Ever since I was able to get the training wheels off my bicycle, I have loved to ride! Whether it be road cycling or hitting some dirt trails, riding on two wheels is great fun for me. It’s also great exercise. I use iPhone apps to track my progress and distance traveled, but always had to keep my phone in my backpack or in my bike-mounted pouch. That’s good if you don’t want to see or hear your phone. I like staying connected and when someone calls I want to know. A product I have been testing out for the past couple weeks is the Koomus BikeGo 2 Smartphone Bike Mount. It’s a very easy to use, inexpensive way to have your phone available to you at all times.
The mounting directions for the BikeGo 2 are on the side of the package. They are simple to follow, but a couple steps are missing from the package that I feel should be included. You can find the steps listed on the website, but I think they should be on the packaging itself. The unit itself is very lightweight and secures tightly to the handlebars.
The Koomus BikeGo 2 mount will fit an iPhone by itself, or one with a slim, protective case. I don’t know if an OtterBox case would work, but my phone, with FUSE case, fit very well.
To secure the phone, you insert the plastic peg into the headphone jack. I didn’t care for this for a couple reasons. The first is that when I used the peg to secure it the first time, it worked great, but when I went to pull it back out, the peg snapped. Fortunately, there was enough of the peg sticking out for me to remove it. The second reason I am not a huge fan of the peg is that it limits you from using your headphones. I don’t use them all the time, but having the headphones in for listening to music or answering a call is great. The folks at Koomus were great about getting me another to review, complete with a new peg.
I did see there are four hooks underneath the phone mount. I am not completely sure what these are for, but my guess is that you can use two rubber bands to go over the top of the phone in a pinch to keep it secure. That’s just an educated guess.
The testing was fun and a bit scary. I was afraid my phone would go flying, but I like torture tests, so I went with it. I mounted the BikeGo 2, attached my phone vertically (instead of horizontally), and I left out the peg on purpose. I mounted my phone vertically because the app I use for tracking is a vertical viewing app. Also, when someone calls, I like to read their name without having to cock my head.
The first time I rode was during the daytime. I loaded my phone vertically and inserted the plastic peg. (This is the time it broke.) I rode eight miles over rough roads, short hills, and bumps. The phone stayed put, but over some of the bumps, the entire top piece shifted due to weight on the ball head. I thought I had the phone weight distributed evenly, but I see why it shifted. I must have had my phone a bit off center, leaving the weight distribution off. Nothing to do with the BikeGo 2, but you will need to pay attention to that.
The second time I tested it was at night. I mounted everything the same, this time inserting the peg, shifted the ball head so the phone was more level to the ground (still vertical) and went for an eight mile ride. The phone stayed put and the mount worked well. Hesitant to remove the peg, I took my time, but did not feel comfortable at all removing in. There isn’t much room for error.
The third test was where I needed to test the sturdiness of the mount. I mounted my phone vertically, left the peg out, and rode for 20 miles. I hit the brakes hard a few times, did some fast downhill and uphill, and the phone stayed put. For this trip, I attached my power cord to the phone and a charger. I wanted to see if the pull of the cord would make any difference. Turns out, it worked great and I was able to keep my phone at a full charge as I rode.
Overall, this is a great buy if you want to have your phone available to you while you ride. While I think there should be some improvements made, it is still an excellent accessory for your bicycle. They retail for $29.99 on the Koomus website, but they are offering them for $19.99 right now.
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I received the Koomus BikeGo 2 Smartphone Bike Mount from Koomus as coordinated by Deep Creek PR an Outdoor Industry Public Relations Company in consideration for review publication. All opinions are strictly my own.
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