Quad locks.

[november4]

Quad locks are great

I don't use a bike computer, use phone for everything, ridewithgps.com, radar, podcasts. The battery lasts longer than my bum can.

 

[Bristolian]

When I got back into cycling I bought a phone holder from Amazon (other retailers are available) and it was really good until the first time I fell off when it ejected the phone onto the pavement. Fortunately, the phone still worked but had a nasty crack across the screen so I took it to the local repair shop to have it replaced. The guy in the store asked how it had happened and when I told him he said that mobile phones don't like to be continuously vibrated and showed me an iPhone 13 that had literally fallen to pieces inside due to being used as a bike computer - virtually all of the internal components had detached from the circuit board. I now use a Garmin 530!

 

[the_mikey]

Just use a bike computer, they generally don't go smash, they're designed to be shaken around and exposed to the elements, save your phone for when you actually need your phone.

 

[icowden]

Just use a bike computer, they generally don't go smash, they're designed to be shaken around and exposed to the elements, save your phone for when you actually need your phone.

The only problem with that is that I agree with the OP, Bike computers tend to be shockingly badly designed from an end user point of view. If you like fartarsing with cables and drivers and trying to GPX files on the thing, they are great. Compared with just loading a route on Strava or plotting one with google maps, they tend to be massively more complicated. Hence I just use the phone but inside a see-through handlebar case.

 

[the_mikey]

If you like fartarsing with cables and drivers and trying to GPX files on the thing, they are great.

Don't need a PC these days, no cables or drivers, other than a charging cable. If I want a route on my Wahoo, I create it in Strava, then it appears on my Wahoo.

 

[icowden]

Don't need a PC these days, no cables or drivers, other than a charging cable. If I want a route on my Wahoo, I create it in Strava, then it appears on my Wahoo.

Out of interest, which Wahoo are you using?

 

[Dogtrousers]

Don't need a PC these days, no cables or drivers, other than a charging cable. If I want a route on my Wahoo, I create it in Strava, then it appears on my Wahoo.

Indeed, the good old days of special cables, driver downloads and utilities like GPSbabel are long gone, even for us dinosaur Garmin users.

Back on topic: One case where the phone did win was when I was touring with a friend a couple of years ago. He was in charge of navigation, using his GPS (I don't know what kind). But if ever we went off track, either accidentally or because we diverted for lunch or something, then to get back on track he used his phone (in his handlebar bag) using Google Maps with voice prompts.

 

[the_mikey]

Out of interest, which Wahoo are you using?

I'm using a Wahoo Bolt, but a Roam would give you a colour screen and more memory.

 

[OldShep]

Two principle advantages of maps; the can't lose signal, no matter where you are and I've yet to have a map with a flat battery - !

The biggest disadvantage with paper maps IMO they are useless if you don’t know where you are on it. Open your phone and see your blue dot location and you can't go wrong. OK some people can.
I’ve yet to experience a flat battery.
Quad locks are great btw it’s the only thing I trust my iPhone to. It’s safer than my pocket.

 

[bobzmyunkle]

Maps, phones, Garmin, wahoo?
I'll be off on my hols tomorrow. Routes on the Garmin, maps in the pannier for backup/evening orientation. And a decathlon phone holder which attaches to the Garmin mount. Used for navigation with Google maps to campsite/hotel at end of day. I bought the phone mount after realising the limitations of Google maps with voice prompt in my shirt pocket.
Works for me.
Routes are on my phone and appear on the Garmin almost by magic when needed.

 

[Cathryn]

To answer your question, I have a Quad lock that I have used a few times but I have had for a few months. The part that goes on the back of the phone is not an irritant when using or carrying the phone in a pocket. The size of the bar attachment is OK. I have a bit of a problem getting the phone to line up when attaching the phone to the part on the Quad Lock holder. Once attached it has been very secure.

I have had a brief conversation with a touring cyclist about his Q Lock. It was still working after several thousand miles but he was concern about its current stability. I really do not know how rough he was on it but I am fairly certain it had all day daily use. I do not know if he was removing/replacing the phone more than once daily. I had already purchased mine but was glad to hear his report.

I would fully agree with this. I like mine and have had no problems although attaching it can be tricky at times. And I just thought last week that the bike attachment was getting a little loose but I use it hard!

 

[fossyant]

Quad locks are great

I don't use a bike computer, use phone for everything, ridewithgps.com, radar, podcasts. The battery lasts longer than my bum can.

If you are prone to detatching yourself from your bike regular (like me - i.e. crashing) or do rough stuff, and possibly have a posh phone, stick it somewhere safe. I've a good Samsung, always have, so tuck it away - also potential issues with damaging the zoom camera lens on the newer phones if you are on really rough tracks etc.

As said earlier, I picked a Garmin 520/530 out of the mud after a friend stacked his MTB - literally over the bars - a phone would be dead. I was impressed !

If you aren't going to fall off, then a quad lock is brilliant ! My BIL loves his.

 

[Scotchlovingcylist]

My Garmin is worth alot more monetarily than my phone, yet I'm more precious about the phone oddly, probably because its a staple for effective living nowadays with everything being driven through it amd would be a pain to lose/break.
Agree with others that route planning is easy enough nowadays on devices but can't beat Google maps if properly lost.
My phone will probably get shaken around more in a bar bag than the garmin on the handlebars and is still going strong 4 years in so dont think that's a major issue.
If the main issue is learning how to upload maps to the wahoo I'd stick with that as you already have the mount for it and still have a phone as backup.
On a side note komoot is great for hiking, I use it alot and easy enough to send routes to a garmin for cycling, I assume wahoo would be just as easy.
Keep the phone battery for emergencies, pub searching, beautiful photos of your extended rides.

 

[Scott addict]

Out of interest, which Wahoo are you using?

Wahoo element bolt

 

[Jameshow]

Yes, figuring out how to upload to the Wahoo probably should be first choice. I've seen mixed reviews, though.


Yes, OSMand has got too big and the interface is too complicated, but it might work for some people. I've switched to Pocketmaps for creating routes on the phone quickly, but it's rather simplistic and not as flexible/powerful as OSMand (no waypoints or banned roads, for example). The ones I'd not recommend are Google and Komoot because I've seen them make seriously bad decisions. Cyclestreets is probably another route plotting site to mention as a possibility, with its three profiles giving options.

Most of the time, I create routes on cycle.travel, then send them to my phone where I use them as a line on a map on AAT (Another Activity Tracker). Pocketmaps should gain the ability to import routes in the next version but nobody really knows when. The phone is strapped to the stem in a padded waterproof case like https://www.decathlon.co.uk/p/500-cycling-smartphone-holder/_/R-p-168764?mc=8385553&c=black but I'd probably use a cycling computer if I had one. I've just never quite seen enough benefit over a phone.

Google's never made bad decisions for me! except when I'm knackered and or dark over a mountain path or in the dark!!

I use Google alot and it's generally ok but I'm a fairly confident road rider.