That’s right… I said bicycle iPhone holder!!  Think about it… you jump on your bike to cruise over to your friend’s house, to work (if you’re one of those environmentally savvy people), to the bar (yes, DUIs still happen… but much less likely) or simply out for a little exercise… what do you do with your phone?  Your pocket???  Ew… that’s so archaic!!!

If its music… navigation… phone calls… or one of those snazzy health-related GPS trackers, nothing takes your cycling experience to the next level quite like a well-made and well designed mount for your mobile device.  Enter the Ram Mount ($30-ish).

Here’s a quick snippet from their website:

Bicycle Mount Description Mount an iPhone, iPod, GPS, or cell phone quickly and easily with a RAM bicycle mount. Designed to fit most common handlebar sizes, these compact and durable mounts are ideally suited to the open road or trails. Adjustable to allow for the best viewing angle, these mounts are perfect for any cyclist and their compact electronic device.

 

Let me start by saying that, while I don’t by any means consider myself “avid, I ride my bike.  I have a car… so you can stop all of those negative thoughts about me being a poor writer living in my parent’s garage.  I enjoy riding my bike!!!  A few nights a week I’ll take a bike ride after dinner, occasionally ride my bike over to my buddy’s house a few blocks away from me and have even peddled over to the quik-e-mart for a quick 40.  I ride my bike.  Because my phone is an absolute necessity, my bike rides usually consisted my phone awkwardly jostling around in my pocket (even something as small and unassuming as my iPhone).  Occasionally (like when visiting the store) I would carry along a backpack, and that would comfortably cocoon everything I need just fine, but in cycling “less is More”  is almost always the rule to live by.

So… I started hunting for something I hadn’t seen yet… an iPhone mount for my bicycle.  I asked all of my fellow cycle-enthusiasts and, other than a few rather expensive options seen at special events or trade-shows, none of them had seen an affordable option.  Being that we are the one-and-only White Glossy Underground Board we set our nerd-hounds to the task and they almost immediately sniffed out today’s object of affection… the Ram Mount.  We got our hands on one and set to reviewing.

The Set-Up: While not quite a snap-on-with-ease kinda set-up… the Ram Mount wasn’t difficult to set in place.  All I really needed is a steady hand and a socket wrench.  Once attached the double ball-socket arm is incredibly easy to bend and twist into the perfect extension.  Warning: it does look a little awkward protruding from your handlebars at first… but once you telescope it around to your ideal spot it tightens down perfectly (and with ease).

Mount the Phone: A really sweet design aspect that the guys at Ram incorporated with this particular mount is it’s ability to future-adapt.  Meaning?  It’s a universal style device holder that is not limited to a single device type.  iPhone 3G, iPhone 4/4s, iPhone 5, Android, Windows Phone, iPod Touch… whatever your mobile poison is, this mount is designed to handle anything you throw at it (INCLUDING being adaptable for your device placed snuggly into any of the huge variety of different cases available!!!).  A feature I’m especially fond of since I tend to upgrade my tech (iPhone 5 has been ordered) every other year or so… and hate the idea of needing to buy a whole new bike mount too.  Big props for this! (More Pictures At the Bottom)

In Action: So now the real question… how does the Ram Mount stand up to real-world interaction?  Answer: Exactly as it should!!  I closed the Ram Mount’s arms of huggable soft rubber around my iPhone 4 (in Otterbox case) and took off.  Roads, rough-pothole-riddled-streets, dirt off-road terrain… the Ram Mount held tightly to my precious phone and never once gave indication of loosening its grip.  Job well done.

Design/Build: While I could go on and on about the metals and design used to create the RAM… why regurgitate specs when i can just copy/paste them… right?

The RAM-B-149ZAU consists of a zinc coated u-bolt base, SHORT double socket arm and diamond adapter base. The diamond adapter base has a hole pattern that matches the industry standard AMPS hole pattern and will connect to a large variety of RAM Mount and third party cradles. Designed into the mount is a 1″ diameter patented rubber ball and socket system with adjustment points at both ends of the double socket arm. With a twist of the arm knob, you can move the mount to your optimum viewing position. Included in this package is hardware that will accommodate rails from 0.50″ to 1.25″ in diameter.

Material:
Powder Coated Marine Grade Aluminum

Ball Size: 
1″ Rubber Ball “B” Size

Final Word: A fantastic addition to my current cycle gear, and an item that has quickly become a necessity.  All of my biker buddies now have one too… and now that we have them I can’t imagine cycling without it.  Next up… find a small speaker to mount next to it for ultimate bike nirvana.  Check out which mount works for you… HERE.

Here are a few more close-up shots of the mount with phone so you can get a better idea of how it’s attached: