MTB Garmin mounting

What is the preference these days? I have seen a few options like the old elastic bar mounts, stem, cap and even on the top tube. Mainly thinking I don’t want to smash it to bits every time I OTB.

Thanks in advance!

I run my Garmin 130 on one of the mounts which is a headset washer with the mount end away from me and just behind the bars.

I did have a big off resulting in bruised ribs and pain for several weeks and the garmin got some mud on it and that was it, didnt come off or move! The mount is a very snug fit when placing it in and turning to lock in place so this would have helped too

I’ve got a normal o ring mount on my bars and can confirm that the garmin fared better than me during a recent unscheduled dismount on a rocky trail. We both separated cleanly from the bike but one of us was fully functional afterwards.

Just use the rubber bands to mount it on the top tube, just behind the headset. Hasn’t had a problem yet.

I think it depends on your setup, I wanted to try the headset spacer style mount, but my stem is too short and I only have 1 5mm spacer above the stem, so it didn’t fit. Ended up with a headset top cap mount which looks really neat and I’ve had a few comments / questions about it. It does interfere slightly with my Exposure Maxx-D – just had to be careful where I mounted the light.

In a crash the plastic on the mount snapped, I bought a set of 4 replacement mounts off Amazon for about a fiver.

Flipping an out front mount like this works well.

(Not my pic. Shamelessly half inched from the interwebz)

I use the plastic disc mount and bands (with a lanyard) on the top tube,just behind the steerer.

My MTB has a top-cap type mount, so it’s inline with the steerer, My Gravel bike has an K-edge offset spacer type mount that puts it inline with the stem a little forward of the steerer, all my other (road) bikes have out-front type mounts that put it a couple of inches in front of the bars inline with the stem…

IMO The MTB and Gravel mounting positions suit a dinkier device better (Edge 25) the out-front mounts better suit a full-sized unit like a 530/830, on top of the stem/steerer is perhaps less likely to be whacked in a crash than out-front but still potentially prone if the bike is tumbling down a rock strewn trail, inboard, behind the bars, next to the stem as CFH’s pic illustrates above should be a reasonably safe position but I’m odd perhaps in preferring it to be on the centreline of the bike rather than off to one side…
I guess if you really wanted to protect it you’d put it on the Top tube, just behind the stem, but then it would barely be viewable…

I’ve got mine on the bars with a out front mount faced backwards as in the pic by Flashy, but it’s mounted so that the Garmin is directly over the stem cap and it sits central

Get the Garmin MTB mount. It puts the unit above the stem where it is still easy to see but not directly in the line of destruction should you have an unscheduled earth bike gravity interface problem situation.

Flipped out front mount works for me. They’re very sturdy and cost a lot less if they don’t have Garmin written on them.

@dove1, 35mm bar, Garmin haven’t gone thet MTB yet..

I think it’s safest on an out front mount. If it’s over the stem and the bike goes upside down then it will get crushed between the bike and the rocks. Taking a tip from what we used to do with the levers on off-road motorcycles, do the mount up so it is only just tight enough, then in an impact it will just get pushed out of the way instead of breaking. Use the lanyard so it doesn’t disappear into the undergrowth.

As per @CaptainFlashheart – use an ‘out front’ type mount and flip it backwards, keeps the Garmin safe out of the way next to your stem and doesnt smash off the ground when your bikes upside down.

On the top tube where it’s out of harms way.

76 Projects Enduro Mount
Rob
76 Projects

For visibility I’ve found the out front mounts best but they are a little vulnerable, I’ve broken one going over the bars.

For keeping the Garmin tucked out of harms way I either rubber band mount to the top tube or my absolute favourite for doing the same thing but being way more tidy is the 76 Projects Enduro Mount Rob linked to above.

Top of the stem is a bit vulnerable and ruled out for me by my OneUp EDC and can be a bit tight with some lights too

I used to mount an edge 25 on the top tube, ended up hitting the stop button with my knees a few times so changed… I also don’t think that position would work well with a “full size” Garmin

I just use the out front mount that came in the box, I find you get used to looking wherever it is and this mount keeps the Garmin lower than the bars for crashes or if I have to turn the bike over for a mechanical.

It’s very secure too and it keeps the unit in line with the stem which helps my OCD.

Out front: smashed when I crashed into a tree
Backwards out front (outback?): smashed the Garmin with my knee (ended up breaking the back of the Garmin, not the mount*)
Fixed to top tube: I can’t see it very well (YMMV)

So I’ve just gone back to the rubber bands on the bar. It works well and twists easily in the event of a crash / knee. It doesn’t look as pro, though.

You may all be less accident prone than me!

*Very annoying at the time, but kudos to Garmin’s crash replacement scheme – I got a brand new replacement Edge 510 (boxed with all the accessories) for ~£55 IIRC.

Disc mount fits ok on the bars if they are 35mm. I crashed badly with one on the bars and only put a teeny scratch on the side of it.
Having it on the top-tube wouldn’t work for me – 1. It’d get rained on by sweat and 2. I couldn’t see it properly.
Out front is best imo.

35mm bar, Garmin haven’t gone thet MTB yet..

My Edge 1000 is about 4 years old and came with a 35mm out front mount this one – no rubber band: 35mm, thin one: 31.8mm.

sorry @DezB, that was more referencing their MTB one that states its not 35 compatible..

K-Edge stem cap mount here. Has been fine.

I use the K-Edge MTB/STem Adjustable Mount and found that this works well for me. You can adjust it to match the stem angle and the bar clamp which keeps it close to both. Or you can raise it up so that it is more visible…

Having smashed the tabs off 2 garmins on a sram outfront mount reversed over the stem in crashes i just run the O ring mount on the bars.

Another O ring mount here, it just moves when you crash rather than breaking.

I use out front mounts, it makes it easier to read on the move

Bumpity bump.

What I’m looking for (for the Hybrid of Doom which can’t have a top cap mount) is a 31.8mm clamp mount which will hold the Garmin over the bar. Does such a thing exist?

The sram ones can.

https://www.halfords.com/cycling/cycling-technology/cycle-computer-gps-mounts/sram-quickview-garmin-gps%2Fcomputer-mount-413529.html

There were plenty of people doing look alike copies last time I bought one.

What I’m looking for (for the Hybrid of Doom which can’t have a top cap mount) is a 31.8mm clamp mount which will hold the Garmin over the bar. Does such a thing exist?

Do you mean a clamped on mount that would end up holding it in roughtly the same position as the standard band-on mount?

@mashr Yes, that would be ideal.

Not heard of anything quite like that, everything I’ve ever seen is offset to the front/back. Best I can think of is one the Bar Fly MTB ones (3.0 iirc) that has a much smaller offset than all the more road focused ones

K-Edge do a stem clamped  forward mount?

fixed to stem

I use it on the Spesh. at it has a fancy tool hidden in the steerer so I can’t use a top-cap mounted Garmin, so this replaces a steerer spacer and holds the Garmin over the stem

I’m not sure that would work – stem has a bit of rise on it.

Thinking laterally, a deeper quarter turn elastic mount would probably do – new 530 fouls the stem but with a bit more height it would be fine.

stem has a bit of rise on it.

There’s an adjustable version, if that helps?

I use the Garmin MTB mount which sits my 530 over the (50mm) stem. Due to 10mm spacers above the stem it does not quite sit as low as I would like but it works well and contrary to some comments above it does fit on 35mm bars (you remove the rubber spacers). If I had 5mm of spacers only above the stem it would sit perfectly.

Another vote for the 76 projects top tube mount. Never liked the Garmin on the bars. Fitted to both bikes now 👍🏻

76 Projects Enduro mount. I’ve got the Wahoo version and it’s absolutely brilliant. Have smashed a bar mounted Garmin in a crash, so once bitten, twice shy.

Top tube mount keeps it out of harm’s way but still visible.

Enduro Computer Mount

I switch between the 76 Projects Enduro and the standard rubber band bar mount, depending on the type of ride. Prefer having it in sight on the bar if there’s much navigation to be done on technical terrain, otherwise down on the top tube is safer and less distracting. I have a Garmin 500 series sized device, you couldn’t go bigger – I brush the silicone case up/down a third of the way off mine a couple of times every ride (wearing trail knee pads).

Don’t know if these would be any good but might be an option for some folk – nukeproof horizon over stem garmin mount, needs 7mm on your steering mount to fit and puts it in front of your top cap so those with fancy tools hidden inside should still be able to use them.

The original SRAM out front mount is designed to be reverse mounted to put the Garmin above the stem. The road versions in alloy from other companies puts it lower for aeroz. I use the SRAM on the mtb.