Bought the whole kit and caboodle for the 690 SMC R. Bloody expensive but bought as potential replacement for a dedicated GPS which would be a lot more expensive and I suspect nowhere near as good (hard to beat Waze/Google Maps).
I’m impressed with the quality of the gear, packaging and instructions. The wireless charger supports three ways of connecting to the bike and comes with everything needed for those options.
Whilst the bike has a USB socket up front I probably won’t use that so I can plug a GoPro or the like in there, and instead use the SAE or battery connectors (no idea of the bike has an SAE connector).
It feels good so far. It’s very sturdy but not too heavy. Time will tell.
The iPhone is technically waterproof but I did destroy a year old one in a swimming pool last summer (it was waterproof for a year, and then it wasn’t) so bought the protective rain cover as well and that is a really good fit over the phone and feels good to the touch. The screen is just as usable as without it so it shouldn’t be hard to use on the road (once you take off your gloves of course).
I just got the whole kit for mine a month ago, minus the wireless charger. It’s very nice gear. Also got the armband for running, love it.
Tho… 2 rides later… the focus mechanism in my iPhone 11’s camera was fucked.
The same thing is happening to any kind of smartphone (inc. Samsung, the lot) that has a mechanical (not software) focus. It depends on the bike, the mounting point and a bunch of other variables.
I’ve had to take my phone to Apple and hope they replace it under warranty . Still haven’t got it back yet.
There are loads of reddit, Apple community and other biker forum threads out there about it happening.
QuadLock were extremely helpful with the problem. They fully refunded my ~£80 order and let my keep it all. They also said they’d send me a free vibration mount when testing is complete in a couple of months.
Got love for QuadLock
Alternatives
SP Connect released a solution for their mounts a couple of months ago.
Oh my god, thank you for sharing that @kylejs. I’ll hold off using the iPhone on there for now until the dampener is ready. I certainly don’t want a fucked phone.
And this is why dedicated GPS units are still a thing. They are designed to handle both the weather and vibrations.
I’ve been reading those a lot of those reviews, as I got a bicycle last year and didn’t want to spend a huge amount on another GPS unit so did a lot of reading of people using their phones. Man they’re so many stories of people breaking their phones (lots of different issues, Cameras, case cracking, screen failures and more) when mounted on the bicycle that I didn’t bother.
Yeah, fitting them to a bicycle without suspension seems kind crazy considering the shocks and vibrations it would be subject to.
Hopefully the dampener will do the job. If not, I have Apple Care on the phone so there’s always a no-quibble replacement service. Got to test it last year with the swimming pool fiasco
I will be very interested to hear how this works on the road.
My iPhone X, and iPhone 6 before it, consumes more battery when using Waze in the car, than the charing lead is able to supply. I can start a journey with 100% and watch it drop as time goes by, despite being plugged in.
My old iPhone 4 had no problem and would happily charge while in in use. I suspect it is a combination of the demands Waze puts on it and the larger screen.
Depends on the power output of your car. Cables can sometimes matter too. Many cars have very low power outputs in in USB sockets. Cigarette lighter adapters should work better. Jacking straight into the bike battery will give you all the amps you need (within reason, there’s only so much excess power available).
I used to use a phone in a waterproof case — and never experienced any problems — but after accidentally buying a dedicated unit I would not want to go back. Being able to quickly flip between map views, switching between planned routes without having to find somewhere to stop, etc. is such an advantage.
Yeah, dedicated units come into their own on long, pre-planned rides. I think the phone option is good for the casual riding scenario and where you want a bit more info than the dedicated units provide, i.e. Waze.
Never had any issues with the Zumo 660 even with casual riding. Pair it to Met Office weather app, and a Compact AA Road atlas and your good for the UK.
The idea of shaking a £1000 device with sensitive componentry inside hard to listen for a noise I’ve never heard of before does seem like a smart thing to do. Thanks anyhow @me_groovy
WARNING 
. Still haven’t got it back yet.
