scotsbikester
Well-Known Member
I investigated these, then bought and used several. So have some "hands on" advice to offer. My experience is based upon the iPhone 6s and 7, which are very nearly identical, physically. More of that later. My bike is a drop bar road bike, I ride 99% on tarmac. I'm a leisure cyclist my average speed is 11mph.
There are a couple of things I think you should consider first:
1. You say that the a waterproof case is important. Are you sure about that? Many smartphones now are already waterproof, or at least resistant. One of my reasons for upgrading from an iPhone 6s to 7 is that the 7 is waterproof. It has been in the occasional shower and suffered no ill effects. If you want a waterproof case it means you have to have a completely enclosed case, which makes a huge difference.
2. Do you intend to use the phone as a normal phone when not cycling? In which case you need to think about whether you want to faff of putting it in the case, then removing it, at the start and finish of rides. It may not sound like much, but I soon got tired of it. Some cases, as below, can be left on all the time.
So here we go with cases and mounts I've actually bought and used.
SP-Connect - https://sp-connect.com/ I got a bundle which included several different mounts and a silicon rain cover, and the actual phone case itself. This is the case I settled on, and I use it all the time.
1. The case has no cover, in normal use, for the screen. So the screen isn't protected, either from knocks or rain. But the lip of the cover does mean that if you put if down flat on a a table, the screen doesn't make contact.
2. The mounting mechanism on the back of the case is completely flush with the case itself, extremely low profile. The case adds very little extra depth to the phone. I leave the case on all the time. It slips into a jacket pocket, trouser pocket etc. just fine.
3. When I say "slips in" that doesn't imply it's shiny or smooth. It's an almost perfect mixture of smoothness but with some slightly grippy texture to avoid dropping. I think it's a silicon type material.
4. The mount is fine. The one I have is on the bars, though there's a stem cap one too. Mine is a little "on top" of the bars. They do an "out front" mount too, which I might buy to free up space on the bars a little. The mounting mechanism, in terms of on/off movement is super easy. I very occasionally miss the initial engagement, which means that the fitting on the back of the phone is out of line and I have to reset it, which can be slightly fiddly, but it's not biggy. Once you get the hang it's dead easy. The phone/mount combo feels pretty secure. The phone has never detached itself accidentally, though to be fair I don't do mountain biking or any rough stuff. I have only had one "off" since I've been using it (failure to unclip!) and the phone stayed on.
5. Supplied with the phone (at least with my bundle) was a clear silicone weather cover. It is very tight to get on, but it will stop the phone getting wet, I imagine even in a downpour. The clever thing about the SP Connect case for my model of phone is that the same case works for the iphone 6s and the 7 as they are practically identical, except for slightly different cameras, which the case accommodates. However, I found that though the iPhone 6s worked fine with the weather cover on, the iPhone 7 is not quite as good. The home button doesn't seem to work. But, the reason I got the 7 was because it's waterproof, so that obviates the need for the weather cover, which I haven't used for months, probably years. In fact, where is it?
6. There are various mounts for attaching the phone in the car etc. So you can leave the same case on, and just attach it to whatever you want.
*************************************************************************
Next up, the Topeak Ridecase - https://www.topeak.com/global/en/products/64-RideCase These are excellent. Really really tough and well thought out, like so much of Topeak's stuff.
1. The case itself is super tough. It completely encloses the phone. There is a gasket sealing the two halves, and they even supply a little sachet of some sort of lube to make sure the gasket is waterproof. They even supply a little grommet thing which goes around a charging cable so that that you can charge it while using it, and the charging port is (supposedly) waterproof. But it's a big lump. The phone works fine while in the case, as does the touch screen, but if you were to leave it in there all the time you're carting a big lump around. The look and the weight of it says more "builder up a scaffold" or "SAS on manoeuvres" than "smooth seducer in a wine bar". It's quite hard to separate the two halves to open it, presumably it's a good seal. But frequent opening and closing would be a pain.
2. The mount is really good. Very well made, all metal, adaptable for angle. The way the case attaches to the mount feels ultra secure. The SP Connect above has never disconnected, but this Topeak feels even more secure, as a mounting mechanism. There are bar and stem top mounts, I remember.
If I were planning a world tour to places with unknown conditions and weather, and it was essential the phone were safe, I'd use this.
*************************************************************************
Next up, the Topeak Smartphone drybag - https://www.topeak.com/global/en/product/1090-SMARTPHONE-DRYBAG
This uses the same mount as the Topeak Ridecase above. So secure on the bike. You can probably see from the photo it's a relatively unsophisticated thing. A bag. A very glorified bag, but still a bag. The phone still works in it, I just tried - somehow they've come up with plastic which transfers your finger movement through to the screen. There's a window for the camera, but no hole to charge it on the go. The closing mechanism is like one of those bags your squeeze together, then it rolls over several times. I'm sure it would be waterproof on the bike. Maybe not if you dropped it in a lake.
*************************************************************************
Not a phone mount as such, but I have one, so thought I'd mention this - https://www.catalystlifestyle.com/c...yst-case-for-iphone-6s?variant=32329221734509
I have one for the iPhone 6s, and these you CAN drop in a lake. Or to be more precise, the Atlantic ocean off the Outer Hebrides. My daughter wanted to do some underwater filming, and she did it with my iPhone inside this. Not a drop of water got inside. And for a fully enclosed case it's not too ugly. Although the company do lots of different cases, they don't seem to make a matching bike mount. But there are lots of generic rubber band type mounts available.
Hope some of this helps.
There are a couple of things I think you should consider first:
1. You say that the a waterproof case is important. Are you sure about that? Many smartphones now are already waterproof, or at least resistant. One of my reasons for upgrading from an iPhone 6s to 7 is that the 7 is waterproof. It has been in the occasional shower and suffered no ill effects. If you want a waterproof case it means you have to have a completely enclosed case, which makes a huge difference.
2. Do you intend to use the phone as a normal phone when not cycling? In which case you need to think about whether you want to faff of putting it in the case, then removing it, at the start and finish of rides. It may not sound like much, but I soon got tired of it. Some cases, as below, can be left on all the time.
So here we go with cases and mounts I've actually bought and used.
SP-Connect - https://sp-connect.com/ I got a bundle which included several different mounts and a silicon rain cover, and the actual phone case itself. This is the case I settled on, and I use it all the time.
1. The case has no cover, in normal use, for the screen. So the screen isn't protected, either from knocks or rain. But the lip of the cover does mean that if you put if down flat on a a table, the screen doesn't make contact.
2. The mounting mechanism on the back of the case is completely flush with the case itself, extremely low profile. The case adds very little extra depth to the phone. I leave the case on all the time. It slips into a jacket pocket, trouser pocket etc. just fine.
3. When I say "slips in" that doesn't imply it's shiny or smooth. It's an almost perfect mixture of smoothness but with some slightly grippy texture to avoid dropping. I think it's a silicon type material.
4. The mount is fine. The one I have is on the bars, though there's a stem cap one too. Mine is a little "on top" of the bars. They do an "out front" mount too, which I might buy to free up space on the bars a little. The mounting mechanism, in terms of on/off movement is super easy. I very occasionally miss the initial engagement, which means that the fitting on the back of the phone is out of line and I have to reset it, which can be slightly fiddly, but it's not biggy. Once you get the hang it's dead easy. The phone/mount combo feels pretty secure. The phone has never detached itself accidentally, though to be fair I don't do mountain biking or any rough stuff. I have only had one "off" since I've been using it (failure to unclip!) and the phone stayed on.
5. Supplied with the phone (at least with my bundle) was a clear silicone weather cover. It is very tight to get on, but it will stop the phone getting wet, I imagine even in a downpour. The clever thing about the SP Connect case for my model of phone is that the same case works for the iphone 6s and the 7 as they are practically identical, except for slightly different cameras, which the case accommodates. However, I found that though the iPhone 6s worked fine with the weather cover on, the iPhone 7 is not quite as good. The home button doesn't seem to work. But, the reason I got the 7 was because it's waterproof, so that obviates the need for the weather cover, which I haven't used for months, probably years. In fact, where is it?
6. There are various mounts for attaching the phone in the car etc. So you can leave the same case on, and just attach it to whatever you want.
*************************************************************************
Next up, the Topeak Ridecase - https://www.topeak.com/global/en/products/64-RideCase These are excellent. Really really tough and well thought out, like so much of Topeak's stuff.
1. The case itself is super tough. It completely encloses the phone. There is a gasket sealing the two halves, and they even supply a little sachet of some sort of lube to make sure the gasket is waterproof. They even supply a little grommet thing which goes around a charging cable so that that you can charge it while using it, and the charging port is (supposedly) waterproof. But it's a big lump. The phone works fine while in the case, as does the touch screen, but if you were to leave it in there all the time you're carting a big lump around. The look and the weight of it says more "builder up a scaffold" or "SAS on manoeuvres" than "smooth seducer in a wine bar". It's quite hard to separate the two halves to open it, presumably it's a good seal. But frequent opening and closing would be a pain.
2. The mount is really good. Very well made, all metal, adaptable for angle. The way the case attaches to the mount feels ultra secure. The SP Connect above has never disconnected, but this Topeak feels even more secure, as a mounting mechanism. There are bar and stem top mounts, I remember.
If I were planning a world tour to places with unknown conditions and weather, and it was essential the phone were safe, I'd use this.
*************************************************************************
Next up, the Topeak Smartphone drybag - https://www.topeak.com/global/en/product/1090-SMARTPHONE-DRYBAG
This uses the same mount as the Topeak Ridecase above. So secure on the bike. You can probably see from the photo it's a relatively unsophisticated thing. A bag. A very glorified bag, but still a bag. The phone still works in it, I just tried - somehow they've come up with plastic which transfers your finger movement through to the screen. There's a window for the camera, but no hole to charge it on the go. The closing mechanism is like one of those bags your squeeze together, then it rolls over several times. I'm sure it would be waterproof on the bike. Maybe not if you dropped it in a lake.
*************************************************************************
Not a phone mount as such, but I have one, so thought I'd mention this - https://www.catalystlifestyle.com/c...yst-case-for-iphone-6s?variant=32329221734509
I have one for the iPhone 6s, and these you CAN drop in a lake. Or to be more precise, the Atlantic ocean off the Outer Hebrides. My daughter wanted to do some underwater filming, and she did it with my iPhone inside this. Not a drop of water got inside. And for a fully enclosed case it's not too ugly. Although the company do lots of different cases, they don't seem to make a matching bike mount. But there are lots of generic rubber band type mounts available.
Hope some of this helps.
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