Jem
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Post by Jem on May 5, 2023 15:42:15 GMT
Hi all - does anyone use such a thing and if so would you recommend the one that you have?
I have been looking around for one, and it seems that all are a compromise to some extent for me - and some more expensive than others.
I am looking specifically at the Quad Lock system - seems to get great reviews. I only wish I could integrate my 'wallet' in there , as at present I carry my cards and a couple of £notes in my iPhone case, which is very convenient. If I went over to this system for bike, then I wouldn't be able to do that - They do a magnetic card wallet , but only for much newer iPhones with the metal case back.
I used to just carry phone/wallet in pocket or in a neat little pouch on top bar , but want a bit more access to the phone than that allows, and less in my pockets.
Any thoughts appreciated.
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Post by brianbutler on May 5, 2023 20:33:55 GMT
If you are asking about a handlebar phone mount, I am using this one, which might be available on Amazon UK:
It holds the phone quite securely for navigation. I have used a phone with the RideWithGPS app to navigate some complicated routes. Usually I can just use my Garmin Edge 200, which provides a rudimentary breadcrumb trail but it is easy to see. I also have a Garmin Edge 530, which is much more sophisticated but, alas, I cannot see it very well.
Sorry for the extra information if you wanted a phone mount for some other purpose.
Brian
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Jem
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Post by Jem on May 5, 2023 20:39:06 GMT
If you are asking about a handlebar phone mount, I am using this one, which might be available on Amazon UK:
It holds the phone quite securely for navigation. I have used a phone with the RideWithGPS app to navigate some complicated routes. Usually I can just use my Garmin Edge 200, which provides a rudimentary breadcrumb trail but it is easy to see. I also have a Garmin Edge 530, which is much more sophisticated but, alas, I cannot see it very well.
Sorry for the extra information if you wanted a phone mount for some other purpose.
Brian
Brian - thanks for that ; yes, exactly for that purpose , to put my phone on handlebars to use with navigation apps. Are you confident that the phone is secure and not going to pop out? |
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Post by brianbutler on May 5, 2023 21:14:59 GMT
I am quite confident it will not pop out. The design is very good in that regard. It is a solid holder. I tried putting the phone inside a clear dry-case and then mounting it, but it was too big, If I am worried about rain, I think I would wrap the phone in a zip lock plastic freezer bag, which would then fit in the holder.
My only complaint is a slight rattle without a phone because the corner jaws are not pushing against anything. I plan to make a placeholder out of plastic or wood and that should completely solve the problem.
Brian
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robt
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Post by robt on May 10, 2023 15:39:14 GMT
Jem, I have used a couple of Topeak phone cases:a loose-fitting Drybag; and the closer-fitting Ridecase, for my ancient iPhone 5s, then iPhone SE (1st gen). Both are available in a range of sizes, and clip onto a handlebar mount and unclip easily for stops at the shop/pub etc. They both allow a limited degree of finger operability through the protective screens, with the Ridecase a little better for that, but the dry bag has a bit more space for a credit card and/or an emergency fiver. I found that using the (admittedly old) phones as 'sat navs' with Map my Ride drained the battery in about an hour. Like Brian, I managed to get my hands on a Garmin 820, which has greater range. |
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Jem
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Posts: 3,418
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Post by Jem on May 11, 2023 7:42:07 GMT
Jem, I have used a couple of Topeak phone cases:a loose-fitting Drybag; and the closer-fitting Ridecase, for my ancient iPhone 5s, then iPhone SE (1st gen). Both are available in a range of sizes, and clip onto a handlebar mount and unclip easily for stops at the shop/pub etc. They both allow a limited degree of finger operability through the protective screens, with the Ridecase a little better for that, but the dry bag has a bit more space for a credit card and/or an emergency fiver. I found that using the (admittedly old) phones as 'sat navs' with Map my Ride drained the battery in about an hour. Like Brian, I managed to get my hands on a Garmin 820, which has greater range. Thanks for those Rob...I will mull those over, I am leaning towards that kind of thing. I realised that the problem with the Quad Lock is that if you change your phone, then you need to update the case every time (more £). iPhones seem to be getting a lot better at battery life nowadays and the power packs are getting smaller , so I am confident I can live with that. I don't think I will ever go down the Garmin route as it's yet another thing to have cables for, to charge, , then load files things on etc. |
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Post by brianbutler on May 11, 2023 12:09:05 GMT
Jem, I have used a couple of Topeak phone cases:a loose-fitting Drybag; and the closer-fitting Ridecase, for my ancient iPhone 5s, then iPhone SE (1st gen). Both are available in a range of sizes, and clip onto a handlebar mount and unclip easily for stops at the shop/pub etc. They both allow a limited degree of finger operability through the protective screens, with the Ridecase a little better for that, but the dry bag has a bit more space for a credit card and/or an emergency fiver. I found that using the (admittedly old) phones as 'sat navs' with Map my Ride drained the battery in about an hour. Like Brian, I managed to get my hands on a Garmin 820, which has greater range. Thanks for those Rob...I will mull those over, I am leaning towards that kind of thing. I realised that the problem with the Quad Lock is that if you change your phone, then you need to update the case every time (more £). iPhones seem to be getting a lot better at battery life nowadays and the power packs are getting smaller , so I am confident I can live with that. I don't think I will ever go down the Garmin route as it's yet another thing to have cables for, to charge, , then load files things on etc. This is an interesting topic. A phone has the best user interface and appearance because of its size and screen quality. It connects to the internet or mobile network seamlessly for loading routes and saving rides. Strava, RideWithGPS, and MapMyRide apps put the entire process on the phone. The downsides are battery life and weather vulnerability. To overcome the short battery life, phone-based navigation apps turn off the screen until it is time to notify of a turn. I find this incredibly inconvenient because I am always glancing at the screen to see if it has turned on for a notification. This is partially because of my routing strategy, which I will describe shortly. The weather problem involves waterproofing the phone, which interferes with the visuals and/or user interface.
Dedicated GPS solves the weather problem but provides a limited and often non-intuitive user interface and, as Jem mentioned, requires separate cables, charging, and housekeeping to load routes and store rides. The more sophisticated GPS units (like the Garmin Edge 530) have larger color screens and more features that use batteries faster, so they also blank the screen between turn alerts. It's probably my failing eyesight and increasing inability to do many things at once, but I find the busy color maps and 6 buttons are too much to handle during the portions of a ride when I most need help, and I often accidentally end the route or switch to a screen I don't want, and from which I can't recover without stopping the bike and fiddling with the GPS
I also often use a simple GPS (Garmin Edge 200) that has a small monochrome screen that shows only a breadcrumb route (i.e. no background map) and simple arrow turn indicators (i.e. no street names.) The good news is that the screen stays on all the time and shows the distance to the next turn. The batteries last all day. I have used it on 12-hour rides without recharging. There are a couple of software bugs in this unit that will not be corrected because it is no longer supported by Garmin. I have been looking at a few other breadcrumb GPS's as possible replacements - Xoss Nav, Bryton 420E, Garmin Edge 130.
My routing strategy involves selecting back roads and rail trails that take me where I want to go and avoiding high speed, high traffic roads. I make up routes with RideWithGPS and check road and traffic conditions with the street view feature. The routes often involve a large number of turns to stay on low-traffic (but still paved) roads. Frequently I can even cut the distance by increasing the number of turns by taking shortcuts through parking lots, residential neighborhoods, etc. Because of the frequent turns, I want the GPS visible all the time.
At the moment, my favorite is the breadcrumb GPS. It gives me just enough information to navigate a complicated route successfully and recover from detours and errors. In a pinch I can pull out my phone at look at Google maps. I suspect this strategy works best in areas like mine, where there is a reasonably dense network of paved country roads. It does not work as well in northern New Hampshire, where there are main highways and dirt roads, not much in between. But the main roads there have very little traffic.
Brian
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Jem
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Post by Jem on May 11, 2023 19:06:21 GMT
Brian - interesting points you raise ; I have seen that Quad Lock do a 'poncho' or rain cover for the iPhone, which would negate that one issue, but I take your point about the screen not being on, and then having to 'wake it up' by contact with it being way too much to be viable option. I could pull my iPhone out of my pocket, (and i have done), but it seems like a recipe for dropping before too long. I dont have one, but maybe iWatch users know of a navigation system on them? I use Kamoot and as with all of us, once we get familiar with it, we tend to not want to change to a different system , although I have also used RidewithGpS and liked the web site function to find or create routes on that. I guess they all involve compromises etc. I am not totally against a few more cables and methods and these Wahoo screens quite legible , and the price is dropping as new versions come out. uk.wahoofitness.com/devices/bike-computers/elemnt-roam-buy-v1 |
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Post by wheelson on May 11, 2023 20:55:10 GMT
Thanks for all the info. I currently don’t use a GPS but may consider one. As far as battery life on a cell phone, I’ve considered a couple of options: I suppose the best for really long or extended rides would be a hub lighting system with a USB output. For a low tech version, I’ve considered a 12 VDC bottle generator wired to a auto cigarette lighter socket and a cell phone cable adapter. I have all the components and the Rube Goldberg in says go for it. I’ll keep you posted.
As far as a cell phone holder for the bike, most are good at holding the phone. Some TOO good as Mrs.W likes to take a lot of photos and the one on her bike is a bit difficult to release. I have used an older front handlebar bag with a clear map holder. Still a bit cumbersome it you need to access the phone.
Great topics!
Best,
John “wheelson”
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Post by brianbutler on May 11, 2023 22:33:36 GMT
I should also mention that in RideWithGPS you can add names to the cue sheet that is generated when you lay out a route. These names appear on the breadcrumb navigator, so you essentially have a permanently displayed "next cue entry" with distance to it, plus a breadcrumb trail that shows the shape of the path you are following. As I said, this is just about the amount of information I want and lets me concentrate on cycling and seeing the sights.
I actually record the ride on my phone using the RideWithGPS app because that uses very little battery and makes it trivial to save my ride to the RideWithGPS database, either when I have a WiFi connection or via the mobile network.
Brian
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Post by jazzkifli on May 16, 2023 13:17:34 GMT
I use a similar product like this one. This can be use with multiple smartphone models (along with our beloved case), can easely remove from the handlebar/stem for taking a photo or something else. In my opinion the modern smartphones are waterproof enough to survive a small rain (when it comes a heavy one, I put the device on my pocket. For tracking my activities I use since 2010 Sports Tracker. This can seamlessly work with Apple Watch, but for navigation the watch is not so comfy, I tried that. The watch is intended mostly for the heart rate measuring, I think. Is any platform who we can see each other's ride activies? On the Strava Club I see not so much :-) KR Viktor |
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Jem
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Posts: 3,418
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Post by Jem on May 16, 2023 15:16:00 GMT
I'm now leaning towards something like this Room for keys, maybe an inner tube, and bit of protection for phone. And not too expensive |
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Post by jazzkifli on May 16, 2023 15:18:59 GMT
Yes, this could be a good solution.
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Post by brianbutler on May 16, 2023 20:43:46 GMT
I use a similar product like this one. This can be use with multiple smartphone models (along with our beloved case), can easely remove from the handlebar/stem for taking a photo or something else. In my opinion the modern smartphones are waterproof enough to survive a small rain (when it comes a heavy one, I put the device on my pocket. For tracking my activities I use since 2010 Sports Tracker. This can seamlessly work with Apple Watch, but for navigation the watch is not so comfy, I tried that. The watch is intended mostly for the heart rate measuring, I think. Is any platform who we can see each other's ride activies? On the Strava Club I see not so much :-) KR Viktor Using RideWithGPS, I can "share" a ride or route by clicking a button, which creates a link. For example, here is a link to a ride I took last Friday. It goes from my house to one end of the butt-ugly Central Massachusetts Rail Trail, then round trip on the trail, then home. The little camera icons link to photos I took along the way.
I could make my entire account public but it is full of experimental routes and routine daily rides. I think it is better to share specific rides or routes that might be of interest.
I wish we had a top level thread for ride reports.
Brian
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Post by Admin on May 17, 2023 9:20:13 GMT
"I wish we had a top level thread for ride reports."
I'll have a go at that
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Post by Admin on May 17, 2023 9:23:17 GMT
I think I just made one? I can see it but not sure if it's functional?
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Post by brianbutler on May 17, 2023 10:58:08 GMT
I think I just made one? I can see it but not sure if it's functional? Thank you. I might post a ride later today to test.
Brian
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Jem
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Posts: 3,418
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Post by Jem on May 22, 2023 14:59:33 GMT
I went for this one in the end, and it was a promising start. Nice big pocket for keys and spare tube, and more. Clear screen for the phone. Sturdy enough and held very fast with the velcro. I even had a modification worked out to put a couple of small magnets as fasteners instead of the popper clip, to create 'on the go' easy access. I had a tiny bit of occasional knee knocking on a corner of the bag, but I could live with that. Then , I stood up on a steep hill and my thighs rubbed against the bag. That really put me off. And , as you see in the photo, the screen was literally underneath me, and would have been a bit tricky/dangerous to use for more that a quick glance. You're eyes would be looking down at 90degrees to direction of travel. So, it's gone back. Maybe great for nipping to the shops or gentle leisure ride, but not for anything more (for me anyway). Maybe with a bigger frame, longer top bar it would work?  IMG_4340 by
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Post by brianbutler on May 22, 2023 19:51:09 GMT
Thanks for that info. Good to know.
Brian
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