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review
2024 Cycles Berthoud Bar-end mirror and matching plug - 5.jpg£63.61
VERDICT:
Classy, unobtrusive and does the job, but not cheap and can be fiddly to adjust
Good quality
Unobtrusive
Classy looks
Quite small
Can require repositioning while riding
Not cheap
Weight:
69g
Contact:
At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.
What the road.cc scores meanGood scores are more common than bad, because fortunately good products are more common than bad.
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Berthoud Cycles' bar-end mirror and matching plug is a useful and discreet way of being able to see what's coming up behind you, though it is quite small and can need repositioning while riding, which can be a bit trial and error. It isn't exactly cheap either, though it does seem very well made, and looks classy and unobtrusive.
> Buy now: Berthoud Cycles bar-end mirror and matching plug for €96.70 from Berthoud Cycles
I confess I didn't fit the mirror to my bike, our vid-whizz Jamie did it for me and it didn't look that hard – though my double wrapping of bar tape confused things slightly when it came to choosing the right size plug. You get two sizes, for bars with 18mm to 22mm inner diameters.
That was after we'd puzzled a bit about how the mirror fitted together – the video on the website hadn't been updated, we were told – but it all came together in the end.
It can take a bit of time to adjust it to the correct position for riding with. I've tended to need to move it just a tiny amount once I'm out on the road, but it's quite easy to move it too far and then have to tweak it back... Once it's in the right place, though, it's really quite useful.
My commute involves a busy B-road that's basically an A-road without the massive lorries, and there's one section in particular that can be quite noisy with traffic coming towards me, and not always easy to hear cars approaching from behind. The mirror comes into its own in that kind of situation, though it is quite small, so it's even more handy if those vehicles have their lights on. (It weighs 69g for the mirror and both plugs, 51g for just the mirror end.)
As well as some long, flat sections, my commute also includes a pretty steep hill, and the mirror ends up pointing in slightly the wrong direction for that; again, it just needs a tiny bit of adjusting, but it's not immediately obvious which way and how far, so involves a bit of trial and error... while riding one-handed up a steep hill on a rough surface...
I've got the mirror fitted to my steel Paulus Quiros and it looks just right (with matching Berthoud Cycles bottle cages). I wouldn't go to the trouble of moving it to another bike, and when I ride my Vitus gravel bike I don't really miss it; it's nice to have, especially if you suffer with a bit of neck pain, or the road surface is so crap you don't want to keep having to look behind.
If you're not so bothered about the classy look you can buy cheaper mirrors, but that's personal choice; I'm not sure I'd be keen to replace it with something that looked more obtrusive. While I can, I'll just use my neck muscles on my other bikes.
> Buy now: Berthoud Cycles bar-end mirror and matching plug for €96.70 from Berthoud Cycles
Verdict
Classy, unobtrusive and does the job, but not cheap and can be fiddly to adjust
road.cc test report
Make and model: Cycles Berthoud Bar-end mirror and matching plug
Size tested: Black anodised and leather
Tell us what the product is for and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it?
Cycles Berthoud says:
Our classic bar-end mirror with its matching bar-end plug with leather detail.
For drop bars or porteur style bars – Fits 18mm to 22mm inner diameters
Easy to install with only 2 allen keys
34mm round convex mirror for a wide view angle
Designed, machined and assembled in our workshop in beautiful South Burgundy
Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product
From Cycles Berthoud:
The size and the bar-end position make for a discreet yet functional mirror and offer a wide view angle without the bulk of a regular mirror.
For the best result, our bar-end mirror has to be fitted on bars with a straight section pointing toward the rider (i.e. drop bars or porteur style bars).
The ball joint allows for a wide adjustment angle and fine tuning according to your riding position.
Easy to install with just 2mm and 3mm allen keys and T20 torx key.
Rate the product for quality:
8/10
Rate the product for performance:
7/10
Rate the product for value:
5/10
Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose
It's quite small, but at times really useful (especially if vehicles have their lights on).
Tell us what you particularly liked about the product
Being able to see whether there's traffic approaching from behind on a busy, noisy bit of my commute. It also looks classy, and unobtrusive.
Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product
I didn't find it that easy to set it in the right position – doing it while at a standstill, even seated on my bike, it wasn't always pointing in the right position; likewise, going along the flat and then climbing a steep hill can require the mirror to be repositioned, which isn't that easy while riding and can take a few goes.
How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?
It's expensive compared with many – but they don't exactly look as good, or as good quality.
Did you enjoy using the product? Yes
Would you consider buying the product? Maybe
Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes
Use this box to explain your overall score
It's good: a nice-to-have accessory that helps on busy roads, but it's quite small, requires some quite fiddly repositioning at times, and isn't cheap.
About the tester
Age: 56
I usually ride: Vitus Venon My best bike is: Paulus Quiros
I've been riding for: Over 20 years I ride: Most days I would class myself as: Experienced
I regularly do the following types of riding: commuting, sportives, general fitness riding,
Tass is our production pedant, who boldly goes hunting for split infinitives, rogue apostrophes and other things up with which she will not put. She joined road.cc in 2015 but first began working on bike magazines way back in 1991 as production editor on Mountain Biking UK, then deputy editor of MTB Pro, before changing allegiance to road cycling as senior production editor on Cycling Plus. She's ridden off-road but much prefers on, hasn't done half the touring she'd like to, and loves paper maps.
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6 comments
How can they justify charging £63 for something that can be bought elsewhere for less than a tenner ? Perhaps I have missed where it says they're gold plated.!
I would give it 1 out of ten for value !
Brass, aluminium and leather / cork, hand made in France. If that's not important to you, fine, but it has an impact on cost. Perhaps not £50 of impact, but still, there's a place for both.
I wonder who can afford to buy this.
The Cat-eye BM45 bar end mirror has this beat hands down.for around £13. I've used them for years on two bikes and haven't broken one -they stay on target and are easy to adjust when necessary.
I've been using the BM-45 for a few years now and it works really well. This mirror looks a bit expensive for what it is.
As the article mentions, way overpriced, not configurable on many bar ends at many angles and prone to needing adjustment on the road, as they slip. 7/10? 3/10 - and only if you give points for looking up-market, so 0/10.
After trying many mirrors for dropbar ends, I found these:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/BriskMore-Rearview-Adjustable-Handlebar-Bicycle...
One quarter of the price of those reviewed; configurable at any bar width and angle; not prone to slip even in strong winds or riding over rough vibratory surfaces; and glass, so very clear. They come in a larger size - 75mm diameter - if you need that, as well as the smaller versions similar in diameter to those reviewed.
No fancy label, though.