Rearviz Classic mirror

Unlike most mirrors, the Rearviz Classic won't get snapped off or stolen because you wear it on your arm. That's the good news. The bad news is that if you move your arm from its one optimal position, the mirror ends up pointing at the sky - or your own shoulder and ear.

The Rearviz is a 43mm diameter convex mirror that flips open like a makeup mirror. The mirror sits on a curved mount that you strap to yourself with a Velcro arm band. This strap comes in a choice of lengths. The test mirror's was nominally 245mm ('small'), but in fact there were two straps in the box: one 240mm, one 340mm. Each of the straps has a little pocket in it to hold a plastic tag (24x35mm) on which you can write your in-case-of-emergency details.

The mirror has a firm hinge and, when not snapped shut, can be left open at the acute or obtuse angle of your choice. The mirror itself can be rotated in its mount. So whatever angle your arm is at, and whether you fit it to your wrist, forearm or upper arm, you should be able to find one position in which it shows the road behind you.

And it will be one position: when you move your arm, you lose your rear view. I set it up so that I could see behind me when my hands were on the brake hoods and I was sitting on the saddle. I didn't find it especially useful like that: my right elbow is not in my eyeline when riding, so I had to dip my head down and to the right to see in the mirror. I do that anyway – just further – when I glance behind. Still, I did sometimes see cars behind me sooner than I otherwise would have.

When I moved my hands to the drops, I found myself looking at sky and tree branches. When I got out of the saddle, I looked at sky. When I moved my hands to a transverse position on the bar tops, I looked at my shoulder and the side of my own head.

Initially, I tried faffing with the mirror to get a better view in its new position. That was distracting, however, so I wouldn't recommend doing so in traffic. And in any case, as soon as I moved my hands again, the mirror was no longer pointing the right way.

Overall, the Rearviz was the least useful cycling mirror I've tried. My previous least favourite was the frame-mounted BikeEye, which mostly showed my right leg or my saddlebag, irrespective of how I adjusted it; it ended up in the bin. Above that I'd rank Topeak's Bar 'n' Mirror, which was like squinting through a letterbox but which was occasionally useful. Next, Blackburn's dentist-like helmet mirror: its image was tiny and vibrated a lot but was always in your field of view.

My favourite mirrors have been simple Blackburns and Zefals that fix to flat handlebars. Such mirrors are great when cycling with children, as you can keen an eye on your passenger(s), and they're also good at showing the road behind. But they are vulnerable: I've broken – or had broken – all I've used. So now I don't cycle with any kind of mirror. I wouldn't mind trying the Cycle Aware Bar End Roadie Mirror.

As for the Rearviz, I suppose it is nicely made. If you cycle with your arms locked into one position, it might work for you. I don't; it didn't.

The price of £24 is approximate. It's $39.99 Australian dollars from the rearviz.com website, which is $24 at current exchange rates, plus shipping. It may get sold directly in the UK for 2014.

Verdict

Mirror, mirror, on my arm: Why am I looking at the sky?