mschwett 

picked up a one piece carbon cockpit for my bike, which feels great, super light, love it. the bar is tapered and the stem isn't perfectly round, making it awkward to use the quad-lock out front mount i had used before (i had used it flipped around, positioning the phone right over the stem.)

the bar has a 4mm threaded insert in the front center, pointed slightly down, for roval/specialized's out front computer mount. anyone have any experience/idea how strong these things are? because of the position, it'll see a bit of rotational force from the weight of the phone bouncing around, which is obviously quite a bit heavier than most cycling computers.

i 3d printed a couple variations on an arm that attaches to the socket and positions the quad lock lever/mount where i want it on the bike. works very well, maybe a tiny bit bouncier than the quad-lock native "out front" mount, but that's as much a limitation of the quick 3d prints i made myself as the design, i think. i added a roughly 1" diameter curved section which matches the bar and has VHB tape adhering it to the bar to dampen any rotation that the movement of the phone would put into the mount.

feels solid, but i'm worried that this little M4 socket is not designed for more than the ±150g weight of the largest cycling computer. an iphone 12 pro max weighs 240g.

some images for reference. (there are two different versions shown here; the latest version is the one with the flattened curve at the bar interface, but it didn't fit quite right. when i get it just the way i want it, i'll likely slim it down by 20 or 30 percent and print it in aluminum (at a much higher resolution) instead of nylon.

Maelochs

Apparently you updated the thread by adding picas and erased my response. Ugh.

I think I said something like: A rubber strap at perpendicular to the stem as far back as possible on the mount should minimize fore/aft vibration.

If you chose you could add a grooved tab to the back of the mount and run a thick rubber strap over that, to have the greatest area of pressure holding the mount to the stem.

Alternately, you could mill a slot in the mount and use a zip-tie or even an automobile hose clamp.

If I had the CAD skills and machinery, I would add an extension on the back of the mount, and either slot or groove it, and use a thick rubber band to hold it down.

I would also add a piece of inner tube (one layer) under the whole mount to dampen vibration and prevent scratching.

WhyFi

I don't know that I'd be terribly concerned, I wouldn't be surprised if the mounting point is built to accommodate an out-front combo mount for both a computer and headlight, but having a big honkin' phone strapped to high-zoot bars is incongruous to me.

Mojo31

If it is a threaded metal insert embedded in the carbon, then it is likely epoxied in place and pretty strong. Of course, that depends on the thickness of the carbon in which the insert is embedded to some degree, and whether they used a Rivnut or just simply glued in an insert. If a Rivnut, you should be fine.

mschwett 

thanks all.

Maelochs unless you posted about 5 seconds after i made the thread, i didn’t edit it. wierd. BF gremlins?

i put some electrical tape under the nut just in case it bounces enough to contact the stem - i don’t think it move that much in this iteration. some kind of strap there is a good idea, it just doesn’t look great. but maybe a good idea for gravel rides. i think i’ll add an upward hook on each side which would allow one of those cylindrical black rubber bands that come with the mounts to be stretched over the stem and hooks. otherwise it’d be a PITA to get something over the whole assembly.

Mojo31 you can see a heavy 1/8” or so of carbon through the hole before the threads start. but, no idea how it’s attached or what the little nut actually is.

i agree it’s a little funny to put a phone that weighs as much as the entire bar on the bar; but for me it’s either have my phone handy at all times or don’t ever ride. i actually like the way it looks attached - you can’t see any of the mounting hardware at all, it just floats above the stem.

WhyFi

That's what jersey pockets are for.

mschwett 

you can’t see the screen back there to know which of the constant stream of texts / slacks / calls / emails are truly urgent, and which can wait until the ride is over. that’s what works for me about the screen up front, phone stays on silent, in my riding app, and i can just glance at the notifications as they roll through, ignoring 95% of them.

WhyFi

Okay, but any decent cycling computer is linked to your phone, with notifications being passed through, and everybody else is in the same boat of wanting to be on top of truly urgent situations.

mschwett 

sure, but then i have a cycling computer and a phone! strongly prefer only one, and although you can see the notification (can you see all of them?) i don’t think you can actually do anything about them, e.g. send a quick slack at a stoplight without digging the phone out.

the situation has gotten much worse post-covid, with kids needing to be fetched from schools at the first sign of a sniffle in their cohort, everyone “working” from home and relying exclusively on slack and zoom, etc.

some of the newer computers looks pretty interesting, i might try one again someday, but it’d have to be pretty special to convince me to take two devices on my ride.

SoSmellyAir

My sentiments exactly.

As a fellow owner of a half pound iPhone 12 Pro Max, I think you are rightfully worried about the integrity of the Roval threaded insert. You may want to consider a mount that attaches to the top cap:

Amazon.com: Rokform - Bike Mount, Adjustable Bicycle Phone Holder Fits Any Road or Mountain Bike with 1-1/8" Threadless Steer Tube, Compatible with Rokform Twist Lock Cases and Accessories (Black) : Sports & Outdoors

mschwett 

unfortunately (or fortunately!) the bike has a future shock, so the top cap isn’t a top cap, it’s the little dial that adjusts the shock 🤨

WhyFi

Yeah, you'd have both - a cycling computer that does a better job as a cycling computer and a phone that's reserved for phone stuff - and the pros/cons have been re-hashed enough times on the road forum; we don't need to go over them again, but feel free to look 'em up. Suffice to say that there are a lot of good reasons that dedicated computers exist and you'll probably find some of them yourself, as your cycling habits change.

Also, and I mean no offense, but I take it that you haven't ridden with a proper fitting jersey? Getting a phone out isn't an onerous task, and I'd hardly describe it as "digging."

At the end of the day, you do you, but you're looking for an inelegant (IMO) solution to a problem that many have already solved.

mschwett 

yep, i’ve read all the debates. i’m open to trying a computer again at some point, but the convenience of having my primary device right there in front of me at all times to look at, or not, is just a huge advantage for me. since my bike transmits all the “bike computer” type data (power, cadence, speed, etc) via bluetooth to the phone app, and i don’t ride in the rain… the advantages of the computer end up relatively few, again, for my particular use case. leaving the phone at home and riding just with an apple watch and a bike computer would be interesting.

i didn’t mean to imply that it was hard to remove a phone from a jersey pocket. i meant that it takes a lot longer and takes way more control away from the bars than just tapping “decline” on a device which is solidly mounted to the bike. my level of skill certainly doesn’t allow taking the phone out and looking at it / using it while riding if it’s not attached to the bike.

WhyFi

You can dismiss calls/texts/messages/emails on cycling computers. You can also quick reply to many of those prompts. And, really, taking a hand off of the bars should be a non-issue the vast majority of the time; if that's a problem, it might point at a fit/weight distribution issue.

mschwett 

do you know if that applies to all the various apps that send notifications? (slack, iMessage, gmail, gVoice, gCal, whatsapp, telegram…) that would be a big plus.

i’ve no problem taking a hand off the bar when needed, to take a picture or grab a drink or bar or whatnot; but i don’t want to be doing it every few minutes to actually use my phone. sudden need to put hands on bar/brakes = dropped phone!

WhyFi

I only use the standard Android messaging app and WhatsApp, Garmin works for both of those. You'd have to look through app compatibility for the others.

Oh, and you can get Facebook notifications, too. I shut that **** off as soon they started popping up.

SoSmellyAir

Oh, yes, that mount is incompatible with pogo stick steerer; just kidding.

Side track: How is the current version? I tried the first version when I bought my road bike in early 2017 -- which was just a spring with no damper, if I remember correctly -- and it felt odd, but I remain open minded. A Roubaix has a higher stack than my Synapse (at the same reach) so I can ride one without spacers under the stem for that slam the stem look.

Mojo31

Wow, sounds like you are overloaded with messaging! Why is anything needed on a ride other than a phone and text capability for the possible kid issues? I've found that nothing is that important that it can't wait 30 minutes or so. If there is something that I'm worried about missing, then I just stop about every 10 miles for a quick check. Sometimes it helps to log out of all that buzz and just enjoy the ride!

Yes, I carry a phone in my jersey or jacket pocket, and have a computer on the bars.

Of course, you do you and that is up to you.

mschwett 

not gonna lie, i have little to no experience on other bikes. with it opened up all the way, it moves a lot, seems to help. closed up, bike “feels” faster and sharper so i like having the option at hand, but i couldn’t really say. i have two wheelsets, 42mm reneherse hurricane ridge on stock aluminum wheels, tubeless, and 32mm GP5000 on carbon rims, tubeless, and obviously the difference between those two is as much as the shock makes.

it doesn’t feel funny to me, the bike feels super smooth compared to my heavy aluminum commuter with 2+ inch tires and no shock.

for the slamming types, it really never looks slammed because it sticks up so much above the top tube. this is without any spacers:

SoSmellyAir

For me this is true 98% of the time but occasionally there are unanticipated developments at work that requires my immediate input or intervention. Maybe the same for mschwett too?

mschwett 

part want, part need. it’s pretty indulgent to be able to go for a 2-6 hour bike ride during a weekday or weekend, and the price i pay for that is to remain fully reachable. if a client has an urgent question related to a deal or something, i want to know. if one of my staff/colleagues has a quick question on slack that i can answer in 10 seconds that saves them an hour of work, i’m going to do that. similarly i can ignore the 95% of all those alerts that are not time sensitive without it ruining my ride in any way. weekends and evenings it’s more likely a family issue, but same principle. it could be anything - we get probably 20 packages delivered a week and the building entry buzzer goes to my cell. it takes 5 seconds to hit accept and buzz someone in …. versus my phone ringing in a jersey pocket, me taking a hand off the bars to get it out, look at is and answer it, hit the entry code one handed while holding the phone. it’s doable, but why? the other alternative is to not let them in and miss the delivery.

just one tiny example but there are a dozen others. i just enjoy the convenience of the option to use my phone and all its apps at all times. the alternative is riding much less.

Maelochs

It is just choice. If a person chooses to have a phone on the bars, that is the choice.

I use an old iPhone 4 as a cycling computer---I am not going to spend a couple hundred dollars on a computer that does what this one does, just to save a few grams. If I needed to be connected throughout a ride (thankfully I don't) then I would need a mount which could hold the phone.

Aesthetics is not so much of an issue for me, if the stuff does what I need it to do, but I know for some folks it matters a lot. Totally valid choice.

I still think a strap or band around the back of the mount is the easiest fix. I certainly wouldn't depend on a screw in the bars to hold that heavy a phone, particularly if I was also pushing buttons on it ... if I hit a bump and slammed my forefinger into the phone and wrecked my bars, I'd feel pretty stupid .... I'd be pretty stupid. So i wouldn't want to be stupid .....

mschwett 

absolutely. a perfectly valid choice depending on any one person's preferences, needs, equipment, etc... but this is bikeforums, of course! i knew full well that some percentage of the responses to my thread about the strength of the integrated screw mount on carbon bars would be to tell me to get a bike computer

i agree about the strap. going to add some hooks and a rubber bumper and see how that works. as currently designed, it doesn't touch the stem at all at the front, so strapping it down would just torque the bolt in exactly the wrong way. but a version which is in contact by a hidden rubber bumper and then strapped down for gravel rides is an easy variation/fix.

Seattle Forrest

​​​​​​Almost nothing is perfect, so we have to make trade offs. And we're all balancing different factors so what works for one person isn't always the best thing for somebody else.

The way I look at this as somebody who works from home with a somewhat flexible schedule but with obligations, at work and beyond, is a lot like you described. In my case it's probably fewer then 5% of notifications that require my immediate attention. Since it's so rare that I have to reply and tell someone where the bodies are buried, I prioritize being able to quickly read the notification while I ride. Since I read it and then continue on with my ride more than 20x as often, I just want to know I can ignore it for now. If I had to reply more often I would look for ways to make that easier.

bahula03

Come for the computer mount discussion, stay for the work/life nightmare Working wherever you are is the apparent necessity, in this case while cycling, and cycling computers aren't office equipment unless you're getting paid to ride. Pretty straightforward.

As for the actual question- Specialized are the only ones I'd trust for an answer unless they printed the mount's weight limit in the paperwork that came with the cockpit. Anecdotally, the Specialized mount seems to be the same one they use everywhere else, is listed as being compatible with the Alpinist cockpit, and includes bits to attach lights, GoPro, etc., so I wouldn't worry too much about the additional weight. The forces/load acting on the mount in your setup should be ballpark the same as having the weight out front.

https://www.lordgun.com/specialized-...r-bike-mount-1

Having already crossed the rubicon of common sense setups, you might be best served using that double-sided tape directly under the phone mount as the "primary" attachment, and then use a rubber grommet where your mount attaches to the cockpit insert so that a) you aren't preloading the insert b) mitigate load on the tape c) retain the capacity of the insert, which I'd spitball is higher than the tape.