Bikepacking - a viable alternative to racks & panniers

My first one lasted ~2.5 years. Thankfully the guarantee is 3.

Every cloud ...

My girlfriend is looking at different options to carry her phone on her bike’s stem/top tube. There’s a small bag that’s attached to the TT, the downside is you have to take the phone out every time you want to use it. There’s also Quadlock - this appears to be very convenient but a bit pricy and I’m not sure if it’s going to hold for 5 months of bike touring?

Opinions and ideas on the matter appreciated.

Have been using the wicked chilli quickmount mounted on my stem for a couple of months... working fine even on dirt roads and cobblestone...

Lezyne do a top tube caddy that has a waterproof clear phone pocket up top - i had one but it doesn't work so well on steel (narrow diameter) tubes

Have a quadlock and am very happy with it, with mounting to the phone you have to ensure the phone or case is smooth plastic, no texture otherwise it won't do, have had it on the road bike for a while and the MTB a few times, will be doing a bike packing trip this weekend and am confident in the quadlock holding onto my phone no bother. Will let you know how it goes.

This is the one I got.

4 months of using Quadlock - quality stuff, feel like it will last for years.
The phone and whole system is stable even in rough off-road conditions.
While riding the case can be taken off/put on with due care.
I got the out front mount and it seems serviceable - taken it apart just to check that and it ends up as a few solid plastic pieces and a metal spring.

Anecdotally (officially?) the poncho does not protect from long and/or heavy rain. Haven't been caught out yet, dreading what I would do then (put away in a waterproof ziplock bag I guess).

I've used Quadlock for (EDITED, remembered I used stretchy mount for a year after killing my Sony) 1xTABR and 2xTCR so I reckon you'll be fine touring with it.

Be careful with some phones - my initial installation direct to the back of a glass-backed Sony didn't hold at all and when it did bond, after a couple of ultra races it pulled the back off the phone. I subsequently bought a case and mounted to that. My missus is using that setup now and I have another Quadlock with a different phone and different case. No problems.

You need a waterproof phone.

Fuck it: everyone needs a waterproof phone. Stop buying phones that aren't waterproof and manufacturers will learn...

Quad lock really is good, very tough, great retention, handled Belgian cobbles perfectly.

The condom thing it comes with does steam up in rain, that’s the only down side of the system, but I’m happy to accept this compromise for how good it is in every other way.

Condom thing? Do you use it with a case? This is why I use waterproof phones.
I do have a waterproof phone case but it was annoying - can't take photos quickly, etc. and didn't work with QL.

One thing I will add, it's one of those things that just work, I tried a cheapo amazon special bike mount which was a bag of shit if I'm honest. For £25 it's been a godsend, glad I spent the cash.

Ah, I lied above, I didn't use the QL for all my races because I'd busted my Sony and didn't have a case for my new XCover so I think for last year's races I used this, cheaper option:
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Smartphones-Patented-Universal-Compatible-Motorbikes/dp/B01N4X0HUS

Much cheaper and worked well also. Harder to get phone out quickly but I can't get my phone out quick with the way I use QL now anyway.

So much insight, thanks a lot @flink_loyd @jackbepablo @Bernhard @yakut @hippy @TM !!

Do you guys mount it directly onto your phone or via plastic/silicone case? We're riding old school bikes, do you guys think Quadlock would work with a quill stem?

Use a hardish case. Like I said, it eventually ripped the back off my phone, the 3M VHB stuff is strong. You could mount it on the bars if the quill was too skinny or you could try and out-front mount.

I buy the iPhone specific cases/kits have one for my 6 (no longer needed) and got a 5 kit for my SE. They fit really well and function well as a phone case, streamlined enough to use full time on a trip.

Fine on quill or ahead, I used the rubber bands and secured with a couple of zip ties as well.

Have mine on a quill stem with fairly small diameter, since it’s mounted with a layer of tape and zip ties it is pretty solid...

The kits come with a rubber hood thing that goes over the phone and the QL case to keep water out, kept phone dry but difficult to use phone when it was wet - if you were just following a route would be ok but the time I remember when it was raining I was also lost.

We were selling Quad Lock well, madison dropped them, this is the response to my query re future UK availability. If you want one maybe act fast?

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I have a Moto G5 so have a plastic case which I mounted it to. They specify that is does not mount onto TPU/soft cases so I would stay away from the silicone. The £3 case that I got for my phone off ebay however had a texture to the back of it so I sanded it back to a smooth finish to get a good seal for the mount. Looks ugly but works a treat!

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I’m in Poland so doesn’t really concern me. The downside is here it costs nearly 40£ for the basic set or more for the front mount.

I’ll pass the info to my girl, however the back panel on her Galaxy s6 is broken, not sure if it’s hard plastic or glass but you can see webbing. From what you guys say this might not work with 3M tape.

Thank you for so many responses, again, much appreciated.

It cost £50 a kit in England.

If price is a driving factor, quad lock isn’t the answer.

I provided a much cheaper alternative above :)
If you look around you can get it cheaper, I think <£40 for the two parts.
I also reused the stick-on bit by scraping it clean and buying VHB tape. Probably still have some.

I ride my bikes daily and spending 40-50£ would be probably worth it, but I understand she hesitates throwing this amount of cash on a gadget.

The rubber thingy looks funny but I’m unsure if this is going to last for the 5 months of daily use and abuse.

Like I said, I raced TABR and TCR with it. I've given it to a friend to use now. It showed no signs of weakness.

This IS a solid recommendation. Thank you! And everyone else!