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I've looked at various mounts, some that are expensive and some cheaper copies...
What holds the phone to the bars and protects it?
the Dahon one seems to be the best choice currently from what I've seen (not tried it myself).
for off road use I'd be worried about putting an iphone on my bars with any sort of mount, tbh.
for off road use I'd be worried about putting an iphone on my bars with any sort of mount, tbh.
I think this is the main reason why there are hardly any on the market, as I doubt manufacturers want to open themselves up to a load of 'my £500/£600 device fell out your mount' type claims.
...as well as the iPhone 4, while fairly rugged for pocket use, is probably going to shake itself to bits strapped to some handlebars.
Why do you feel the need to stick a phone on your bars?
I assume for the same reason you don't stick a Garmin 795/800 etc in your pocket, so you can see the screen for directions/mapping.
Why do you feel the need to stick a phone on your bars?
[Why do you feel the need to stick a phone on your bars?]
I'll be using it as a cycle computer and GPS.
I have Memory Map mapping software on my phone, also various other cycle computer apps. Even the basic compass function can be useful when riding new areas. The video function would also be handy sometimes for sharing certain trails.
I just want something that won't shake the insides of my phone so that they end up outside my phone and will protect it from the elements a bit.
good video review of options here;
[url= http://www.bikebiz.com/news/read/sustrans-iphone-app-debuts-at-no-1-in-app-store ]http://www.bikebiz.com/news/read/sustrans-iphone-app-debuts-at-no-1-in-app-store[/url]
I am considering the topeak one but I'm not sure it's available yet. Another problem is battery life and I doubt the extenders will fit in the mount.
I had one of those cheap £4 eBay ones on my bars, used it for GPS around London and it was great (alternatively one earphone in with the nice GPS voice telling me where to turn). It seemed really sturdy, though I was constantly very conscious of my £500 phone dangling on the bars of my bike unprotected. That Dahon one seems like a good bet simply because I feel like if it dropped on the ground it would be fine, the case looks fairly rugged (and the iPhone itself, despite its appearance, will take a good bashing). Dunno whether I'd give it any serious off-road use though.
That Dahon one does look good and you can put a charging lead into it. Does anyone know of a weather proof battery pack that could be plugged into it and mounted somehow?
Does anyone know of a weather proof battery pack that could be plugged into it and mounted somehow?
Long cable and battery pack in a saddle bag?
Magellan tough case is what you're after.
Touratech do them for off road motorbikes and mountain bikes, see here: [url= http://www.touratech.com/shops/008/index.php?cPath=13_113&osCsid=6d10fc26c71801ee94709c1b81d9dc94 ]Touratech[/url]
I've found these [url= http://www.ram-mount.com/NewProducts/appleiphone4mounts/tabid/2858/Default.aspx ]RAM [/url]mounts very sturdy for motorcycling which probably need to be tougher than bicycle ones. Available in the UK
But a lot of these are very expensive and don't have built in weather protection.
Battery pack and cable in saddle bag would work but is not very neat and with my dropper post might cause problems. A bottle cage mount would work and I guess I could fashion something to fit with a bottle and some outdoor electrical fittings (I forget the name) but it gets to the point where I think I might as well bite the bullet and get a Garmin 850!
Looks like the Dahon Biologic one is the one to go for as it's weatherproof, but I can't get the iphone4 specific version anywhere in the UK!!!
At this moment in time a £400 GPS is looking like a lot less hassle - apart from the fact that I'll still have to carry my phone for emergency calls!
No difference in putting a £300 GPS on the bars and a £300 smartphone. If you have a GPS on the bars and crash you could break the GPS, and the phone that's inevitably going to be in your back pocket anyhow as well.
The RAM mounts are quite high profile in size and I'm not sure why they would necessarily be tougher for motorbike use. A MTB generally takes vastly bigger bumps than a road going motorbike.
Is there a recommended sturdy, low profile mount?
I don't know of any low profile mount for the RAM system.
Obviously the wind gives the phone/holder more of a buffeting on a motorbike but I reckon that an MTB holder would need to be tougher due to the higher amplitude of the vibrations and the greater forces being applied in all directions.
I'm still going with the Dahon Biologic mount, IF I can find it in the UK! I've sent them an e-mail to inform me of a UK distributor but I've heard nothing yet.
To be continued...
I saw a Biologic iPhone 4 mount in cycle surgery last week - doesn't seem to be on their website, but you could give them a call
Hi,
I use a waterproof case and mount I got from here http://www.ultimate-mobiles.co.uk/mobile-phones/htc/htc-desire-accessories/motorcycle-bicycle-holders/ua-bike-mount-waterproof-case___421.htm which would probably take an iPhone.
The bike mount is okay but I ended up just cable tying it to the stem which works better. The case is pretty sturdy. The phone survived a couple of incidents when it came off the bike mount and did a bit of tarmac surfing at 30mph (hence reason for ditching bike mount for cable ties)!
Works well in the wet. You can also fit an extended battery to the phone or gel case and it still fits.
Regards