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review
£29.99
VERDICT:
A well made, stable and sizeable case for storing valuables if you don't want to use jersey pockets
Weight:
164g
Contact:
At road.cc every product is thoroughly tested for as long as it takes to get a proper insight into how well it works. Our reviewers are experienced cyclists that we trust to be objective. While we strive to ensure that opinions expressed are backed up by facts, reviews are by their nature an informed opinion, not a definitive verdict. We don't intentionally try to break anything (except locks) but we do try to look for weak points in any design. The overall score is not just an average of the other scores: it reflects both a product's function and value – with value determined by how a product compares with items of similar spec, quality, and price.
What the road.cc scores meanGood scores are more common than bad, because fortunately good products are more common than bad.
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The SP Connect Wedge Case is a very good way to keep belongings well protected and a convenient place to clip your phone (if you buy the additional Bike Bundle), but could do with just a little more padding to stop rattles.
I've always struggled with the idea of turning up to a pub in a cycling jersey, which always makes it a bit of a pain when I want to take just a couple of things with me and don't want to carry a backpack. This is where the Wedge Case Set comes in, allowing me to put the essentials like a phone, cards, glasses and so on into a case that mounts on the stem or round a seatpost or top tube.
> Find your nearest dealer here
> Buy the Bike Bundle online here
The Wedge Case that I tested arrived with a Phone Case and Weather Cover, available in one bundle for £49.99 RRP. The Phone Case worked well not only on the bike, but off it too. It has decent rubberising, so on the couple of times I dropped my phone there was no damage. Unlike other bike mount cases I have used, the clip mechanism doesn't hugely bulk up the phone either. It clips onto the top of the Wedge Case simply through a quick twist. The connection is strong and regardless of the terrain, my phone was never in danger of falling off.
The Weather Cover is basically a silicone case that is placed over the phone. It managed to keep everything out, which was good, although using the phone with it on was a bit of a pain and the touchscreen wasn't too responsive.
Attachment of the pack is either through a mount that screws onto the top of the steerer tube in place of a stem cap (which I unfortunately couldn’t test because of the non-standard components I use) or a strap tightened with a plastic screw. This works well and I could fit it around most tubes and the seatpost if needed. There is is also a connector on the front of the case where you can attach a light.
The Wedge Case itself is 170mm long and 95mm wide, which means it is likely to take up pretty much the entire stem. I also tried it on the top tube but found it was a little too wide for my pedalling style, though it might work for others. Attachment comes through a simple clockwise twist on the provided mounts and, like the phone, it stays in place securely.
Inside, the case is large enough to fit a smartphone, keys, cards (it wasn't quite wide enough for my wallet), glasses and so on. It also has a small netting area for smaller items. It worked really well, although it would be nice to have a little more padding as the contents tended to rattle against the case, so I sounded like a maraca on cobbles. It opens through a dual zip, which is robust and easy to use even with full-finger gloves.
The Wedge Case costs £29.99, the Bike Bundle another £49.99, so just under £80 all-in. That's quite steep, although the Wedge Case is likely to last a long time, the phone case is protective and the cover did appear to be weatherproof, even if it was a bit of a pain to use.
> More road.cc reviews of bags for carrying stuff on your bike
Overall, I liked the SP Connect Wedge Case. It provides good protection and is a great size for fitting in everything I needed for more casual use. It could benefit from a little more padding to stop any rattling, but aside from this, it does its job very well.
Verdict
A well made, stable and sizeable case for storing valuables if you don't want to use jersey pockets
road.cc test report
Make and model: SP Connect Wedge Case
Size tested: 170 x 95mm, iPhone 6/6S
Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?
The Wedge Case is a storage case that sits on your bike and allows you to keep some of your kit out of your jersey pockets.
In addition, I tested the Phone Case, which attaches to the Wedge Case, and a Weatherproof Cover.
SP says re the Wedge Case: 'The protective and weatherproof SP ConnectTM WEDGE CASE offers storage for personal items like sunglasses, wallets, keys or even powerbanks. The case can be easily attached to or removed from the included CLAMP MOUNT or STEM MOUNT with its patented twist to lock mechanism'
Re the Phone Case: "The slim and functional case protects your smartphone at all times and lets you mount it to the wide variety of SP ConnectTM mounts. Securely mount your phone with its patented twist to lock mechanism when cycling, running, driving, golfing or during other daily activities."
Re the Weather Cover: "Protect your smartphone from rain, sweat, dust or mud by using the WEATHER COVER together with the SP ConnectTM Phone Case. It adds shock resistance and the touch screen remains fully functional.
Protects against rain, sweat, dust or mud
Additional shock resistance for your phone"
Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?
Quick and secure attachment
Integrated phone and light mounts
Dual zip for easy access
Rate the product for quality of construction:
8/10
Wedge Case seems well made with a semi-hard case that keeps the water out, but is still easy to access.
Rate the product for performance:
8/10
Performed well throughout, fitted in everything I needed while also sitting comfortably on the stem or wherever I mounted it.
Rate the product for durability:
8/10
Well made and waterproof, the hard case seems like it would last a long time.
Rate the product for weight (if applicable)
7/10
Rate the product for value:
5/10
Just under £30 isn't outrageous for a well made case on its own, but just under £80 all-in is pretty pricey.
Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose
Very well; fitted in everything I needed while also sitting securely on the bike, even on the roughest of terrains.
Tell us what you particularly liked about the product
Ease of use: it was simple to fit, simple to use and simple to remove.
Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product
Maybe a little more padding on the inside to stop me sounding like a maraca when going over rougher ground.
Did you enjoy using the product? Yes
Would you consider buying the product? Yes
Would you recommend the product to a friend? Yes
Use this box to explain your score
A well-made case that sits well on the bike, the additional phone case and weather cover holding a phone in place well and protecting it from rain.
About the tester
Age: 29
I usually ride: Mercian King of Mercia or Cinelli Gazzetta My best bike is: Cannondale Supersix Evo
I've been riding for: 5-10 years I ride: Every day I would class myself as: Expert
I regularly do the following types of riding: commuting, club rides, sportives, general fitness riding, fixed/singlespeed, mountain biking
George is the host of the road.cc podcast and has been writing for road.cc since 2014. He has reviewed everything from a saddle with a shark fin through to a set of glasses with a HUD and everything in between.
Although, ironically, spending more time writing and talking about cycling than on the bike nowadays, he still manages to do a couple of decent rides every week on his ever changing number of bikes.
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Add new comment
18 comments
80 quid all in? ok...
Firstly, I'd take issue with the price you've mentioned at the top of the article - £29.99 is misleading.
What you've reviewed includes the Phone Case and Weather Cover bundle, which costs an extra £49.99.
So it's actually £79.98, according to your text.
Regarding the actual review, to be fair, I don't think your photos have helped present this case in the best light. Mounted on the top of a long-ish stem, it might not look too bad on some bikes, not dis-similar to a Bento box and with less risk of wearing the paint on your frame. Desperately needs a zoomed-out pic of this.
Perched on top of top of a pile of spacers, as on the bike with yellow bar tape, it looks ridiculous.
Regardless of aesthetics (or lack of), would I pay £30 to put my keys and phone in and then have to carry it round when I get anywhere? No chance.
At £30, I'd also expect the phone case and weather cover to be included in the price - I'm not going to touch it with a barge pole for £80 all in.
I see all sorts of bring and buy sale junk attached to bikes in the name of 'convenience', regardless of aesthetics, so I think it will sell.
Got to agree with Surly_by_name. It's an ugly saddle bag at twice the price.
Sure it is something new but I think we should consider that it's new to the market because when other people have thought of the concept they've thrown it out. Not everything 'innovative' is good.
I don't doubt they'll sell a few. I do doubt it will be on the market for long.
April 1st?
The way I write reviews has nothing to do with advertisers (I have no idea who sent this in and as my primary income is not from Road.cc, financial incentives would never impact what I write anyway) it worked fine, some may think it's an eyesore but I didn't think it looked terrible in real life. Even if it did, I need to judge on practical elements in addition to aesthetics.
Tony wrote a blog last year discussing the relationship we have with the products we review and advertisers - http://road.cc/content/blog/180752-ever-wondered-how-roadcc-makes-money-wonder-no-more
In terms of how I approach my reviews, regardless of whether I'm reviewing a great product or one that needs improvement many seem to forget that people have often spent years of their life developing it. So even if it needs improvement, I am not going to disrespect the people who had the guts to work on anything by outright saying that it's rubbish, even if it hasn't worked out.
This.
1. Reviews are paid at the same fixed price, regardless of the item cost, or which distributor it came from.
2. The amount paid is nowhere near what some people would like to think (including my accountant). If you've spent a few hours finessing the words and filling in the review report, you're probably 'working' for under the national living wage. No-one's getting rich here folks.
3. There is no back channel for a distributor to bribe a reviewer. Kit is assigned by the editorial team, and the reviewer is paid by Road.cc, not the distributor.
4. The editorial team can and do challenge points raised in reviews. I've had to re-write a few in my time, where my conclusions or rationale haven't withstood scrutiny.
5. Sometimes the process of testing is penury. Testing summer-weight kit in UK spring is no fun. Nor is testing a saddle / bibshorts / etc that are just not a good fit for you. But we shouldn't shy away from doing so, because the consumer experience is sometimes one of buying then being disappointed.
6. Stop being snobbish. This product, like many others, has a niche. Choice is good. It's not for me, but then neither are many other cycling products.
To start with, I have no dispute with your items 1 to 5.
But I respectfully disagree with your item 6. It's not "snobbery" to point out that this is a complete f*&%ing eyesore, costs nearly £30 and doesn't work any better than pockets. Who is this for? Who in their right mind would put this on a road bike? Why? What on earth are you going to carry in it? If any of my mates turned up for a ride with this on I'd never let them live it down (and I would be grateful to them if they returned the favour of I suddenly lost touch with reality and fitted one of these to my road bike). It might be OK on your going to the pub bike but if you are just going to the pub you can fit this much stuff in your pockets or in a small bag that you probably already own.
Why not? That's the point of a review. I'm not suggesting this product is rubbish, but it would be good to know if ever you were handed a product and felt it was rubbish you'd feel you had the freedom to say so. If you can't do that, then perhaps don't publish a review at all. Don't you think?
The point of a review is to give an informed perspective on the performance of a piece of kit, not give unnecessary praise or scorn. If I don't think something is good I will say 'This element could be better' or 'It would be good if they'd done this differently' than 'I think this is rubbish'. It helps nobody to be unnecessarily negative towards a product, nobody sets out to make something bad, so I make it clear what the shortcomings are but would never just outright say something in rubbish.
You're right George.
Do you think someone made that as a joke to send to road.cc to review so they could see how polite they could be without upsetting one of their advertisers? Fair play to the reviewer, he did a good job of reviewing a car roof box with a stem mounting clamp without running it down and upsetting a potential income stream.
Will it come with a brown paper bag?!?
Ditto.
If people see these photos, then I predict they will sell zero of these. My word what an ugly solution to a problem what has already been solved with many nice looking bags.
Ugly as sin
Given the handful of times I seem to come off over the course of a year I've never understood why anyone would put an iPhone on the top of the bars. My three year old Garmin is looking bit battered in places now but I doubt a phone would survive more than one good hit. Presumably everyone is covered by phone insurance.
but it IS an aesthetical dog to look at, especially so high up!