Two of my three bikes will not accept bar-end mirrors. I tried using a cheap helmet mirror and I do believe that I did give myself enough time to get used to it, but I find that I really prefer a handlebar mirror. I bought a Zéfal Spy, but I find its small size a little underwhelming. While very simple to use I also find its QR mounting system doesn't seem to hold the mirror very securely, and I am constantly adjusting it. I tried using some zip-ties instead, but the mirror still moved and I broke a tie a couple of times by resting the bike against a fence, forcing me to reattach the QR system.

My LBS has a couple of cheap mirrors that will attach to my handlebars with either a clamp or a Velcro strap, but I want something with a little more quality. I have narrowed my choices down to two mirrors: The D+D Oberlauda Ultra Light Bike Mirror (seen here on the Randonee Shop website), and the Busch & Müller Cycle Star (seen here on Peter White's website). I would like to know if any BF members have used either of these two mirrors, and what your experience with them has been like.

Any other suggestions are appreciated, but I will not use another helmet- or eyeglass-mounted mirror, and a frame- or fork-mounted mirror will not work for me since I use a pannier on the traffic side of my bike. Again, a bar-end mirror will not work for my application, either.

Cheers, and ride safe!

If I were to use a bar mounted mirror, I would probably go with the one from Peter White. I am pleased with the service I have gotten from Peter. My Busch & Miller light seems to be well designed and well made, so I would be inclined to try their mirror.

I'm a big fan of bar mounted mirrors. I've used the velcro mount in the past but my new bike has a backsweep to the bar ends... makes the velcro type almost unusable, (won't align properly, constantly adjusting). Tried the Mirrcycle, https://www.mirrycle.com/mirrycle_mirrors.php. It works Great, much better than I imagined it could. Stable, good view.... I'm glad I found it and can again enjoy riding with a good rear view, without constant fiddling.

Edit: BTW, I have no connection to the company, just like the product.

Regards,

Unfortunately the Mirrcycle won't work for me; I can't use bar end mirrors, and I don't use racing-style brake levers for the other two styles. One of my bikes has trekking bars, and the other uses Ergon GC3 grips. The bar end on the GC3 covers the hole at the end of the bar. Here they both are with the Zéfal Spy mirror attached:

I'd suggest PM'ing vik. He has done countless reviews on bike gear and uses trekking bars on some of his bikes. He posts here and in https://forums.mtbr.com/ and I'm sure plenty of other sites. He's very helpful and knowledgeable and usually posts in Commuting and Utility...that I've seen.
Here's his blog:
https://thelazyrando.wordpress.com/?s=mirror

I believe there are MTB bar ends that you could add with your Ergons that would also permit the addition of some of the other common bar end mirrors. It'll just take some searching. I'm not a big fan of the bar end mirrors...too much vibration. I just keep my head on a swivel. Although I have considered getting one of these.

I just bought the ultra light bike mirror from Rivendell and I'm pretty satisfied without it. it looks good, works well, gives me confidence to ride more safely in traffic. I recommend it, although I have not tried other mirrors.

It looks like the main problem with the Zéfal is that it hugs the bar too closely, and would give you an excellent view of... you. The stem on the Ultra Light is 2" long, which is enough to move the mirror out from in front of your body and give you a view of what is behind you. Mostly.

First off, any parabolic mirror is going to give you a distorted view (the right hand mirror on your car is parabolic, which is why "things in the mirror may be closer than they appear"; which is to say that things look tiny in parabolic mirrors). Secondly, depending on your hand position, you might experience visual blockage from your body. On my handlebars...



...when riding in the primary position, where the hand is aft and very slightly outboard of the mirror mount, my arm blocks about 1/3rd of the mirror (and can be moved out of the way, but it makes the mirror less useful at a quick glance). In the secondary position, up in the bend where the bar tape is and the hand position is forward and inboard of the mirror, no blockage. On the Lady's bike...



... where all hand positions are either inboard or forward of the mirror mount, body blockage is a non-issue. I think that the height of the Ultra Light mirror goes a long way towards making in useful in multiple hand positions without adjustment. The Lady G'Cakes has also run this mirror with trekking bars in approximately the same position (lower left corner) as with the riser bars and bar ends, without any significant body blockage issues. Furthermore, I've never had an issue with vibration with this mirror.

nstarrider ...... thanks for the link to myrricle site ....... I am a huge fan of these mirrors and use them on my urban and winter bikes. I use bar end shifters on my touring bike and have been looking for a useful mirror for it. I don't like the small strap on one I bought last year. Looking at the link you attached I see that the mirrycle can be attached to the brake lever/ hoods in some way. I can't see exactly hpw in the picture. It's minus 24 outside right now, when it warms up I will go to my garage and investigate!

Any chance you could post a close-up picture of how you have positioned the Zefal Spy with the GC3 grips? Have you used any cable ties or anything else to secure it? I'm struggling to position mine in such a way as to leave all hand positions available and still have a clear view.

Thanks.

If you click on the 2nd pic in post #4, it will link to a bigger pic, and then you can click on that pic for a close-up. The spot where I have it mounted, in the corner, seems to be the best place for it re: hand positions. I tried using cable ties but found it hard to find a way to secure them properly. They always ended up shifting on me and the mirror actually fell off during one commute.

FWIW I ordered a Busch & Müller Cycle Star 901/1 mirror from Peter White Cycles. It comes with both a handlebar clamp and bar end mount.