billydonn

I have never used a mirror on my bike before, but noticed this one on a bike here at BF50+ some months ago and thought I would give it a try. I finally got around to doing the installation last week and after a few test rides I can now give a report.

Assembly: Assembly and installation is pretty easy if you read and follow the directions. A plastic shim or 1/2 shim, both included in the packet, is required for some models of STI shifter. The screws and nuts used in the assembly go together very tightly... so much so that you might think something is wrong. But this is explained in the instructions and is part of the design.

Effectiveness: The positioning is above and outboard of the STI hood and the mirror gives a nice view to the rear without shifting your eyes off the road ahead. Vibration is not a problem and the image behind is quite steady. The mirror stays in place very well but occasionally a serious bump in the road will jar it out of place a little. This isn't a constant problem and is just a very minor inconvenience. Tightening the screws might reduce this but it seems so minor I haven't bothered with it. A nice feature is that you can fold the mirror back out of the way when parking the bike or loading it on a rack.

Conclusion: This thing works a lot better than I expected and I will be putting another on my #2 bike. I have never seen one of these for sale at a LBS around here, though they do have the Mirrycle Mountain version in one shop.

I'm giving this a four smile rating:

If you are thinking about a mirror, this one works well for me. I have not tried others.
Thanks to TSL for the recommendation.

stapfam

Not the Mirrcycle mirror- but I have a mirror fitted to Boreas.It is lower on the drops and I have never really been comfortable using it- in fact I have been thinking about taking it off as I don't use it.

Except last weekend I rode the TCR for the first time in a long time. This does not have a mirror fitted and I Had a problem. I kept looking for the mirror.

So as a non-believer in the neccesity of mirrors- I can tell you they work.

cyclinfool

I have a mirror on both road bikes. Here is a picture of it on my Tarmac.

Can you see it?

Look very closely at the bar-end.
This is the Italian Road Bike Mirror - a great product. Provides all the mirror you need, is out of the way, doesn't bump out of place and when you work on the bike or fix a flat on the road you don't even know it's there.

jgjulio

I have the same mirror (Mirrycle Road Mirror) on my two road bikes and on my wife's road bike.
This thing works great!
Highly recommend it as well.

JimT

Thanks for the report. I might have to give one a try.
I tried one of the bar end mirrors and I think it would of been ok, except I've used one of those little mirrors that clips on to my glasses for years, which, for me, provides much much better visibility to the rear.

Jim

BigBlueToe

I'm very particular when it comes to mirrors, but my preferences don't always match others. I don't like overly convex mirrors. They make it too hard to judge distances. I like a mirror on the brake hoods. I don't like having to look all the way down to the bar end. I like a mirror that doesn't buzz so much to make it impossible to recognize things. I like a mirror mount that holds its position once you set it. I don't like mirrors on my sunglasses. I've tried a couple and they didn't work for me.

On my LHT with bar-end shifters, I have a mirror that rests on the hood. It's an old model they don't make anymore - the mount is a piece of sheet metal bent over the hood. The mirror is round and almost flat. I had to brace it with a dowel to cut down on vibration. It's the best.

On my Allez with STI shifters I have the Mirrycle. It's almost excellent, except that I can't the mount tight enough to keep from moving when I go over a bump. I''m going to try some Loctite. Except for moving when I hit a bump, it's a great product.

The opinions expressed are those of me and don't represent any objective, scientific research. Just me.

va_cyclist

I have the Blackburn lever-mount mirror, and a couple of weeks ago its flimsy plastic bracket snapped when I hit a pothole. I think I'll be trying the Mirrycle as a replacement.

tsl

You're welcome. It's the second accessory that goes on all my bikes now, right after bottle cages, but before lights and cyclometer.

For the record, I've found it doesn't fit quite as well on the older 9-speed Ultegra 6500 levers that I run on Blue and the as-yet-unnamed Litespeed. The older hoods apparently aren't quite as stretchy as the new ones. I use an O-ring on it rather than the hood. It's a glove fit on current stuff, though.

I've also found it's best to just live with the occasional bone-jarring bump shaking the mirror out of adjustment. Otherwise you can't fold the mirror in when needed, and after time, the plastic stress fractures. No such problems with the mirrors I haven't over-tightened.

maddmaxx 

mirrycle's Mountain Mirror is highly recomended as well if you have a flat bar bike. They make good products.

jdon

+1

dalesax

I too, have been using the Mirrycle Road Mirror and have been very happy with it. I also have the mountain bike version on my commuter bike. They're both very durable and strong, but most importantly I can easily see the traffic behind me.

My only complaint--the road bike version tends to vibrate a lot at speeds over 25 mph, making it difficult to see.

curdog

Do you get a full range of vision, or are there blind spots. One thing I liked about the glasses mount mirrors are that you can increase your range of vision by a small move of the head.

maddmaxx 

They are almost identical to having a mirror on your car. Roughly the same location, roughly the same field of vision.

Wanderer

Mirrycle mirrors are top notch equipment.

Everything you say, plus........

Jamesw2

That is the invention i have been waiting for (Mirrycle Road Mirror for STI )
I was byuying a tube today and saw one in the store but was skeptical about how well it worked .
Thanks Billydonn

billydonn

Agreed... it's not a big deal to nudge it after a big bump. It works fine on my 9-speed Sora wih 6510 Ultegra yet to be tested.

At those speeds I tend to be looking ahead more than behind!

That is also how I would describe it.

xtrajack

I have used Mirrycle products before, they seem to be well done. However I generally prefer a helmet mounted Take A Look

dalesax

The only time I have a problem seeing both lanes of the road are when I'm wearing long sleeves that might flutter and block part of my vision.

mojopt

+1+1......................................+1. The Italian Road Bike Mirror has no equal. Love it...