Road testing the beautiful new Gilles Berthoud Bar End Mirrors

I have to admit to a little scepticism about the practicality of mirrors on a bike. Having tried everything over the years from unwieldy motorcycle type mirrors to flimsy plastic bar end models. The GB ones are however in a different league - superbly engineered in CNC aluminium and sturdy enough to withstand the inevitable bumps and knocks, they also look fantastic.

I took delivery of a sample from Gilles Berthoud. It was a black leather trimmed mirror with a matching bar-end plug for the other side. Nicely packaged (like most of their products) in strong and stylish purpose made recyclable cardboard box, suitable for a gift. I am sure there will be many of these in Christmas stockings this year.

It was fitted to my bike in less than 5 minutes. No tools required for the mirror and a T20 Torx driver for the matching bar end plug. The mirror comes with a 2 different sized expander plugs for different diameter handlebars.

The mirrors are now available in Silver or Black CNC alloy  and optionally with a leather trim ring to match your leather bar tape or saddle. There is no difference in pricing. You can buy the mirror alone or the mirror with matching leather bar end plug for the other side.

 The elegant matching bar-end plug

On The Road

Well the mirror makes a very elegant addition to my bike, but is it of any use on the road? I was a bit doubtful as the mirror is small, but the convex mirror gives a good view of traffic creeping up on you.

The car in the photo above was a good car's length behind me even though it appears to be right on top of me.

In the photo below the car was about 10 metres behind, so the mirror gives a good view of what might be bearing down on you.

The mirror is easy to position as you ride along but not so loose as to need repositioning if you accidentally nudge it with your leg. The rubber bumper around it protects it from damage.

The Verdict

A superbly engineered high quality product that is an elegant addition to your bike and although is no substitute for a good look behind, I would say it is a great accessory to have when riding in traffic or in a group of cyclists.

I will be testing one out on a bike with upturned bars later,

Buy them here Ride Safely 

Mike