Smart Phone Holder - Aldi

[Mickly]

Just picked up a smart phone holder £6:99 from the dreaded centre isle at Aldi (I shouldn’t go there as I have magpie eyes for shiny trinkets) it’s allegedly waterproof with a earphone / charging in/outlet and it clamps to your bars.

Now here’s the rub - it was on sale with the cycle stuff - will it be suitable to be used at motorbike speeds?

Anyone tried one? I’d like to know in case I end up with a squished I-phone

Mickly

Edited May 1, 2018 by Mickly

[Via]

Got to love Aldi, go in for a loaf of bread and pint of milk and come out with a foldable ladder and hot tub!

Does the phone holder itself have any keyring or similar attachment? Mine is a cheap bike one but have a strap attached to keys which I clip to keyring on phone case when I use it that way if mount fails I at least have a chance to pull over without losing phone.

Edited May 1, 2018 by Via

[Mississippi Bullfrog]

Damn - now i have to make a trip to Aldi and I'll probably come back with something I don't want, like a loaf of bread or a tin of spam.

[someone]

I’d like to know in case I end up with a squished I-phone

 

I have not used that one, but those things are always universal so should work on a motorcycle just as effectively.

Though I always do the same as Via using some string, there will usually be some sort of ring on the back to do that. I use a piece of string and a pound shop carabiner (from a pack of four). Just wrap the string around the bars and whatever else and connect it to itself.

On several occasions over the past few years my phone has come loose (accident impact, weakened clips), but that piece of string has kept my phone safe.

The good thing about making your own is you can ensure it is only as long as it needs to be, so it stays with the bars and does not interferes with the steering or wheel. The two occasions mine came lose I have been able to continue riding until I could safely stop to sort it out.

[Grumpy Old Git]

Its fine - Had one on the Bandit for a few years - Only issue was 'fogging'.

[mikestrivens]

Damn - now i have to make a trip to Aldi and I'll probably come back with something I don't want, like a loaf of bread or a tin of spam.

 

Just don't bother with the hot tub, they are so mmaaaaaahhhhhhh!

[Mickly]

Here it is attached to the bike with a zip tie tether just in case.

Works well, cover allows touch screen to work.

[someone]

I bought this too for temporary use, and used it last Saturday. I had to remove my old one for a couple of reasons, one being that the last time I was out the phone fell off the holder a couple of times! But I am replacing using my phone as a GPS with a TomTom unit.

The first thing to note was it does not have any sort of loop to attach a lanyard or similar, so like Mickly I used on of the zips. I could not really get the mount as tight as I would have wanted, both on the handlebars and the ball joint for the connector. Though admittedly between the brake reservoir and the arms to a screen there was not much handlebar space to play with making it fiddly to tighten, so I kind-of gave up.

Had it been for permanent use I would have made more effort, but whilst riding it did not move about, including on a motorway, so it was not really a problem anyway. The connector between it and the case looks decent enough. These can break too easily but there was enough flexibility to think the clip should not snap, whilst still holding the phone securely.

The case itself is the same as my last one, with velcro to hold the phone to the screen rather than padding to fill out the remaining space, which means you get a little extra storage space behind the phone. Where it did differ from my last phone though is it was a lot more snug. Once I had the velcro right I could slide my phone in and out without touching it, but on the Aldi one I have do undo it to get the phone out. Maybe that will relax over time, or maybe it is better and more secure.

The zips were also quite stiffer, though those should give over time and was mainly because of the waterproofing on them, which is a good thing. Otherwise it is pretty much the same as any other universal case, there was no problem with touching the phone screen through the plastic cover. You can never get the plastic perfectly taut, it did not seem too creased, although it was not bright enough to see whether it caused any problems with reflections.

Before heading home I also noticed some scuff marks on the plastic screen which I am sure where not there when I bought it. But these are not noticeable when riding and had no impact on viewing on controlling the phone.

As I use a tank bag, handlebar mounted phones are not ideal as they can hit the bag and be pushed out of position. But the Aldi one seems as good as any other of its type. And I felt confident with the clip, which is where they can be let down. I am happy to have it as a spare in case I ever need something so I can use my phone.

[Lumor_uk]

If anyone is interested, these are at Aldi again, bigger versions now for your bigger better phones with room for an external battery pack too. There is a Velcro option too which I bought for £6.99

https://www.aldi.co.uk/bikemate-handlebar-phone-holder/p/083862211565800

https://www.aldi.co.uk/bikemate-top-tube-phone-holder/p/083862213760101