A reader writes:
I would like up to date information on integrating my iPhone to my bikes as a GPS. Everything from safe phone mounting through power supply (I have built a usb feed into my elekky bike’s battery shoes) and route planning and following on the phone.
I was raised on 1” OS and Bartholomew’s half inch maps. The half inch are unusable nowadays and the OS 1: 50,000 are too large but when folded into a map clip not big enough. I can read OS maps and like to see the Historical and Landscape information that may make a detour interesting.
I have installed OS Maps and OS locate on my phone along with Google Earth.
Thanks for the question!
The effective use of smartphones on bike tours is a sprawling and fast-moving topic, reflecting the pace at which this technology evolves.
So your question really encompasses a range of subjects, from physically mounting a smartphone to a touring bike, to keeping it charged on the road, to choosing appropriate apps for planning routes, to the various approaches to using a smartphone for navigation on a cycle tour.
But it sounds like you’re just starting out with this. So in order to avoid overwhelm, let’s break it down and keep it simple, rather than trying to cover everything in one go.
Let’s start with smartphone bike mounts.
The first thing to say is that while smartphone mounts for bicycles can be useful in a cycle touring context, they’re also optional.
It’s tempting to assume you need your phone visible and with the screen on at all times to use it as a GPS, sat-nav style, and with turn-by-turn directions. But you might also pocket your phone and refer occasionally to the digital maps you have stored on it. (This is how I personally prefer to tour: I rack up quite enough screen time off the bike!)
When it is advantageous to have the phone mounted and visible – such as when navigating a new city, or a tangle of back-roads, or an intricate pre-planned route – most riders look for mounting solutions that attach a smartphone to the handlebars or stem, as this is generally where you’ll find mounting space within a rider’s field of view.
Because this need is also in the domain of leisure and sport cycling, there’s a rich field of products serving this purpose. And when I recently asked my Twitter / X followers for recommendations, the most popular by far was the QuadLock.
QuadLock and similar competing systems have all evolved a few common key features, including phone-specific case options for popular phone models, quick-release systems, handlebar or stem positioning options depending on your bike setup, and often a so-called “out-front” mounting option which extends the mount to place the phone more centrally within your field of view (especially if you’re riding in a tucked position).
If you don’t want to spend this kind of money on premium products like the QuadLock, there’s a clunkier but perfectly decent smartphone mount from Decathlon that clamps to your phone rather than requiring a special new case.
I’ve also used widely available silicone strap-type mounts such as those pictured above, which are even cheaper and simpler. It does take longer to unstrap the phone to take a photo, however, and they tend to wobble and bounce a lot on rough roads.
In short, the smartphone bike mount market is pretty mature, and there are plenty of secure and well-developed options doing the rounds right now.
Powering a smartphone on tour is, again, a topic about which entire books could be written.
Here are two basic principles to get you started:
- Powering a smartphone on a bike tour is as much about conserving your battery as it is about charging it, and
- When it comes to charging your smartphone, keep things simple!
As you begin to use your smartphone as a GPS while cycling, look for ways to manage battery consumption that don’t negatively affect your intended use of the phone.
Simple strategies include:
- keeping the screen switched off unless you need it,
- turning off Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and other unnecessary services,
- downloading maps for offline use and switching off mobile data (pure GPS will still work), and
- using flight mode and/or battery saver mode as a last resort.
These are strategies I suggest you experiment with during rides in order to see what works for you, rather than spending too much time theorising about.
Regarding charging, you mentioned you have an electric bike with a USB port, so I’d suggest using it whenever you need to, as it’s unlikely to make much of a dent in the bike’s range.
But for readers without e‑bikes, or if you’re riding another bike, my suggestion is very simply to charge your phone by stopping at cafés. Use a rapid charger to top up your battery quicker and save money on tea/coffee.
Together with good battery management, it really can be as simple as that.
If this isn’t sufficient – or if you can’t regularly stop at cafés for whatever reason – bring along a rechargeable power bank, charge it overnight, and use it as necessary while riding or when stopping for breaks. I use an Anker 10,000mAh unit with a USB‑C rapid charge port, giving me enough juice for 2–3 days of riding, usually more than sufficient.
(For what it’s worth, I’m a bit of a nerd, so I use the AccuBattery app to monitor my phone’s charge and discharge rates and get actual data on battery use on my cycle tours.)
Some riders like to theorise about and discuss (and occasionally actually use) more complicated charging solutions such as generator/dynamo hubs, solar panels, etc. These systems all have major drawbacks in the context of cycle touring which are outside the scope of this reply, but which I do plan to elaborate on in the future.
Regarding using a smartphone to plan routes and to navigate, this is actually something I’ve covered in previous posts, so rather than repeat myself I shall, if you don’t mind, link to the “route planning” tag on my blog instead and let you explore.
Something I am currently experimenting with – and again, which I’ll write about in the near future – is using bone-conduction Bluetooth headphones in conjunction with audio prompts to use my phone as a navigator while it stays in my pocket. More on that soon.
Hope this helps!
This is part of my “No Stupid Questions” series, in which readers write in with questions about cycle touring or bikepacking and I attempt to answer them. Check out more recent posts in the series or ask one of your own.
Something to add?