I’m thinking of trying one of these on my bike

http://www.ultimate-mobiles.co.uk/mobile-phones/htc/htc-desire-accessories/motorcycle-bicycle-holders/ua-bike-mount-waterproof-case___421.htm

Better pictures here
http://www.ultimate-mobiles.com/community/threads/35-Motorcycle-Dedicated-Mobile-Phone-Holder-Testing

Anyone tried one? I think it may be fine. But perhaps I will get phone insurance first…

is your life that important that you cannot put it on hold for 30 seconds till you get your phone out your pocket to answer it ?

unless you’re desparate to use it for satnav duties I’d get a proporta waterproof case and bung it in your camelbak – it looks very vulnerable to drash/passign branch damage.

It’s for OS maps + music dumbo 😛

again i see no need – unless you are doing an orienteering race that is …

to have an os map strapped to your bars ….

as for plugging in to your handlebars to get music ….. nice – either your headphones will be ripped from your ears – much better in pocket

What OS maps for DH runs? 🙂

for music just get some bluetooth headphones.

How can I get OS maps on my android phone?

I have bluetooth headphones.
You haven’t tried an OS maps on the bars Trailrat? It’s ace.

You have a point about crashing wwsas. Perhaps I just try the trick with brake levers, and leave them slightly loose so they rotate when you crash.

Viewranger mr ache

In support for the OP… OS mapping on the bars is great. Good for longer rides and A to Bs, handy for exploring.

I_Ache, as above Viewranger is the best mobile mapping but you do need to pay for OS maps. Trekbuddy is good for free but you need to cut your own maps which is a hassle but is free. If you want viewranger then email me (in profile) before you register and I’ll send you a link so you get some extra free maps.

is there such a thing as an app that gives directions over headphones? Bit like a satnav in a car – but for off road trails? Does viewranger do this?

This is for the iphone rather than android. I would rather that then have my phone attached to the bars – and then have the option to get the phone out my pocket and check visually if I need to

No one does voice satnav for bridleways yet AFAIK !
Viewranger will let you set alarms at route points, if you plan a route in advance, but that’s just to remind you to look at the map.

I think I will guinea pig this case for those that get it. Yes, thanks, I’m too kind, I know.

If you have phone insurance I wouldn’t worry too much.. especially if it is easy to detach. Little chance of big off’s if you are picking your way through the unknown looking for a bothy where as more chance if you are doing some downhill runs, just detach it when you know you are going to be giving it stick?

Yeah good point max, though I’m capable of a big off anywhere 😳

I’ve been running this phone for years on the bike, never a problem off road cos it was built to be rugged. Just browsing the map on a 1.7″ screen is awkward!

No case is going to protect the pohone from being ****tted into a tree, out of interest what battery life are you getting out of your phone? I’ve got a Desire and wouldn’t dare use it for mapping / navigation for fear of having no power left to make an emergency call, struggle to get a full day out of it.

^^ why don’t you just buy a spare battery?

I did 3 hours up n down snowdon with my X10, used about half the battery. Almost impossible to use with wet fingers in drizzle though! Maybe this will be better.

Yes I just carry a spare too.

Hopefully in time I will get it linked up to the hub dynamo on my hardtail.

If you have an X10 you installed the recent 2.1 update yet? Big improvement (and I liked it already).

Warning – i did it after a factory reset, be sure to backup your stuff.

Nah still waiting for o2 to release it!
How is the video quality now?

I used to use Viewranger on my N95 with a BoxIt case. Great for spontaneously trying new routes but the clamp wasn’t up to the job and kept breaking.

Have been looking out for something similar for my Desire so when I saw this I thought I’d give one a go.. ordered it after lunch yesterday and it has turned up today, so can’t fault their delivery!

The case fits the phone snuggly which is great as I was worried it would be a generic size and the phone would rattle around in it. The case itself looks very well made with a very fine zip – I think I would describe it as water-resistant rather than waterproof as water could potentially get in where the zip tags meet. The mount is way sturdier than the BoxIt ones, both how it attaches to the bars and how the phone clips to the bars.

So, overall, it’s looking like a good buy.. the only negative I can find at the moment is that where the two zip tags meet I think they are going to jangle about a lot which could get annoying..

Hey good effort, you can guinea pig instead 🙂
How is using the screen through the front – can you swipe or tap ok?

nickjb – Member
In support for the OP… OS mapping on the bars is great. Good for longer rides and A to Bs, handy for exploring.

Which is when you’d most want the re-assurance of having a fully operational, and charged, phone for emergencies. If you really need OS mapping like that, get a dedicated device (they work much better anyway) and keep the phone safe and warm.

ooOOoo – Member
Hey good effort, you can guinea pig instead
How is using the screen through the front – can you swipe or tap ok?

Yup, works fine through the screen on the front.. the only problem (and you’d get this with any case) is the capacitive screen on the phone – meaning you have to take your gloves off to use it.

Cool, just need to wait for the endura gloves with capacitive fingers then!
£20 case or £300 gps druidh? Hmmmm decisions……

You didn’t actually read my post then….

.. or at least you didn’t understand it.

You didn’t understand mine either

Tried it on the bike for a leisurely ride around Swinley at the weekend.. stayed put, worked fine and kept the phone dry in soggy conditions.

Would maybe like the clamp to be a bit bigger so I could attach it to the stem rather than handlebars, but that’s only a small criticism..

Thanks frogstomp, sounds promising. When I get mine I’ll also be interested in mounting it to the top tube somehow.

i have actually – mapboard with an os map on it for orienteering races … worked grand

grand total if i stack it … a 5er …

That’s cool, very cheap.

How do you keep your position marked though? Do you keep one hand hovering over the map with a pencil?

MMMMMMM rather the phone to be in my Camlback
at least if im injured and cant get to my bike
least i can call for help.

Always keep your phone and a whistle on your person
so you can always get help

How do you keep your position marked though?

I’d imagine the old fashioned way – by knowing where he is!

Oh to to reply to the above:

With 2.1 video quality is a lot better, especially for close up stuff as it does continuous autofocus. Sound quality still the same (i.e. average). In general shat on from a great height by my N8…

im strugling to remember the last time my os map ran out of batterys

it is foolhardy to go into the hills with your “mapping” being a phone (or even a gps system)

mountain craft is a dying art it would appear – ive ridden with alot of folk and its scary how many of those people cant do simple stuff like orientate the map correctly to work out position from surrounding features or take a bearing ! (stuartie C not included 😉 )

im not a total luddite either – i have a phone capible of all you talk about i just believe that in the hills its best reserved for emergancies – does depend where you ride though……..

All good points Mr rat. I bet you use a satnav in your car though?

Thanks IA, still waiting for the O2 tech geek to stop playing farmville and release it though.

lol – i still have keepfit windows and no turbo in my van …..

wouldnt double it in value with a satnav …..

GPS is a toy. Nothing more nothing less. Personally I dont let my life depend on toys.

Thanks IA, still waiting for the O2 tech geek to stop playing farmville and release it though.

It’s pretty trivial to change the product code and update it, you’ll effectively do a reset of the phone though and need to restore.

xda-developers forum would be a good place to start 😉

I also ran the Boxit case on my previous phone. Great case, shame they won’t do a bigger one. Since getting the desire I have been using an armband case strapped to the stem. It works okay but you need to put the phone in a small plastic bag to keep it waterproof.

Saw this the other night and have ordered one. Hope to modify the clap to get it onto the stem.

Druidh’s opinion is one that always surfaces in the smartphone/dedicated GPS debate. Carry a spare battery solves the problem of having a phone ready for use in an emergency. I am sure the dedicated units are very good in that they are fit and forget. However, if you have smartphone already a good waterproof case and a spare battery is cheaper than a Garmin!

I have a phone that does OS mapping, has a suberb bike specific GPS program that does mapping/heart rate/interval training etc. The only thing it does not do is cadence.

This case looks like it solves the problem of waterproofing for the larger phones like the Desire.

Regards

Hi

Received the case yesterday. Well made and looks like it should keep the phone dry in the wet weather. It is certainly not designed to protect from heavy knocks so it may not be for everyone.

The clamp is pretty good but unfortunately it won’t fit around a stem, only the bars. I have done away with the bar clamp part and modded the remaining part so that I was able to fit it to the stem with cable ties.

Job done.