46
votes
Accepted
Dedicated bike GPS computer over smartphone
I used a phone for about two months, then bought a Wahoo GPS computer in March 2018.
The primary motivation was that
My phone has lousy GPS (Huawei P10). Multiple times a week, it would claim that I'...
- 16.9k
17
votes
Dedicated bike GPS computer over smartphone
I use a phone for navigating long rides (up to 400km/20 hours). I'm rare among distance riders, and if I had unlimited money might get a dedicated unit. For me the phone works well - a dynamo keeps ...
- 55.8k
14
votes
Dedicated bike GPS computer over smartphone
Main reason not to use you phone has to be cost and crash resistance. While a dedicated unit may set you back $250-$350, many people have a decent phone with a replacement cost of over $1000. Given ...
- 47.8k
12
votes
Dedicated bike GPS computer over smartphone
In addition to all the other advantages a dedicated cycling computer has over a phone, battery life when collecting data from wireless sensors such as speed and cadence sensors and power meters is ...
- 10.4k
10
votes
Accepted
What waterproofing rating is sufficient for a navigation device for touring?
Easy bit - Touch screens don't usually work when wet, you can easily test it, sprinkle some water on the screen and see how it goes.
Because phones are high volume consumer goods designed as life ...
- 47.8k
10
votes
Smartphone mounted on handlebar: Will vibrations during cycling damage it?
Yes, it can.
I had my HTC One (M8) mounted to my handlebars and after only ONE RIDE the camera broke. The focus element of the camera was a moving part that just couldn't stand up to the shock. ...
- 101
7
votes
Dedicated bike GPS computer over smartphone
My old GPS was powered by AA batteries. No need for recharging in the field (powerbank or so), you can just take a sealed pair of alkaline batteries with you so if something unforseen happens, the ...
- 3,356
6
votes
How can I mount my phone and my battery pack to my bike?
How about a top tube bag?
I've had a couple of handlebar mounts and they haven't lasted long in crowded bike sheds. Even mounted quite centrally they're vulnerable to knocks and aren't very strong.
...
- 55.8k
5
votes
Accepted
Smartphone mount: stem mounted vs top tube
I regularly use a stem-mounted phone mount for navigation on my tourer, and occasionally on my hybrid. I have tried my phone in a toptube bag, and don't get on with either the bag aspect or the ...
- 55.8k
5
votes
What waterproofing rating is sufficient for a navigation device for touring?
I use a Sony Xperia z3 compact as my bike computer/GPS, in all UK weather. It's described by the manufacturer as waterproof, but not for immersion, and I've never had any water ingress issues (even ...
- 55.8k
5
votes
Accepted
What does the Cycliq "Universal" Adaptor connect to?
The two circular holes will mount to a Go-Pro type mount. This is clever as the Go-Pro mount is available for a wide variety of surfaces include suction cups, helmet mounts, sticky mounts, handlebars, ...
- 28.9k
5
votes
Smartphone mounted on handlebar: Will vibrations during cycling damage it?
I just ruined my iphone6+ after a hard mountain bike ride (much harder than I have ever done before) and I had the phone attached to the handlebars. The vibrations ruined the screen is permanently ...
- 51
5
votes
Smartphone mounted on handlebar: Will vibrations during cycling damage it?
I got a RAM mount and put my new iPhoneXR into it on my Honda VTX1300 (sorry not a pedal bike). Did about 600 miles through Colorado and Wyoming... and my optical stabilization was done. The phone has ...
- 51
4
votes
Smartphone mounted on handlebar: Will vibrations during cycling damage it?
I used cheap eBay cases and a expensive Quad Lock. I have wrecked to phones now. Pixel 2 and HTC one m8 previously, basically it was camera issues. The one m8 started to vibrate the lens non stop. And ...
- 41
4
votes
Dedicated bike GPS computer over smartphone
I use a Garmin 510. I keep telling myself that I will retire it for the newer 520 when it breaks but the darn thing won't break.
When I ride, I don't want to be interrupted by life outside of my bike....
- 278
4
votes
Dedicated bike GPS computer over smartphone
I bought a Wahoo Elemnt a few month for a simple reason: cycling is for me the most demanding use of the phone, having the phone and cycling GPS separated is better on the long run and allows to ...
- 16.1k
3
votes
Dedicated bike GPS computer over smartphone
IP67/68 resistant phones do exist, but regular phones offer a much larger choice (especially if you exclude the non-rugged IP67 phones which are not quite comparable to bike GPS in terms of protection)...
- 230
3
votes
Dedicated bike GPS computer over smartphone
I use both - I have a $4 "cycle computer" attached to the bars of one bike. Its sole purpose is to display my current speed, and the clock. Those are literally the only two functions I care about. ...
- 120k
3
votes
Smartphone mounted on handlebar: Will vibrations during cycling damage it?
I believe that my iPhone 6 got damaged after several rides with it attached to my handlebar. The "believe" part is there because it could have just started malfunctioning as any other digital device, ...
- 31
3
votes
Smartphone mounted on handlebar: Will vibrations during cycling damage it?
If you have any HTC phone with a "dual camera" at the back (HTC M8 e.g.), then don't do this - this is a known issue. It has sth. to do with the two cameras misaligning due to the vibration. The ...
3
votes
Dedicated bike GPS computer over smartphone
Many answers mention battery life as an advantage to dedicated cycling GPS units. However, this issue hasn’t been explicitly addressed yet: on phones, the screen is a major drain on battery life. ...
- 28.5k
3
votes
Dedicated bike GPS computer over smartphone
I do use an iPhone rather than a dedicated head unit, but I think I can speak to some of the drawbacks (and non-drawbacks) of using a phone.
Mounting options: It is possible to mount your phone like ...
- 28.5k
3
votes
App for displaying 30s rolling average power
I'm not convinced you'll find an entirely satisfactory app, as most people who invest in a pricey power meter would tend to use a separate device such as this one
https://www8.garmin.com/manuals/...
- 4,150
3
votes
Where can I get a screwable silicone phone holder (like on Lime bikes)?
Not a direct answer, but one that can be relevant as well. To give more context: dance.co bikes have integrated SP Connect stem mounts (other brands do that as well: Canyon, Riese&Muller, ...
- 16.1k
3
votes
Where can I get a screwable silicone phone holder (like on Lime bikes)?
If I search bike phone holder silicone on eBay UK, the third hit is for one with a screw clamp*. eBay's search is better than Amazon's or AliExpress's, but I'm sure they'll have similar products too.
...
- 55.8k
3
votes
Accepted
Where can I get a screwable silicone phone holder (like on Lime bikes)?
I have the phone holder you showed in the original post, and simply put a tie-wrap through some of the gaps in the band, as shown below:
It's still possible to slide off the holder with the tie-wrap ...
- 226
2
votes
Accepted
How can I mount my phone and my battery pack to my bike?
I use a phone and a gopro, both of which have somewhat small batteries.
So to power them I use a USB battery which has two USB ports, one for each. Its a little heavy but I'd rather lug that around ...
- 120k
2
votes
Smartphone mount: stem mounted vs top tube
The most solidly locked-on setup that I know of is the Quadlock range. If they make.a specific case for your phone, then that's the best way to go, but otherwise you can attach the mounting kit to the ...
- 4,175
2
votes
Dedicated bike GPS computer over smartphone
In my case, I went on a six hours ride in a hilly, forested area (where GPS lost its signal), and there was a distinct lack of phone coverage (for an hour or so).
Surprisingly (or not), the Strava ...
- 512
Only top scored, non community-wiki answers of a minimum length are eligible