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I recently got a Dance.co bike for daily commute in Paris. The bike is great, but the provided phone mount is a 50€ SP Connect kit that is very easy to steal and painful to carry.

As I take my bike 4 times a day - with or without any bag - I expect a lot of convenience. My phone holder should not add thickness to my iPhone as I also often use MagSafe, it should stay on the bike, it should be quite hard to steal and so cheap it is not interesting to steal it.

The best system I saw is the Lime one: it's a simple piece of silicone which costs a few dollars. I'd like to get some of them and screw them on the stem of my Dance bike.

Lime bike phone mount

However, all the items that are on Amazon or AliExpress don't use screws but a band to wrap around the handlebar. They even sell it as "very easy to install - no tools required", which I hear as "very easy to steal - no tools required"

AliExpress phone mount

Where can I get a screwable one?

Kevin Reid
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maxime
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    It's a question that is difficult to answer without product recommendations, that are off topic here. The only "system" that is compatible with wireless charging to my knowledge is Quadlock. Their "Mag" cases are compatibles with Magsafe, but do not work well with some non-Apple chargers. But they are not cheap. – Rеnаud Aug 03 '23 at 05:18
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    The other problem with the type with a strap is that they tend to rotate around the bars. I use all-metal screw-on holders, but given some of the surfaces I ride, keep my phone secured with a short lanyard as well (on road/gravel bikes) and additional silicone loops (on the mountain bike) – Chris H Aug 03 '23 at 08:03
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    I'm pretty sure I've seen a screwed-on stretchy silicone phone mount on eBay though. Too long ago for a link to still work, though I might have it, as I emailed it to a club mate – Chris H Aug 03 '23 at 08:05
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    Have you actually used on of those silicone holders? They worked well on older phones with a noticeable bezel around the display. On modern phones with an “all-screen” front the silicone necessarily obscures part of the screen and touch interface. With my Topeak holder it’s impossible to press the Back and Home buttons on the Android OS. – Michael Aug 03 '23 at 09:29
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    @Michael rugged waterproof phones are better in that regard - but the OP mentioned an iPhone so may have trouble – Chris H Aug 03 '23 at 10:00
  • @Michael I tried the Lime one and it is ok for navigation as I can see most of the instructions. But yes it would be disturbing if I watched Netflix, scrolled Facebook or have a Facetime while riding - but I don't Criggie – maxime Aug 03 '23 at 10:04
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    I second @Michael on this one, the silicone holders are a pain in the arse without a proper bezel on the phone. I switched to a well made spring-loaded compression mount a while back and have been far happier using that than I ever was with the silicone ones, and those are also much easier to find in screw-on designs (at least, the good ones that aren’t cheap trash are). – Austin Hemmelgarn Aug 03 '23 at 12:59
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    do you need your phone on your handlebar for your daily commute? – njzk2 Aug 03 '23 at 18:39
  • @njzk2 Yes: my bike is my only way to commute. Sometimes I go to see friends at places I don't know, sometimes I go to shops for the first time. Next week I'm starting a new sport and it happens at 3 gymnasiums I don't know. My daily life is full of new addresses and I need navigation. I could have used audio instructions, but that is forbidden by French law (having a headset while driving). – maxime Aug 03 '23 at 23:35

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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, Cannondale to name a few), and the 50€ accessory mentioned by the OP is probably the universal phone holder mounted on the SP Connect mount.

I checked the SP Connect website, and they now propose Magsafe compatible cases — they also propose non-Magsafe compatible cases obviously. Such case would allow to mount the phone directly on the stem.

In that case, instead of searching for a mount that would fit the bike, it would more convenient to change the case of the phone, and use the integrated stem mount when you need the phone, so that you don't need to add any additional accessory on the bike.

Rеnаud
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  • Interesting detective work, thanks! Is "SP Connect" a standard (like USB connections) or a trademark (like SPD Shimano pedal thingy)? – EarlGrey Aug 03 '23 at 08:56
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    @EarlGrey SP Connect is a brand that propose a variety of "mounts" and phone cases (bike, car, arm bands, desk, tripod for cameras,..). Their biggest competitor is Quadlock (and no, they are not interoperable). – Rеnаud Aug 03 '23 at 09:04
  • I checked that thanks ! The issue is the new case needs an adapter from SPC to SPC+ which costs 10€ and can be stolen. – maxime Aug 03 '23 at 10:06
  • And this case costs $40 for an iPhone 12, which is ridiculously expensive. Especially when a $4 piece of silicon can do the job better – maxime Aug 03 '23 at 10:07
  • @maxime there's also the SP connect universal clamp. But that looks like a lot of expensive hassle when there are cheap universal clamps out there. The stem mount is just a stem cap, so you could leave it on or replace it. – Chris H Aug 03 '23 at 10:16
  • @ChrisH Yes Dance.co provides that clamp, I actually have one. But it is almost as big as the phone and it is very easy to remove from the bike. So when I park I have to put it on my pocket. That makes one object on each pocket - no more room for a wallet or keys, very unconveinient for a daily use. – maxime Aug 03 '23 at 10:25
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    @maxime personally I'd risk leaving the clamp on my bike - it's probably not obvious to a passing thief that it can be stolen. You could probably modify it too, with a securing screw or glue (the latter of course being permanent). But I think the idea of shipping a proprietary interface as standard on a new bike is annoying in itself, and would get rid of it (plus, the angle on the stem mount version is all wrong). – Chris H Aug 03 '23 at 10:39
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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.

That uses a thumbscrew, so is almost as easy to steal as a strap. But once you get it, just replace the screw with one of the same thread and a more secure head, probably adding a washer too. The screw size is likely to be M4 or M5, though I have seen M3, and you'll need to get the right length. Personally, I'd got for anti-tamper torx (a star-shaped driver with a hole for a central pin). The drivers are fairly easy to get - of course you'll need to buy one too, but this sort of screw will still defeat a casual opportunist

* The link won't last for ever, but I have no reason to assume rights to embed the image. Anyway it's the search term that's important.

Chris H
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  • That's the best option I saw so far. Thanks a lot ! – maxime Aug 03 '23 at 10:32
  • Like you said it's not a big deal with this eBay link, but I just wanted to share that there's a solution to the wider problem of link rot, just in case you were unaware of it: https://help.archive.org/help/save-pages-in-the-wayback-machine/ NB its use has been discussed on several metas and opinions do vary. – pateksan Aug 04 '23 at 11:11
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    @pateksan I've used it before, but it never occurred to me to use it for shopping sites. It could be a good idea, although the lack of repeatable product branding means a visitor could see the text and maybe photos, but my description does most of that – Chris H Aug 04 '23 at 11:40
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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:

enter image description here

It's still possible to slide off the holder with the tie-wrap laterally (towards the handles), but if the tie-wrap is tightened properly that's not an easy thing to do. Also, the tie-wrap could be cut, but that already takes the potential thief a lot more effort than simply taking it from the steer.

If you want more protection, you could use a hose-clamp. enter image description here

Source

ROIMaison
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I suggest you looking for "motorcycle handlebar phone holder".

The manufacturers and sellers of generic low-cost low-margin tools tend to think of bicycle as recreational tools for kids. Accessories need to be quick to mount (for parents not having time to care about their offspring) and cheap (so when the sales price is 10, the production cost is probably 0.01 and the value is 0.0001).

On the other hand, people having motorbikes are generally seen from the marketing and product development point of view as people that need assurances about their safety and power, so even a phone holder can be overengineered to generate interest in the target customers (so when the sales price is 10, the production cost is probably 0.5 and the value is 0.1).

EarlGrey
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    Motorcyles mounts are also generally much more expensive, as manufacturers know that people buying motorcycles have enough disposable income to afford one. Here a motorcycle mount alone usually market for much more than a Quadlock Mag Case + handle bar mount (which my personal choice to mount a phone on the bike, in the OP's context, I would just take a Magsafe SP Connect case for the phone). – Rеnаud Aug 03 '23 at 08:21
  • @EarlGrey Totally agree with the recreational tools for kids. When I browse the stores - it seems manufacturers see bikers only as a sport. There's 600,000 bikes only in Amsterdam - I can't believe they didn't design something unintrusive and hard to steal ! – maxime Aug 03 '23 at 10:30
  • @maxime There's some irony in your comment, given your bike has probably one of most unitrusive and hard to steal systems (on top of being secure and convenient - OK, extrapolating from Quadlock though, never saw SPC+ in person, but top players in a market tend have very similar products). The main drawback is that the choice of cases is limited — and I can perfectly understand that not everybody likes black rugged expensive cases, not matter how good their are ;) The next level is what can be seen on Cowboy bikes, with wireless charging integrated to the stem. – Rеnаud Aug 03 '23 at 13:38
  • @Renaud I see what you mean and you're right about the state of the market. But I meant most cheap products are "easy to install/steal" and most permanently installed products like QuadLock require to use a big expensive phone case. There are very few cheap products you can install and secure - which is surprising given the part of bikers riding/parking in cities nowadays. – maxime Aug 03 '23 at 13:38
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    For me it is "normal/to be expected": if you pay to develop something, you want to make a profit out it, and there's little money to be made with cheap. A Quadlock case probably costs a few cents to manufacture, but they sell them at 30€ because they can (non Magsafe version). That being said, for commuters, the necessity of a phone mount is limited once you know your routes — unlike with a car, you can't be stuck with traffic or works, so in that context a non-permanent one can do the job well enough — my main use of the mount is during the week-ends. – Rеnаud Aug 03 '23 at 13:49
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    (what justifies the price for me is convenience and also that it is reliable: an iPhone repair costs much more) – Rеnаud Aug 03 '23 at 13:56
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You could get a Topeak Ridecase mount with screws. The actual smartphone holder comes in various versions, including a universal one with silicone straps and an iPhone specific one. If you want to leave the holder permanently attached to the bike you could glue it to the mount. But I don’t see how it would add much security because it’s still easy to take the phone in and out of the holder or to undo one or two hex bolts.

Topeak Ridecase Mount (stem cap) https://www.topeak.com/global/en/product/532-RIDECASE-MOUNT-(WITH-1-1-8%22-STEM-CAP) Topeak UTF Multi https://www.topeak.com/global/en/product/1399-UTF-MULTI-MOUNT

Edit: Photo of the silicone holder:Omni Ridecase https://www.topeak.com/global/en/product/944-OMNI-RIDECASE-DX

Michael
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Check out the selection in your local Decathlon shops. Some of them are decent and not too expensive.

https://www.decathlon.fr/search?Ntt=Support+smartphone

g.kertesz
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  • Please suggest an actual solution, not just say "your answer's over there." As it is, this doesn't really (or at least properly) answer the question. – DavidW Aug 03 '23 at 15:45