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.
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.
To be useful, the mirror must be placed below the left grip (I placed the clamp just to the inside of the grip). The view it provides is helpful, but is very small and the wide-angle surface, of course, means very little detail can be seen, if any object is seen, you must presume it's a car approaching. So, I'm glad to have it, it looks much better than a large and heavy mirror on top of the handlebar, but the view to the rear is limited and mine needs to be readjusted periodically where it swivels.
Maybe it is because I am tall and quite a distance from the mirror but it's size limits it's usefulness. Who knows there may not be a perfect solution on a bike.
I have bar end shifters so can't try a bar end mirror.
Superb clarity and the ability to see even small animals and chidlren, very adjustable. The connection between the mirror and the stem that holds the mirror and allows it to pivot needs improvement. When traveling downhill at speed, when you hit a bump in the road, the mirror pops off the stem and falls to the ground. I have had two mirrors scratched up in this manner. I ended up getting the position that I need and glueing the mirror in place. The situation I described occurred in Maine during the recent Bike Maine and I was able to get replacements quickly. I live in Florida and have had no problems.
Tried a couple of different mirrors. One gave me a perfect view of my reciprocating knee. The other made me dizzy the way it jumped around. This mirror Perfection! It's just like looking in my car's side view mirror. And it stays in place. I haven't been over rough terrain, so I can't comment about that.
I have tried a lot of bike mirrors over the years and this one is the best, especially if you have drop bars. The easy to install mirror has a strong nylon/plastic strap that lets you mount the mirror right at the spot where the brifter hoods meet the bars, so the mirror doesn't interfere with your hand positions.
Moreover, the mirror has excellent optics- it is not extreme wide angle like some mirrors (which makes it difficult to see cars that are more than 50 feet behind you), but is slightly wide angle and gives you good visibility to see any traffic that's closing in toward you.
I have this mirror on both my bikes and am very pleased with it in every respect!
I believe in bike mirrors but I do not like the helmet or glasses mounted type. This mirror works great, it is adjustable, it is clear and easy to see traffic and just is what a good mirror should be.
[...] This mirror does shake a litte, but they all do, and it is very light. Objects are closer than they appear, but the wide field of view is very helpful. I still use a helmet mirror to see what is really close, but this mirror warns me of arriving rear traffic long before I detect it in my helmet mirror. You can't have too many mirrors if you ride in traffic!
Easy to install and adjust. Mirror was used on Nashbar trekking bars as other mirrors did not work. Mirror is not as clear as the Mirrycle round mirror, possibly due to the convex shape. Overall, I have gotten use to the ok clarity as I need a mirror for my commutting needs.
