General Cycling Discussion - Who carries a Cell Phone while riding and where?

Do you leave the phone at home or take it with you, and where do you put it that it doesnt get beat up.

Since I work on 24/7 call, I always carry my (company sponsored) cell phone. I put it in a bag in the center pocket of my jersey. It has come in handy to call for help with major mechanicals and to call police to come deal with dogs.

I love living in a state with a state leash law.

I have one of those cell phones that kids use, the pay as you go type. I keep it in my panniers for emergencies (and ordering a pizza a few miles out of town :)
I don't have, and don't want, a regular cell phone. But I figure it might be very handy if things get ugly. The cool thing is that I only spend $10 or $20 at a time, 3 or 4 times during the year.

I have a cellphone I carry during every ride, even if it's a short ride.

I got this cell phone carrier when I was in Italy- it's a cell phone holder with velcro straps you strap around your arm and it holds right around your upper forearm/upper arm area (right at your triceps) that is awesome. It has a clear cover, so I can see exactly who's calling, and I can see all my buttons and press the buttons if I needed to without removing the phone from the holder. I used to have a earplug I would plug into the phone so when it rings, my phone would automatically answer, and I could talk right into the mic, but now that I'm seriously riding, I can't be bothered with folks calling me- I only use it if I have an emergency, which so far, I've been lucky and haven't had the need for it.

I also punch in 911 just before I leave, so if something crazy happens, all I need to do is press the call button, and I would get 911 immediately.

Koffee

I always carry my cell-phone but I put it in my camelback. The phone is work-sponsered, they finally called my bluff and pay the whole thing.

If I am commuting I put it in my pocket, since I have left it in my pack after getting to work too many times.

I am not a fan of over-prep like Koffee Brown's pre-punching in of 911. I think the risk of abusing the 911 system is greater then the risk of an accident during my ride.

-Duncan

I am not a fan of over-prep like Koffee Brown's pre-punching in of 911. I think the risk of abusing the 911 system is greater then the risk of an accident during my ride.


It could be- but at the same time, better to be safe than sorry....

Also, you have to punch through the screen pretty darn hard to hit the call button to call 911.

What if you got hit on a deserted road, and the driver just took off? Would you really have the time or strength to pull out a cell phone and call 911 for help?

Seriously, I'd rather take the risk of accidentally hitting 911 than just be super sensitive and risk getting into a situation and dying on the side of a road because I didn't want to inconvenience 911...

Koffee

Koffee,

It is your choice to make that call. You are balancing risks in a way you feel comfortable with. I am just uncomfortable to endorse that kind of prep for everyone. Not everyone has the Italian cell-phone carrier you have.

I just can't get the vision of me calling 911 from the side of the road and falling unconsious while on hold. I think if everyone had 911 one button away everytime they crossed a street, watched their child in a pool or ate in a restaurant , then the system would almost useless.

To live you must risk. We all must balance those risks with what we may lose or gain. In your case the stiffness of the case makes a big difference and you have decided that you want to protect yourself against that. That is a good and valid choice.

-Duncan

I feel ya...

However, there's a difference between crossing the street and riding your bike on the roads and highways. I would think the risk is definitely greater if you're doing the latter activity! If you're having to keep your finger on the call button for 911 just to cross the street, you need to see a psychiatrist for your agoraphobic tendancies! ;)

I hope people who have a cell phone have the gps thingie in the phone so 911 can find you in the event you DO pass out and are unconscious on the side of the road... it can be invaluable in the event you are incapacitated and cannot talk.

FWIW, if you're telling me that if I call 911, I am automatically put on hold, there's no point to even calling 911. I might as well pre-program my phone to call my brother's house and let them know my riding schedule and route in the event something happens. What's up with 911? It sure defeats the purpose of having it... don't we all pay a fee on our phone service for 911 anyway? You'd expect better service, man.

I carry a mobile phone with me while riding too. I keep it in my jersey pocket. I have a pretty small phone. It's a Nokia 8260... not many features... can't web browse from it or anything but it works great as a phone. It's pretty beat up anyways since I'm hard on my mobile electronics in general but unlike some people who think their phones need to be pretty because they view it as a fashion accessory, I'm just more concerned that it remain working. So far the phone has been dropped several dozen times. It's gotten scratched up and such but it still works, thus I'm not worried. I usually end up swapping out phones every two to three years anyways. I'll probably be replacing this one with one of a similar size.

The one neat feature about the Nokia phones is the ability to set caller profiles. I can make use of caller-ID to categorise incoming calls based on the caller's entry in the phone's phonebook and have my phone set up to filter them for purposes of ringing. When I'm riding, I usually set my phone to a profile that only allows very important people such as my wife to actually cause the phone to ring. Everyone else gets sent right to voicemail although I still receive an entry in my call log telling me they called. I will sometimes temporarily change the status of someone if I'm expecting a particularly important call but don't want to delay riding waiting for it. Likewise, my phone automatically switches itself to "car" mode when plugged into my vehicle's handsfree setup and I maintain a similar profile for that.

I maintain some fairly simple discipline with regards to mobile phones and cycling. I never answer the phone or place a call while moving on the bike. And rarely do I place a call during a ride to anyone unless it's to notify them of my status on the ride.

My wife has asked me to take mine along, so I do. I keep it turned off, and will only turn it on in an emergency.

I have a cannondale under the seat bag. I stick it in there along with some allen wrenches, tire levers, tube, and drivers licencse and some cash.

However, there's a difference between crossing the street and riding your bike on the roads and highways. I would think the risk is definitely greater if you're doing the latter activity!

As someone who is carfree I spend about equal time being a pedestrian and a cyclist. I have to say that being a pedestrian is more dangerous. My metric is close calls over my normal schedule. On my 3 mile commute (cycling) I get a close call about once a week. This is where a car threatens me enough that I must react either to dodge or stop short. As a pedestrian crossing the street with crosswalks the rate is once or twice every weekend (the time I am a ped most often).

I have to thump cars once or twice a month as a ped to get their attention. As a cyclist, I have only done this once in my life. OTOH I have only been hit once as a ped (in college); I have been hit or run down twice in the last two years.

FWIW, if you're telling me that if I call 911, I am automatically put on hold, there's no point to even calling 911.
I believe you are in Chicago. I am originally from the NYC Metro area. In both cases the call load is so high that you have a good chance of being handled by a machine until an operator can get to you.

As we both know everything is a trade-off. Society balances the cost of a 911 system against the benefit. Remember Police and by extension the 911 system are not for crime prevention. They are tasked with law enforcement. That is why 911 calls are taped even when you are on hold.

In my case love to ride everywhere. I ride on state roads, on rural roads and anywhere I can go on my bike. My other hobbies are rock climbing and kayaking. I believe in self-sufficiency as much as possible. But in the end I still use and contribute to the infrastructure of society. I have been to the emergancy room, I have used rescue supplies cached by rangers, I donate blood and I gladly pay taxes. It is all a balance, one which we all find our comfort point in.

Respectfully
-Duncan

Originally posted by djwid
I think if everyone had 911 one button away everytime they crossed a street, watched their child in a pool or ate in a restaurant , then the system would almost useless.


FWIW, every Nokia phone I've had since the mid-1990s has had the 9 key preprogrammed (at the factory) to speed-dial 911 (or equivalent emergency number). Actually, it's very hard to even change this speed-dial mapping without a service manual and entering the proper mumbo-jumbo sequence of codes to put the phone into maintenance/service mode. Thus, Nokia being a very popular brand of mobile phone supplier has already "enabled" a good portion of the mobile phone population with ready-access to 911. While there are flaws and a certain amount of service degradation, I don't see the current 911 system as almost useless.

Originally posted by Koffee Brown

I hope people who have a cell phone have the gps thingie in the phone so 911 can find you in the event you DO pass out and are unconscious on the side of the road... it can be invaluable in the event you are incapacitated and cannot talk.


The 150m (or was it 100m? I forget.) location requirement for E911 is mandatory for providers by the end of this year I believe. The deadline keeps getting pushed around as carriers keep coming up with excuses for not having fully implimented/upgraded their infrastructure. Handset manufacturers are well on their way with the a-GPS embedding and many claim that ALL handsets manufactured by them by the deadline will have a-GPS but we still need the providers to follow suit for everything to work.

Originally posted by khuon
FWIW, every Nokia phone I've had since the mid-1990s has had the 9 key preprogrammed (at the factory) to speed-dial 911 (or equivalent emergency number). Actually, it's very hard to even change this speed-dial mapping without a service manual and entering the proper mumbo-jumbo sequence of codes to put the phone into maintenance/service mode. Thus, Nokia being a very popular brand of mobile phone supplier has already "enabled" a good portion of the mobile phone population with ready-access to 911. While there are flaws and a certain amount of service degradation, I don't see the current 911 system as almost useless.

Sorry, the useless comment was hyperbole. I do think that if everyone doing anything moderately risky predialed 911 leaving only the send key the current system would have to be upgraded again.
-Duncan

I carry a GPS equipped CP everywhere. I have 2 sons with medical conditions and want and need to be available. Also, only my wife and 2 sons and 2 other people know my number. I am not likely to be disturbed unless necessary.

I have a dual phone - analog and digital, would like to have a triple with two digital and one analog carriers available.

I am almost never out of contact unless in a steep mountain canyon.

I have a large wedge and it fits nicely in a zippered side pocket. I did zap one phone that way when the bike fell over (as I was just learning to use clipless) and landed right on the phone. That was several years ago, and I haven't ever fallen since.

I started to carry a cellphone a few months ago. I put it in a plastic bag along wih some $$ and ID. Shop clerks don't like soggy money and the bag keeps everything nice & dry.

I always carry a phone. It goes to voice mail after 4 rings so I decide whether I want to answer or not.

If I don't answer I will have a look at the screen to see who called when i's next convenient. Then I can decide if I hould call them straight back or wait until I get home.

Originally posted by MediaCreations
I always carry a phone. It goes to voice mail after 4 rings so I decide whether I want to answer or not.

If I don't answer I will have a look at the screen to see who called when i's next convenient. Then I can decide if I hould call them straight back or wait until I get home.

Yeah... I do that normally with my phone in any case. However, my phone also has vibe turned on because sometimes I just can't hear it ringing and the vibrating feature will more than catch my attention. Thus if it's ringing/vibrating while I'm out on a ride with the phone set in Cycling Profile, I know the call has passed the filter and it's extremely urgent (read: house is burning down). I will then stop and try and catch the call or place a return call. I don't want just any call to get through and buzz me in the back. There's nothing worse than having that thing vibrating and ringing at you while you're enjoying/concentrating during a nice long and fast descent.

I bring the cell just in case. I don't turn it on for the ride since I really did not bring it for people to call me. I just throw it in the little bag hanging under the seat with my tube and stuff.

I don't own one and have no intention of doing so. The type of terrain I normally ride in (rainforest covered mountains) means that mobile phone reception is going to be difficult for much of the time irrespective of the level of coverage.

Additionally, I believe in living simply, and the last thing I want is one more thing to worry about.

I always carry my cell phone, have gotten out of the habit of using it much now. But it is nice to have it in case of emergencies.

I take it with me on my belt when I go road riding. When I ride in the dirt, I try not to take anything with me, lest I should lose it over a cliff or something.

when I'm on the road the cell phone is always in my jesery pocket. Its never on, but its there just in case.

I to always carry my cell phone when I go and ride, makes me feel much safer in case of an accident..But so far since I started carrieing it along, I haven't had a crash....Where I carry it?? in the left hand back pocket of my jersey..


Benjamin

I carry a cell phone in my backpack while commuting through the west side of Chicago and if I go out on solo training rides on the weekends in my camelbak or in my jersey pocket.

Yep I carry mine when I'm riding alone but don't normally have it turned on unless I need to use it. I looked for, and tried, a couple different phone holders but didn't really like any of them. I ended up just using an extra large mouth water bottle I had laying around. I cut out some foam rubber to fit inside the bottle with a hole cut out for the phone. Works great and it was FREE!! I don't need but one bottle of water normally so it works out great for me. :)

I started carrying mine again... after a few weeks ago when one of our club riders was having a heart attack on the road, and nobody that rode up immediately had a phone to call 911... so I will carry it now... it is small.. a Sanyo 8100 Cell phone/ digital camera (terrible resolution, but fun anyways) and flips open and closed.. the closed dimensions are about 3.5 inches, by about 1 inch thick... weighs abotu 4-6 oz. I'm guessing.. but it is pretty light

Jeff

I always bring mine on road rides, but I never have it on. I do this for safety reasons only - not to chat.

Originally posted by djbowen1
Do you leave the phone at home or take it with you, and where do you put it that it doesnt get beat up.

I carry one on every ride. If I'm commuting then it goes in the backpack otherwise it goes into a jersey pocket.

Zack

Oh yeah,
I bought a $20 GPS carrying case, and the phone goes in that. It has a
shell, not terribly strong, but enough to protect it I would think.

I always carry one...in a little carrier that I picked up at Performance. It velcro straps to the hydration pack strap - so it's always handy and easy to access.

After years of resistance, I finally got a cell phone yesterday. I mostly ride alone, and have had a couple close calls. I figure, if I end up half-dead in a ditch...better safe than sorry.

I forgot to mention one thing. In the US any cell phone, regardless of if it has an active service number or not, can be used to place a 911 call. So you can use some old out-of-service phone for emergencies.

Originally posted by Da Tinker
I forgot to mention one thing. In the US any cell phone, regardless of if it has an active service number or not, can be used to place a 911 call. So you can use some old out-of-service phone for emergencies.

Yep! I rotated my old, decommisioned and fairly well beat up (it's been superglued back together about a dozen times) phone into the "emergency compartment" of my Jeep so I'll always have a phone handy for emergencies.

I carry my mobile phone on every ride. It usually is housed in my AGU handlebar bag that I have mounted and move from bike to bike. Otherwise, it fits in my jersey pocket. Other bags could house it - seat bag, top tube bag, CamelBak, etc... . Or one could get a handlebar specific cellphone mount to house it as well.

BB

I was on a ride a few weeks ago with my father (he's 60) and he went endo. Because we live in a relatively remote, sparsely populated area, the response time of the ambulances can be delayed due to geography. Fortunately, we had just passed a police officer conversing with an ambulace. The police officer pulled up and radioed for the ambulance to return to retrieve my father, who was unconsious when they arrived. It's more for peace of mind rather than anything else, although I think it's really silly when your seat pack rings, to which I reply "You mean to tell me you brought your leash?"

Always carry mine regardless of length of ride. Just a nice tool to have if something major breaks that I can't fix. Like having my own SAG wagon when I need it.

I always carry my cell phone, and I make sure its always charged up b4 I hit the road. I keep the cell phone right next to my spare tube and tools in my seat pack.

My wife found out that Virgin Mobile has a plan wherein you buy the cell phone at Target and then download minutes via the internet as needed. This is the best option for us, as the device will be used only on the bikes or when one of us is traveling and the other is home.

I despise the way many people use the things, but I'll admit that on trips they could prove vital.

-Rob

I do not own one and do not want one. Don't get me wrong, I have every techie gadget known to man, but i put my foot down on bringing a phone with me. If that causes me to have to hoof it a few miles so be it.
Simply put I ride to get away not to be found!

I too carry a cell phone on every ride.

Like some others I am on call 24/7 with my company and they provide the Motorola flip phone. So far I have never been contacted on a ride by work.

More importantly it serves well for emergencies. I used it just last week when I blew a tube (took the tire a few too many miles). It seems easier to carry it in my under the seat bag than a spare tube, etc. Of course if no one is back at home to come get me I may be in for a long walk.

Mark

I don't know about you guys, but when I ride I like to get away from things like cell phones. It's never happened but I always figured I could carry my bike to a phone if anything happened where I couldn't repair my bike.

Just my opinion. I could be crazy. In fact I'm almost certain I am.

I always carry my cell phone. I either put it in my shorts pocket, fanny pack, or handlebar bag, depending on how long the ride is/what I have with me, and I let anyone riding with me (my son and sometimes a friend of his) know where the phone is.

[QUOTE=Koffee Brown]
FWIW, if you're telling me that if I call 911, I am automatically put on hold, there's no point to even calling 911. QUOTE]
Koffee,
I know that in my area (So. Cal), when I have had to call 911 on my cell, I get routed to CHP emergency rather than local authorities. When I have called on a land line, I get connected to what seems to be a local dispatch, but when I have called on the cell, I have been put on hold for over two minutes while being 'transfered'.

I have started mapping out my routes for my wife and giving her approximate time-to-waypoint markers. A little anal, I know, but it can't hurt..

I always carry my phone. Don't turn it on, but always have it. I guess I understand the philosophical "I ride to get away from things like cell phones," but I don't understand how this applies if you just turn the thing off. You could even put a "for emergency purposes only" sticker on it, if it makes you feel better. Hell, sometimes I would like to leave my head at home when I ride, but it always seems to come along, too.

I always carry mine, right rear pocket...business never sleeps.


The girlfriend travels internationally, so she calls at strange hours too. But to be honest I enjoy hearing her voice when Im out riding alone.

Im the jackass who is taking calls during the 1st half hour of your 4 o'clock group ride. Hey, It could be worse, I could bring my text pager!

Never. Don't have anyone to phone, and it's a good excuse to escape the constant badgering of day to day life.

Always take it with me, but rarely have it on. It's a company provided phone, so most of the calls are business related and non-urgent after hours. It lives in either the under-seat bag if I'm out for a fitness ride, or in my backpack when commuting.

Always carry one ... just in case and the fact I am on call 24/7.