Cateye is a Japanese company that manufactures cycle computers, lights, reflectors, toe clips, bottle cages and other accessories which are popular worldwide. We did an exhaustive review of Cateye’s Bar End Mirror, the BM45. Here’s what we think about the product.
The Cateye Bar end mirror BM45 comes with an adjustable stem that attaches to the end of the bar with a 3 mm hex screw. This makes it mountable on both MTB and Road bicycle handlebars. Mounting the BM45 on the bicycle was a bit time consuming, as the mirror had to be aligned at the correct angle and then inserted into the drop bar and screwed on.
The mirror projects a clear and crisp image, and is of the perfect size; not too small and not too big either. But the downside is that it is circular shape, which shows only those vehicles directly behind the rider, and vehicles that are quite a distance away behind the rider. Closely passing vehicles and those that come from the other side go unnoticed.
Once screwed in, the mirror stays fixed firmly and doesn’t get loosened with constant riding or hands accidentally hitting the mirror while riding on the drops. It fits snugly just around the drop bar-end and doesn’t protrude outwards like a strap-on mirror. It’s quite easy and convenient to adjust the position of the mirror on-the-go, but then again, there wouldn’t be much adjustments needed as you would only use the mirror in one single direction.
Any bar-end mirror when fixed on the bicycle, tempts the rider to increasingly keep looking into the mirror in an attempt to spot vehicles behind them and trying to avoid them, and this might cause the rider to take their eyes off the road ahead of them and stare into the mirror which might prove hazardous if there is incoming traffic on the opposite side or if there are any vehicles in front of the rider. Before usage, the rider should be fully aware that this is only for emergency purposes and the line of sight should always be on the road ahead.
Overall Rating
Clearly, not an everyday essential for the serious road cyclist or the racers, but surely worth buying for the highway riders, long distance cyclists, and the city commuters. This would make riding in traffic and on highways a lot safer and convenient for cyclists. At Rs. 990, this product is slightly expensive for just a simple rear-view mirror, but there aren’t many other similar products that are available in the same price range that offer the same quality. Hence, the price seems justified, and above all, I feel that it is always better to spend a few bucks for adopting safety measures rather than omit them and regret it later.
Prices are subject to change by the brand, without due notice.