The scariest point in my daily commute home is when I bike across a bridge on a pretty major road. Going up the hill to the bridge there is a bike lane, but it disappears on the way down, making me have to merge left into the car lane. The cars are speeding down the hill and I have to watch for those cars driving to my left and parked cars with their doors to my right.
In general on my commute, I get by just fine by listening for approaching cars and looking back over my shoulder when moving over. But this is a very tricky stretch, and I've definitely had moments where I don't feel 100% sure if there's a car approaching behind me or not. Add in darkening dusk light, and you have a recipe for an accident.
Now obviously, I would like to avoid getting hit by a car as much as possible. So I knew I needed some kind of rearview mirror. But I didn't know which one to choose. When I had a mountain bike, I had a great mirror that was mounted on the end of my handlebar. Unfortunately that type of mirror doesn't really work on road bike handlebars, so I started looking around. I did make the mistake of buying a cheap mirror in hopes of a quick fix, but as I've learned, you need to treat yourself when it comes to bike accessories. I knew the second I took the mirror out of the package that it wouldn't work. The mirror attached around the handlebars and had a bendable neck that, in theory, could allow you to angle the mirror in any direction. But while the neck did bend, it didn't stay in position; it was basically useless.
So what to do? I scoured Amazon more to find a well-reviewed mirror, and giving up on handlebar mirrors, I went for one of these small helmet-mounted mirrors. It's kind of tough when looking for very specific products on Amazon because they often don't have a ton of reviews. But I made the most educated choice I could, and went for what is currently the #1 rated bike mirror, the Race Icon Bike Helmet Mirror.
It arrived this past weekend and I took it out for a spin for my ride to work today. Overall it worked well, as well as I could expect. The mirror is very small, and to see behind me, I have to look up and to the left slightly. It's a somewhat awkward head position, but not too bad, and I'm pretty sure I will get used to it. I did have to make sure I wasn't just staring into the mirror and missing a car or something in front of me!
I like the mirror a lot. It's light and it does the job I need it to. I like that I can quickly glance in the mirror for those times when I need more than a look over my shoulder.
If you're looking for a rearview mirror that attaches to your helmet, I'd definitely recommend this one. Feel free to check it out on Amazon. If you use my links, Amazon will pay me a small percentage of any sales made which I appreciate! Let's ride safe.
