Which mirror?

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The Walrus
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Which mirror?

Postby The Walrus » Sun Mar 20, 2011 9:32 am

I have a mirror fitted to the bar of my old bike which worked very well, not sure of the name but paid $30 for it and its been excellent. But wondering if I should consider the Zefal Spy mirror for my new bike. Partly as I want to keep the old bike as a spare and not too keen to cut into the grips on the new bike. Also from a practicality point of view is one better than the other or is it personal preference.

Sorry of this subject has been exhausted before but did a search and didn't find anything conclusive.

Cheers
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CommuRider
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Re: Which mirror?

Postby CommuRider » Sun Mar 20, 2011 9:48 am

I have the zefal and had my LBS fit it. No complaints. Mirrors are pretty handy too for appearance, not just so far safety :)
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LHT
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Re: Which mirror?

Postby LHT » Sun Mar 20, 2011 12:39 pm

Of the seven mirrors I have trialled the Zefals were the poorest in mirror quality, and they were damn expensive. But the little spy version was the best of them owing to it's smaller mirror surface, which is just a plastic like all Zefals.

I hate these mirrors, mirrors with a ripply surface like the larger Zefals can kill riders, spend your money on sometging else like a Blackburn multi-mirror, same price and 100% better quality, but these can only be bought online far as I know.
voluntarilly de-registered; ths forum isn't so much funny as it is a joke. Bling sitting in your shed and bragging about it here does not make you a touring cyclist, or capable of giving worthwhile or sound advice to newcomers, this place is proof of that

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wombatK
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Re: Which mirror?

Postby wombatK » Sun Mar 20, 2011 1:07 pm

The Walrus wrote:I have a mirror fitted to the bar of my old bike which worked very well, not sure of the name but paid $30 for it and its been excellent. But wondering if I should consider the Zefal Spy mirror for my new bike. Partly as I want to keep the old bike as a spare and not too keen to cut into the grips on the new bike. Also from a practicality point of view is one better than the other or is it personal preference.

Sorry of this subject has been exhausted before but did a search and didn't find anything conclusive.

Cheers
Have a look at this thread Rear View Mirrors.

Found pretty easily like this: how to google BNA for rear view mirrors

I've found the zefal mirrors ineffective - too small a field of view, and very easy to bump out of alignment. Similarly with helmet mirrors - two small a view and very sensitive to head movement/angle. The mirrycle mirrors mount high on the bar or hoods, and have an excellent field of view and can be adjusted so that they are effective when on the hoods or drops.
Image
There's models to suit road or flat-bar bikes - although bar ends could make it awkward on the latter. I've got a 35 year old mirrcycle drop-bar mirror that's still in fine condition, and the more recent STI ones I've got are similar quality.
WombatK

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il padrone
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Re: Which mirror?

Postby il padrone » Sun Mar 20, 2011 1:07 pm

Busch & Muller Cyclestar short stem mirror works very well. It has a nice glass mirror surface with moderate convex view and almost as big as the Blackburn. The mount has clamped strap or bar-end ball-joint options and can be tightend up very well to ensure there is no vibration-induced shaking nor knocks moving it out of position. The strap clamp could be mounted in a variety of drop bar positions. I have mine strapped onto the right bar-end.

Image
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The Walrus
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Re: Which mirror?

Postby The Walrus » Sun Mar 20, 2011 10:31 pm

Thanks guys...checked the 'other thread' posted by Wombat and have been reading the whole thing but not finding exactly what I want....but I'll post there and leave this thread to die!

Cheers
Never underestimate the power of ignorance

LHT
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Re: Which mirror?

Postby LHT » Mon Apr 11, 2011 12:40 pm

Well I lied, the Blackburn Multi Mirror is available from Mercer Cycles on South Terrace, Fremantle for $24.

Worth every cent. ;):)
voluntarilly de-registered; ths forum isn't so much funny as it is a joke. Bling sitting in your shed and bragging about it here does not make you a touring cyclist, or capable of giving worthwhile or sound advice to newcomers, this place is proof of that

backslashio
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Re: Which mirror?

Postby backslashio » Mon Apr 11, 2011 5:50 pm

I've got this Zefal Cyclop mirror - spent $30 on it (Note: I don't recommend it!)

Image

Hate it and the LBS recommended it to me (I frequently shop there). The mirror shifts far too easily so I put some tough tape around the handlebar to grip it. Still moves occasionally even though I'm going over the slightest of bumps. Half the time I can't even tell what's coming because the mirror quality is pretty poor and its too narrow

Whilst it can be moved & flipped to the side when not in use it just doesn't work like it should

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The Walrus
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Which mirror?

Postby The Walrus » Mon Apr 11, 2011 8:07 pm

OK it seems like this thread is active again. I got the Zefal spy mirror and initially was a bit disappointed as it didn't fit on all parts if the frame as indicated and only seemed to work when fitted to the extreme end of the bars. However I followed some suggestions and now have it fitted to the very end of the grip and although it reduces hand space, it seems to be working. $15 from Cell bikes it was worth a go!
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bigfriendlyvegan
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Re: Which mirror?

Postby bigfriendlyvegan » Mon Apr 11, 2011 8:47 pm

backslashio wrote:I've got this Zefal Cyclop mirror - spent $30 on it (Note: I don't recommend it!)

Image

Hate it and the LBS recommended it to me (I frequently shop there). The mirror shifts far too easily so I put some tough tape around the handlebar to grip it. Still moves occasionally even though I'm going over the slightest of bumps. Half the time I can't even tell what's coming because the mirror quality is pretty poor and its too narrow

Whilst it can be moved & flipped to the side when not in use it just doesn't work like it should
I found this one works well on the flat bar MTB, but sucks big time on the drop bar.

backslashio
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Re: Which mirror?

Postby backslashio » Mon Apr 11, 2011 9:16 pm

Mine's a flatbar city bike with no suspension so I'd say that's why it performs so poorly

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DavidS
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Re: Which mirror?

Postby DavidS » Mon Apr 11, 2011 10:25 pm

backslashio wrote:I've got this Zefal Cyclop mirror - spent $30 on it (Note: I don't recommend it!)

Image

Hate it and the LBS recommended it to me (I frequently shop there). The mirror shifts far too easily so I put some tough tape around the handlebar to grip it. Still moves occasionally even though I'm going over the slightest of bumps. Half the time I can't even tell what's coming because the mirror quality is pretty poor and its too narrow

Whilst it can be moved & flipped to the side when not in use it just doesn't work like it should
I bought the same mirror and had the same problem. The problem is that the arrangement is a male and female screw which limits how tight you can make the screw. At the limit of the thread it was nowhere near tight enough. I just could not get it tight enough so it wouldn't rattle all the time. I ended up putting a couple of washers on and now it works very well, no rattling around.

DS
Allegro T1, Auren Swift :)

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il padrone
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Re: Which mirror?

Postby il padrone » Mon Apr 11, 2011 11:18 pm

For a road bike, perhaps the Blackburn Road Mirror would do the job ??

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wombatK
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Re: Which mirror?

Postby wombatK » Tue Apr 12, 2011 7:08 am

il padrone wrote:For a road bike, perhaps the Blackburn Road Mirror would do the job ??
And would be more effective on the RHS which would get it about 15 cm closer to your eye.

Before mirrycle released the new STI road mirror, I did something slightly better with a mirrycle MTB mirror.
I inserted a 25 mm x 2mm flat aluminium strip under the inside of the STI hood, and hooked it back
(u-shaped) under the handlebar. I put a slight curve in the top 5 cm to give it some extra rigidity,
drilled a hole in the top, then attached the mirror parts from the elbow up.
Lastly, I wrapped the handlebar tape over the bottom part of the bracket to cushion
it better and give extra hold.

This had no effect on comfort of riding on hoods or drops - whereas the thickness of the blackburn shaft
in your photo might be uncomfortable riding on the hoods.

Of course, now that mirrcycle have the STI road mirror, there is no need for macgiver-ing like I first did.
WombatK

Somebody has to do something, and it's just incredibly pathetic that it has to be us -Jerry Garcia

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Aushiker
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Re: Which mirror?

Postby Aushiker » Tue Apr 26, 2011 12:51 pm

Hi

I have three Zefal Spy Mirrors in use and found them quite adequate for Computer Cup Racing :). Not such a big fan on them touring but really haven't found anything else to fit to the Surly as yet.

Andrew

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