Lurker1999

I bought a Topeak Bar'N Mirror thinking it would kill two birds with
one stone by giving my Jamis Coda Sport (flat bar sport hybrid)
additional hand positions plus provide some mirrors.

https://www.topeak.com/2006/products/...or/barmain.php

I tried using it tonight (after dark) and it was decidedly unhelpful.
The mirror was too narrow to be of any good really. Is this thing
more helpful in the day time or should I just get a bigger mirror?

Anyone have one of these and want to share their opinions?

Caspar_s

Uhh, yeah. I found the same thing. I found that having it partially out - with the mirror at a 60 to 45 degree angle showed more of the road than if it is at 90 degrees.

Also at night when there is a lot of background lights you can't see much - I was riding on country roads, and it was great, but urban areas it's just a sea of bouncing lights.

Zero_Enigma

Lurker:

You should also consider looking at the bar end mirror by Zefal. I have seen the mirror you're tlaking about at a local LBS. A couple months ago I was downtown riding to a meetup with some people and my current setup then was with one of those velco strap on/off round mirrors. While the round mirror was good on the view and very easy to adjust on the fly however it did add about 1/2 foot I'd say (probably shy less then 1/2 a foot) to the width of the bike making weaving in/out of tight spots hard. (my current mirror https://www.mec.ca/Products/product_d...=1158569455075 ) I did however gentlely tap a cars mirror which I wrote a note explaining what happened and how to contact me to the driver even tho mark as not too noticeable at night. I felt it was the right thing to do.

Anyways, after that mirror setup I was thinking of getting something that would allow me to keep the same bike profile without anything poking out and was foldable and slimmer. BTW my old and stil current use mirror was foldable but still you had the bar extended out tho. So I walk into my local LBS and see this kitted up bike on display. A bike Mr.T would be happy with with all the tools and such on board. Anyways I check out the mirrors which are the one you're talking about and they seem ok but yes, they are narrow and I was not too sure on how the handbar end would hold up with the large open hole area there.

You might want to check out this Zefal model. Very similar to your narrow one you have right now. https://www.zefal.com/AAA/produitFram...&languePage=an . This one I like for the extra view but not too large to put of the overall look of your bike. This model I know is a bar end mount. Also you have enough real estate to add a very small wide angle circle sticker mirror onto this model to check your blind spots like how some car drivers use.

Zefal makes two other mirrors. I'm starting to like the look of this one. Bar end top mount. https://www.zefal.com/AAA/produitFram...&languePage=an could be useful as a secondary spotter seeing how that model allows versatile anywhere mounting. Tho I'm not sure if it's foldable.

The last of the Zefal model allows a slightly wider view and is also a bar end mount. It does look foldable. https://www.zefal.com/AAA/produitFram...&languePage=an

Hope that helps some.


Zero_Enigma

Cyclist0383

I use the Zefal Cyclops (last link above) and can say that it is the best mirror I've ever used. It mounts out of the way, has a large field of view, is foldable, and is very stable ie, it doesn't shake a lot over rough roads.

dalmore

I sold mine on Ebay - I just couldn't get them to aligned to see anything.

sathomasga

is useless, to answer the question posed in the subject.

Scorer75

I got them on sale and they were priced the same price as standar bar ends.

As bar ends they are good.

As mirrors, my daughter uses them when playing with my bike in the garage. They are not useful while riding.

SSP

Hands down, the best mirror available is the Take a Look. It mounts to your glasses, and with a simple turn of your head can easily "sweep" a wide area behind you (something the bar mounted mirrors can't do). It's also much more stable than a bar mounted mirror, which tends to vibrate on some road surfaces (e.g., chip seal).

But don't take my word for it: https://www.icebike.com/Equipment/cyclingmirrors.htm

Lurker1999

Thanks all. Those Topeak bar ends are going back this week. I'll probably pick up a Zefal mirror, or at least a similar knock off. I'll have to make sure it'll work with some generic bar ends though.