Know what's coming.
The Ortlieb UltraLight Bike Mirror is an extra-wide, lightweight mirror that offers plenty of visibility. Weighing in at a mere 58 grams, it attaches to virtually any handlebar or even your fork. The pivoting design is durable and easy to adjust.
Made in Germany.
B-Stock - This product has one or more B-Stock units available. These units can be purchased at a discount (see option select). B-Stock units were returned from other customers and may have missing or damaged packaging materials. These units are otherwise as new. The full manufacturer warranty applies. Click Here for more information.
Mfg PartNum: ULBM |
I'm doing a 2nd review of this product because I was able to do a side-by-side comparison of the Ultralight and the Mirrcycle Bar End. This latter mirror is marketed for straight barsmountain bikes, but it works perfectly well on a drop bar. I was able to mount both mirrors on the same side of my road bike, the Ultralight being clamped about the middle of the bend in the drop bar, and the Mirrcycle plugging into the bar end. I adjusted both mirrors and rode far enough to compare the images. Both, in my opinion, are well constructed and well designed. Both are vibration-free. The advantage of the Ultralight is its wide parabolic view. While the parabolic feature means you can't see quite as far behind you the mirror gives a clear, wide, and steady picture of the road behind. The Mirrcycle does that, too, and may give a slightly longer view, but if I had to pick one for my road bike it would be the Ultralight. To be fair, there are some conditions the Mirrcycle probably does a better job and you won't go wrong buying either of them.
Had been frustrated with my handlebar end mirror always moving on rides. Then a friend showed up for a ride with this mirror and said it doesn't move even when hitting bad bumps in the road. I've been using it for a couple of months now. Not only does it stay put but has a larger view than my old mirror and doesn't interfere when I'm in the drops. Very happy with the purchase and fast shipping.
Every so often a company comes out with a perfect product and this is one of those times. This bicycle mirror, made in Germany, has been around for years and I always had it in the back of my mind to get one. I tried a helmet-mounted mirror, which didn't work for me and just gave up.
Now, with cell phones-distracted drivers and angrier drivers as a result of the pandemic, most of my buddies have given up road riding and switch to trails. I, however, refuse to give up.
The issue with road riding is cars coming up behind and passing with too little room or honking or sometimes purposely harrassing me and once in awhile, running me off the road. I have a helmet, a large reflecting vest and bright lights but that just wasn't enough. Then I installed Ultralights on my three road bikes.
What a game changer! With this mirror, I can see what is (or isn't) behind me. I know exactly how close a vehicle is to me as they are passing. I can check in the mirror if cars are coming when I'm pulling out onto the road. I don't have to turn my head all the time. Having a mirror has taken out much of the stress of road riding. I will never again ride without a mirror.
I just bought another Ultralite mirror, which I am having shipped to my son and will probably buy a few more for friends. Even though it is one of the more pricier mirrors, it is well-designed and is worth every penny.
PROS: The convex shape really helps to witness a vehicle over at multiple distances. Great tool to merge lanes (using this as the initial check before an over shoulder glance). Survived ~3 weeks so far on our compost fleet E-Bike so has a certain amount of strength. The metal screws provide the necessary tightening ability to really lock this in place.
CONS: Lots of plastic. So far so good but with the right fall this mirror is prob toast
This mirror is a great and I don't want to ride my commute without it. It's very easy to attach to your handlebars with a flat head screwdriver...it kind of works like a zip tie that you can tighten and loosen. Even though you cut the excess off, you can still remove and replace the mirror as long as the bars are a similar diameter or smaller.
I use it on an upright bar (Nitto Choco) and it's pretty good for side visibility. I do use a helmet mirror at the same time...the Ultralight mirror I'm reviewing does make things seem a little farther away than they are (parabolic mirror), so it's nice to be able to double check something behind me with a helmet mirror that magnifies a little.
One of the few handlebar-mounted mirrors that can be used on a bike with bar-end shifters. Easy to install and does not move with road vibrations. I don't trim the end of the clamp strap so I can move it between bikes if I desire (might help also in reinstalling when I change bar tape). I use it oriented vertically and still provides more than adequate field of view.
Drawbacks - it is a big mirror although very light. Might be more wind resistance that some want. And there is curvature to the mirror (its not flat) so there is some distortion that makes distance judging tricky.
I own four. One for every bike. Visibility is great. Very Little vibration due to secure mount. Durable, I have tipped the bike over and landed on mirror without suffering any damage.
This is simply the best bike mirror I've found, and I've tried a lot of them. Field of view is excellent, the ball joints can be tightened, and it can be attached anywhere on a drop bar. The mirror mounts on a stalk which looks a little delicate but it doesn't vibrate in normal use and when it's mounted properly it puts the mirror far enough out so your arm doesn't obscure your view. A rating.
I've tried a bunch of rear-view mirrors and most have at least one fatal flaw, usually vibration or inadequate view. This is the only mirror I've found that does a reasonably good job of avoiding both of those problems. It has screw-clamp adjustments (more secure than friction), and a wide field of view that includes almost none of my knee. Also, the mounting system is very well thought out. I was able to find a sweet spot to mount it on my drop bars-a challenge for many designs. My one concern is the relatively small-diameter stalk that attaches the mirror to the clamp-it is vulnerable to breakage and easily knocked out of adjustment. But I can't complain too much because the stalk is the reason the mirror has a good field of view, not blocked by the leg. And while the skinny stalk looks like it would let the mirror shake when driving over rough pavement, I haven't found this to be the case. Unless you're hammering over ruts on a dirt road, this mirror will be steady.
Hard to find a decent mirror for drop bars that works and doesn't look dorky. It has good optics, no distortion and is just convex enough to give nice coverage without making everything tiny. The are several mounting options, I put mine as high on the bar as possible under the brake. I like the vertical orientation. Cars and bikes behind me are easy to see and it does not interfere with my hand. I've dropped the bike hard on the mirror a couple of times and other than some scratching on the plastic it's been fine, the mirror back, mount and stem are pretty rugged. All in all, pretty happy with it.
The ability to mount this mirror under the handlebar grip and out of my field of vision is huge. Plus, the convex mirror surface provides a wider picture of what is behind you. Good product. I bought a spare one, too!
This mirror installs fairly easily, though I think most of us cyclists would prefer an allen screw head vs. the tiny flat head screw it comes with. Once installed, it works okay, enabling me to see approaching cars IF there's enough sunlight and/or the driver has their headlights on.
Finally, it's not *exactly* stylish in it's installed appearance. I hesitate to call it dorky, but it does trend in that direction.
This mirror offers a LARGE picture at a glance of traffic coming up from behind. Mounted halfway down to the bottom of the drops it is there at just a glance and can be "adjusted" by just nudginng it with the side of your hand while still holding the hoods. Very light weight. Suggest adding a bit of inner tube rubber if you want to cushion your bar tape from the mounting clamp.
Works well, easy to install. Note that it's designed for the left side handlebar. Would buy a right-side one as well if it was available.
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I got tired of the cheap, too little mirrors that always needed adjusting or too easily broke. This one solves those problems. Has good visibility from different angles. Not quite perfect because it's mounted on the handle bar and thus there is a little bit of incovenience reaching around it on a road bike. But balanced out by always being in position and being able to be knocked around.
Best Mirror I have ever used. It has a very wide field of view. I could never get used to a helmet mirror and I feel blind without a mirror so this is a great solution. I have a road bike and I don�t find it to be a problem to use. It attaches with Zip straps. I can�t imagine riding without it.