Another update on the bike - the second one this year, woohoo! I actually bought something for it.
I stole the idea from a friend of mine, because I liked it on his bike. Short version: I installed a phone mount.
Long version:
Since I installed a communication system into my helmet for last year's FG roadtrip, I've gotten used to listen to music or podcasts from my phone while riding. Basically, with the exception of hard country road riding for fun which requires all my concentration, I always have something to listen to on.
Having the phone in my pocket, of course I cannot skip tracks or whatever. Additionally, having the phone as a navigation device (Google Maps or Calimoto) works far better if can you see the screen.
So I acquired some things from
SP connect, namely a phone case for my phone that has this neat thing to cling to a phone holder incorporated in the back side:
And the corresponding ballhead mount to put on a RAM mounting system:
Mounting the phone is simple: Place it flat on the mount, rotate 90°.
The other parts of the RAM mount I had to buy separately.
You see there is also the mount for my Garmin navigation system mounted on the right side of the handlebar. Initially I hoped I could replace the dedicated GPS, which is quite cumbersome to use in terms of route planning compared to modern phone apps. But alas, it has a proprietary connector for the power cable. I did not want to bother with installing another power cable for the phone mount into the bike, or even just with properly removing the one for the GPS. So, I decided the GPS stays, and the phone mount was to be installed on the left side. Just because.
Here you can see it with both devices attached, and the tank bag too:
View from eye height:
Handlebar at full lock to both sides - I was worried that the phone would hit the tank bag, but everything is clear:
If it proves necessary, of course I can rotate the ballhead mount 90° to have the phone in landscape.
Power to the phone is necessary when it's being used as a navigation device, as I discovered on a test ride. Just streaming music to the helmet and logging GPS track drained the phone from 90% to about 35% in 2.5 hours. SP connect offers a QI charger for installing in the mount, but this will not be installed before the next lengthy trip (2020 FG roadtrip
). And then perhaps on my next bike, as I am thinking about replacing the CBF.
For now, having a power bank in the tank bag has to suffice.
This installation opens up the possibility for proper navigation when I don't have the dedicated GPS with me, which is quite nice. Mainly the purpose is to try out navigation via phone, because I honestly don't want t dedicated GPS on my next bike if a phone proves to be a good alternative.