Road bike phone mounts: stem and out-front

Why use a phone mount on a road bike?

On a road ride, your smartphone acts as a GPS to follow a route, shows the data from a training app and lets you call someone after a puncture or a crash. Holding it in your hand while riding is not an option: in the UK, the Highway Code asks cyclists to avoid any action that could reduce their control of the bike. On a solid mount, it can be read at a glance, with both hands on the bars. Settings and messages can wait for the café stop or the top of the climb.

Stem, headset top cap or out-front mount

• On the stem: the phone sits above the stem, held by a base with clamps or bands. It is the simplest solution, but you have to look down to read the screen.
• In place of the headset top cap: the base slips between the stem and the cap, on a 1 1/8-inch steerer. Nothing sticks out from the handlebar, and the phone can be turned to portrait or landscape.
• Out front of the handlebar: an arm clamped to the bar, 31.8 or 35 mm depending on the model, brings the screen forward into your line of sight. Some arms take a light or a camera underneath.

A one-piece cockpit, where handlebar and stem form a single part, offers no round section to clamp onto: choose a headset top cap mount. With a conventional four-bolt stem, some mounts attach to its faceplate.

Dedicated case, magnetic or universal: which mount is most secure?

Systems with a dedicated case keep the phone in place on broken roads: the case locks onto the base with a twist or a click, then releases with a lever or a button. Recent generations add magnets that guide the case towards the base before it locks, which helps when you are wearing gloves. Universal mounts, silicone bands or adjustable clamps, take almost any phone and are handy for a second bike; check the range of screen sizes they accept. A dedicated case changes with your phone: note the exact model of your device before ordering.

Rain, heat and battery life on long rides

Splash resistant does not mean waterproof in a downpour lasting several hours: a rain cover that slips over the case keeps the touchscreen usable. In full sun, a phone navigating non-stop heats up quickly; it may then dim the screen, switch it off or pause charging until it has cooled down. Over a long day, navigating with the screen on drains the battery: lower the brightness, download the map before you set off and carry a power bank in a frame bag.

Phone or GPS bike computer: which is better on the road?

A phone is enough for occasional rides, and you always have your apps to hand. For regular training, one of our GPS bike computers lasts much longer, can be read in full sun and copes better with rain; it fits on one of the bike computer mounts. GPS watches record the ride on your wrist, and road bike lights complete your kit. Mountain bikers will find the same systems among the MTB phone accessories, and road bike electronics brings all this equipment together.

Smartphone mounts: the brands available

Quad Lock, an Australian brand that is now part of the Swedish Thule group, offers an adjustable mount that sits between the stem and the headset top cap, with a head that can be fitted on either side; its MAG cases, fitted with magnets, lock onto the same bases as the standard cases.

Tigra offers its FitClic system in Mountcase and FitClic Neo cases for many iPhone and Samsung models, including Mountcase 2 versions with rain protection; the same case also fits a car air vent mount.

SP Connect combines its twist-lock mount with magnetic guidance on its SPC+ cases; the Stem Mount Pro replaces the headset top cap, and the Handlebar Mount Pro, machined from aluminium, clamps onto handlebars from 25.4 to 35 mm and carries a rail for a light or a camera.

Topeak fits the iPhone with its RideCase cases, which attach to a headset top cap mount for 1 1/8-inch steerers or to the UTF mount, short for Up-To-Front, which brings the screen forward of the handlebar and rotates it to portrait or landscape.

Phone mounts on sale

When a phone is no longer made, its cases often move to the road electronics outlet; newly listed mounts can be found in new arrivals. Changing your phone around Black Friday is a good time to replace the case as well.

Frequently asked questions

Where should you mount your phone on a road bike?

As close as possible to your line of sight, without getting in the way of your hands: in place of the headset top cap or out front of the handlebar. On the stem, the screen stays readable but you have to lower your head. Avoid clamps fitted at the ends of the bar, which are exposed in a crash.

Does a phone mount work with an integrated or aero handlebar?

A flat-profile handlebar, or one integrated with the stem, has no round section to clamp onto. A headset top cap mount solves the problem on most bikes; some bike manufacturers also offer interfaces that screw under their cockpit.

Does a phone mount slow the bike down?

The effect on speed is small for a rider who is not racing against the clock. A phone placed above the stem, in the wake of your upper body, catches less wind than a screen pushed far out in front of the bar.

How do you stop your phone running out of battery on a ride?

Set off fully charged, load the route and the map in advance, lower the brightness and switch off the functions you do not need: GPS positioning does not need the mobile network if the map is stored on the phone. For a full day, a power bank connected with a short cable extends the battery life.

Does a mount case protect the phone day to day?

Yes, most dedicated cases can be used like an ordinary phone case, with a raised section on the back that takes the mount. Some brands also offer car mounts or armbands that take the same case.