europa

Anyone use one of these things?



I've already bought one and it's currently being shipped so this thread isn't about whether to buy one (though others might find that interesting).
My questions involve fitting and use.

Any tips on fitting the thing? In my case, I'm fitting new bar tape (indeed, new bars as well) so it's a fresh install for me.
Any tips on adjustment?

Regarding those two, I'll probably be doing a test ride in my street with bare bars just to fine tune the brake lever position and mirror setting before putting the bar tape on (and no doubt discovering I've got things in the wrong place )

Any comments on living with the things? Blind spots? Distortions? Vibration? Being laughed at by Freds?

Aubergine 

I’ve not used that mirror, but being a deaf woman I use mirrors whenever I ride. My suspicion is that mirror is far too small to be of much use.

europa

I'll report on how I find it in use (all the threads regarding this mirror are rather old now).
The small size is usually mentioned as a positive with the comment that it doesn't affect your view - it's slightly convex to widen the view. I understand your concern though.

canklecat

A friend has one on his road bike. He says it works fine. No idea about installation, I've only glanced at it on his bike.

JohnDThompson 

That's what I like about a helmet (or glasses frame) mounted mirror. A slight turn of your head allows you to scan everything behind you.

FBinNY 

Also, sight lines widen with distance, so the closer to your eye, the greater the field of vision a mirror offers. A one inch mirror three inches from your eye is "bigger" than a 4" mirror farther away.

europa

What I didn't like about a helmet mirror is that I was always adjusting the thing. I could no longer just dump the helmet in the car because I had to protect that damned mirror and its adjustment. Sorry, just too much of a PITA for any benefit it gave. The mirrors that plug into the end of your bar but poke out on a stalk were better but still far to prone to getting bumped and a poorly adjusted mirror is worse than no mirror. Quite frankly, helmet and stalk mirrors only worked for me when the bike (and helmet) lived on its stand inside and all rides were from my front door. These days though, most of my rides start with a trip in the car and the constant adjustment issues are the ones I'm hoping this mirror will address.

John_V 

I don't have that particular mirror but I do have the type that is similar but adjustable. I love mine because they make it very easy to see behind you. I also tossed my helmet mirror because they are useless on aerobars and when riding the drops. As soon as you get aero, all you tend to see is sky.

canklecat

Ditto, the gripes about the helmet mirror from the drops. I'm having to crane my neck up to check behind me, which makes my neck cramp and spasm after longer rides. Or I can mount the Take-A-Look at an odd angle that makes it useless from more upright riding positions.

So I'm considering a bar end mirror for the same reasons a couple other folks described. If it's optimized for use from the drops, that's good enough. A friend who has one says the optical glass mirror provides better clarity than other mirrors.

OldTryGuy

A rider who recently joined up with our group has 2 on his road bike. HE LIKES THEM!!!

I've decided on eyeglass mount. Works great when riding upright bars to full aero bar position.

p.s.-I must wear prescription glasses to see, they are transition progressive.

ramzilla

I use something very similar. A Cateye Racer. Works fine. $10. Done deal.

jamesdak 

?? My helmet cam just needs a quick tilt as I transition from the hood to the drops or vice versa. Too simple, wasn't your's adjustable?

Mine has 3 points of adjustment. I just have to make sure I mount in properly to the helmet initially so I can get all the positions I need.

bruce19

I use Italian Road Bike mirrors on my two road bikes. Been using them for about 7 years. You must set them up correctly but once done they won't be shifting around. I find them to be unobtrusive and clear. They use a glass lens.

gmarsden

Works great once you get the angle set. Since there is limited adjustment range, the bottom of your bars need to be near horizontal.

IamAlan

This review gives advice on initial mounting and adjustment.
The Italian Road Bike Mirror - EasternSlopes.com

Andrey

I use these mirrors an all all my four bikes.

I used to have a helmet/glasses mirror before. It took me a few rides to get used to the Italian mirror, now I do like it a lot although I still have blind spots when cars are almost on my tail . It is made out of glass and it is very clear, although small.
I may use a different mirror in the future for my long distance bike with larger viewing area, probably from B&M . The Italian mirror will stay on some fast bikes, since it is relatively small and less dorky

When changing bar tapes it takes a while to set up to have the proper viewing angle from the drops and from the hoods. It may not fit some handlebars if they are angled too aggressively . All my road bars set the the drops almost parallel to the ground.

CliffordK

I don't use a mirror myself. I tried a handlebar mounted mirror for about an hour, and it just didn't work for me.

My issue was that when I'm looking ahead, my view is far beyond the bars. So, I really have to turn my head to look at a bar mounted mirror, and with that I might as well just look back.

I have considered either helmet or glasses mounted mirrors to hopefully alleviate the look ahead problem.

John_V 

Yes it was! That was the problem I was having. Every time I moved from one position to the other, I had to readjust the mirror. It wasn't a big deal but always having to readjust got old real fast. With the mirror I have now, I set it and forget it. I get the same view from the hoods and drops and when I'm on the aerobars, I only need to lift my left arm off the pad, or move it to the left a bit, and I have a clear view of what's behind me. Before I got into road bikes, the helmet mirror was all I needed for my hybrid.

jamesdak 

It would be nice if someone could figure out a way to make a helmet mirror with positions that are set. Like click into hood position, click into drops position. Of course for me bike mounted mirrors would get expensive real fast since I rotate through about 20 different steel rides. Hard enough to keep saddles and peddles sorted out on all of them.

speedevil 

I've been using this eyeglass-mounted mirror. Has worked with a few different helmets and the straps have not been a issue. I adjust it after clipping it to my eyeglass frame, but after that it's good. Inexpensive and works well, what's not to like?

JohnnyCyclist

I tried the Italian mirror (among others) and didn't like it. I eventually found the D+D Oberlauda mirror (aka German Ultralite mirror), like it, and have it installed on all my bikes. See:

https://www.amazon.com/Ultralite-Ger...ct_top?ie=UTF8

It's "unavailable - don't know when if/when it will be available again", so I'm not shilling for Amazon. You will see a bunch of pictures and reviews, however, and it is for sale elsewhere.

europa

I promised updates and here's the first one.

The brute is installed.
The instructions say that it's designed for traditional bars where the end of the bars is horizontal. They also say that if the end of your bars aren't horizontal, you should rotate them so the ends are. That's nice for the manufacturer, but I adjust my bars to suit me, not the manufacturer of an aftermarket component.

My bars are modern bars (the Vibe S7) and I like the top of the drops horizontal - considering I never hold the very end of the bars, I don't care where they point. In my case, the end of the bars is angled downwards and this mirror isn't happy being forced to fit them. This is a design flaw.

Fortunately, the long ends of the mirror mounts are split in four and are very flexible. By using only the top ones, I was able to pull it into right position... but they needed to be very tightly taped down. From there, I was able to pull the bottom tabs into position (both wind up partially wrapping around the bars) and to tape them into position. The instructions glibly talk about being able to make small changes once installed - that is nonsense in cases like mine, if I wan't to adjust them, I have to undo the tape, have another try and see if it worked.

As you'd expect, getting the position right is a prize sod of a job, especially if this is the first time you've used one and are learning on the fly. Someone suggested dragging their stationary trainer out into the street and upon reflection, this is really good advice. Also, set the mirror slightly high because once you wrap the bar tape, it's going to pull down a little. This happened to me and I'm not going to be able to fix it without unwrapping 4" or so of bar tape... but seeing I wrap from the bottom, this isn't going to happen in the short term.

I've only ridden it up and down the street checking the positioning... and the new bars and neck I also fitted. Actually, there's a thought, maybe a minuscule tilt of the bars will help the vertical position without upsetting the riding position. Anyways, at the moment, it's probably set a little low but you can't really test these things without a real ride.

Initial impressions are that it is indeed very small and the slight concave shape doesn't really address that. However, at low speeds, the image was dead clear. To see behind you, you also see your leg (and I've got wide bars). Like all initial impressions though, my thoughts may change with regular use.

I'll let you know how it works next weekend after a week's commuting.

And a photo of things as they are now.

Nermal

Appreciate the update.

wingless

The helmet mirror works fine for my usage. Yes, care is required when not using the helmet.

europa

Right, I've spent a week with this thing, done near enough to 100 urban kms.

First off, I've got it adjusted ever so slightly wrong (a little low) but I'm not unwrapping the bars to fix it and it's not a big issue. For anyone like me, who does not have the ends of the bars horizontal, take a long ride and tape the thing in place BEFORE wrapping the bars. A long ride to ensure you have used it in all situations and your body is warmed up and settled into its riding position. Simply messing about in the back streets won't cut it as I've found out.

Adjustment however, doesn't address my biggest problems with the mirror. I'll get to them.

The image is indeed very clear (as described in the advertising). However, the convex glass, done to give you a wider field of view, also reduces the size of the image (compare the images in your side mirrors of your car compared to the inside mirror). It's very hard to see a car in the distance and damned near impossible to see a bike, even when you know it's there. It's very good for seeing what's right on your shoulder but that's what head checks are for.

It's almost impossible to see what's behind you because your leg is in the way - I might note that I use the widest bars available. The solution is to veer slightly towards the center of the road which is what happens naturally as you're trying to figure out if anything's there. This actually isn't a problem because you're only going to be searching for vehicles behind you if your rear quarter is already clear which you can tell at a glance (and hear for that matter).

I bought this mirror because I was sick of other cyclists sneaking up behind me or drafting me on bike paths. For this, it is useless because you can't easily see behind you and the image is too small to pick up a bike anyway. Fine for cars, not for bikes.

When riding on the hoods, you just drop your eyes and you can use the mirror however, thanks to the small image, you tend to study the mirror. A quick glance doesn't tell you anything your ears haven't already told you.
I often ride with my hands on the curve of the tops. This moves the 'horizon' on the mirror down, closer to where it's recommended you set it and this is why I know my current adjustment is not at fault with my problems with this mirror - all the same issues apply (small image, can't see behind you, etc).
When riding on the straight bit out from the stem, your arm is in the way and you can't even see the mirror.
When riding down on the hooks, the view is all pavement and hence, useless.

I'd regard this experiment as worth doing and sort of worth the effort though probably not the cost. I'm not going to unwrap my bars to take it off but next time I need to change the bar tape, will think very carefully about taking the mirror off at the same time. The stupid thing is, it might work very well on your bike and indeed, before buying mine, I spoke to a bloke who loved his.