radar
/markp
True confession time; I had one when I first started road biking. As a later realized, it gave me a false sense of security and actually made rides a bit less enjoyable since I was constantly monitoring it while feeling a little bit paranoid. Besides, I could always hear approaching vehicles anyway. As soon as I ditched the mirror, and became more accepting that whatever happens, happens, (and staying as far to the right as possible WHEN there is traffic that won’t squeeze me into something) my riding because more enjoyable and relaxed.
Using Varia, I don’t give myself the illusion that I am safer, but I no longer have to constantly monitor, since it lets me know when traffic is approaching, so I can relax. I also use it to pick the best line, to ride the undamaged part of the road and then get over when notified and receive an indicator when traffic has cleared. It is probably the best cycling related product I ever purchased and never ride without it. But as others have mentioned, if you have to ride on busy vehicle clogs roadways, it becomes useless.
Do I kid myself that my little essay on my personal experience will change mirror user habits? Not in the least. It’s just my thoughts and experience. Flame on.
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06-11-23, 02:46 PM
#57
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I need a lot more practice at it. For one, situating the mirror so I can actually see it puts it in a weird configuration that's rather inconvenient. And, I'm just not used to a mirror that moves with me... I adjust it perfectly for one head position, but if I move my head at all, the view changes and then there I am doing a bobblehead impression trying to get my head back into the exact position I had adjusted the mirror to, which distracts me from looking forward.
I bought it for riding tandem with my friend, thinking the arm would make it stick out enough that I could see past her (thought it would reach out further than a mirror on the bike itself). But again, because of the way I have to adjust it to actually get a view, it ends up being in rather close which negates the point of the extended arm. (I see it's not just me-- some of you in your photos have it close as well-- so I feel better; I thought I was just doing it wrong.)
I also worry about losing it; I mount it to the helmet visor, which means it goes on with the "tines" pointing up and could just... drop off. I secure it with paper tape but that's not that secure either. And I got sick of putting it on and taking it off my helmet-- I don't leave it on all the time/mount it permanently because I don't always want it, plus then I have to worry about banging it on stuff if I put my helmet on the floor, hang it from bike handlebars or a bag or am otherwise carrying it, etc. I keep thinking I should try it again, especially since I dropped 20 bucks on the thing, but I never think of it when I'm going out on my bike.
I bought it for riding tandem with my friend, thinking the arm would make it stick out enough that I could see past her (thought it would reach out further than a mirror on the bike itself). But again, because of the way I have to adjust it to actually get a view, it ends up being in rather close which negates the point of the extended arm. (I see it's not just me-- some of you in your photos have it close as well-- so I feel better; I thought I was just doing it wrong.)
I also worry about losing it; I mount it to the helmet visor, which means it goes on with the "tines" pointing up and could just... drop off. I secure it with paper tape but that's not that secure either. And I got sick of putting it on and taking it off my helmet-- I don't leave it on all the time/mount it permanently because I don't always want it, plus then I have to worry about banging it on stuff if I put my helmet on the floor, hang it from bike handlebars or a bag or am otherwise carrying it, etc. I keep thinking I should try it again, especially since I dropped 20 bucks on the thing, but I never think of it when I'm going out on my bike.
06-11-23, 03:19 PM
#58
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I bought a Take-a-Look, gave it a serious try, couldn't get used to that whole bobblehead thing driving me crazy. Shortly thereafter gave it away.
06-11-23, 04:41 PM
#59
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I recently switched from a Sunlite handlebar-mounted cruiser mirror to a helmet-mounted Third Eye, and I'm still getting used to it. I have to focus my eyes on the mirror (resisting the urge to close my right eye) and it's constantly getting knocked out of adjustment, but when it works, it's pretty good. The handlebar mirror works really well, but it's heavy and really sticks out because of my swept bars (V-O Tourist), and frequently gets knocked out of adjustment. I'm pretty sure I'm going back to the handlebar mirror. PS The crappy strip of sharp-edged mild steel that Sunlite calls an attachment blows chunks; however, the bracket from a bar-mounted reflector, slightly modified, works amazingly well.
I just tried altering the helmet mirror to fit under the visor, which worked, but in the process I noticed my new(ish) helmet is cracked on both sides! It must've happened when my bike was knocked over by the wind last week (helmet was hanging from the wrong bar end). I made a little money at a craft fair yesterday, just enough to pay for a new helmet. Really annoying; I can't afford this. I know it's my own fault for bad parking; it's still annoying.
I just tried altering the helmet mirror to fit under the visor, which worked, but in the process I noticed my new(ish) helmet is cracked on both sides! It must've happened when my bike was knocked over by the wind last week (helmet was hanging from the wrong bar end). I made a little money at a craft fair yesterday, just enough to pay for a new helmet. Really annoying; I can't afford this. I know it's my own fault for bad parking; it's still annoying.
06-11-23, 04:47 PM
#60
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I liked the Take-A-Look eyeglass mirror. But I found the HubBub helmet-mount mirror to be the best. And founder / owner Diane Jenks is good (bike) people.
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06-11-23, 04:51 PM
#61
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06-18-23, 09:13 AM
#62
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I use the Take A Look mirror. Have it mounted to my helmet. Haven't been using it too long. Guess I got use to it just by using it.
I use a Garmin Varia and use the mirror to verify what my Garmin is telling me and use the mirror just to make sure nothing is coming up behind me. Take a peak at the mirror once in a while.
I use a Garmin Varia and use the mirror to verify what my Garmin is telling me and use the mirror just to make sure nothing is coming up behind me. Take a peak at the mirror once in a while.
