Best mirror type?

Take a Look Mirror

These guys have been around forever. The mirror is cheap, simple, and surprisingly durable. Mounts easily to my helmet visor.

All of these mirrors have a narrow field of view and it is easier to look behind you by sweeping your head from side to side than by sweeping the handlebars from side to side.
I have 6 bikes but I only need one mirror... .the Takealook!
 
When I first installed my mirrycle, I tightened everything up very, very tight… So that once I set the mirror in its position, I knew it wouldn't bounce loose. Then I struggled with going through every doorway after that :) Don't know why it took me a few days of that to realize I could loosen one screw a teensy bit, to allow me to rotate the mirror inward towards the bike frame, saving about 3 inches of width on the handlebars when going through doors, yet it would still stay tight enough to not jiggle around while riding. I love it even more now than before :)

The Mirrycle is my favourite mirror as well.
 
I like the idea of the "motorcycle style" of the Ergotec mirrors. I have always opted for helmet mounted mirrors with my road bikes. I found them a little lacking, had to do a lot of neck twisting but for the sake of "light and efficient" they were great. Now that I am looking for something to put on the Ebike, I'm remembering how well the mirrors on my BMW R100 worked.
 
By far the most solidly built, functional and durable bike mirror is the Busch & Muller 701 available at Propel Bike Ship in Brooklyn https://propelbikes.com/product/busch-muller-701-mirror-e-bikes/ It has a large area , you don't have to tilt your head just right to see behind like a helmet mounted one. It has a spring-loaded joint allows you to easily swing it it to narrow the bars or get knocked back or forward accidentally without breaking. It is far more robustly built than any other bike mirror I have seen. Don't leave home without one. This is a photo of the left hand mirror flipped upside down.

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By far the most solidly built, functional and durable bike mirror is the Busch & Muller 701 available at Propel Bike Ship in Brooklyn https://propelbikes.com/product/busch-muller-701-mirror-e-bikes/ It has a large area , you don't have to tilt your head just right to see behind like a helmet mounted one. It has a spring-loaded joint allows you to easily swing it it to narrow the bars or get knocked back or forward accidentally without breaking. It is far more robustly built than any other bike mirror I have seen. Don't leave home without one. This is a photo of the left hand mirror flipped upside down.

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Much nicer looking than the Mirricycle which just looks plain cheap
 
Much nicer looking than the Mirricycle which just looks plain cheap
The Mirricycle will take incredible abuse. It’s best to make comparisons based on handling and use. One at $40 and the other at $10 makes for a very good value. Not to ever demean Busch-muller, just to point out we don’t have to pay a high price for very tough serviceable quality. There are times I buy top line products. They can be a good value, but they can also be over priced by a brand name. For me mirrors wider than my handlebars are destined to be damaged. Based on dozens of mirrors on a dozen bikes over decades.
 
I turn my mirrors inward and no longer slap them around. Maybe I need to slow down, but turned in my bike fits through doors with dual mirrors.
 

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Just installed two Mirrcycle mirrors on our bikes and they are fantastic. No vibration and well designed. I tried them on the lower, inside first but found that clothing interfeared with the view. I then mounted them on the top, outside and they worked perfectly. If you are worried about hitting something with them, they have rotation joints that will give without damage to the unit and can be easily readjusted. The joints also allow you to mount them in several different ways. A well designed, simple product. They remind me of the mirrors I had on my motorcycles. Easy to see and excelent visibility.
 
Just installed two Mirrcycle mirrors on our bikes and they are fantastic. No vibration and well designed. I tried them on the lower, inside first but found that clothing interfeared with the view. I then mounted them on the top, outside and they worked perfectly. If you are worried about hitting something with them, they have rotation joints that will give without damage to the unit and can be easily readjusted. The joints also allow you to mount them in several different ways. A well designed, simple product. They remind me of the mirrors I had on my motorcycles. Easy to see and excelent visibility.

I did two on a couple of bikes. Quite nice. BUT I have them on wide cruiser bars, so tucked under I still have good optics. Two means I'm really well covered. I break stuff and loan out bikes. So far I'm impressed. I have a BM light system on one bike. REALLY nice stuff, alas, my pension isn't growing to keep up with my wish list so I still look for best bang for the buck. And then sometimes there's just no way around quality and a higher price. I'd rather put my dollars to work with a high end charger and such.
 
I second the recommendation for the EVT Safety Zone Mirror. I have been using them for years on several of my helmets. They give you a good field of view which can be adjusted by simply moving your head. Installation is simple with zip ties or velcro.
I recently switched from a glasses-mounted mirror to the EVT. The other worked fine, but over time the swivel got loose. Any errant gust of wind and I'm looking at the other side of the road instead of behind me. After a week with the EVT, I'm totally sold. Larger mirror and a sturdier mount mean bigger picture with less vibration.
 
I have used a CAT EYE BM-500 G style mirror for 3 1/2 years, over 4k miles, and it's still in good shape. Neat bar-end mirror which doesn't add significantly to the width of the bars. Wearing thick sleeves can reduce field of view a little depending on handlebar width and forearm position, but I almost always have bare arms (HI). I've had the bike fall over on the mirror more than once and it also gets bumped out of position regularly (mostly while locking up the bike in a tight space) with no breakage. There is a screw in the arm up near the mirror joint to tighten the ball/socket resistance to taste. I purchased another of these mirrors from LBS ($12) for my second bicycle today and there is no change in design. I have had no trouble with vibration and movement out of position while riding despite the fact that many of the roads I use are in rather poor condition. Mirror is handed, with Left and Right versions. Good to hear others' experience - MIrrcycle sounds good so I'll take notice for future. I ride moped and motorcycle, so defaulted to this type as opposed to the helmet mount.
 
I have used a CAT EYE BM-500 G style mirror for 3 1/2 years, over 4k miles, and it's still in good shape. Neat bar-end mirror which doesn't add significantly to the width of the bars. Wearing thick sleeves can reduce field of view a little depending on handlebar width and forearm position, but I almost always have bare arms (HI). I've had the bike fall over on the mirror more than once and it also gets bumped out of position regularly (mostly while locking up the bike in a tight space) with no breakage. There is a screw in the arm up near the mirror joint to tighten the ball/socket resistance to taste. I purchased another of these mirrors from LBS ($12) for my second bicycle today and there is no change in design. I have had no trouble with vibration and movement out of position while riding despite the fact that many of the roads I use are in rather poor condition. Mirror is handed, with Left and Right versions. Good to hear others' experience - MIrrcycle sounds good so I'll take notice for future. I ride moped and motorcycle, so defaulted to this type as opposed to the helmet mount.

Not only way nicer looking but cheaper than the Mirricycle
 
I'm stuck on any durable mirror that I can turn inward and not significantly widen my bars.
 

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I keep trying different positions but always come back to the "motorcycle mount", with the mirror topside and out. I have the best visability that way. I like the idea of it being mounted on the down side and in but my clothing or elbow is always covering half of it. With it up and out I can see everything coming up on me, without a second glance. Maybe I have big elbows?
 
I keep trying different positions but always come back to the "motorcycle mount", with the mirror topside and out. I have the best visability that way. I like the idea of it being mounted on the down side and in but my clothing or elbow is always covering half of it. With it up and out I can see everything coming up on me, without a second glance. Maybe I have big elbows?
Dunno, but I a fat fart of a fella. I aim my mirrors without any view of me. Perfect. I broke a couple spend years mirrors with a “MM” mount. A fall even in grass busts those for me. I’m hard on my bikes

This has been a good thread and I’ve learned a lot, thanks all for the sharing. As always, YMMV!
 

Hey Ravi,

Thank you for the tip of the ergotec mirrors. I've been looking at mirrors all day and these seem like the best. I am trying to figure out what my options are for mounting them on the handlebars (I have the Jones H-Bars).

Do they have to go at the ends of the bars, or can they be mounted further inward on the handlebars?

The mirror appears to have a clamp at the bottom, I am not sure if I can use that clamp to mount them anywhere on the bar. There also appears to be this accessory piece:


I am not sure if this is a mandatory purchase, or only if you choose to mount the mirror at the end of the bars.

Thanks for the tip!
 
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