Smartphone mounts for bikes, 2019/2020

Stefan Mikes

Gravel e-biker
Region
Europe
City
Mazovia, PL
There is a 2017 thread about smartphone mounts for bikes but it looks like dead for a long while. Your choices and experiences for a smartphone mount? Here are mine.

Several years ago (when we all were handsome and the grass was green...), that is, in 2013, smartphones were relatively small. I used to ride a "mechanical" bike and announced to my friends I was buying a bike mount for my Galaxy S3. The comment of an experienced friend of mine was "That would survive for a day". He was right. On the next day I had a fall from almost a standstill, on a curb and the mount was gone. The phone itself survived as it was kept in some tough case.

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That cured me and I have been carrying smartphones in the back pocket of my cycling jerseys since that date. This summer, following the purchase of my first e-bike, I invested in a smartphone mount again. That time, it was a discontinued (I think) Spigen mount, and my smartphone was already 6.5".... The older Spigen mount (Bike Mount Black Spigen A251) was just a disaster. The mating between the handlebar mounted part and the jaw-phone-holder was loose and apt to fall apart easily. The phone was held in the position by set of elastic rubber-bands. The mount survived for how long? Exactly, for one day. I had a bad fall with my e-bike at full speed (I didn't notice a small curb parallel to my ride line...). The elastic band of course broke, the parts fell apart and the phone hit some wall. Even if the glass phone casing cracked, putting the phone in a new better tough case helped. As for me, I had to cure some wounds...
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I almost gave up on the idea of a smartphone mount for bikes until I watched some YT demo video of the new Spigen Gearlock Front Mount MF-100. The mount is revolutionary because there is no jaw mechanism anymore and the joint between the handlebar part and the phone part is really smart. You easily install the first part (the mount) on the handlebar using a hex key. Then you glue the other part to your preferred case of your smartphone (of course it is better if the case is reinforced). The smartphone part of the mount comes with a strong 3M tape preinstalled. Then locking the phone to the mount and unlocking is a trifle.
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MF-100 is very strong, to some extent elastic, damping any vibration very well. I had no single case the connection failed. The release is done by pushing a small bar and rotating the phone clockwise. To put the phone on the mount is is enough to place the holder on the mount at 45 degrees and turn it anti-clockwise. So simple and effective it is.
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The only downside is you probably need to buy another MF-100 for each new smartphone :) I installed mounts for each of my e-bikes and keep the extra holder as a spare for the future.
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And you? What do you use?
 
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I've tried a half dozen or so phone mounts with limited success. Most either break from a minor spill or during transport. The clamp style mounts I've tried all vibrate loose on rough trail sections. Like you, I built my own, similar to your approach.

In my case, I used these three RAM parts:
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I screwed the RAM base plate to the back of the belt clip that came with my Otterbox case.

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The mount is secure and rugged enough to withstand the shock of rough handling and the occasional spill yet the phone is easily removed with the flick of a latch.
I use the same RAM parts to mount GPS, camera and other equipment to the handlebars.
 
Thank you to all the contributors on this thread. I’ve been watching for a good phone mount.

I am very hesitant to mount my iPhone on the handlebars. Mostly because I don’t want to expose the phone to the thousands of vibrations and bumps from the not-so-great roads. Yes, the mounts are padded but I’m still skeptical.
 
I've had good luck with this cheapo Rockbro handlebar bag.



The compartment underneath means there's some cushion from vibrations, and can hold things like keys, phone charger etc.


I've since switched to a front frame version, since I rarely use my phone while riding. I start Strava, and occasionally look at it when stopped if traveling somewhere new, but I've always had a good head for maps. :)
 
I've had good luck with this cheapo Rockbro handlebar bag.


The compartment underneath means there's some cushion from vibrations, and can hold things like keys, phone charger etc.

I've since switched to a front frame version, since I rarely use my phone while riding. I start Strava, and occasionally look at it when stopped if traveling somewhere new, but I've always had a good head for maps. :)
I agree and have always had good luck with a handlebar or top tube mounted bag... secure and easy to access. ;)

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Yep, second that, quad lock is nice and solid, and the case the phone fits in is pretty tough and has protected the phone well when it was dropped a couple of times.
 
I'll third the quad lock. I use it on all my bikes and in my car. The cases are very protective (and I've proven that on multiple occasions because I drop my phone a lot.) There are various mounts that can be adapted to fit your bikes needs. Downside is you need to purchase a new case for each new phone but they are reasonably priced. Easy on and off the mount and, most importantly, rock solid while in the mount.
 
I am very hesitant to mount my iPhone on the handlebars.
You can give a Spigen Gearlock or a Quad Lock a try. I used the Gearlock at even high speeds and very uneven surfaces. Improbably steady mount. The concept gives up the idea of a phone-holder. Your own phone case that you trust becomes the holder. This makes the size or weight of the phone irrelevant as long as you find space on the handlebars to rotate the phone in the position (at least Gearlock works that way). One of my bikes has relatively short handlebars and I had to find the right position and mount angle to make it happen. The phone is 6.5" screen and weighs 0.39 lb without the case. And your iPhone?
 
Very satisfied with the ROAM.
I put a charge brick in my rear rack pack since my bike doesn't have a charge port.
You would think Giant/Yamaha would give you access to power for their resource-hog interface app.
 
You would think Giant/Yamaha would give you access to power for their resource-hog interface app.
You would think Specialized would do the same :D Man, that Czech engineer Mr Glac who owns Lovelec and makes inexpensive but good e-bikes has even thought about the USB charging port in his batteries. That's why Lovelec is my touring e-bike of choice not the Vado...
 
Someone on here recommended the Maxmiles. It's the best one I've tried. My phone has a TPU case which I think makes this mount even more secure.

(Link Removed - No Longer Exists)
 
If you go for ROAM, just make sure you're getting the genuine article. Amazon and Ebay both have knock-off sellers. After getting one I liked it so well I ordered another for the wife. I thought I was getting the same thing from an ebay seller, but when it arrived it was NOT a real Roam mount, fake box, missing parts. I complained, they accepted a return, and the return label was to ship it back to - you won't believe it - Amazon! I reported both to the people at ROAM. They ended up sending me a free one as gratitude.

The link to Amazon appears to be from Roam themselves.

And yes, it's a really nice product, works nearly as well as the RockForm - which is way more heavy duty, more designed for motorcycles. Our bikes don't go a hundred!! LOL
 
I'm using a mount that is very similar to a couple of others referenced in this thread. It's described as a GUB MTB Phone Mount; https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07BWB677N/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 ; ~$12 delivered. Comes with 'rubber' shims to adapt to a range of bar diameters. The 6Nm torque spec on the clamp bolt holds the phone rigidly on the bar. It mounts adjacent to the bike's display controller.

I've added these silicone bands to give me a bit more peace of mind that the phone won't drop out of the mont on gravel; https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01FE4HO8W/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o00_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1 . ~$6/pair, delivered.

My LG phone is in a silicone case that grips very securely in this mount. My wife likes it so much I just bought another for her.
 
May it serve you well, Tim. A similar mount didn't survive my crash, unluckily. The silicone band broke first due to deceleration...
 
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