Quad Lock iPhone Bike Kit

I've been using the Quad Lock case on my iPhone for about a month now and I have to say from the off that I love it.

Mounting your phone on your bike seems a really obvious thing to do. With my phone mounted on my bike I can plan my route in advance and use it as a sat-nav. I can record my progress, heart rate and cadence and review it when I get back. I can also take photos of the scenery. I can even make telephone calls.

If I am going to be carrying my phone with me in case of emergency, why not use it to its full potential rather than buying a dedicated device? Well that was my logic anyway and the cost of a case to try out that idea was much less than the cost of a Garmin so I was in the market for a suitable bike mount for my phone.

We have Kickstarter to thank for getting the The Quad Lock system to market. Back in 2011 Quad Lock was one of the first products brought to market through the crowd funding site.

The Quad Lock system comprises a case for your phone and a variety of mounting options for different situations (bike, car, armband etc). The mounting mechanism is the 'Quad Lock' which is common across all phones and mounts. The idea is that once you have the case for your phone you can then mount it to your bike and then to your car etc. If you then change your phone then just buy a new case and you can carry on using your mounts.

When I first picked up the Quad Lock I was a bit sceptical. The mount doesn't completely seal the phone from the elements like other cases such as the BioLogic. The case has holes which potentially allow water ingress at the mounting point and the camera. If you are looking for a case to completely seal your phone in, this isn't it.

The Bike Kit does come with a 'Poncho', a clear outer case which envelops the phone and the standard case and protects the front of the phone from rain showers. If however the weather got really nasty, even with the Poncho on, I personally would be nervous that my phone wouldn't be fully protected. Once the Poncho is on and covering the front of the phone it is still usable. The screen is less sensitive and it takes a bit more of an effort to click the "home" button and pinch to zoom but it does work.

The mount is insanely quick to fit to the bike, with a choice of removable O-rings or zip-ties. Being impatient I went for the O-rings and the mount was fitted to the handlebars in less than a minute. On the bike, the mount feels really secure.

Fitting the case to the mount is genius, really simple. Four lugs on the mount slot into the back of the case, You give the case a quarter turn and it locks phone to the mount. Less than five seconds and you're ready to go. To release the phone you push down on the blue sleeve round the mount and reverse the quarter turn. After two minutes of practice, you can do the whole movement with one hand.

The best feature of the Quad Lock system is the case; it's a really great every day case. It's slim, has a slightly rubbery feel which makes it feel secure in your hands and I've found no reason to take it off the phone in the last month. I also accidentally drop tested the case from about one meter onto a stone floor and the case fully protected the phone, no cracked screen - phew!

They say the best camera is the one you have with you, and I think the same is true of phone mounts. The Quad Lock case is the case which you can use every day, this means you're far more likely to have it with you and use it regularly. It's not the solution for all weathers but as a bit of a fair weather cyclist it's perfect for me.

I really liked the Quad Lock bike mount and would happily recommend it.

Verdict

Great everyday case that is light, practical and secure