Smartphones are increasingly useful to cyclists thanks to the availability of numerous ride-friendly training and navigation cycling apps. Naturally, this means more riders are looking to mount their phone to a bike.
While the best bike computers put everything you could possibly want in a compact, bike-specific package, some riders prefer a smartphone – especially for commuting bikes and hybrid bikes. There's also increasing integration with electric bike systems, many of which provide an app that includes navigation and ride stats, as well as battery status and other ebike data.
There are pros and cons to both. A dedicated bike computer won't drain your phone's battery, is designed specifically for the job in hand and offers connectivity (typically both ANT+, which phones don't usually support, and Bluetooth) to a wide range of accessories.
Using a smartphone, on the other hand, means you don't have to splash out on a separate device and normally offers a user-friendly interface. Plus there's a growing number of apps and, generally speaking, you've always got your phone on you for quick trips by bike, so it's a popular choice for cycling to work.
For more advice, read our guide to using a bike computer vs a phone on your rides.
If you do use your phone on a bike, you'll want to make sure it's securely mounted. We've pitched the most popular bike phone mounts head-to-head to find out which are worth buying.
When it comes to phone mounting solutions there's a lot of choice and a few different takes on how it's done. Should you want to learn a little more about the different designs and what might work best for you, then head to our buyer's guide towards the bottom of this page.
Editor's note: this article was updated on 13 May 2025 to include our latest high-scoring reviews from Fidlock, Topeak, Loop and Quad Lock.
Best bike phone holders, as rated by our expert testers
Fidlock Vacuum Ahead Cap Base
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- Secured with magnets plus a vacuum
- Phone can be mounted portrait or landscape
- Price: £29.99
Fidlock’s system combines magnets and a vacuum connection to provide a very secure hold. It’s highly adjustable too – you can rotate the phone through 360˚.
The 69.5g base sits 35mm above the stem cap, so while it doesn’t have any angle adjustment, our tester Warren Rossiter didn’t have any issue with it clearing a 12˚-rise stem on his commuter bike, or a short 90mm/0˚ stem on his gravel bike.
However, it would have caught on the 65mm riser stem on his mountain bike, so he had to run his phone ‘landscape’ there.
When out riding, the vacuum mount did an excellent job of minimising phone vibrations, especially when combined with Fidlock’s Vacuum Uni case (£34.99), which keeps your phone splash- and dirt-free, while still enabling full touchscreen functionality.
Fidlock also offers a Uni Phone Patch (£14.99) to simply stick on to your existing phone case.
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Loop Micro Mount
- Replaces bike's stem top cap
- Works with any phone case up to 83mm wide
- Price: £39.95
Loop’s Micro Mount is a very discreet design, with its 75g alloy mount replacing your bike’s stem top cap with expanding, tightly sprung jaws.
Unlike many other mounts, you don’t need to have a specific phone case to use it.
The jaws open to an 83mm width and can accept a phone (and case) up to 12.7mm deep, which is big enough for most types. To access your phone, unfold the felt-lined jaws and spread the mount.
If you don’t want the Micro Mount fitted permanently to your bike, you can add the £9.95 Removable O-ring Kit, replacing your top cap with a Garmin-style quarter-turn mount that it clicks into.
The Micro Mount is secure when riding, although my iPhone 13 can bounce a little over rougher surfaces.
The clever, minimalist design is well suited to commuter bikes and, as long as it fits your particular stem, I’d recommend it for urban bikes.
Quad Lock Stem Cap Mount Adjustable
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- Adjustable-angle mount attaches under stem top cap
- Works with Quad Lock case to protect phone
- Price: £39.99
New for 2024, this mount fixes below your stem cap, replacing a 10mm spacer. The dog-leg bracket lifts the mount 30mm above the stem cap, with 70˚ of adjustment.
As with the Topeak mount, it’s a case of adjusting the angle with the phone attached and nipping up the 2.5mm hex bolt at the pivot to lock everything in.
The quarter-turn fitting is secure and enables the phone to be mounted vertically or horizontally, while the lever release is simple. When you’re riding, it’s rock solid and reduces vibrations well.
Quad Lock mounts and cases are designed as a system, and the plush Quad Lock Case (£25.99) I paired the mount with was impressive. It comes in versions for a range of phone types, from Samsung to Huawei via iPhone.
Add a Poncho (£15.99) clip-over front piece to further protect your phone.
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Topeak Ridecase Mount
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- Pivoting mount attaches to stem top cap
- Cases only available to fit iPhones
- Price: £29.99
Topeak’s Ridecase Mount fixes directly onto your bike’s stem cap and features a 60mm articulated arm for your phone.
Integrating the pivot into the cap allows for 90˚ of adjustment. Once the angle is set to your liking, you simply nip up the stem-cap bolt to lock it into place.
On the bike, the mount and supplementary Ridecase (£29.99) fit together securely.
A positive click when attaching the case to the mount is an improvement over the original design.
The long arm works well to keep vibrations and bounce to a minimum, making the Topeak a good option for rougher surfaces.
That said, tester Warren noted he prefers cases that fully protect his phone from the elements when riding off-road.
While Topeak offers a wide range of cases for iPhone models, if you use any other brand of phone, you’ll need to look elsewhere.
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Zéfal Bike Kit
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- Mount attaches using O-rings, with a snap-on phone case
- Weatherproof cover in standard kit
- Price: £25 / $25 / €26.95 / AU$36 as tested
The Zéfal Bike Kit is relatively simple to fit and rock-solid in use, thanks to a no-tools-needed setup that uses rubber O-rings to attach the mount to a bar or stem.
The snap-on phone case has an integral fitting that enables you to swap it between different mounts and uses – although it’s a bit too chunky to persuade us to leave it on all the time.
The phone goes onto the mount with a simple twist through 45 degrees and a good, positive lock. Two buttons on the underside must be depressed in order to release it, so there’s no chance of doing that accidentally.
The inclusion of a weather cover in the standard kit makes this great value, and we’d be persuaded to upgrade to the better out-front mount kit that allows for a light/camera too.
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Also consider…
The following products scored fewer than 4 out of 5 stars in our test, but are still worth considering and might suit your needs.
SP Connect Bike Bundle
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- Top-mounted and out-front options
- Road Bike Bundle can add a light or camera
- Price: £50 / $61 / €60 / AU$87 as tested
We tested the Bike Bundle version of the SP Connect, which includes a stem cap/bar mount plus a weather cover as standard, making this good value.
The mount includes an angle-adjustable arm that you can choose to use (we didn’t here). For another £10, the Road Bike Bundle has an improved mount that holds the phone out front, with space for a light/camera. In our opinion, it’s worth trading up for the improved position and flexibility of use.
This is one of the better phone cases: it has a tactile feel and the integral mount is low-profile enough not to get in the way during everyday use. However, there isn’t a positive click when locking it in place and it requires a firm hand to release it.
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BTwin Riverside 520
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- Includes two top tube bags for extras
- Some reflection from the cover
- Price: £13 / $24.99 as tested
While it's not very sleek or hi-tech, we found ourselves warming to the Riverside 520 double bike frame bag way more than anticipated simply because the tube-mounted twin bags are very convenient.
The phone goes in the top, with your wallet and keys on one side, and a spare tube and tools on the other.
The kicker is that the straps could be longer, which means some ingenuity is required to fix it securely in place. The phone goes into its holder easily, but because it isn’t held firmly against the cover, reflection from the plastic can sometimes make it hard to see the screen.
The touchscreen connection isn’t always spot-on, but for a budget-friendly price, you get something that holds your phone securely, plus two stash bags.
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Buyer's guide to bike phone mounts and cases
Different types of phone mounts
A bicycle phone mount is exactly the same as a bike computer mount, except that instead of a computer it lets you attach a smartphone securely to your bars, stem or top tube. An advantage of this is that you don't need to shell out for a separate bike computer.
Most bicycle phone mounts are small plastic brackets that you attach to your bike and then clip your phone into. Some are transparent pockets which are part of bags you can strap to your frame, and also use for storage. Either way, they need to provide a sturdy way to carry your phone on your bike and protect it from the elements, while also allowing you to use it.
Case + mount
Bike phone cases tend to be for stem or handlebar mounts, and they’re usually variations on a similar theme: your phone is held in a case that is specific to the size and model of your phone, which can then be clipped securely into a small plastic block on your handlebar or stem. The case may or may not be waterproof.
These sorts of mounts, generally speaking, will allow you to align your phone in either portrait or landscape orientation. For the sake of keeping it out of the way of errant knees, it's best to use portrait orientation if the phone is mounted on the stem.
Universal bracket
These are similar to the above mounts, but they don't rely on a dedicated case to put your phone into. Instead, they use a universal mount that attaches to your handlebars or stem, and will grip practically any phone even if it's already in a protective case.
The obvious advantage is that you don't need to buy a new mount when you change phones (and you can lend it to people), but therein lies its disadvantage, too: we reckon they're a lot less secure.
Frame bag
If you’d rather keep the real estate on your bar clear, then carrying your phone in a frame bag is the alternative. A phone frame bag sits on your top tube, just behind the head tube. As well as providing some storage space, this will also have a transparent sleeve for your phone to slide into.
The key consideration is whether the transparent window provides sufficient protection from the elements while also allowing you to operate the phone’s touchscreen.
The major downside of this option is that you have to look/reach down further than you would if your phone were mounted on your bar. So if you can’t hear the audio alerts, the frame-bag option may be more suitable for riders who are willing to stop when they want to use their phones.
Check the compatibility of your bike phone mount
The deciding factor on which mount you end up choosing will ultimately be which one works with your phone. Most mounts come in various sizes and guises to accommodate as many varieties of phone as possible, but double-check before you plough ahead with your purchase.
On a similar note, if you’re on a contract and are likely to change/upgrade the model soon, it may be worth holding off until you know what model you’ll be switching to. There's no point buying a phone-specific mount for a model you won’t be using in a few weeks.
