diff --git a/github-backup.py b/github-backup.py
index 2b36a6d..b04eb4a 100755
--- a/github-backup.py
+++ b/github-backup.py
@@ -25,13 +25,14 @@ def init_parser():
    """
    set up the argument parser
    """
-   parser = ArgumentParser(
-   description="makes a backup of all of a github user's repositories")
+
+   parser = ArgumentParser(description="makes a backup of all of a github user's repositories")
+
    parser.add_argument("username", help="A Github username")
-   parser.add_argument("backupdir",
-      help="The folder where you want your backups to go")
-   parser.add_argument("-c","--cron", help="Use this when running from a cron job",
-      action="store_true")
+   parser.add_argument("backupdir", help="The folder where you want your backups to go")
+   parser.add_argument("-c","--cron", help="Use this when running from a cron job", action="store_true")
+   parser.add_argument("-m","--mirror", help="Create a bare mirror", action="store_true")
+
    return parser
 
 
@@ -44,11 +45,22 @@ def process_repo(repo, args):
    if not args.cron:
       print("Processing repo: %s"%(repo.full_name))
 
-   if os.access('%s/%s/.git'%(args.backupdir,repo.name),os.F_OK):
+   config = "%s/%s/%s"%(args.backupdir, repo.name, "config" if args.mirror else ".git/config")
+
+   if os.access(config,os.F_OK):
       if not args.cron:
          print("Repo already exists, let's try to update it instead")
-      os.system('cd %s/%s;git pull %s'%(args.backupdir, repo.name, git_args))
+      os.system("cd %s/%s"%(args.backupdir, repo.name))
+      if args.mirror:
+         git_args += " --prune"
+         os.system("git fetch %s"%(git_args,))
+      else:
+         os.system("git pull %s"%(git_args,))
+
    else: # Repo doesn't exist, let's clone it
+      if args.mirror:
+         git_args += " --mirror"
+
       os.system('git clone %s %s %s/%s'%(git_args, repo.git_url, args.backupdir, repo.name))
 
 if __name__ == "__main__":