I've been a long time fan of the previous iteration of the road mirror. I purchase three new ones, only to discover they've changed the design. You know that distorted passenger side mirror on your car? The "Things may be closer than they appear" one? Yeah, they did that with a bike mirror. Equally as useless. Do you want a car closer then it appears when your on a bike? Wrote to Blackburn about it, got indifference.
On flat smooth pavement works well. BUT on a fast downhill the pavement unexpectedly turned very rough and I needed to brake quickly. I could not immediately get my hand around the base of the mirror to grab the brake lever before I reached the rough patch. What should have been a moderately quick slowdown turned into a exciting ride that I do not want to repeat. I immediately removed the mirror and put it I my back pocket. I will use during leisurely rides around the neighborhood but that is it.
I've used this brand for years but at least once every few years I knock my bike over and break it. This time when the replacement arrived it was clear that the manufacturing specs have changed. It came with a protective film which I removed yet the mirror was terrible and distorted badly. I contacted Blackburn and they said they'd replace it but it's been on backorder there for over 2 months... I've had poor experiences with Blackburn in the past 2 years but this is the only mirror that fits my bike nicely so I'll have to be patient.
I've used Blackburn road mirrors for 10 years or so. Unfortunately I tend to break mine every few years, mostly due to carelessness. I just received my latest replacement from BTD (great fast service!) and boy was I disappointed. Clearly they are no longer the same quality. The distortion is so bad I can't make out traffic behind me clearly at all (and yes, I did remove the clear protective film that ships on the mirror.)
Blackburn's quality has nosedived in the past few years as I've learned from the panniers I bought that suffered from both zipper and mounting hardware failure in less than a year. Ugh.
Glass is clear. Shape is perfect. I like the added reflector. Holds position and doesn't vibrate.
The only think I don't like is it seems the clip that straps to your shifter was designed before modern shifter gained some girth (the edges of the clip land on the center of the shifter instead of wrapping around at all, but the Velcro still holds it just fine). So fit isn't perfect. But it works. I use it every day.
I ordered this product because I have a very unique bike frame that does not allow for standard mirrors to be attached. This product allows me the flexibility I need to have mirrors that attach easily to my bike frame in a safe and useful manner and location on my bike.
I purchased this and the mirror glass just fell out and broke after a couple hundred miles on my roadbike , I contacted Bike Tires Direct and they apologized and said they sent me a replacement hope it stays together. I was impressed with their willingness to help.
I use this mirror for touring because it provides a full scale, accurate reflection. All others I have found represent vehicles as farther back, faster moving and more difficult to pick up. If the bike falls the mirror will usually be broken so the trade off is that some others are more durable. I carry a spare and buy a couple when on sale but the crystal clear accuracy is well worth it on the open road. I have ridden across the country 7 times and this product is as important as the right tires.
This is a great mirror for someone who wants to be distracted from the road, traffic and other riders as you'll constantly be reaching down to readjust the mirror.
A bump in the road makes it droop.
Expansion joints in the road makes it droop.
Riding on concrete roads makes it droop.
A smooth road with a minor anything makes it droop.
Did I mention it can't be tightened enough to keep it from (...wait for it) drooping?
I liked the optics, but I'm sending it back.
I've installed it on my surly long haul trucker touring bike. its an awesome product and easly removed .
My club mates insisted that I get this mirror if I were going to cycle in a pace-line. Frankly, I was hesitant. Now that I have it, I've become dependent on it for safety and security. Further, I can call out the Car Back warning when I am riding at the tail of the line and I can see that we are All In. I think it's a necessary.
This mirror just didn�t work for me when you strap it on youre good and then as soon as you start riding the view is jiggly and it never stays put it seems like I always had to adjust it and it would get out of adjustment about every two or three minutes.
This product will not fit on a bike with a Dura-Ace 7900 hoods. The end that you are supposed to attach to the brake hood is too curve to wrap properly around it. It's too bad because the rest of the product looks to be well made.
