Luc1f3r

for now my iphone does everything i need it to do when im on the bike and id rather stick with it than a bike computer so my question is 3 parts.

1) what is the best iphone mount, ive broken two already just from road vibrations. durability in staying on the bike is more important to me than waterproofing.

2) are then any kind of plug in kits that will allow the iphone to work with a wheel sensor and give more cycle computer style functions?

3) im using EveryTrail as of now when i ride, suggestions on other iPhone cycle apps to look into?

missingmaine

I too had a problem with mounts, and I am sure there are some great ones out there. But what I found that works for me is the Neoprene type armband case with velcro. Wrap that a few times around the center of the handlebars and it works great. I use cyclemeter as an app. I think its $5, and I love it. I am waiting for Pedal Brain, but I have been waiting for that for over a year.

California Crow

I picked up an "Arkon Bicycle Mount for iPhone" from Amazon several months ago, and it's worked out OK for me thus far. I just checked, and it looks like they've dropped the price considerably since my purchase; It's less than $8 atm. To my mind, it doesn't hold the phone quite as securely as I'd wish, so I always add a little insurance with an extra added rubber band in place. Seems to work, as about three weeks ago I got broadsided by a car running a stop sign. Knocked me complely off the bike, cracked a chainstay, but the mount stayed on the bike, and the iPhone stayed on the mount, and was totally untouched.

gear

1. Biologic bike mount (Amazon.com)

2. Liverider (www.newpotatotech.com/LiveRider/liverider.html), Wahoo Fitness ANT+ (www.wahoofitness.com)

3.The Bike Doctor, Endmondo, Cyclemeter, Cychosis

wandt

I can't help you much on the second two, but the RAM mount is the best one I've used. The problem with the RAM mount is that it's not waterproof. The Biologic 3G mount was a POS, but the 4G model looks better.

This looks promising: https://www.wahoofitness.com/Fisica/W...ensor-Case.asp

gear

Contour is coming out with an app that turns your iphone into a monitor (via bluetooth) for their helmut cam. Mount the iphone on your bars, mount the cam facing backwards and you have the worlds most expensive rear view mirror.

Art_Vandelay

I just ordered the Wahoo Fisica mount today. It includes an ANT+ radio that lets your iPhone talk to a speed/cadence sensor, heart rate monitor, power meter, etc.

Their sensor case is still listed as a pre-order, but I put in the order this morning and got a shipping notification a few hours later.

I'll try to remember to check back in to this thread with my impressions after I get it in and set it up.

One thing that really sold me on it was their Youtube video (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GySix...layer_embedded). Looks like a solid case with a good mounting system as well as good waterproofing. We'll see, I suppose.

I was hoping to get the Pedal Brain system but their website hasn't been update in months, so I suspect that one is vaporware.

tarwheel 

I wouldn't trust any mount with my iPhone. It's too valuable to risk destroying if it fell off or hit something in a spill. Don't you have a bar-mount bike computer?

However, on the same topic, what apps are other iPhone users finding useful for cycling? I downloaded MapMyRide but haven't actually used it yet because I'm afraid it will gobble up too much data (I'm on the basic 200 MB/month plan).

So far, the most useful cycling-related app for me is Lose It!, which tracks my daily calorie intake and exercise. I might actually succeed in losing weight for a change using this app. It is very well designed and easy to use. I've always heard that the best way to lose weight is to record everything you eat, but that is hard to do with just a notepad.

Fredster

I use RunKeeper on my iPhone to track my bike rides, runs and walks. The "pro" version is available for free this month so you might want to give it a try. RunKeeper app uploads data to a website where you can mess around with it. As best I can tell it uses very little "data".

wandt

Any updates?

Art_Vandelay

Yep. Got the Fisica Sensor Case and my speed/cadence sensor in the mail. Even thought it was listed as a pre-order, they shipped it the next day. I believe they're now officially for sale - I must have caught the tail end of the pre-order period. I bought the "bike pack" for $150.

The case and mount seem solid. The mount that goes on the bike is pretty simple, and attaches snugly with two zip ties. It has a rubber backing to keep it from slipping. I put it on my stem and it hasn't slipped or moved on me yet (although I've only had a chance to take it out for one ride so far).

The case itself seems like a good product. They ship it with two rubber inserts, one for the 3G/3GS and one for the iPhone 4. This also means that it's somewhat future-proof, because they could just sell new inserts for the iPhone 5 (unless Apple makes it bigger, which I very much doubt will happen).

The front of the case attaches very firmly with six plastic snap-locks. One drawback here is that since these have molded plastic hinges, I'm not sure what their lifetime will be - possible they could break off after lots of use. Hopefully Wahoo will offer the front face of the case as a spare part.

The waterproofing seal is made between the rubber insert, which has a lip around the edge to make a tight seal with the front face. I haven't actually tested the waterproofing but it looks and feels like a good design. There was a video online of a guy running it under his bathtub faucet.

I'm not too sure about the clear plastic material the screen cover is made of. I think somewhere it said its made of Lexan. It seems to me that it's going to scratch up pretty fast, so I'm not sure how long it will last before it looks like hell. I suppose you could put a screen protector on the outside of it, but that might make the touchscreen even less responsive. The phone does work pretty well through the "built-in" film; it pretty much feels like a thick screen protector so it's not as responsive as the naked phone, but hopefully you're not going to be playing hardcore video games while on the bike anyways.

The case worked perfectly out of the box, and linking the sensor up with the apps that support it is painless. I don't see any issues here. Also, I'm using it on my tandem with the iPhone on the captain's handlebars and the sensor on the rear chainstay, so the range is at least 1-1.5m. There is a Fisica utility app that will give you signal strength, although I haven't checked that.

I've been waiting a long time for an iPhone bike mount that doesn't make me afraid my phone is going to fly off and go skidding across the road. I do think this case is pretty solid in that regard.

Cons:
- The case is pretty chunky

- The current apps don't support landscape mode. I wanted to mount it in landscape on my stem (they have product pics showing this) but it turns out that about the only app that does landscape is this crummy "NC-17" app that doesn't log any data. If I just wanted a bike computer display I'd buy a Cateye. Since the case is pretty chunky, I didn't want to mount it in portrait orientation on my bars beside the stem, but I guess I'll try that.

- Apps aren't great yet. The Fisica Fitness app (from Wahoo) has a cluttered display on-bike, and while it logs data, there's not a good interface to a web or desktop based viewer. You just get the raw data. Good for data geeks, not so good for the other 99.9% of users. iMapMyRide is another option, but the UI seems crummy for on-bike use, I really hate their website will all of the incredibly intrusive ads, and I'm not too keen on paying their monthly fee. There's an app called REK that looks slick but it just came out so it has no reviews, it's $12.99 for the app and the developer website is all in Japanese. I'll wait on that one.

On the plus side for apps, it sounds (and looks, based on the # of supporting apps) like Wahoo is making their API open to any interested developer. Since the hardware just came out, I think the app support will catch up fast. In fact, I think the list of apps that support the Fisica has just about doubled since I ordered my hardware.

- You still have to take your iPhone in and out of the case every time you want to use it. It's not a deal breaker, but it is a little bit of a pain in the ass since you have to take off your normal iPhone case (I use an apple bumper), take apart the fisica case, put in the iphone, snap together the fisica case, mount it on the bike, and put away the other case somewhere where the dog won't eat it.

hammond9705

Nice review. Can you post some pics of it mounted on the bike? It's strange that their web site doesn't show any.

Juha

Excellent.

BarracksSi

You will, believe me. Logging my calories with LoseIt early last year was the only thing I've done that was notably different over the past decade regarding fitness, and I knocked off 30 lbs in six months. I tell everyone about it if they have an iPhone and hope to lose weight.

ZCow

1) I commute with a friend who has the RAM mount found on Amazon. He has NEVER had an issue with it (it isn't waterproof). He rides on both trail and typical roads and it has not slipped off, fell, or anything. It is VERY solid and cheap.

2) I am unsure.

3) I use Endomondo.

muidaq

I also got the Wahoo case/sensor and am quite pleased with it so far, but it hasn't seen any use outside my basement. I looked at all the available apps and found that a combination of the Wahoo app then uploading the data to ridewithgps.com is about the best for me. It's a manual process that requires a stop at your computer, but it works well.

The one feature that's missing from this combo compared to a Garmin 800 is the ability to upload or define routes and follow them on the iPhone. Hopefully someone will be developing that soon.

wandt

I just received a Dahon Iphone 4 mount and it is much improved after the last version.

radumas

I am returning the Dahon Biologic mount for iphone 4.

The mount is to high on the iphone case that the camera is lined up with handlebars. You can't use it for photos/videos. If you turn the handlebar band unit upside down, the camera barely clears the handlebar, but not in landscape mode. Then, if you get it to take the movie, the lens covering plastic warps the picture.

All the secure covering makes it difficult to actually use the enclosed iphone. You have to turn off the light-sensing brightness control to prevent the unit from dimming the screen, and you have to press a control many times until it "takes.".

Net: usability is sacrificed for security.

wandt

I'll take the sacrificed usability for security. I just like to have it when i need it and haven't had trouble with screen fxns. I'll have to check out the camera.

BarracksSi

If it's going to be covered up so much that it's difficult to use, I might as well just keep it in my pocket and not try to mount it on the bars.

trestlehed

I have a couple of homemade Walkman/iPod holders that work great. However, I just found this gadget holder and ordered it out of curiosity.
Very well made and thoughtfully designed. Requires no tools to mount to handlebars. Can be found at Thinkgeek.com
Note: In the picture it doesn't show the 2 fold out arms which support your gadget from the bottom (in conjuction with the 2 side squeeze pads), the pic shows the gadget holder with the 2 bottom support arms folded in/closed. If you click on the "customer action shots" it shows a pic with the bottom support arms folded out.

https://www.thinkgeek.com/gadgets/tra...0ipod%20holder

Here is a pic of my homemade version:

radumas

this makes sense. will get and try with otterbox. oh wait. it looks like it blocks camera.