Looking for a bicycle mount

[PowerTools]

Does anyone know of a solid, yet lightweight bicycle mount for the Droid? RAM Mounts makes good ones for the iPhone, but not the Droid. I'm thinking of ordering the RAM Mount for the iPhone 3G and add a velcro strap for peace of mind. I would like to know if others have found a better solution. This would be for road cycling, so I won't be jumping, but it would need to be secure even on rough roads. RAM makes good products so I would trust them if the phone fit snugly enough.

Link to the iPhone mount:
Part Details

(Yes, this does look like a PhotoShop image to me, too.)

 

[Psychokitty]

I'm really surprised there are not more options out there for the Droid by now. I'd love a bike mount.
Have you tried Ebay? Small companies in Asia tend to be all over this stuff and the quality of there products are no worse than anything that reaches the States, and for some reason, often better.

 

[Psychokitty]

BTW, that's one enormous iPhone! lol

 

[Fadelight]

I cant remember what the style is, but the setup with the two pegs on the back of the car mount is supposed to be one of the most commonly used standards for mounts made for GPS/PDA/Phone mounts. I'd suggest finding a handlebar mount on ebay that will work for you that uses the same standard, then using the phone holder piece from the car kit.

Just my two cents, of course.

 

[Lock-N-Load]

I cant remember what the style is, but the setup with the two pegs on the back

Dual "T-Notch"?

 

[PowerTools]

I've read some reviews for low-cost mounts for iPhones where the phones have fallen out of the mount while riding. Imagine driving your car 30 mph and tossing your phone out the window. I'm hoping to prevent the same fate to my Droid. Of course, cyclist spend insane amounts of money to make their bikes as lightweight as possible and many secure Droid mounts (such as motorcycle mounts) are just way too heavy to put on a bicycle.

I'm starting to think that the Droid Dash Mount with a modified connector to attach it to the stem is the best idea. Of course, I would probably still wrap a piece of Velcro around it for safety sake.

 

[Fadelight]

Dual "T-Notch"?

Close enough for some search engine hits! Thanks for that one.



PowerTools - Check some of these out.


Arkon CM032-ST-2 : Magellan Bicycle/Bike Mount Pedestal Handlebars w/ Swivel Tightening Head

Bicycle Mount Pedestal with Swivel-head Nut | Overstock.com

Mio Moov 200 Bicycle Mount Pedestal with Swivel-head Tightening Nut - Mio Moov 200 Mount

Any one of those will work beautifully with the plate from your car mount.





And oh, look... what's this? Look what I found after that...

Bicycle Mount Pedestal with Swivel-head Tightening Nut for Motorola Droid - Mount for Motorola Droid

It seems someone else had the exact same solution as me for your problem.

No need to thank me... my bill is in the mail.

 

[gimmeanathlon]

Thanks for the heads up.
Just picked some up.
Just in time for spring weather.

 

[PowerTools]

Well, I thanked you anyway. That is just what I was looking for.

 

[jackburnt]

I posted in a different thread before seeing this one.

Anyone had any luck with the linked mounts? I love My Tracks and really want to start riding more since the weather is turning nice.

I wonder if this one: Bicycle Mount Pedestal with Swivel-head Tightening Nut for Motorola Droid - Mount for Motorola Droid is the same as this one: Amzer Bicycle Handlebar Mount For Motorola - Motorola Droid A855 - Vehicle Mounts - Fommy.com

If so, I may get the cheaper one.

 

[Fadelight]

IMO the mounts look about the same in terms of ruggedness. The phone cradle is the same, so I would probably just go with the cheaper one if it were me. Not that I have any experience with either, though.

 

[Eugene]

Look at the reviews of that one on Amazon, a couple people say the handelbar mount didn't fit their bars. I'm wondering if its designed for the smaller road bike bars and a mountain/hybrid bike bar it too large diameter for it.

 

[johnny99]

Seems to me that mounting the phone on your handlebars is only interesting if you have the screen turned on all the time, but your battery is not going to last very long if you do that.

I just put the phone in my pocket. The battery lasts for hours with the GPS on and the screen turned off. If I actually do get lost, I can stop and take it out to see where I am.

 

[PowerTools]

Alright, I went withBicycle Mount Pedestal with Swivel-head Tightening Nut for Motorola Droid - Mount for Motorola Droid. It seems to work fine, after I modified it.

I will post pictures when I can to let you see how I've mounted it.

First off, my stem is way too large for the clamp that was provided. That's okay since the swivel mount would have placed my phone too high for my liking.

Secondly, the Dual T-Notches provide absolutely no security. I want to ride with the phone at a low profile so as to not add more drag. The T-Notches allow you to pop the phone off the mount very easily. If you mount your phone flat like me, a sudden stop would likely allow it to slide right off.

The cradle itself does seem to be very durable and holds the phone very tight. I decided to make my own mount out of tie straps and a rubber tube. Pretty cheesy looking on a carbon fiber stem, but what do I care.

I've ridden a couple hundred miles with this setup on some fairly rough roads and have not had it move a bit. I've also had better luck with my GPS reception. I've had no misreads or 5,000 mph recordings like I did when I kept the phone elsewhere.

With the phone mounted on the handlebars, I've also listened to music without having to wear headphones (which I think is a huge safety issue).

Overall, I really like this setup and promise to post pics when I can.

 

[Lock-N-Load]

IMHO

I use the t-notch setup on 2 car mounts. Been racing bikes for 20+ years all over europe and the USA - so I know a think or 2 about bikes and riding, average about 10k per year on a bike, and I totally disagree with this statement "T-Notches allow you to pop the phone off the mount very easily. If you mount your phone flat like me, a sudden stop would likely allow it to slide right off." both the t notch setups I have are solid, take almost 2 hands to remove. The phone is so small there is not enough mass behind it to slide the entire t-notch loose in a hard stop. no way.

the weak link in this system is the cradle itself. The phone, on a bad jolt from a pothole, could pop loose. that is the real issue here to watch for as I see it. it is plenty sturdy in my car and truck as they absorb more road noise, but no way I would use that mount on a bike with that costly of a phone as that is the weak link IMHO. glad it works for you and you were willing to try it but I wouldn't owning several of those mounts and setups.. but not for bikes. but heck, I wouldn't put one of those on my bike to begin with. I just put the phone in a nice cushioned and breathable moisture resistance pouch by Amphipod, toss it in my jersey and use MyTracks to collect GPS data. I have wireless computers on all my bikes so no reason for this taking massive room in my cockpit.

BTW, have you ripped the little rubber tip yet that come on the top most mounts finger?

 

[PowerTools]

This thread has now been triplicated
http://androidforums.com/motorola-droid/59942-bike-mount.html
and
http://androidforums.com/motorola-droid/63901-velotrac-pak-bicycle-mount.html
I do like the idea of a VeloTrac product since I already have a top-tube box that this would replace. For long rides (+3 hrs for me) or if I want to stream music while riding, I put a small PowerPort charger in the top box and run a short USB cable to the phone to add some more run-time.

Here is the image I promised.

So, I'm only using a tiny portion of the product shipped and have noticed the exposure to elements and water bottle drips, etc. Just a heads up.

Lock-and-Load
Thanks for your opinion of a product that you admit not owning. The T-notches on the unit that was shipped to me were unacceptably loose. I'm glad you've never had a problem with them. And, yes, the rubber tip tore within the few few rides. I don't really care since I have a skin that seems to prevent scratches from the latch, but a valid point.

 

[Ekdj]

I agree with Lock-N-Load on the computer/etc already a part of my cockpit on both my steeds, but found a different (and not yet noted) reason to have my phone on the "dashboard": geocaching. Those curious can go to Geocaching - The Official Global GPS Cache Hunt Site to learn about it if you want. I have been using my Droid for cache-hunting for the past few months, and a bunch of them are in the open-space near my house. I don't have any problem with hiking, do it all the time, but my passion of mountain-biking can lend a hand to the distances-covered from cache to cache. I'd only need to turn-on my screen from time to time (to check my heading and/or when near the GZ). Fpr the Droid itself, C:Geo is a kick-ass geocaching application, and free (Bonus!). So if you like a little treasure-hunting and want to use your bike, sticking the phone or gpsr unit for that matter in your camelbak just won't cut it. Thank you PowerTools for the photo, I've bought the same mount you did, and may jerry-rig a more secure solution to my bike. I'm not going free-riding on my geocache hunts, but secure is secure and I'm not eager to replace my phone. Thanks to both of you for your comments and links, you've helped tremendously. ~e