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We bought bike phone mounts from Peak Design, Rokform, Quad Lock, Nite Ize and rode with them for over 1000 miles
A view of all of the bike phone mounts in the review.
Credit: Madison Botzet
By Chris McNamara ⋅ Founder and Editor-in-Chief ⋅ Dec 4, 2024
The Best Bike Phone Mounts
We bought 13 top bike phone mounts and rode for thousands of miles to perform side-by-side tests.
After hundreds of daily commutes across smoothly paved surfaces as well as rough off-road terrain, we can confidently say thePeak Design Universal Bar Mount is the best for most people. It fits on any bar, can be easily swapped between bikes, and has by far the best one-handed operation.
However, if you want a much simpler phone mount that you don't have to buy a custom case for, the Nite Ize Squeeze is by far the best value. It also fits on any size bar within seconds and works well on most smooth bike commutes.
Read on for more specific recommendations, such as the top choices that will keep your phone dry, variations on our top-rated models, and other great value options.
Editor's Note: We added the sincetop brand on December 4, 2024, as well as more details on specs.
The case doesn't work well with universal car magnets
SPECIFICATIONS
Waterproof
No
Requires Specific Case or Adaptor
Yes
Rotates
Yes
Materials
Plastic, silicone
Our favorite bike phone mount is the Peak Design Universal Bar Mount, which we love for its easy one-handed use. Once you learn the technique, you can remove the phone with one hand, similar to the Quad Lock and Rokform mounts. The difference with the Peak Design model is that when replacing the phone on the bar, you only have to get it reasonably close to the mount, and the magnetic field grabs and locks it securely in place. Lead tester Chris McNamara noted, “It reminded me of a spaceship getting pulled into a tractor beam. At a certain point, the phone seamlessly sucked to my bar.” By comparison, replacing the phone on most mounts is far more difficult, especially if you are riding. This mount is easy to swap between bikes and goes onto just about any bar width, including grocery carts, strollers, or a treadmill. It is very secure in bumpy terrain. The case (sold separately) is slim compared to many others and looks good.
The Peak Design Universal is not flawless. It requires you to buy a specific case for your phone, which nearly doubles the cost, making it one of the most expensive mounts we reviewed. Additionally, this is the heaviest case and mount combo we tested. Most folks won't notice the extra weight, but anyone who wants to shave off grams may be better off with Quad Lock. Unless your bars have a long stem, you won't be able to center the mount. Road cyclists who want the phone to be perfectly centered or out front prefer the Peak Design Out Front Bike Mount described below. The case is slim enough for everyday use but does not stick well to many “register style” magnetic car mounts. Ironically, one of the least expensive car phone mounts by Lissen was one of the few to stick to it securely. But if that product does work with your car's current registers, you must buy the specific Peak Design car mount, which is pricey and doesn't easily swap between cars. Honestly, we have not found any case that works great on the bike bars and in the car. Despite these shortcomings, this case is secure, streamlined, and our favorite model for everyday commuting and long mountain bike rides.
When the Peak Design case gets near the Universal Mount, a strong magnet pulls it in and securely locks it.
If you mainly use one bike and want your phone out front, the Peak Design Out Front Bike Mount is our top choice. It has most of the pros of the Peak Design Universal Mount with the added benefits of a more streamlined setup. It's as easy as the Universal to remove your phone and place it back on the magnetic pad. Like the Universal Mount, it “sucks” to the bar mount when you get it reasonably close and is very secure on bumpy terrain (with some caveats listed below).
Unfortunately, this Peak Design model scored lower than the Universal Mount because it takes more time to install or swap between bikes. It includes adapters but does not work perfectly on all bar widths. For instance, the extra bar inserts were too big for our test mountain bike. But the mount became loose without the inserts and slipped off on bumpy terrain. We fixed the issue by wrapping the bar with tape, but this is not the most aesthetic or simple solution. It is also more expensive than the Universal and, like the Universal, requires a case specific to your phone. The case does not work well on a standard magnetic car register; it is not “one case to rule them all.” Despite all these critiques, this is a great mount if you mainly use one bike and take the time to dial in the setup, but most people should get the Peak Design Universal Bar Mount.
The sleek Peak Design Case (left), the Out Front Mount (center), and Universal Mount (right).
Easy to transfer to a stroller, treadmill, or other bikes
Works with almost any phone and won't block the screen
CONS
Not the most secure for bumpy terrain
Versatility, ease of setup, and low price make the Nite Ize Squeeze one of our testers' favorites. The Nite Ize ties the VUP Silicone Mount for being the easiest and most intuitive to mount on your bike. No tools were required; they fit on every bike handlebar we tested. When mounted, the Nite Ize can rotate into whatever orientation you want: landscape, portrait, or something in between. Additionally, the Nite Ize seamlessly transferred onto strollers for walks and shopping carts for grocery store runs. While it requires two hands to operate, getting the phone in and out is very fast and does not require stretching four rubber pieces over each corner like VUP Silicone and Nite Ize Wraptor do.
The Nite Ize may not be the best choice if you regularly ride bumpy terrain; the mount is surprisingly stable, but it did not perform well on sustained bumpy roads and trails. Also, this mount does not provide weather protection alone. For mounts like this, we recommend using a weatherproof case for your phone if you plan to ride in inclement weather. For most people, the Nite Ize would be a great mount at a fraction of the cost of other high-performing mounts. It is our favorite universal mount to put on our daily around-town bikes. But if you plan on using the mount on rougher terrain, we prefer the Rokform Pro Series Quad Tab Mount, which is secure enough for mountain biking.
The VUP Silicone Mount is a great budget pick. It performs nearly as well as the Nite Ize Wraptor in nearly every metric and is around half the cost. The VUP stands apart from the crowd as the easiest mount to set up. It was intuitive and only took 5 seconds to install on our handlebars. Our testers found this mount to be satisfyingly simple to use. Another great feature is that the mount can rotate to landscape and portrait orientation. The VUP also excels in being versatile: it can easily transfer from bike to bike or from bike to stroller. It is also very light for those counting grams.
The VUP mount is user-friendly and performs fairly well due to its simplicity, but it still has some drawbacks. Compared to its similar competitor, the Nite Ize Wraptor, the VUP mount is not nearly as stylish and is not quite compatible with the size range. Getting your phone in and out of the mount requires more effort, and part of the screen is blocked. If you plan to ride in bad weather (like our testers who bike-commute to work most days) and want to use a weatherproof case on your phone, the VUP is not a great option. These differences made the Nite Ize stand out, but the VUP is close in comparison and at almost half the price. The VUP is a good choice for riders on a budget or occasional use. And yet, if you have a larger phone, it may be worth spending the small additional amount on the Nite Ize Squeeze.
The VUP is the easiest to swap between bikes but it takes a few seconds to get your phone in and out of the mount.
Credit: Jason Peters
Best Frame Mount Bag
Wild Man Bike Phone Mount Bag
Requires Specific Case: No | Waterproof: Yes
PROS
Very secure on bumpy terrain
Great protection from weather
Fits all phones
CONS
Reduced touchscreen usability
Some riders hit their knees on the bag while riding
The Wild Man Bike Phone Mount Bag is an affordable option if you're looking for a bike phone mount with extra storage. This bag was easier to set up than the RockBros Waterproof Bag because its velcro straps and loops are larger and placed more conveniently. This mount protects your phone from all kinds of weather and is very secure on your bike despite it jiggling a bit. The bag has enough storage space for extra gear like a wallet, keys, or a snack.
The downside is the bike bags are sizable and take up most of your top tube. It's hard to stand over the bike while the bag is installed (especially if you're a smaller person on a smaller bike frame). Moreover, the plastic that protects your phone simultaneously makes it more difficult to use. Phone screen glare and decreased touchscreen sensitivity earned this mount a poor score in our Ease of Phone Access metric. Lastly, some users found their phones overheated in the bike bag on hot days. The Wild Man Bag is a good pick if you want a weatherproof bike bag with ample storage. Those who desire better phone access should consider another model like the Peak Design Universal Bar Mount.
It takes multiple steps to access your phone in bike bags, but on the plus side, there's a lot of space for storage!
Credit: Madison Botzet
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Testing multiple bike phone mounts on a casual mountain bike ride.
Credit: Madison Botzet
Why Trust GearLab
Extensive field testing occurred with each mount to assess phone protection, ease of access, and security while riding fast on roads, flowing on singletrack, and making quick commutes. We even strapped these phone mounts to strollers and treadmills to uncover which ones are well-rounded and versatile. Additional testing included timing the setup to report on the easiest installation.
We use five different metrics to score phone mounts:
Ease of Accessing Phone (30% of overall score weighting)
Security on Bumpy Terrain (30% weighting)
Ease of Setup (25% weighting)
Phone Protection (15% weighting)
Hailing from Western Montana, Madison Botzet spends her time trail running, mountain biking, and uphill skiing. Her hometown is teeming with miles of trails and gravel roads straight out her back door. She commutes to work daily via bike (not a small feat when it's snowing) and has made a pact not to drive anywhere less than 5 kilometers away. Being a youth mountain bike coach and having interned as a bicycle infrastructure planner, she has the experience to understand a bike mount's functionality. In short, Madison loves it and spends much time on two wheels.
Our testers took mounts on gravel roads, rocky singletrack, and through city streets to see which bike phone mounts performed best.
The Rokform Sport Series has the versatility to be transferred from bike to bike, or bike to stroller.
Testing on a gravel ride on a foggy fall day.
Analysis and Test Results
We tested all bike mounts across five metrics to help separate some of the close competitors. Below are key variables to consider when choosing a bike phone mount. We describe why each variable is important and how different models in our test performed.
What's the Best Value?
Many bike phone mounts performed relatively well across various metrics but vary quite a bit in price. Our testers considered the best-performing mounts relative to their prices to help you find the best bang for your buck. Remember that some phone mounts require you to buy a case specific to your phone, which can cost more than double the cost.
Catching the attention of our testers was the Nite Ize Wraptor for its outstanding overall performance and relatively low price. Another value pick with one of the lowest prices in the lineup is the VUP mount, which is simple to install, versatile, and easy to use. This mount performed better in some metrics than its high-end competitors and at a fraction of the cost. Though it is the most expensive phone mount, the Rokform Pro Series is made of aluminum and is built to last.
The sincetop C Gen 2 is the least expensive option that can be quickly removed from the handlebars. That said, we found it was just easier to use the Quad Lock Out Front Bike Mount which is only $10 more expensive. These are the budget picks for this setup, but we still think it's worth spending the extra money to get the Peak Design models.
Ease of Accessing Phone
One of the most important considerations for buying a bike mount is how easy it is to access the phone while on a ride. Every second counts if you want to stop and snap a photo quickly. Phones with locking mechanisms performed the best here. We also considered whether we could tilt the mount to view the phone better while riding and if the screen was fully visible.
Both Peak Design models were the easiest to remove and put back by a pretty big margin. They feature a big “magnetic target” that you only need to get reasonably close to before the phone is “sucked in” and securely locked. The Quad Lock and Rokform Pro mounts were almost as easy to remove but take more time and precision to replace, especially if you are biking. All four require a specific case or universal adaptor to work in their twist-lock mechanisms. These make them more expensive, and buying a new case when you upgrade your phone isn't very pleasant, but the trade-off for ease of use is worth it if you bike regularly.
A side-by-side comparison of the sleek cases for the Quad Lock mount and the Rokform mounts.
Credit: Madison Botzet
The Wild Man and RockBros bike bags performed the worst in this metric. While these bags are inexpensive, work with most phones, and have plenty of storage, they make it harder to interact with your phone. The main challenge is touchscreen usability. The plastic sheet may keep you from accessing your phone's Home button, making using the phone difficult. Phone usability is prone to errors and is usually much slower. It takes a little time to remove the phone when you reach your destination or if you want to take a photo. There is no one-handed operation.
Because of the twist-lock mechanism, it's easy to get your phone in and out of the Quad Lock mount.
Credit: Madison Botzet
Surprisingly, the Rokform Sport Series did not perform well here either. The velcro strap did not tighten enough to provide stability to twist your phone off the mount. Often, the mount would twist instead of the phone - making it a challenge to remove.
The universal silicone mounts like the Nite Ize Wraptor and the VUP performed in the middle of the pack. Getting your phone on and off is not difficult. It takes a little bit of time and is a two-handed process. This can be a nuisance if you stop to take lots of photos.
Security on Bumpy Terrain
The other metric people care most about across our research is phone security. A phone is a pricey investment that no one wants to see fly off the mount and become lost, cracked, or broken. We assessed how much the phone moved within the mount and also how much the mount moved on the handlebars.
Semi-permanent mounts and bike bags performed best in this metric. The Rokform Pro topped the pack since it is semi-permanently installed over the bike's steer tube and is less inclined to vibrate or move. This mount is well suited to bumpy gravel rides or singletrack. Similarly, the stem mount for the sincetop C Gen 2 is both solid and has a locking feature to keep the phone from accidentally coming off. When securely installed, the Peak Design and Quad Lock also performed well on bumpy terrain.
Testing mounts on bumpy singletrack. The Rokform Pro and Quad Lock performed very well, but the Rokform Sport did not perform as well.
Credit: Madison Botzet
The Wild Man Bag and the RockBros Bag are secure because your phone won't fall out of the closed bag. These bags wouldn't be great for mountain biking because they tend to wiggle a lot and can get in the way of you standing over your bike. If your primary concern is keeping your phone safe from flying out of the mount and you want extra storage, these bags are a good pick.
Surprisingly, the Rokform Sport Series performed relatively poorly because the velcro strap could not be tightened enough to stop the mount from shifting on the bike.
The worst-performing mounts in this metric are the Roam Universal and the Lamicall. These mounts tighten with a screw and thus can easily loosen. Also, these mounts are the clunkiest and more prone to vibrations. These are potential issues because it makes it possible for the mounts to loosen and flip upside down, causing you to lose your phone. We do not recommend these designs if you are riding on bumpy terrain.
Ease of Setup and Transfer
People want a bike phone mount that is easy to set up, with clear instructions and the required tool(s) needed. We timed the setup of each mount to support our field tests to determine which ones were easy and which were a pain.
The easiest mounts to set up are those with velcro or silicone staps like the Peak Design Universal Mount,Rokform Sport Series, the Nite Ize Wraptor, and the VUP. The VUP and Peak Design were incredibly intuitive and took only a few seconds to install. The Nite Ize and Rokform Sport both only took a few seconds longer than the VUP and were equally as intuitive to set up. None of these mounts require tools.
The VUP mount was the easiest and most intuitive to setup.
Credit: Madison Botzet
The Rokform Pro Series, Peak Design Out Front, and the Quad Lock are in the middle of the pack because of their semi-permanent installation. Though not difficult, they took a few minutes to install (versus a few seconds for the strap mounts).
Make sure your bike's top cap has a 1-1/8" threadless steer tube to install the Rokform Pro Series. Most modern road and mountain bikes do - but your cruiser bike is likely out of luck.
Credit: Madison Botzet
The Lamicall and the Roam mounts were the hardest to set up. These mounts have multiple finicky parts that must be adjusted to fit properly. Our testers found these mounts to be the most frustrating to install.
While the bike bags were relatively easy to set up, our testers found that the Wild Man was slightly easier than the RockBros bag because it had bigger, more convenient loops to put the velcro straps through.
Some users enjoy being able to transfer their bike phone mount onto multiple bikes, strollers, treadmills, shopping carts, or cars. Our testers considered how easy they were to transfer and how well the mounts could accommodate different bar sizes and shapes.
The Rokform Sport Series performed best in this metric because of the ease of transferability and the long strap lengths that accommodate the handlebar shapes of strollers, shopping carts, and treadmills. The case or universal adapter that works for the Rokform Sport is compatible with a car mount, but you must purchase it separately. The runner-up in this category was the Nite Ize Wraptor because it's easy to transfer but is slightly less versatile due to a shorter strap length.
The VUP is a good pick for users who want to transfer their mount to multiple bikes or strollers. Though easy to transfer, its versatility is more limited due to the shorter strap lengths.
Our testers strapped mounts -- including the Nite Ize Wraptor shown here -- onto strollers to see how well they performed.
Credit: Madison Botzet
Phone Protection
Our testers considered that some people are dedicated enough to ride their bikes in the rain, sun, dust, and snow - and want to keep their phones protected from the elements while doing so.
The bike bags scored very well in this metric because your phone is fully enclosed in water-resistant material. However, the drawbacks of the WildMan and RockBros bags are that they reduce touchscreen usability and could lead to your phone overheating on warm rides.
The RockBros bag comes with a rain cover for extra protection.
Credit: Madison Botzet
Most other mounts alone provide no weather protection, so their protection performance will depend on the user's phone case. We recommend a waterproof, shock-proof case in these mounts if weather protection is a concern. The Nite Ize Wraptor mount can fit a wider variety of phones than the other universal mounts.
If you have a very large phone and beefy case, your phone may fit precariously in some of the silicone mounts. If this is the case, it may be best to go with a semi-permanent mount or bike bag.
To use the semi-permanent mounts, such as the Rokform Sport, the Rokform Pro, and the Quad Lock, you need either a specific case or a universal adaptor to twist-lock onto the mounts. We recommend buying the universal adaptor for these mounts and putting it on a weatherproof case for your phone.
Note that mounts that come with universal adapters like Quad Lock and sincetop allow you to choose very burly cases to attach to. That said, we found many cases did not stick well to the adhesive. You have to select your case carefully.
Conclusion
Bike phone mounts are useful if you want to track your ride, listen to music, use navigation, or have your phone readily accessible for photos or phone calls. If you have the money and ride your bike often, the locking-style mounts are the way to go. However, they take some fidgeting and require changing every time you switch bikes. The universal bar mounts are more than adequate for many people's needs. They are inexpensive, fast to install, lightweight, and low profile. If you store things on your bike, the bike bags can be handy but don't count on great touchscreen functionality. Whatever your needs, this comprehensive review will help make your decision that much easier so that you can get out on the road or trail.
Between the top-rated bikes and bike accessories, we've tested hundreds of products. If you're seeking a specific type of bike or component, chances are, we have opinions — and those opinions are based on thousands of hours of riding and real-world usage. From bike computers to bike helmets and even top-ranked electric bikes, our reviews can help you uncover the best product for your needs.
