Secure mount for an iphone 5?
 

I know the form factor is new, but I'm still surprised at how difficult it seems to be to find a secure (and well reviewed) mount that works well with the iPhone 5. Do any of you have any recommendations?

The only steadfast requirement is that it holds the phone securely with no chance of it flying out at an angle that is readable.

Ideally it will also be water resistant and rugged enough to protect the phone in case of a crash.

My final three "wishlist" items are ideal, but not critical: reasonable price, attractive styling, additional battery.

Does this exist?

Saw that you had no replies, so I'll tell you what I know. I have and Iphone 4, so may not be applicable. It has worked well for me. Holds the phone well and is readable, but doesn't provide moisture or crash protection. Pretty cheap though.
http://www.ebay.com/itm/RAM-BIKE-MOU...item4d07d59d6c

Lifeproof.com is the best solution, but the bike mounts for the 5 aren't out yet. I'm just putting mine in a jersey pocket until it becomes available. Shouldn't be long. I used the iPhone 4 solution and was super happy with it. Not cheap tho...

Haven't looked at the iPhone 5 but did something for the iPhone 4 that was neither cheap nor plug 'n play - but I'd do it again.

HED make what they call an Adjustable Lolipop bottle cage mount.

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=293072

And Otter make a case called the Otterbox that has a belt clip on the back.

Popped off the clip, drilled two holes to mount it onto the HED Adjustable Lolipop

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=293073

And the whole thing dropped over the stem on my winter bike.

http://bikeforums.net/attachment.php...hmentid=293075

OK - so there's no phone in it - I had to take the photo with SOMETHING!

Last year when I bought the morphie juicepack, the juicepack PRO model wasn't available yet. I expect to buy that and do the same thing. That would combine weatherproofing, shock protection and extra battery capacity. I expect something similar could be done with virtually any phone. Yeah - it cost more than some other solutions but its that solid, and solves more issues than any other thing I've tripped across. And here in Canada damaged iPhones aren't repaired - they're exchanged ...... with a $200.00 service charge tagged on. So if it solves one issue once for me - its a cheap solution.

And maybe I should mention that one reason I went in this direction because it doesn't require any handlebar room - and after cutting them down - I had none left anyway.

I also like that an a mounting accessory - its not bigger than what its supposed to hold. :lol:

Had to go digging through my Google+ feed, but this may be of interest: http://ces.cnet.com/8301-34441_1-575...-go/?ttag=gpwl

As a rule it seems anything made by RAM for a specific device will be pretty good.

I've got their custom mount for a Garmin Montana and it's great. I previously used a generic finger mount that worked fine until I hit a bump and nearly ended up picking the pieces of Montana up after the car behind me. Luckily I'd tied it to the mount with the lanyard so it didn't meet a premature demise.

I have this mount, and have been using it for almost a month now, first one I have owned, and so far I think the last one I ever will own. One really cool feature is that it's not device specific, so it can hold a wide range of devices. The spring closure is very beefy, I don't worry about my phone falling out at all. In fact, even if I am not using my device, I still put it in the mount as I feel it's safer there then say, my pants pocket. It does require a bit of assembly, but it's pretty easy. And all the plastic they use is very thick and heavy duty, I HIGHLY reccomend.
http://www.amazon.com/RAM-RAP-SB-187.../dp/B005EP84Q8

And on more thing, your device sits a top to ball joints, so you can virtually have a full range of positions for your device to be in, very versatile.

I'm in the same boat as you jshorr. I've been looking at Lifeproof (very expensive), Biologic and Tigra. Not really sure which one I'm going with yet. I definitely want a case and mount, not just a mount. There are a lot of options out there hopefully some more people will chime in with their experiences.

I went full circle with iPhones on the bike and mounts. When I got my first phone a 3g I made my own DIY charger pack and mount. When I got the i4 I used an Otter Box case with the snap on belt clip and made a little bracket out of aluminum to clip the case to and still used my DIY charger. I then bought a Tekkeon TekCharge MP1580 charger and got rid of the DIY model. I then got a Mophie case for daily use and love the battery life now. About that time I started thinking about why do I want my GPS and phone mounted to my handlebar in the first place. For me it’s more of a distraction than a help and based on safety issues I put it in a small bar bag that opens easily if I need to take a look. I start up my ride app. Turn the ringer on and go. If I get a call or need to view the map I just pull over and do it safely. Batteries last a lot longer with the screen off and the battery case will provide power as long as I can ride and I still take along the Tekkeon system in the bag for extended bike touring. And have even gave others a quick charge.

Besides safety the phone is too expensive to worry about getting it wet or have it bake in the sun. the screen is hard to read in the sun and having it in the bag shades it when I do stop and makes it easy to see.

I have a little music player that takes a couple AA batteries I also throw in the bag if I want radio or music and I patch that into my phone. Also have used it as a hands free speaker phone when riding.

For me the novelty of having it bar mounted wore off after a short time.

The Lifeproof iPhone 5 bike mounts are out now. I wouldn't have anything else. Just knowing that it's perfectly safe if you get caught in a downpour is one less thing to worry about.

I've had this on my bike for the last 5 days...saw it at the lbs.

It fits my iphone 5 perfectly, you can still use the touch screen through the cover and everything is clearly visible. I have no idea how it will last over time, but it was cheap enough that I thought I'd give it a try.

http://www.amazon.com/BiKASE-Handy-A...pr_product_top

had the iPhone 4 version, recently purchased the iPhone 5 version. It works perfectly. I never give the safety of my phone a second thought. Highly recommended.
http://www.quadlockcase.com/

I have a Slipgrip mount for my phone and love it. Your phone won't be going anywhere.

http://www.quadlockcase.com

Explained for iPhone 5 here. I've been using these for most of last year. Really solid and works perfectly.

http://www.quadlockcase.com/collecti...e-5-bike-mount

You can either use their case or put the sticky thing on the back of your case. Either way, they are easy to use.

J.

That's a great find John! I really like the look of the quadlock. So far this looks like the best looking system I've seen yet but it ain't cheap. I have one of those Bikase mounts that I bought for my Android that works pretty well but doesn't look near as nice as the quadlock. Of course in my case I'd have to go with the universal mount which would mean attaching the clip mount directly to my Otter case. While it might work I have to admit it would hard to trust that the adhesive used is not ever going to come loose while biking. Last thing anyone want's to see is their new smart phone hitting the road on a 30mph downhill. Real shame they don't make a custom holder/case for the Androids like they do with the Iphone5.

Not a big deal for me since I just purchased a Garmin 705 anyway. Then again, someone a while back raised the issue that mounting your phone to the bike is not real good for the phone ( shock wise ). When I used the Bikase case/mount I cut a piece of camping foam and put it under the case to help absorb shock. While it did seem to work I have no way to know if it really helped.

Now if the people who designed the "Cue Sheet" app ever improve the product so it works more like "Google navigator" then I might decide to just use the smart phone alone. That would mean buying an external battery with USB plug for charging on the go. As it stands right now the battery on the Android doesn't last real long when using a GPS app. All things considered that was why I just bit the bullet and bought a Garmin.

The quadlock stuff is really good. I used to use a Garmin 705 as well but I always carry my phone anyhow. Now I've changed out the sensors on my bike from ANT+ to the Wahoofitness bluetooth ones and they work just great. The app I use is Cyclemeter which is, IMO, better than the 705. So, I'm happy because I get all the same data, I have a place to put my phone, and I have one less thing to carry.

As far as the vibration and cell phones - cell phones are tested and designed for horrible environments. When you design to those standards, the way they do it is by temp cycling the device and putting it through vibration. Cell phones get serious vibration testing - just think of what they have to do to accommodate dropping your cell phone from table height to the floor, for instance. In point of fact, I'd probably guess that the rugged testing that Garmin does is probably very similar to what the cell phone guys do. Anyhow, I know of a quite few guys using their phones in mounts on the bike and I've not heard of any failures. It sure hasn't shown up on forums as a problem. This is the the category of "horse pucky", I think.

If you let the display turn off on cyclemeter, I've had it run for 8 hours or so before it hits the 20% threshold. My plan is to get a battery case for my iphone anyhow, and I'd just stick the quadlock thinking on the back of that. Then you could probably go twenty hours or more. As well, you could get this:

http://gretnabikes.com/speedsleev.asp

and put a usb style battery in it and then just run the cord to your phone long enough to recharge the phone, then it could go back in a jersey pocket. I've been using the battery from these:

http://www.thirdrailmobility.com

which are very small. I'd think with the speedsleeve and a short usb micro cable, you'd be able to have a nice trim package for as much riding as you could possibly want to do.



J.

Ram Mount

I have used one for the iPhone for a couple of years now. It is solid and very adjustable with the double ball clamping arrangement.

Quadlock looks pretty good, but I don't think they have it for iPhone 5 yet. I found this one: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dgyy42VJpqo for iPhone 5 and also can be used while running. Pretty solid setup.

For anyone not so interested in strapping their iPhone to their handlebars, the new Wahoo RFLKT may be worth considering. It wirelessly displays and controls cycling apps running on the phone, which can be safely stashed in a bag or pocket, out of harm's way. I haven't used it, but it looks like an interesting product.

Yes they do. I have one. It's nice.

I also have a Otterbox case that I just stuck the adhesive mount on. That works fine too.

J.

Interesting product. Of course if you already have a cycling computer you already have most functions that it offers. Then again I like that it can control your music on your phone via the wireless link. It has great potential. I don't think its going to display your GPS screen or functions but if they come out with one that will that would be real cool.

The Ram is extremely secure. I've flipped over handlebars, broken my collarbone and ribs, w/ nary a scratch on the phone, and it never pops out. Two drawbacks: not weatherproof, and you can't use a bumper case.

I was just about to order the LifeProof, but the quadcase looks better, less clunky, easier, and cheaper. I put my name down on the wait list.

I just received and installed my Quadcase. It's easily the most professional, secure mount I've seen or used. Yes, the ram mounts are secure, but this is secure and a includes a good phone sleeve that just latches onto the mount. Easiest, best-looking, and most functional mount I've tried. No more wrestling the damn bumper case off every time I want to mount the phone on the bike!

The one down side is the slight bump on the middle of the back of the phone sleeve. This could be a problem if you do a lot of touch-typing w/ it flat on some surface. Not an issue for me, but could be for others.

They are currently out the iphone 5 rain ponchos, but I plan to pick up one of them as soon as it becomes available.

So how do you deal with the very limited battery life of any iPhone when in actual use? Hate the price, but in my opinion the biggest attraction of something like the morphie juice pack pro is the built-in 2500mAh battery. I don't want something thats just waterproof, shockproof and cute to look at - I need something I can actually USE continuously on a bicycle. Otherwise - why bring it at all?