Quad Lock Universal Bike Kit

Quadlock describe their phone mounts as "the lightest, strongest and most secure mounting system" available. And they're pretty much right. The Quadlock universal bike kit will stick any phone you your stem with the minimum of fuss, and it's more or less faultless in operation.

Quadlock make some specific cases, for iPhones and Galaxy S4 and S5 models, but the Universal kit will mount pretty much anything, hence the name. There are two parts to the kit: a mounting plate that you stick to your phone, and a bar mount that it clicks into. Not wanting to actually stick the mounting plate to my phone body (Sony Xperia Z1 Compact) I first put it in a skin case with a rigid backplate (which cost about £3 on ebay) and then stuck the mount to that. Bear in mind that Quadlock say it won't adhere very well to a silicone, rubberised or TPU (Thermoplastic Polyeurethane) case. The mount uses a 3M VHB adhesive and it's very tenacious, so make sure you have it located exactly right before you press down.

The other part of the kit, the Bike Mount Pro, attaches to your stem either with O-rings (two sizes are supplied) or with zip ties, if you only have one bike you want to use it with. Zip ties are included too. The curved underside of the mount has a rubber face to stop it slipping. Once you've got that fixed, you're good to go.

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The mount is simple enough to use. just offer your phone up to the mount at a 45° angle and press it on to the mount, rotate it round and wait for the click. Once it's securely in place, the phone can be removed by pushing down on the blue collar and twisting it back out again. You can also push down on the collar and change the orientation of the screen from portrait to landscape, depending on what suits you best.

Finding the correct angle is a bit more of a faff than with a Garmin when the quarter turn means you're working with right angles, but it's not exactly taxing. Removing the phone and putting it back when riding is simple enough; I thought pushing the collar down and twisting would be difficult with one hand, but it's not with a bit of practice. That means you can easily remove your phone to take a photo or make a call, something that's not always easy with box-style cases.

Mostly you want your phone to not fall off your bars if you've put it there, and I'm happy to confirm that mine hasn't. Nor do I really have any worries that it will: the Quadlock mount feels just as secure as a Garmin mount and although phones are heavier than dedicated GPS units I've certainly not felt as if it's going to fly off into a hedge. The locking system gives you extra peace of mind too. I was a bit concerned at the outset that the fact the Quadlock is a bit higher off the stem than something like a Garmin mount would make the phone unstable. I needn't have worried though, it's a very solid system. If you want to move it to another bike (assuming you haven't zip-tied it in place) it's a 30-second job.

Clearly, unless you're sticking the mounting plate to a sealed case of some sort, you're relying on the phone to be waterproof if it starts to bucket down. Plenty now are, including my Sony. I've been out in the rain with it stuck to the bars plenty of times, with no ill effects save for the screen being a bit glitchy when it's really wet. If your phone isn't waterproof you can either take it off when it rains, sling a bag over it or use a different kind of case.

I've been using my phone on the bars for a while. I hacked a mount for it from a SRAM Quickview to Quadlock converter, stuck it to the phone case with 3M VHB tape and used an old quarter turn mount I had in the shed. More recently, I've been using the K-Edge XL out-front mount designed for the Garmin Edge 1000. That's still my favourite position for whatever device I'm using, be it dedicated GPS or phone, And I'd like to see Quadlock expand their range into that area. If you're happy with a stem mount, though, and you're happy either sticking stuff to your phone or buying a case to stick stuff to, the Universal Bike Kit is about as good an option as there is.

Verdict

Excellent kit for mounting your phone like a dedicated GPS unit