Smartphone mount: A bad experience

[Stefan Mikes]

I have tried several different smartphone mounts since 2013; none lasted out long. After a September crash (I fell with an e-bike at 30 km/h, luckily with minor injuries) -- another smartphone mount failed at that time -- I thought I finally found the mount. It was the Spigen MF-100. As I was initially so satisfied with the concept, I bought two MF-100s, each for one of my e-bikes. The spare Universal Adapter was kept in the case I replaced my 6.5" Honor 8x in the future.

The concept is perfect. You install the mount on the handlebar and you fasten the Universal Adapter to your rugged smartphone case with provided 3M tape. When riding out, you just match the slots of the adapter with the tongues on the MF-100 mount, turn anti-clockwise 45 degrees, click! and you are there. It is very stable and it survived two e-bike falls.

And the bad day has come. Because of low temperatures, humidity and vibration, the 3M tape lost adhesion with the smartphone case, the phone flew away. The front glass of the phone cracked a little. As my phone is really a die-hard, it is still functioning well. I took out the new Universal Adapter with a fresh 3M tape from a sealed bag, cleaned the surface of the phone case and fastened the adapter to the case again.

Next ride - exactly the same happened. The tape unfastened and the phone fell off again!

Now I glued the Universal Adapter to the phone case with so-called "plastic weld", a strong binary component glue. Let us see if that works out.

Friends, don't dissuade me from using the MF-100. The mount is made from carbon composite and it dampens the vibrations sensationally well. Only the 3M tape is the culprit. I should have applied the plastic weld in the first case...

 

[TomD]

Best of future luck, BTW, love that carbon black color scheme on the Turbos.

 

[Ebiker01]

Q- how did you get the stem so high ?? How's riding like that ?

It's convenient with the phone mount , maybe a phone inside a strong case is better ? The risk is , that with the phone flying , a car will go over it.
Exactly what had happened with my backup 5s phone awhile ago.

- also thinking to get a better smartwatch , with call answering , but still need a big map.

What do you think about smartwatches - Apple 5 or Samsung galaxy ? They have a ton of features . and voice call/text answering even w/o the phone present , as they have sim card slot.

ps- it needs better and nicer mirrors ! i can't u derstand why so many of this high end ebikes have the mirrcycle...

Busch&Lumen makes some great mirrors. Mine's are motorcycle mirrors, even better. Bought from amazon -20something $.
They are light and can see 4x xtra then with a mirrcycle. Safety is nr.1priority

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Q- how did you get the stem so high ?? How's riding like that ?

By a standard "75 mm stem riser for A-HEAD stems", mounted to the steerer tube. The bike handles perfectly.

The risk is , that with the phone flying , a car will go over it.

No doubt. In early 1990s I used to commute to work with a nice steel (CrMo) road bike. I had a Sony Walkman in an outer pocket of my jacket. In the "very far Aleje" (about where I fell in SPD road shoes a couple days ago), the player flew out off my pocket but it kept on my headphones' cable; but the door opened and the cassette flew off just under the wheels of a car, heheh Perhaps a good reason to buy good inexpensive phones such as Honor, sadly forbidden in the U.S. by the President. I can tell you, latest Honor "x" phones are as good as iPhones (except the camera!) for a fraction of iPhone price.

What do you think about smartwatches - Apple 5 or Samsung galaxy ?

I'm not convinced. You'd need to wear a Bluetooth earphone, and it is not for me, especially with the helmet I am wearing for this Winter. If I ever needed a smartwatch, that would be a Garmin.

ps- it needs better and nicer mirrors ! i can't u derstand why so many of this high end ebikes have the mirrcycle...

I'm in love with Mirrycles I replaced the original Specialized mirror with Mirrycles. Ask @David Berry and @Browneye why they advocate Mirrycle.

 

[Browneye]

Best $$ spent on ebike =mirrycle
Its is so cheap and works so good it's one of those things where you just marvel. Like, where have these been all my life?

So far I've been very happy with the ROAM phone mount - sturdy but flexible, easy on off - i6plus
The giant ride app is awesome, and I can stream BT Sirius xm to a speaker. 'Car-radio' for the bike.

I have been very happy with my stem riser as well - my wrists thank me every time.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Best $$ spent on ebike =mirrycle
Its is so cheap and works so good it's one of those things where you just marvel. Like, where have these been all my life?

When you told me about Mirrycle, you also taught me a nice English slang word for "something very good"

 

[Deleted member 18083]

Ask David Berry and Browneye why they advocate Mirrycle.

For the last six weeks or so I've had my Mirrycle positioned below the handgrip rather than above and beyond. After the first day I almost put it back to 'where it was supposed to be' but persevered with the trial. I think it will stay in the new position, out of harm's way (from me!).

Back to the thread topic… I use the Quad Lock system to mount my iPhone 6. No problems to date.
… David

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I use the Quad Lock system to mount my iPhone 6. No problems to date.

How does the Quad Lock's Universal Adapter mount to the phone case? By, heheh, the 3M tape? Beware.
How many months have you used that? My Spigen has been flawless for 3-4 months... The temps in Australia are not that low as we experience in Europe now. Any rain?

 

[dAz63]

The quadlock I use is a solid case made for specific models of phones, I simply would not trust adhesive tape, heat and solvent will eventually cause it to fail

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Isn't it the Quad Lock? The Universal Adapter looks like the one from Spigen.
Note: The Plastic Weld seems to be stronger than steel Rated allowable stress is 246 bar while it is 138 bar for Carbon Steel if I'm not wrong.

 

[dAz63]

And why would I bother to glue a mount to my phone which will eventually fail rather than a protective case with the quadlock mount built in?

 

[BillH]

Isn't it the Quad Lock? The Universal Adapter looks like the one from Spigen.
Note: The Plastic Weld seems to be stronger than steel Rated allowable stress is 246 bar while it is 138 bar for Carbon Steel if I'm not wrong.

View attachment 45279

They offer that for folks that would rather use their own phone case or in my case I use it for my Golf GPS unit. I use the Quad Lock phone specific case for my iPhone X and have the Out Front model on one bike and the motorcycle Handlebar Mount on the other two bikes, prefer the motorcycle mount, seems more robust/solid to me.

I was hesitant at first with the case really because of looks when not in mount with the back 'bump-out' it has, but in reality it is minimal. Wireless charging with case on which is key for me.

 

[6zfshdb]

I use the RAM mount system for all my handlebar mounted accessories:




It easily & securely holds my phone, Go Pro camera, GPS, lights etc. They are vibration resistant but flex if subject to impact and will articulate into almost any position. I have four ball mounts attached to my Jones H bars in various locations. I attach accessories in whichever position is best suited for the type of riding I'm doing.





For the phone mount, I screwed the belt holder for my iPhone to a RAM mount plate which makes it easy to install or remove the phone. It never comes loose even after a minor spill. No tape or glue is needed.

 

[indianajo]

I keep my flip phone in my pants pocket. If I wake up in the weeds after being knocked off the bike from behind by a car, it will be there. Since I am not the Hulk, it is not a smart phone since they would not fit.
I heard a story 2 years ago from some locals at a restaurant about a bike riding friend that was found in the weeds by the smell of his rotting corpse. The road is one I used to ride. That road now too dangerous due to speeding Amazon workers desperate to not be late to work. Popping over a hill at 70 mph, a bicycle is just in the way.
As far as GPS, I looked at a map before the trip. I know where I am. On exploratory trips I take a map in the bag(pannier). GPS is for military guided bombs, not people. Choked with laughter when my brother, hauling home a new gyrocopter on a garbage trailer, got rounted by Apple phone down a gravel road.

 

[BillH]

I keep my flip phone in my pants pocket.

I didn't have to read any further after that

 

[Browneye]

When you told me about Mirrycle, you also taught me a nice English slang word for "something very good"

I'll bet that was 'shiznit'. I think it comes from the 'hood.
As in, 'the mirrycycle mirror is the shiznit'. LOL

Another phone mount y'all want to check out if you need/want the best of the best is ROCKFORM. I had one for the motorbikes and as far as I know there's none better. Kinda pricy, but beyond solid. It's a mag-mount with a special case, and that's why I let it go with the bike. The need for security and solid mounting is slightly higher for speeds over 100mph, or offroad.

Looks like they even have a bike-specific model now... go here: https://www.rokform.com/pages/bike-...MI1fCPtOS_5wIVlP5kCh2NIQPhEAAYASAAEgKQ5vD_BwE

 

[kathik]

I'll bet that was 'shiznit'. I think it comes from the 'hood.
As in, 'the mirrycycle mirror is the shiznit'. LOL

Another phone mount y'all want to check out if you need/want the best of the best is ROCKFORM. I had one for the motorbikes and as far as I know there's none better. Kinda pricy, but beyond solid. It's a mag-mount with a special case, and that's why I let it go with the bike. The need for security and solid mounting is slightly higher for speeds over 100mph, or offroad.

Looks like they even have a bike-specific model now... go here: https://www.rokform.com/pages/bike-...MI1fCPtOS_5wIVlP5kCh2NIQPhEAAYASAAEgKQ5vD_BwE

I have Rokform mounts on both my bikes and have had no had no problems with either of them. I use a note 8 which is a very large phone and it stays in place fine. My only complaint is some difficulty attaching the case to the phone at times.

 

[pullenj]

Quad Lock is the best way to go. It hold securely to your bike and the case (definitely get their case) is super protective. They have several different mounting option and the only real downside is having to buy a new case when you change phones.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

...Provided you have an iPhone or a Samsung, isn't it

 

[Over50]

ps- it needs better and nicer mirrors ! i can't u derstand why so many of this high end ebikes have the mirrcycle...

Careful. I expressed my opinion that the Mirrcycle is inadequate for speed pedelec use and I was roundly chastised by forum members. But in spite of the flaming, I haven't changed my opinion. This picture, where I overlayed a cutout of the Mirrcycle on my Ergotech says it all (imo). When I go through the winding roads of an urban park in my area, the Mirrcycle sometimes cannot see the cars coming around curves behind me although it is positioned perfectly for riding on a straightaway. I find myself having to fiddle with the Mirrcycles a lot. This Ergotec (on my Haibike) gives me a wider view without being a gigantic mirror. My B&Ms on my faster bikes I also think are just more adequate for a speed pedelec. I have Mirrcycles on my Terns where I value more the compact size and travel at lower speeds.