ZEFAL Spin Mirror

I've tried many cycling mirrors to aid me with my safety whilst on the road. Most of them are crap if I'm honest!! I've tried the Halfords bar end mirror (the plastic one vibrates like mad), the metal one is a lot better but it isn't convex glass and so doesn't give the widest field of vision, however, the view that is seen is a truer picture. I've also tried the Cycle Aware Reflex Helmet Mirror. I found this to be very difficult to position correctly and gave up in the end!! The Zefal Spin Bar End Mirror - NOW YOU'RE TALKING!! It's an excellent price for what you get. I have two bikes (a mountain bike and a road bike) - I have one of these mirrors for each bike, they're that good! The required view is very easy to set up, and once that is achieved, a simple screw and the position is in place. You can also adjust the mirror when not in use which is a great idea, should you wish to park your bike up for example. The glass is convex which gives an excellent view of rear traffic, ok, the traffic is closer than what it appears to be in the glass, but I personally prefer that. A quick reference point when stationery gives the rider the judgement of following vehicles quite easily. Seriously, if you're thinking of buying a cycling mirror, don't try anything else!! I am an advanced cyclist (IAM) and I strongly recommend this

The mirror (the glass) is 27x59mm. When you use it horizontally (most common use) it sticks out 75mm. When used vertically it sticks out 17mm. You can switch between vertical horizontal just by turning the mirror. It turns in every direction on 3 different axles and I'm not counting the mounting point. Before I bought this mirror I thought I knew in what situations I was going to use it but I ended up using it far more than that. When I ride in traffic I usually don't ride as fast as the traffic flows. As a result I ride on the left side between parked cars and the flowing traffic on my right and I don't like that. I find myself speeding up to get past the parked cars as fast as possible so I can ride on the left edge of the road. I do that instinctively even when there are no cars coming from behind. This mirror makes riding in traffic much easier. It reduces unnecessary stress. Today I went for a 3 hour ride and I was surprised how many times I looked at the mirror. On average I looked at it every 2 minutes. I ended up riding more relaxed and I took the lane in a few more situations than I normally would. Without a mirror, you just don't know what is behind you. You will feel huge difference when you ride with a mirror. It is much more relaxing. Buying this mirror was the best purchase I did for my bike. I use it horizontally. It sticks out a little to the right but that's fine, it is short enough. This mirror is small but because of the convex shape, the view area is perfectly fine. I have a hybrid bike and the handlebar grips have closed sides. So I had to cut a hole on the grips to put the mirror in, but that was easily done. Because the mirror is small, the angle of the mirror needs to be precise. For example if I lean a little forward I lose the angle. If you have drop bars, and you set the angle when you are riding on the hood, you will lose the angle if you reach for the drops. I think for drop bars this other mirror might be better. You could experiment with location. For example you could put it on the fork. Raleigh AMA141 Universal Bicycle Mirror Before you put it on: This mirror turns in 3 directions and you can tighten two of them with the two screws that are visible. But there is a third screw that is hidden. It connects two circular plastics. To get to it, take out the screw that is closest to the glass. Now you will see one more screw that you can tighten and I think you should do that because this mirror is small and the angle needs to be precise. You don't want the mirror to be lose in any direction. The plastic that you insert into the handlebar comes wrapped with 2 softer spacer things. I tried really hard to insert it until I realized I was supposed to take out one of the spacers because otherwise the diameter was too big. After I started using this mirror I realized how important a mirror was. Now I might even buy a slightly bigger mirror. I dropped this one star because now I think this mirror is slightly too small than it should be. I checked amazon.de and this same mirror gets 4 stars there. Here is the link to the amazon.de version of this mirror: http://www.amazon.de/dp/B001IXKU26/ By the way, to take this mirror off do the following: Turn the screw two rounds and then press the screw inside. This will release the wedge that is still attached to the end of the screw. Update after frequent use: One problem that is starting to be annoying is the constant need to adjust the angles. I live in a ground floor flat and I take my bike into the flat. There is absolutely no way the mirror is going keep its angles as I move the bike through doors and hallway. I have now added some markers to remember the angles. See the photo I uploaded.

Very easy to fit in the end of the drop bars on my bike or in the end of flat bars on my wife's flat bar road bike. Only small but gives a clear view of what is coming up behind with no vibration. My wife said she would not have a mirror on her bike because it looks daft. However this mirror is very discreet when fitted and after she started riding with it her opinion has changed, she loves it, so much she has now fitted one onto her winter bike as well. Good low cost product which works small, light and descreat when fitted. It can also be folded out of the way when you leave it parked against the wall.

For a small (6cm x 3cm) and unobtrusive mirror this works very well. It is fitted easily into the end of the handlebar - there is a removable plastic sleeve to allow for different diameters of handlebar - and you just turn a screw to expand and tighten it. The mirror is easy to adjust up or down on the move if necessary and it will rotate up or down out of the way. I was surprised how much you can see (as long as you remember to remove the protective plastic film!). It seems to be well made. The only note of caution, as stated on the packaging, is that as the mirror is convex then vehicles behind do look to be much further away than they really are. It doesn't replace that vital last look over the shoulder before moving out. If you are buying a mirror because you have difficulty in turning your head to look behind then perhaps a larger flat mirror would be safer.

I bought this - love the way it can swivel to be adjusted for viewing and for storage. However, found it very hard and distracting to use safely as thee mirror is flat and narrow. SOLUTION: I super-glued a cheap, light and round plastic convex mirror onto the flat mirror and now I've got a fantastic fully adjustable mirror that gives me a great view behind. If this product had a convex mirror variant it would be an absolute winner.

This is probably the best value accessory I've ever bought for a bike. Like many of the other reviewers, I have trouble turning my head to check for vehicles approaching from behind; and when I do I often wander off onto the verge! I met a keen cyclist who had a rear light with a laser sensor in it. This sent a signal to his cycle computer warning him of vehicles closing in on his rear. He paid almost £300 for the light on it's own and it had a battery life of about 6 hours. Just under £11 buys this mirror that you can check regularly and see the road behind, very handy when I want to turn right. It pushes into the end of the handlebars and tightens with a screw. When not in use it folds neatly under the bar and is so unobtrusive that the first couple of times I went out I forgot to 'deploy' until well into my ride. Although not very high it gives a wide view.

This is a great compact little mirror. It adjusts in every direction and can be tucked in when not needed. My handlebars were on the limit of it fitting inside and I had to grind the fitting slightly to get a fit. It is compact so if you want a larger mirror this may not be for you, but it gives me a good view of the road behind. I’m really pleased with and it cost me less than £10.

Easy to fit, good quality mirror. Allowed me to do my hair while cycling, and to check on the massive queue of friendly motorists building up behind, all gesticulating about how nice my hair was.