spelger

That is normally what I do. With Siri i only need to speak and it works well. my phone mount recently end of lifed on me. Looking for a new one of those too.

spelger

Gee, thanks. I'll be sure to keep that in mind.

DrIsotope

I'd like to start this post to advise the safety-nannies to kindly keep their OT remarks to themselves. The OP didn't ask for safety lectures, he asked what kinds of cases people use.

I have an iPhone8 and use whatever sub-$20 waterproof case I find on Amazon. They usually last 6-7 months before the screen protector is thoroughly scratched up, and I replace it with another one. Phone gets dropped more often than I'd like and gets heavily sweated on in a jersey pocket 12+ hours a week, so waterproof is the only type of case I'll consider. Ziploc bags are for sammitches.

MikeyMK

Serious lack of waterproof phones in the thread. I've been using waterproof phones for years.


My current HTC is in a thin gel case. It's protected if I drop it. Don't use it whilst riding but I do pull up and use it whilst stood over the bike away from a road (I don't use roads so this is a default situ anyway).

Brocephus

I'm one of those neanderthals that uses an old-school flip-phone. Every couple years or so, I'll grab a fresh one off ebay, cram it full of Page Plus minutes, and voila! I got me a phone, that functions
perfectly simply as......(wait for it....) ......a phone !
And it doesn't cost a bundle.
I keep it in a (also old-school) neoprene holster, which seems to protect it from most falls, and all but a real drenching. If I'm wrong, I go to ebay, lather,rinse,repeat.
If i expect rain, I usually stay in my corner of the county, but will toss it in a zip-lock.
But, I never mess with it while riding (hell, I don't even have it turned on most of the time! ) and I don't think it's ever come close to falling out of my jersey pocket.

GlennR

I resemble that remark.

beach_cycle

I use a silicone gel case; my phone is too thin and slick, so the case allows a snug grip. And dropped phone, so case protects too... but allows easy use while on most of the time (unless in VR goggles). My phone is also *68 waterproof, so no worries about the open parts (screen, ports...) My bike computer is a GPS app in the phone, so that is always running on rides, but tucked away and reviewed after rides. I use a Bluetooth headset for music and occasional navigation - sound directly in one ear helps me hear over noisy urban traffic. And a touch of a button on my headset activates voice commands, when needed.

canklecat

Your anti-nannitism has triggered my latent nannyism.

gnappi

Not in a pant pocket for sure, I keep my main phone zipped in a frame bag daytime when I can see my cycle computer, at night my main phone is in a very secure handlebar mounted RAM mount running a cycle computer app.

If I go down during the night the last thing on my mind is the condition of my phone running the app... unless I need to dial for an ambulance, then I hope my spare tracfone which is stuffed in the frame bag survived :-)

veganbikes

I have used a Lifeproof for years on my tablet and my phone and no issuses and a lot of abuse. I don't like cracked screens or having to worry about weather so a Lifeproof just made sense. I have the Nuud on my phone and the Fré on my tablet and have no interest in going back to no protection.

I don't recommend using a phone with your hands while riding unless in an emergency. Distracted driving is just a bad idea all around and if we heard about someone doing it in their car we would be outraged.

OldTryGuy

Don't need no stinking Ziploc or Otterbox, cause I got this >>>

https://www.kyoceramobile.com/duraxv-lte/

hillyman

Not sure what case to get. I've been using the Quad Lock system but just got a Pixel 3xl and of course QL doesn't make a case for it. Ordered the QL universal adapter but not wild about idea of my phone held in on to a movimg bike that has a glued on adapter.
Going for rides in places I've never been before sometimes takes my bike GPS and maps on my phone to get back to my truck easily.
Ordered about 3 different cases to try.

Last ride 76 

Really? Aiming for a cell phone in the road is ok? The driver's behavior is not worthy of comment?

OP, I'm sorry that some jerk thought it was cool to run over your phone. That's a pretty crappy thing to do. Glad it survived.

I figure the OP knows his part in this. If not, I'll join the rest of you in the criticism, 2nd time 'round.
Not this one. I make too many mistakes of my own.

seamuis

Not surprised by the motorists actions, in the slightest. I don’t use a case, never have. I will say that my current phone (iPhone 7 plus) has proved incredibly robust and it literally has the scratches and even road rash to prove it, and not A single issue that isn’t cosmetic. Had the battery replaced in December of last year, and it’s humming along brilliantly. Currently using the public iOS 13 beta. When I’m riding I keep the phone in my pocket and it’s the only time I wear my Apple Watch, which is what I use to answer calls, texts, etc. (I wear a mechanical watch, which I prefer) but on the bike, the Apple Watch is the perfect companion because I don’t use a bike computer.

i have no problem endorsing the use of hefty cases, and the argument about your phone possibly being a lifeline is an important one. So chiding the use of these cases is as foolish as trying to use your phone while riding. The only thing I use day to day with my phone when I’m not wearing the Apple Watch, is a thin leather sleeve to protect the screen from scratches and drops. It has worked brilliantly and I get to handle the phone in its bare form when using. I don’t even use a screen protector. I also have insurance and my phone plan has phone replacement program, even from damage that’s self-caused. I own my phone though, so it’s not the phone companies.

long story short, in the 21st century, it’s much better to use some type of hands free device while riding than relying on over priced pieces of chunky plastic and rubber. But such cases absolutely have their uses.

no motor?

I use a Ringke case. The phone goes in a soft case that goes in my rack trunk.

79pmooney

I use small phones that fit inside the cloth folding wallets with Velco after I modify them with wider Velcro. The cloth wallet doesn't come out of my jersey pocket and I figure the odds are excellent that the phone will still be working after a crash (when I might really need it).

Ben

Last ride 76 

. I don’t use a case, never have. I will say that my current phone (iPhone 7 plus) has proved incredibly robust and it literally has the scratches and even road rash to prove it, and not A single issue that isn’t cosmetic. Had the battery replaced in December of last year, and it’s humming along brilliantly. Currently using the public iOS 13 beta. When I’m riding I keep the phone in my pocket and it’s the only time I wear my Apple Watch, which is what I use to answer calls, texts, etc. (I wear a mechanical watch, which I prefer) but on the bike, the Apple Watch is the perfect companion because I don’t use a bike computer.

i have no problem endorsing the use of hefty cases, and the argument about your phone possibly being a lifeline is an important one. So chiding the use of these cases is as foolish as trying to use your phone while riding. The only thing I use day to day with my phone when I’m not wearing the Apple Watch, is a thin leather sleeve to protect the screen from scratches and drops. It has worked brilliantly and I get to handle the phone in its bare form when using. I don’t even use a screen protector. I also have insurance and my phone plan has phone replacement program, even from damage that’s self-caused. I own my phone though, so it’s not the phone companies.

long story short, in the 21st century, it’s much better to use some type of hands free device while riding than relying on over priced pieces of chunky plastic and rubber. But such cases absolutely have their uses.[/QUOTE]

Last ride 76 

You see someone causing a stranger on the side of the road a financial loss likely to be between $200 and $600 completely unremarkable?
Someone driving through a puddle on purpose and showering me with water...sure it's happened, and I comprehend the nature of the prank. Running over my phone, especially in front of me, not so much.

bikecrate

I got a cheap Amazon knock off phone cover. It would probably give some protection if I dropped it, but it is waterproof which is important in FL rain storms.

seamuis

Yes. Likely $600-1000+ Is more accurate though. As a full time commuter, the number of times I’ve seen and personally experienced motorists carelessly putting cyclist and pedestrians lives in danger, running over someone’s phone is easily believable. The monetary value of the phone isn’t even relevant. Unless the cyclist has bike mounted cameras, or quick reflexes and a good memory, they won’t have anyway to identify the assailant, so it’s a pretty easy crime to likely get away with. Now think how often careless motorists have injured or killed cyclists with hardly any consequence. Is it really that hard to believe?

canklecat

After watching a fellow crash hard and suffer shock and a concussion the other day during a group ride, I'm reconsidering my emergency phone approach. His phone was on a decent mount, but went flying anyway and was about 20 yards away. He was collapsed in a helpless heap, groaning in agony and confusion. Luckily we were accompanied by emergency responders, so help was there within one minute. But that's seldom the case with most group rides I attend.

I'd already decided the best place for a phone is on my person, where I can reach it in case I'm separated from my bike -- which is likely during a crash.

But my own injury last year (I was hit by a car) revealed some problems with that strategy. My right shoulder was broken and separated. If I'd carried my phone in my right jersey pocket I could not have reached it. It's only a fortunate coincidence that I use the left jersey pocket, or left pocket of my baggy shorts on casual rides. It could just as easily have been a debilitating injury to my left arm.

I'm strongly considering a more current flip phone with some smart features, notably voice recognition from the locked mode so I can call for help if I can't reach my phone.

My smartphones can already do this, but there are limitations.

For example, I have an older but still useful iPhone 4s. But Siri is basically crippled by the cheap FreedomPop VOIP phone/data plan I use. Siri and voice dialing work only with the iPhone's native dialer, which is bypassed by FreedomPop's own dialer app.

My newer Android phone has access to all of Google's goodies, but the microphone and speaker are so feeble I can seldom get reliable voice command recognition unless I'm using a headset. And I can barely hear the phone over wind noise while riding.

I wouldn't worry about it if I mostly rode in groups and/or in more public locations. But I ride a lot at night in rural areas where I might not see another vehicle for an hour or more. Besides improved safety, a better plan might save me some money on emergency transportation costs that aren't covered by insurance.

RidingMatthew

I have had two cheap cases from amazon on two different iPhones. They have worked well. I have tech armor glass on the second and it in pristine condition. For riding, I either put the phone in a top tube bag but usually for commuting I used to put in a Ziploc bag in the back pocket. I have a friend who is a peak endurance coach and he gave me this nice bag but it is hard to use my fingerprint to unlock it which is a bummer.

I used to put the phone in the pannier but I had a woman stop me on the street saying she was about to have a seizure. I stood with her but wanted to call 911 and couldn't get my phone out easily.

no motor?

I thought I was going to see this tested on my way to work Tuesday. The last half block of my commute in is on the sidewalk instead of trying to cut across 4 lanes of traffic moving at ~35 MPH and there was a kid wobbling towards me on 2 wheels utterly fascinated by the phone in his hand. I moved to a parking lot instead of the sidewalk and he looked up in time to avoid riding into anything, but not by much.