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.
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 use this on my Bacchetta Basso 3.0. It is a great mirror. I can now see behind me like I never could with any other mirror. It is a sturdy mirror that is easy to mount and adjust. I highly recommend this mirror.
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.
Easy fit on the Trek gravel bike drop bars. Lightweight, great price, wide angle and easy to adjust to keep tabs on traffic and my riding partner.. can�t believe I waited so long to get this..
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.
It's a decent mirror but I have a burning desire to cut the shaft in the middle and add a couple of shaft couplings and a piece of shaft to extend the length. I have it on drop-down bars and half the view is obscured by my arm. If a longer shaft can be supplied, I would buy another one from you.
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.
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.
I use this mirror on all my road bikes because it provides a great view of the road behind. It mounts easily even on drop bars, adjusts well, and provides a large clear image. It's also reasonably durable. Many of my fellow riders ordered one when they saw how well mine worked.
