Commuting by bike on busy roads can be serious business and often quite dangerous at times. For this reason, we recommend the use of a bicycle mirror which helps to give you more visibility of your surrounds when commuting.
We recommend the Sprintech Road Drop Bar Bike Mirror which is available at Amazon for $28.99.
Buy on Amazon
Why Ride with Bike Mirrors?
Commuting to work isn’t a fashion statement but is more about ensuring you’re safety and make it to your destination safe and sound. Sure, you can look over your shoulder to check your surrounds behind you but sometimes this doesn’t work that well. For this reason, we think bicycle mirrors are a great option for anyone that does a lot of riding on the road.
There’s a few reasons why you should ride with a bike mirror:
- Cycling mirrors are particularly useful for people who cycle with a backpack and have limited visibility when looking over their shoulder.
- Handy for when you have limited time to look over your shoulder and can’t take your eyes off the road for long.
- Increased visibility of what’s around you is especially important when riding on the road. Sometimes you need to swerve and go around a pothole so it’s important to know that the car behind you isn’t about to try over-take you before you swerve.
How Do Bicycle Mirrors Attach to your Bike?
Fortunately with bicycle mirrors, you aren’t restricted to attaching the mirror to only one part of the bike with there being plenty of different options. These include:
- Helmet mounted - Small mirror that pops out at the front of your helmet giving you a good field of view what’s behind you
- Handlebar mounted - Mounted on the top of the handlebars on either side or both sides of the handlebars. This gives you similar visibility to what you would have on a motorcycle if you opt to have a mirror on each side.
- Drop bar mounted - Quite handy for road cyclists or people that tend to avoid too much bulk on their handlebars, drop bar mounts conveniently connect onto your drop bar.
Best Handlebar and Drop Bar Bike Mirror
Hafny Bar End Bike Mirror
The Hafny Bar End Bike Mirror has been designed to be mounted to both your handlebars and drop bar which makes it suitable for people who commute on road bikes or mountain bikes.
Made using stainless steel glass which is said to be unbreakable and far more durable than normal glass, the Hafny bike mirror is guaranteed to last. The stainless steel glass comes in two sizes with a 62mm and a larger 68mm mirror.
One thing we really liked about the Hafny Bar End Bike Mirror is that it folds down when not in use. This is handy for us commuters when parking our bike in a bike cage or similar and don’t want someone to accidentally knock the mirror off when parking their bike next to ours.
The only downside we had with the Hafny Bar End Mike Mirror is the fact it requires tightening before each ride. If you don't, you'll quickly find the mirror wobbling out of position and needing to be re-tightened.
Best Dual Bike Mirrors
Womdee Bike Mirror
We know what you're thinking... The Womdee Bike Mirror's aren't the most attractive design compared to more minimal designs we reviewed in this article, they do however provide great visibility and help keep you safe on the roads.
The enhanced visibility on the Womdee's is thanks to the dual mirror design which is positioned on each side of your handle bars near your grip. This works great for being able to comfortable see over both your shoulders.
Made using aluminium and blast resistant glass with an anti glare coating, the Womdee mirror's are made to last and cope with the different conditions of commuting.
One thing we really liked about the Womdee Bike Mirror's was the multi colour design with the mirrors coming in Black, Red and Blue which is bound to suit everyone.
If you're looking for mirrors that are attractive and minimal, these aren't for you but if you're looking for mirrors that provide the best visibility then these are for you.
Best Minimal Handlebar Mounted Mirror
Zefal Cyclop Bicycle Mirror
The Zefal Cyclop Bicycle Mirror is a great option for anyone looking for a single mirror to place on their handle bars.
Designed to be folded in when not in use, this is a great option for anyone who parks their bike in a bike cage and worried about others accidentally bumping their mirror when parking their bike.
Like other bike mirrors we've reviewed, the Zefal needs tightening before heading out for a ride as it can loosen and wobble out of position quite easily. We found installing a small rubber o-ring under the screw to help increase the amount of tension on the joint better helped kept the mirror in position without the need to re-apply before heading out for a ride.
At the end of the day, this is a cheap and good option for anyone looking for a minimal mirror for their bike.
Best Designed Bike Mirror
IRBM Italian Road Bike Mirror
Do you sometimes feel with bike mirrors that they're a bit... Daggy? Don't worry we're the same and when we saw the IRBM Italian Road Bike Mirror our eyes lit up.
The IRBM Italian Road Bike Mirror has been designed to attach to your drop bar of the bike and installs under the bar tape. But what about weight you ask? The mirror only weighs a tiny 54 grams which is nothing!
Unfortunately though, the IRBM Bike Mirror isn't cheap but that's largely due to the mirror using real actual glass vs plastic glass which you will see on most of the other bike mirrors we reviewed here.
Another downside for the mirror is that it does only have a relatively small field of view compared to other mirrors we reviewed. With that said however, the mirror works great for having a quick scan to see if anything is behind you without needing to look over your shoulder.
Depending on your bike fit, you may find that you accidentally bump your knee against the mirror when pedalling out of the saddle.
We think this is a great option for anyone that is concerned by the look of using a bike mirror but still wants to remain safe. Do yourself a favour and invest!
Best Drop Bar Mirror
Sprintech Road Drop Bar Bike Mirror
The Sprintech Road Drop Bar Mirror is another great option for anyone looking for a minimal mirror that attaches to their drop bar without being noticeable.
These mirrors are best suited for when pedalling in the drop bars which may not work well for some. I know personally I don't spend a great deal of time in the drops when I'm commuting to work but hey, you may be different to me.
Like the IRBM drop bar mirrors we previously reviewed, you run the risk of your knee clipping the mirror when you're pedalling out of the saddle. This ultimately comes down to your bike fit so may not be an issue for some.
One thing we liked about the Sprintech mirrors which we felt that the previous IRBM mirrors lacked is that you receive a mirrors for each drop bar. This helps with providing greater field of view over your left and right shoulders that is lacking when you only have one mirror.
These are a must for any commuter and we'd recommend them for anyone seeking mirrors for their drop bars that don't stick out like a sore thumb!
I’m Ben! I used to catch a bus to work until one day I decided the time would be better spent commuting by bike to save time and keep fit. Ever since then, I’ve loved commuting to work with this blog sharing some of my favourite tips and equipment for fellow commuters.