The Beam Corky dropbar rearview mirror

Tell us what the product is for and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it?

The Beam says: "Upgrade your cycling experience with CORKY Mirrors – the ultimate solution for safety and performance. Crafted with precision and innovation, CORKY mirrors boast a range of features designed to elevate your ride."

It's a simple and surprisingly effective mirror for solo bikes, though there are cheaper and more effective options for touring, and riders regularly towing trailers or tagalongs.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product

The Beam lists these details:

Mountable on all drop bars, left and right.

Provides a remarkable 100-meter rear view.

Aerodynamic design

Mirror Size diameter: 32 mm

Offers 360 degrees of rotation.

Suitable for handlebars Ø 21-23 mm

Materials: ABS body, Polycarbonate (PC) glass, Steel Bolt

Designed in France

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

In common with similar designs, the mirror takes a little bit of patience to align correctly and needed tweaking to account for panniers and similar luggage. However, given the small surface area, it's surprisingly effective, and while I've formed the opinion that the claimed 100-metre view is on clear days, 70-80m has been realistic through a gloomy December. I thought I'd broken the mirror at one point – it had come away from the main body – but I'm pleased to report the mirror's ball end just pops back into position.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

Light, unobtrusive, and surprisingly effective when I'd got alignment and positioning sussed.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

The price, and getting alignment bang on takes more patience than some.

How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?

Cateye's BM45 is considerably cheaper at £12.99 and has a larger surface area. I've also had good results with the Bike Eye mirror, especially when towing trailers or tagalongs. It comes in two sizes, both £16.95.

Probably the Corky's closest competitor design-wise is Berthoud Cycles' bar-end mirror and matching plug. Tass found it very easy to live with, though in common with the Corky, she noted it took a little fine-tuning to get the positioning nailed, and every so often she needed to realign it, but otherwise it behaved impeccably – as you'd hope, given the £60+ asking price.

Use this box to explain your overall score

Surprisingly usable drop-bar mirror with some nice design features and decent build quality. It's good, if relatively pricey, and in my experience there are better designs if you're hauling trailers or tagalongs.