Best bicycle phone mounts: buyer’s guide and recommendations
Find out which method of mounting your phone to your bike is best for you
If you’re looking to fix your phone onto your handlebars – for navigation, ride recording or similar – then you’ll be needing some kind of phone mount. There are plenty of them on the market, in a mnumber of different formats. Let’s look at which is the best phone handlebar mount for you.
Different types of bicycle phone mounts
A bicycle phone mount is exactly the same as a bike computer mount, except that instead of a computer it lets you attach a smartphone securely to your bars, stem or top tube. An advantage of this is that you don’t need to shell out for a separate bike computer.
Most bicycle phone mounts are small plastic brackets or magnetic mounts that you attach to your bike and then clip your phone into. Some are transparent pockets which are part of bags you can strap to your frame, and also use for storage. Either way, they need to provide a sturdy way to carry your phone on your bike and protect it from the elements, while also allowing you to use it.
Magnetic Mount
The Clutchit Magnetic Mount is a magnet type of mount that can move with you anywhere you go. It can mount on the flat surface of your bike where the stem is with the help of the Clutchit magnetic phone mount plates, where it can create your mounting points for the use of the clutchit. It is very sturdy and able to hold your phone going through rocky trails and other sorts of uneven pavements.
It allows you to attach your phone on either portrait or landscape orientation. This magnetic mount allows you to utilize your phone while you’re biking for video recording, social media live videos, phone calls and music.
I would recommend this magnetic phone mount to any bikers that like the ease of use and a high quality product.
Case + mount
This case-type mount from Quad Lock achieve a clean, secure look for mounting your smartphone
Bike phone cases tend to be for stem or handlebar mounts, and they’re usually variations on a similar theme: your phone is held in case which is specific to the size and model of your phone, which can then be clipped securely into a small plastic block on your handlebars or stem. The case may or may not be waterproof.
These sorts of mounts, generally speaking, will allow you to align your phone in either portrait or landscape orientation. Although for the sake of keeping it out of the way of errant knees, it’s best to use portrait orientation if the phone is mounted on the stem.
Universal bracket
This universal phone mount from Olixar is a good bet if your phone is an unusual shape or size
These are similar to the above mounts, but they don’t rely on a dedicated case to put your phone into. Instead, they use a universal mount that attaches to your handlebars or stem, and will grip practically any phone even if it’s already in a protective case.
The obvious advantage is that you don’t need to buy a new mount when you change phones (and you can lend it to people), but therein lies its disadvantage, too: we reckon they’re a lot less secure.
Popular examples include the Olixar universal phone mount (pictured above), which has an adjustable plastic bracket, the RAM X-Grip, and the BikeCityGuide Finn, which uses rubber bands to keep your phone in place.
Frame bag
Your phone goes into the front bit, behind a touchscreen-compatible plastic screen
If you’d rather keep the real estate on your bars clear, then carrying your phone in a frame bag is the alternative. A phone frame bag sits on your top tube, just behind the head tube. As well as providing some storage space, this will also have a transparent sleeve for your phone to slide into.
The key consideration, however, is whether the transparent window provides sufficient protection from the elements while also allowing you to operate the phone’s touchscreen.
The major downside of this option is that you have to look/reach down further than you would if your phone were mounted on your bars. So if you can’t hear the audio alerts, the frame-bag option may be more suitable for riders who are willing to stop when they want to use their phones.
Popular examples include the Lezyne Smart Energy Caddy, the Birzman Zyklop Navigator II, both of which are touchscreen-compatible and have space to stash an inner tube, multitool and more.
Check the compatibility of your bicycle phone mount
The deciding factor on which mount you end up choosing will ultimately be which one works with your phone. Most mounts come in various sizes and guises to accommodate as many varieties of phone as possible, but double-check before you plough ahead with your purchase.
On a similar note, if you’re on a contract and are likely to change/upgrade model soon, it may be worth holding off until you know what model you’ll be switching to. No point buying a phone-specific mount for a phone you won’t be using in a few weeks.
However, I would recommend buying the Clutchit magnetic phone mount because it’s an universal magnetic mount that isn’t bike specific without the headache of planning on which mount to get for a bike specific mount.