German brand Fidlock is known for its clever twist-lock magnetic system that can be found on helmet buckles, bottle mounts, bags and more and this new phone mount and case system mixes the magnetic connection with a very clever vacuum suction mount.
The large 60mm diameter Vacuum suction cup mount (£29.99) has a central 35mm diameter magnetic disc, which is mirrored on the accompanying phone case (£29.99) that's available for a range of iPhone and Samsung smartphones.
The phone mount is available for a handlebar (46.3g) or as a stem top-cap replacing mount (61.8g) – a mount that fits to the air vents in your car is also available.
The bar mount option comes with oversized and standard clamps, though I’d have liked to have seen a larger clamp so it could be fitted in-line on the stem – though the headset mount covers much the same space.
The phone-mount connection is brilliant. The magnetic element helps to centrally locate the phone to the mount and the vacuum seal is so tenacious that I could lift my bike by just holding the phone. Impressive stuff.
I thought the phone would therefore be tough to adjust and even tougher to remove, but that's absolutely not the case. The mount ratchets through 360 degrees, making it easy to run your phone vertical or horizontally, and removing the phone is simply a case of hooking your fingers under a secondary ring below the suction cup and pulling up, to break the seal so the phone simply pops off.
On-bike security is excellent too. The soft-suction cup acts like a damper so the phone doesn’t shake or rattle and I even tried it on a gravel bike on properly rough terrain to see if I could unseat my (standard sized) iPhone and it stayed rock-solid.
The phone case is made from toughened ABS plastic and provides plenty of protection. The magnetic disc is inset into the case so doesn’t have any sharp edges or ridges that’ll catch when you pocket it.
The only downside is that it’s an open case, and with the changeable UK weather I’d like to have a fully waterproof option too, like SP Connect’s phone mount.
Overall, though, the FidLock system is brilliant, it's massively secure, has low vibration and is easy to use. With the addition of a weather-proof cover it would be nigh-on perfect.
Product
| Brand | fidlock |
| Price | 60.00 GBP |
Features
| br_Mounts | Bar |
| Features | Weight: 46.3g bar mount, 61.8g stem cap mount, 39.5g case Included: Bar mount: 2 clamp sizes, all hardware Stem cap: Mount, stem cap bolt, thumbwheel lock ring bolt, hex-key lock ring bolt Optional extras: Car vent mount |
