Mobile Phones for Cyclists

Last Sunday morning I dropped my phone at a cyclocross race, and didn't realize that I'd lost it until headed home. As the temperature was -30F with windchill at the time, I thought it better to simply write it off and get another. This will be my fourth phone this year -- all three having died bicycle-related deaths. The first met its end while on a 5 hour ride during one of the summer's worst thunderstorms. (Remember the tornado warnings? Yeah... I was stuck out in Willow Springs with my teammates, scared out of our wits and soaked to the bone.) The second one decided to stop working after it was ejected from my jersey pocket and slid across the street. Of course, it had already been dropped a dozen times or more... and of course the third one is now encased in ice somewhere in Jackson Park. In previous years, I have stepped on phones, dropped them into buckets of degreaser, and just plain misplaced them.

So what do you all use?

I realize that the prudent probably responsibly and carefully store their phones in waterproof bags, or at least in ziplocks. But the latter doesn't help much when dropped. How do you keep your phone running through the rain and snow? And for those of you who are as clumsy as I am, what do you do about dropped (and dirty) phones?

One strategy is to simply use very inexpensive models, which is what I tend to do. (I don't need it to do anything other than make and receive calls.) Some have suggested one of those military grade phones, like the Casio gzone. It might come to that, I dunno. Do these ruggedized phones really work?

I wouldn't really worry about this too much, except that on many of my rides I'm technically responsible for the welfare of my teammates. And from time to time, an emergency call is warranted. So no phone isn't an option.

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Permalink Reply by S on December 27, 2008 at 12:10pm
Hi J,

I'd suggest looking into getting one of the electronics cases that sealline sells. They're rated to keep things dry for at least 30 minutes at a depth 1m of water and you're supposed to be able to use your cellphone while it's still in the case. That'll help with the rain/snow issue. I can show you the one I picked up sometime.

I don't think there is any solution to phones getting dropped or ejected from a jersey pocket if you're going fast. I suppose you could get a case but that won't help much if the phone gets dropped at 20mph. I don't know about ruggedized phones but the luggedized laptops I've seen are a lot more sturdy than regular laptops and do take quite a beating. They're rated to handle small drops (~2m) but not really falls from a moving vehicle. They should handle a splashes but immersions probably won't work out so well.
Permalink Reply by Martin Hazard on December 27, 2008 at 5:37pm
I have had 2 of the mil-spec phones. The first one died after I apparently sweated on it too much. Not so tough. The second one got lost. I am using a back up phone until I can get a new one in Feb. I was thinking about it, and realized that I always lose them, and cant remember ever breaking one. I would just get a normal reasonably priced phone, since even the "bomb-proof" phones are not "misplacement-proof".
Permalink Reply by Julie Aberman (Hochstadter) on December 27, 2008 at 6:58pm
has anyone had luck with a bluetooth ear piece?
Permalink Reply by niconico on December 27, 2008 at 7:13pm
chrome makes a nice cell phone holder... www.chromebags.com ...as does re load... www.reloadbags.com
i use the chrome one and when it rains i rock the sandwich bag. i've always got a work bag on to fix it to though. old tubes work great to make a tie to tie it to your arm or leg like a band if you aren't carrying a bag. otherwise seat bags/saddle bags are great too. heh heh... saddle bags.
Permalink Reply by jonathan on December 28, 2008 at 2:20pm
it would be very cool if they didn't have to mine coltan from the Congolese jungles.

S said:
Hi J,

I'd suggest looking into getting one of the electronics cases that sealline sells. They're rated to keep things dry for at least 30 minutes at a depth 1m of water and you're supposed to be able to use your cellphone while it's still in the case. That'll help with the rain/snow issue. I can show you the one I picked up sometime.

I don't think there is any solution to phones getting dropped or ejected from a jersey pocket if you're going fast. I suppose you could get a case but that won't help much if the phone gets dropped at 20mph. I don't know about ruggedized phones but the luggedized laptops I've seen are a lot more sturdy than regular laptops and do take quite a beating. They're rated to handle small drops (~2m) but not really falls from a moving vehicle. They should handle a splashes but immersions probably won't work out so well.
Permalink Reply by Joe Studer 8.0 mi on December 29, 2008 at 5:53am
Topeak makes several very small bags that are just the size of a cell phone, and not much bigger. (See, for example, Topeak's "Handy E-Pack.")

Now I know that many people refuse to attach anything on their supra-light road machines, but I attached one of these small bags to the stem of my road bike (my computer is just to the right of my stem on the handlebars), and it has worked like a charm. (Putting the phone first into a little sandwich bag takes care of water issues.) The little bag also holds my house keys, so they never jingle in my jersey pocket. (I hate random noise.) You can remove the little bag in a snap, so the only "permanent" weight addition is the plastic mount.

On my commuter, this isn't an issue, as that thing has so many bags I look like a tran-continental tourer. The phone slips quite nicely into a pocket on my mid-sized handlebar bag (also a Topeak).
Permalink Reply by Homebuilt on December 29, 2008 at 6:08am
Wow. It seems that much of your problem might be solved by having it better secured to you, rather than making the phone itself artillery proof. How about a lanyard case? Or a secured pocket? Or a good clip system?
I have a Treo that i clip to my belt on shorter rides and keep in a bag on longer rides, i've never lost one and the only time i've dropped it, it's survived, partly thanks to the leather case.
Mine has been crashing in the cold, but reboots easily.
Permalink Reply by Martin Hazard on December 29, 2008 at 6:16am
Yes, I tried going cell free several years ago and it was impossible to find a payphone. The final straw was when I was going to pick up something off of Craig's List. Couldn'T find the guys address, and spent 45 min. riding around looking for a pay phone. Just when I finally did, a homeless looking guy got on it and settled in for what looked like it was going to be a long conversation.

h3 said:
M.A.R.K. said:
I just use a payphone, if I can find one.. Its weird seeing people now who have never lived without a cell phone, and didnt have to wait to get home to check messages and the like, or know what to do when they dont have their phones.. Its almost as if they are totally lost wihtout them. IMO, I find them to be more intrusive and restraining more then anything, but great in a jam if your stuck somewhere miles away from a phone.

Very few payphones left since the advent of cell phones.
Permalink Reply by J on December 29, 2008 at 6:21am
Interesting posts, thanks. My circumstance may be atypical, but the issues of waterproofness and overall durability I imagine to be somewhat universal for cyclists. The original post mentioned several variables, and of course there's no silver bullet.

In my case, I usually ride with a phone in my jersey pocket rather than the saddle bag. This is because, at least while on the road -- I'm carrying the phone in order to communicate with teammates, who would be calling because they're either (a) lost or (b) injured. (And with my team, you'd be surprised how common these calls are!) Hearing the ring and stopping to answer relatively quickly are important, so that's why I don't carry it in the saddle bag.

The sandwich bag thing is OK, but I've still had phones short out whilst in a bag. (Admittedly avoiding 5 hour rain rides would probably solve that problem.) And sometimes you just can't find shelter, so phones need to be used in a downpour. So the military spec phones are intriguing for this reason.
Permalink Reply by Arun Ramachandran on December 29, 2008 at 6:58am
one think that I haven't seen mentioned is using a electronic grippy tape to make the phone a little bit easier to grasp. My real estate agent attached this to his phone because he kept dropping it. I think you can buy this stuff at an office supply store. I looked for it online, but was struggling with the search criteria.

J said:
Interesting posts, thanks. My circumstance may be atypical, but the issues of waterproofness and overall durability I imagine to be somewhat universal for cyclists. The original post mentioned several variables, and of course there's no silver bullet.

In my case, I usually ride with a phone in my jersey pocket rather than the saddle bag. This is because, at least while on the road -- I'm carrying the phone in order to communicate with teammates, who would be calling because they're either (a) lost or (b) injured. (And with my team, you'd be surprised how common these calls are!) Hearing the ring and stopping to answer relatively quickly are important, so that's why I don't carry it in the saddle bag.

The sandwich bag thing is OK, but I've still had phones short out whilst in a bag. (Admittedly avoiding 5 hour rain rides would probably solve that problem.) And sometimes you just can't find shelter, so phones need to be used in a downpour. So the military spec phones are intriguing for this reason.
Permalink Reply by vxla on December 29, 2008 at 7:25am
I've carried my phone in ziplock bags for years and never once had it ruined. Right now, it's snowboard season for me, and all of my electronics (camera, phone) are carried in bags. Yesterday I dropped my phone and it slid into some water. I picked it up and it still worked perfectly fine.
Permalink Reply by Tiberculosis on December 29, 2008 at 7:48am
How about a stash bottle?

http://store.somafab.com/stashbottle.html





J said:
Interesting posts, thanks. My circumstance may be atypical, but the issues of waterproofness and overall durability I imagine to be somewhat universal for cyclists. The original post mentioned several variables, and of course there's no silver bullet.

In my case, I usually ride with a phone in my jersey pocket rather than the saddle bag. This is because, at least while on the road -- I'm carrying the phone in order to communicate with teammates, who would be calling because they're either (a) lost or (b) injured. (And with my team, you'd be surprised how common these calls are!) Hearing the ring and stopping to answer relatively quickly are important, so that's why I don't carry it in the saddle bag.

The sandwich bag thing is OK, but I've still had phones short out whilst in a bag. (Admittedly avoiding 5 hour rain rides would probably solve that problem.) And sometimes you just can't find shelter, so phones need to be used in a downpour. So the military spec phones are intriguing for this reason.

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