Bright screens, great battery life, and powerful apps make today’s phones perfect for navigating unfamiliar streets on two wheels and tracking your trips. Google’s even specifically focused on improving the accuracy of its cycling-related mapping. But you certainly won’t be able to fumble around with electronics while riding, and there’s a massive number of bike mounts to choose from.
Our favorite bike mounts come alongside enthusiastic testimony from exercise-friendly commuters and recreational cyclists of various skill levels. And out of the wide variety of styles, each has pros and cons depending on what type of riding you do most.
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Quad Lock Out Front
Best overallAsk any fervent cyclist which system is the best, and the majority will recommend Quad Lock. Its premium materials, straightforward design, and rock-solid dependability have made it the best-selling option for years. If you don’t own a Galaxy, Pixel, or iPhone, pick up one of the two universal mounts that stick to the back of a phone case, one of which supports the company’s magnetic attachments.
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Peak Design Out Front Mount
Premium pickPeak Design makes a range of simple yet high-end cases for today’s leading flagships, plus a universal adapter that supports a wide range of cases for other phones. In addition to a range of vehicle mounts, it makes a wallet, mobile tripod, and multifunctional camera mount for creators, all of which work swimmingly with the first-party case as well as the adapter.
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Nite Ize Squeeze
Best value$24 $26 Save $2Solid construction, and low-profile design, and simple, intuitive operation make the Nite Ize Squeeze one of the best choices for casual riders. Despite its low price, it’s extremely resistant to failure, and doesn’t obscure your screen or cause any headaches when installing or removing the phone. If you’re going off-road, though, consider something a little more rugged.
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Mous IntraLock
While Mous makes very few IntraLock cases for Android phones, its adapter is among the best due to its remarkably thin design that doesn’t add much bulk or interfere with wireless charging. It includes spacers for fitting to the three most common handlecar sizes, as well as both thumbscrew and hex bolt fastners for temporary or semi-permanent installation.
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Rokform Pro Series Bike Mount
Don’t be fooled by its svelte appearance; Rokform’s bike mount boasts some of the most rugged construction of any bike stem options. While pricey, it’s the most streamlined and aerodynamic choice available, and the universal adapter adds MagSafe connection support to any flat-backed cases it’s able to stick to. It also adds compatibility with various helpful accessories and other mounts.
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Nite Ize Wraptor
Instead of buttons, levers, or any moving parts securing your device, the Nite Ize Wraptor uses sturdy silicone straps that wrap around the phone’s edges and keep it from moving even a millimeter. You can even choose between portrait and landscape orientation to make reading maps and ride data easier. Budget-conscious off-road riders will find its low cost and extremely snug fit refreshing and reassuring.
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RockBros Bike Phone Bag
$26 $50 Save $24Unlike most others, this bag from Rockbros rests on top of the center bar, offering plenty of stability as well as more protection in case of accidents than most competitors. There’s a compartment inside for small belongings, and its transparent cover keeps your phone safe from rain without messing with touchscreen performance.
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GUB G-96
If silicone straps, twist-lock mechanisms, and retracting arms don’t inspire confidence, consider the GUB G-96. Its all-metal design stands up to the elements and heavy use better than anything else, and ensures durability and a precise fit. It’s good for more than just phones, too, as it can accommodate devices up to 100mm wide and 17mm thick.
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Klock Werks IONomad
They don’t get any more compact than the supremely unobtrusive Klock Works IONomad. Barely bigger than a watch, it straps firmly to your handlebar and holds your phone close. The steel adapter that sticks securely to your phone measures about as wide as a half dollar coin, but considerably thinner, and secures the device via a neodymium magnet located inside the mount.
Making sense of bike phone mounts
Bike mounts call for a little more discerning eye than, for example, car mounts, since dropping your phone on the street or trail could easily spell disaster. With that in mind, it’s worth knowing what types of phone mounts are out there and how they attach to both the bike and the phone, so you know you’re getting something that will suit your needs.
- Adapter mounting systems: Typically consisting of a standalone mount and mated case, these are the most versatile, and usually most reliable and expensive options. Most phones not made by Apple, Samsung, or Google will need a universal adapter to use these, which you can stick to many cases that have flat, plastic backs.
- Silicone straps: A number of highly cost-effective use rubber straps affixed securely to a strong base that usually mounts to the handlebar. These are excellent for budget-minded mountain bikers, since they’re extremely good at keeping phones in one place. They can, however, be a bit of a pain when trying to install or extract your phone.
- Telescoping arms: Reminiscent of some of the best car phone mounts, some bike mounts use retracting arms to hold onto both sides of a phone. They’re extremely easy to use and make great choices for couriers or other delivery specialists who need their phone by their side at all times. Usually, though, they’re not recommended for off-road use like mountain biking.
- Magnetic mounts: There aren’t many magnetic mounts, but the good ones work extremely well, require minimal effort to use, and take up very little space. It’s especially important to choose a reputable brand if you go the magnetic route, though, because the absence of securing screws or latches necessitates extreme trust in the mount’s and magnet’s construction.
- Accessory bag mounts: These typically affix to a bike’s center tube, affording a little more protection but also making it slightly less convenient to glance at the screen. But they’re also usually pretty affordable, and don’t call for any adapters, tools, or complicated installation.
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What’s the best bike phone mount?
More than with many phone accessories, it’s important to stick with well-known manufacturers to keep your phone out of harm’s way while riding. So we dug extremely deep to get in-depth opinions from the most dedicated cyclists (who can be a quite well-informed group, by necessity).
The overwhelming consensus is that Quad Lock makes the most reliable and well-engineered bike mount on the planet. We actually recommend the base model Out Front mount over the slightly lighter Pro version, since you can reverse the standard one to mount your phone directly over the bike stem. Plus, the Quad Lock MAG cases and MAG universal adapter increase MagSafe’s effectiveness and let you continue to use wireless charging.
The Peak Design Out Front mount and related case and accessories
If you want to spend a little more on a system with slightly nicer cases, check out the Peak Design ecosystem. It’s functionally similar to the Quad Lock, but includes somewhat nicer phone cases for limited models. You can say the same for the Mous IntraLock product family, which is actually less costly than the Peak Design.
But you can still spend even less on something dependable, whether you’re into street riding or mountain biking. The Nite Ize Squeeze is the perfect choice for delivery workers, since taking your phone out and putting it back in are both a breeze. The Nite Ize Wraptor, on the other hand, offers a low-cost solution that’s ideal for off-roading, but more difficult to remove the phone from.
Will a bike mount damage my smartphone’s camera?
An increasing number of phones come with various types of image stabilization with internal components that aren’t fixed, and are therefore susceptible to damage from vibrations. This issue is much riskier for motorcycles, but despite some cyclists calling it an “old wive’s tale” across online forums and social media, it’s a real occurrence that’s happened to real people periodically in the past.
If you mostly ride on the street, it’s extremely unlikely to be an issue, so you probably shouldn’t worry about it. If you plan on hitting the trails and use a phone with high-end image stabilization (like an iPhone or Asus flagship, for example), you might want to consider a vibration dampener. So far, only Quad Lock makes a dedicated such part for its system, but luckily, that also happens to be the best around.
Do bike phone mounts work for motorcycles, too?
Bike-specific mounts typically don’t offer the right geometry or articulation to fit on motorcycles, but the best adapter mounting systems do offer purpose-built options for various kinds of motorbikes. However, the high-amplitude vibrations produced by internal combustion motors pose a hazard to many phones’ camera internals, so you should opt for a mount with a dampener. The aforementioned Quad Lock system offers just such an add-on, and is almost universally considered the best for riders of any kind of motorized bike.
