Bike Helmet Mirror - Our Clear View Flat Lightweight Bicycle Mirror Is a Must Have for Any Road Cyclist

My first impression when I opened the mailing box to reveal the mirror in its blister pack was that it was going to be far too slender and weedy for its intended job, but that's a bit like comparing a sprinter to a marathon runner, and whilst the former definitely has more muscle, the latter is built perfectly for the long haul.That's exactly the way this mirror is made: it's perfectly designed and manufactured, and it will definitely serve you well if you're careful with it. I'm in no doubt that this product will last you for years if it's well looked after.Close inspection reveals the mirror to be a very high quality item, and the boom component, upon which the mirror and helmet attachment pad are mounted, is surprisingly strong. You'd have to go some to bend it.The race icon website – http://www.raceicon.com/ - includes a link to a You Tube video showing you how to fit the mirror into your helmet. Be aware of what the guy says about the boom adjustment: it allows for up and down adjustment only, but it does not, repeat not, allow for side-to-side adjustment. You don't need to have side-to-side adjustment anyway, as that is taken care of at the mirror mounting end of the product, in that you can rotate the mirror through 360 degrees, and adjust the mirror angle both up and down and from side-to-side.The guy in the video advises you to carry out the final adjustments of the mirror when you're sitting on your bike. Great advice. Yes, it might take you a few rides before you get the mirror set up perfectly, but in my experience it doesn't take that long at all.Take your time with regard to positioning the sticky-backed Velcro pad in your helmet. Try to get it lined up perfectly, or as close to perfect as you can, before pressing it into place. It's better to hold it away slightly from the inner part of the helmet, get the positioning just so, and then press it down firmly.The product has three screws that you can use to “lock down” your desired positions once you've carried out the necessary adjustments: one at the point where the mirror boom attaches to the mounting pad, a smaller screw at the front of the mounting boom to lock in the rotational adjustment, and a still smaller screw on the mirror itself to lock in the angle adjustment.These are all cross-head screws, so make sure you use the correct size screwdriver, especially for the very small screw on the mirror. I don't think you have to go crazy with tightening the screws – just get them tight enough so that nothing easily moves out of alignment once you've got it all set up the way you want it.In use I've found this mirror to be absolutely perfect for my needs. I really do wish this had been the only mirror I'd ever used on my bike, because it is that good! Unlike a conventional mirror that is fixed to the handlebars, this mirror allows you to see much more with just a slight movement of your head (and, perhaps to begin with, you might find you're moving your head too much, but the learning curve is very shallow with this mirror, and you'll soon get the hang of using it).I am mightily impressed with the angle of view that this small mirror affords. I feel so much safer with it. Just a slight movement of the head, and I can see things that would have been invisible in a conventional bike mirror, especially in that sometimes worrying period when the vehicle moves out of sight of your mirror, but is still not quite alongside you. Goodbye to blind spots!The product is unobtrusive for the most part, just a glance upwards is all you have to do when you need to check your rear view, and then, for the rest of the time, you can concentrate on your ride and forget the mirror is there. I was worried that it might cause discomfort, being that the mounting pad goes on the inner surface of the helmet, but I can't feel anything at all, no pressure points, no added weight from the presence of the mirror, and no impression that it's getting in the way of my vision of the road or bike path.I should say there was one small issue I encountered with the mirror, but it's far too trivial to mention in detail here. Suffice it to say I took it up with the company and they dealt with it in a most exemplary way.I sent an E-Mail to the company, and Gabe Lee from Race Icon got back to me pretty much by return. He couldn't have been more professional, more courteous, or more helpful. To say he went the extra mile is a gross understatement: he went the extra MILES and made sure that everything that needed to be done to make me a fully satisfied customer was done – and done with both efficiency and admirable speed (and a total and complete lack of fuss).I am super-impressed with how Gabe dealt with me, and it makes me feel quite certain that this is the way the company deals with everybody. I'm sure that if you purchased this item, you'd have absolutely no problems with after-sales service from the company, should you ever need it. This product has a lifetime warranty, and it's clear to me that the company has every intention of honoring that warranty.This mirror is an excellent product. It is most definitely built to last, and it's backed by a company that obviously really cares about both its reputation, and its customers. Yes, there are similar mirrors out there, and some of them are cheaper than the Race Icon mirror, but I'd advise you to pay the extra, safe in the knowledge that it will be money very well spent. You'll be getting the best mirror of its kind that your dollars can buy, and, if you don't go crazy with it, it will be there on your bike helmet, doing its job, and helping to keep you safe for many years to come.

I'm an avid road cyclist; I ride 90 - 120 miles per week on mostly busy roads. I've tried several bike mirrors with mixed success. The Race Icon Bike Helmet Mirror is a good mirror; it works, but whether it's the right mirror for you depends on your helmet and what you want to get out of a bike mirror.I have a Bontrager Oracle helmet. I have the Race Icon Bike Helmet mirror mounted on the side (most popular place as per the instructions). With the mirror mounted here, I can see the traffic behind me, but I have to strain my eyes (look all the way in the top left corner of my vision) to see it. The mirror is small too so I can really only get a feel for the cars behind me; I cannot accurately tell how many are behind me, or how close they are or how wide a berth they are going to give me, when they pass me. I tried mounting the mirror on the top of my helmet; that worked better (gave me a much better view of the traffic behind me) but it vibrated A LOT and obstructed my forward view.I also have the Bike Peddler Take A Look Cycling Eyeglass Mirror. This mirror clips onto your glasses/sunglasses instead of your helmet. I find that this is the best mirror for me: it gives me the most consistent view of traffic behind me (I can count the cars behind me, tell when they are going to pass me, understand how closely they are going to pass me, etc.) and it does not vibrate. However, this mirror is not perfect either: it is somewhat flimsy (the rubber mounts fall off after repeated use). You also need glasses\sunglasses with thin arms (so you can mount the mirror to them); most cycling sunglasses have thick arms.UPDATE: July 2016I've been using this mirror for over a year now and I have to say that it is my favorite helmet mirror because it does the job and I rarely have to fiddle with it. I attached it to my helmet when I first bought it and I have not touched it since. I do adjust it slightly when I first start riding but this is the same sort of adjustments I will do with my other bike equipment (ie helmet, gloves, bike computer). It's reliable and dependable; it's one less thing I have to remember to bring when I'm gearing up to go for a ride.I still think the image provided by mirrors that attach to your sunglasses provide a better overall picture of what's behind you, but the trade-off is that you have to adjust it every time you use it and it breaks frequently. With the Race Icon Helmet Mirror, you set it up once and then you're done. For me, that's priceless.

The mirror seems a little too small, so it is hard to see clearly out of it. Also, it obviously moves with your head so when you want to look in the mirror it is likely not going to be reflecting at the road behind you, but opposite of where you are looking at the time. This makes it rather confusing and difficult to use and I believe that it needs to be very easy to glance behind yourself especially when seeing possible danger on the road very quickly and easily is very important.The product is also not very easy to position on the helmet in a place that is comfortable to see out of. I had to place it very close to my face in order to get in on the helmet. This was undesirable because it strained my eyes to look at the mirror when it was that close to my face. The adhesive method of attachment also is not very effective.It is possible that I could have become more adept at looking out of the mirror and using it effectively, but I think with the other problems I have pointed out that it would just be easier to get a mirror that attaches directly to the bike handlebars.