instock

My phone spins and flips upside-down. How can I hold the phone securely on a mountain bike?

What is the best way to listen to a podcast? My phone isn't loud enough and I'm scared to cover my ears.

rumrunn6

carry mine in a mountain feed bag

AndreyT

Many noise-cancelling BT headphones support "ambient sound" mode, which makes them pick up outside world sounds and reproduce them into your ears simultaneously with the program you are listening to. Such headphones exist in both over-the-ear and sport/in-ear versions. This might be the best (albeit not necessarily the most economical) option for listening to something while riding a bicycle. In my experience it works well, but sometimes tends to overexaggerate some outside sounds to a startling degree. E.g. a sudden motorcycle engine sound might end up being reproduced unexpectedly loudly.

Iride01 

I keep my phone in my back jersey pocket. But I'm not listening to music with it. However if I was, I'd be looking for some wireless BT earbuds with the ambient sound mode that AndreyT mentions. I've been thinking about getting a wireless microphone and ear bud for my phone that will let me communicate with my wife at home or my son riding with me. We use the Zello app to make it behave like a walkie talkie so we can carry on conversations without having to be near each other.

instock

I'd like to be able to have my phone on the bars so I can check my stats and map and music and take dashcam videos. Is this not a thing? I thought I was splurging when I got the $30 gadget recommended by REI, but even that is pretty useless when I start hitting bumps.

https://www.rei.com/product/190138/n...hone-bar-mount

rumrunn6

ZIPP2001 seems very happy with what he uses & he's no stranger to bumps. but he uses a chest mounted gopro for vids, not his phone. so maybe his mount wouldn't be your solution?

noglider 

Yes I’ve had a couple of these. I finally plunked down the “big bucks” on Apple AirPods Pro 2, $230 with the extended warranty. They have a hearing aid mode which was one reason I wanted them. These are the best things I’ve ever owned. They have the transparent mode, and I think I hear conversations on the curb side (while I’m in the street) better than without the earphones. I highly recommend AirPods Pro 2, and this comes from someone who is pathologically frugal.

Iride01 

It's just a matter of what you prefer and what your priorities are.

For me, I want the phone to be with me if I ever get separated from my bike in a crash or some other incident. Also, I can't see the screen of my phone very well at all in the bright daylight that I ride in. Nor would I like my phone to go clattering down the road as it falls off my bike at 20 mph or better and then get run over by another vehicle and smashed to smithereens. But those are my own personal phobias about my phone. If you don't have them and prefer to use your phone then that's okay. Many others do.

You can buy a GPS/cyclometer for pretty cheap now days. They usually have screens that can be seen much easier in the daylight. And they'll last longer on a charge than your phone will. So your phone can be tucked away where ever you feel it safest.

striker65

I use this one, pretty sturdy.
https://www.amazon.com/SUPERONE-Desi...id_rp_0_1_ec_t

john m flores 

Yup. On the bike and the motorcycle I keep my active phone on my person and my old phone (no contract, just wifi) on the bike. I use QuadLock.

zanq

I have been looking at QuadLock as well with the "Out Front Mount".

john m flores 

I standardized on QuadLock for all my bicycles and motorcycles about 4 years ago. It's a solid mount with lots of different mounting options. I bought a waterproof Punk Case for one of my old phones and stuck a QuadLock mount on it. It's my primary GPS. I also have a QuadLock case on my current phone. And mounts for multiple motorcycles and multiple bicycles.

There's been new alternatives launched since then but I'm too far invested right now lol.

instock

Interesting. I could do that. I guess you set your active phone as a hotspot?

john m flores 

No. I typically download maps and routes (OSMand) and music (YouTube Music) to my old phone when I'm home and have wifi. When I'm on the road, I turn wifi off to extend battery life. On the motorcycle, I keep Bluetooth on and play music to my comms system.

liwhitehat

I use this:

https://www.amazon.com/stores/page/0...e&ref_=ast_bln
Solid metal construction, and note how the side tabs are curved to prevent your phone from escaping when you hit a bump.

For podcasts, phone calls, and listening to Cyclemeter progress reports, I use the PLT-5200. The ear piece is ON ear, not IN ear, so there's no interference with ambient sound. The outbound noise reduction is excellent on phone calls, especially wind noise attenuation, so your callers can hear you clearly, even when riding. Not for music, though, unless you long for the days of the sound of an AM pocket radio.

hopperja

I use Hondo Garage's Perfect Squeeze for dirt biking. I've never heard of, experienced, or read any negative experiences with the Perfect Squeeze. I've ridden some very rough trails with a nav phone mounted, and it's never failed.