Can anyone recommend one you have experience w, that’s still available?
Did a deep search before posting, one old thread from '19 mentioned one, no longer available. The only other one I could find mentioned Quad Lock. Looks high quality, but hoping to hit one in the $ 20 - 40 range. QL is $ 70 CAD = approx $ 52 USD. Seems rich for a hunk of plastic to hold a phone.
Hoping one of you fine people can save me from a possibly weeks long game of ordering, checking out, returning bc garbage, order another, repeat ad nauseum. Esp bc up here in The Canada, we only have a few wks of warm-ish riding left!!! If this takes me 2 - 3 wks, it might as well be next season!!
I’m going to use this as an HUD for turn-by-turn GPS directions of routes, instead of buying a dedicated Garmin head unit. Bc I already have a fully functional GPS + HR + SPD + CAD in my Garmin Vivoactive watch + sensors. So don’t need to spend $ 300 - 1200 on a head unit.
Thank you in advance for any help!
[iPhone 6s if relevant, but most look universal, up to a point.]
@ArHu74 really? It can actually damage the camera?
Could you expand on that? Like only in some extreme mountain biking / jarring / bouncing and only after many many hours of that, or no, like a few moderately bumpy road rides and your camera is shot?
That would… make a case for having to buy a dedicated HUD… Blah. Which I DEF can’t afford rn.
That may lead to buying headphones instead, and just keeping the phone in a pocket, and going by voice only for turn-by-turn. Was hoping to do visual only… silent, to enjoy the ride.
Edit: I super appreciate the heads up on this possible issue! You may have just saved my phone / camera!!
I’ve been using the Topeak Ridecase since 2015 (around 13k miles, mostly mountain bike trails and forest road double track). I use the stem cap mount, though, they make a bar mount…just can’t testify to it’s veracity. The mount allows the phone to rotate and pivot fore and aft, and with enough force (usually from knee or quad) the phone will disconnect from the mount, but it must be a slow eject because it never goes far (it’s a long tight channel with a detent that holds it in, lots of friction).
The mount has been on 3 bikes, and I’m on my 4th phone (an iPhone 4, (2) 6s, and now a 13), and none of them (phones) were replaced for anything having to do with biking. I did have to get new phone cases for each of the new models, though. I’ve wrecked at least a dozen times (probably 20), cracked ribs a few times, tore AC (shoulder) and broke clavicle one time, wrist and hand messed up another time. I have a permanent iPhone shaped bruise on my thigh. Phone always held up in this mount.
But, they’re getting hard to find for the new models. There are some old ones out there for older phone models, though. I’d guess you can find one for a 6s. And I have another for my bikepacking bike that I keep for a spare when the time comes.
eta: I haven’t had any camera issues, but I’ve only had the 13 for a few months, and I think I heard that it’s the newer models with the issue (or at least I never heard about the issue until recently)
I have used the quad lock for years. I did mount mine on the top tube close to the head tube in case of accident I thought it might be a safer location.
I honestly don’t understand people’s desire to mount a phone on their bikes. I think it may sound good in theory. My phone would cost $600 to replace. My Garmin 530 costs $255 new, even less if on sale or used, or about $100 to replace under Garmin’s crash/replacement plan.
I tried to use an old phone for awhile as a bike GPS in the past. It just didn’t work well when not plugged in like in a car. The battery would drain fast and the screen would eventually go black being not plugged in even while routing. It’s just not even close to optimal like with a dedicated bike computer.
Why would one care about what it costs to replace? Like if you took a tumble and cracked the screen? Or do you mean to say that all phone mounts are going to drop the phone sometimes, so it’s just a matter of time before you have a problem?
I was under the impression the right mount could be 100% rock solid, and you only need to worry if you wipe out. Which is extremely rare. 3 x down in 10 yrs, and that includes 2 x gentle fail to unclip, side falls; only 1 real over the bars tumble. But I get it, it does occur! Could be tomorrow!
I thought the cheapest decent Garmin head unit for turn by turn would run me $ 300 - 1200 CAD. So was strongly leading to a phone mount. If that was $ 50 - 100, I’d jump on it.
Recommendation for the lowest end unit you’d go with? I’d hunt one down used.
Edit to add: All this talk about the bike itself killing my phone isn’t helping the phone mount strategy, either!!!
Used quad lock for a good few years now and good quality, well made and does a job. Only use to hold my phone in place on the trainer but it’s held solid and wouldn’t have any worries if I decided I wanted to run it outside
I had 2 reasons
While on vacation I used apps like map my ride and had routes pre made in my phone.
While in the middle of nowhere I could call for the Sagg wagon if I broke the bike and could not fix it.
I don’t normally carry it now days. Mounts are on my travel bikes. With my hand being messed up I’m not sure I could get a tire back on the rim so I do carry it if riding where there is a good chance of road debris popping my tires.
I’ve had my eye on this company for a while, but haven’t pulled the trigger yet, and now with outdoor riding wrapping up in the US (for ME anyway), I’ll likely wait until next season, but these mounts seem to get good reviews…
A solution like this COULD even work for the 6S as well… You could get the mount (the linked one replaces your stem cap, but bar mounts are available as well). All you would need is the mount and the “converter” to stick on the back of your phone/existing case (IntraLock cases for this company look to only go back to iPhone 12) and it would set you back $30 USD, ALL IN!
This reason. Phones are fragile compared to bike computers. I’ve had two bike computers destroyed in my riding career.
Plus, the performance of a bike computer is just way better. Battery lasts a long time. It doesn’t go to sleep while I’m riding. I use the lap button frequently. Like I said, I tried it with my old phone and it was just frustrating.
When in an unfamiliar area, I have used the GPS in my phone with my bluetooth headset. Since I kind of know where I want to go, I just use the audio prompts from the phone’s gps. That has worked ok in a pinch.
@AJS914 that all makes sense! Thanks! Could you recommend a lowest model that you’d consider up to the task? I’m going to see what price point I can find one used.
Are you specifically needing street by street routing / mapping? I ask because those units are pricey. My Garmin 530 does it but you can’t enter an address or point of interest like you do on a Smart phone. The higher end Garmins have more features in this regard and are easier to use but they are pricey.
Personally, I’ve tried GPS point to point routing on bicycles and always found it lacking. I used to live in Knoxville and my Garmin 530 would suggest 55mph roads that no cyclist would ever use. The Garmin didn’t know about the bike path all cyclists use to get from one part of town to another. Anyway, I just never found it super useful.
Pre-loaded routes though are great on my 530.
You can check what DC Rainmaker recommends:
He likes the Garmin 130 Plus and a Lezyne for budget picks. You could probably do ok with a used 530 (one of his best all arounders). A used 520 Plus might be ok if the price is right.
(I’m sure Wahoo has their equivalent models but I don’t know them well.)
I’ve got a top tube bag on the grocery store bike, it’s got the phone compartment with clear plastic. Nice on those short rides if I’m not wearing a jersey.
And a quad lock that was last used with gen1 iPhone SE that is about the size of 5 or 6 or 7. Got anything to trade? Not sure but think I only bought the rubber band style mount. Maybe not, I don’t remember. And the phone case that came with the quad-lock.
When I first got started in 2016 my whatever iPhone was running RideWithGPS in airplane mode, plenty of battery life. Turned up the volume and tossed into my back jersey pocket. Could hear turn-by-turn instructions except on fast descents because of wind noise.
With quad lock I never worried about vibration and crashing. Hot summer days would cause older iPhones to heat up and shutdown.
Mainly used the quad lock in the gym with Stages power meter stationary bikes. Used Zwift a handful of times. Now I put my Garmin on the Stages bike handlebars and phone in water bottle holder.
I use the topeak ridecase but the struggle to find cases for newer phones is real.
I use some stickers from AliExpress called “clipgrip” or something like that, they are a copy of the plastic part that interfaces with the mount. So, you stick that to a normal case, and you are good to go. The only trouble is that the glue the sticker comes with is pretty bad, so I use a 3M double-sided tape.
Blah. Which I DEF can’t afford rn.
