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Biologic Bike Mount Plus for iPhone 5

7
£40.00

VERDICT:

7
10
Great a protecting your phone in all weathers but the mount is too fiddly
Weight: 
127g
Contact: 

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The Biologic Bike Mount Plus for iPhone 5 will protect your precious phone from all weathers and even being dropped on the floor, but it's fiddly to get in and out of its mount.

The first thing you notice when pickup the Biologic case is that it is a substantial piece of kit. It's certainly looks ruggedised and it's not small. Initial impressions are that it's pretty well thought out, it seems pretty well thought out. There is a cam action fastener on each of the long sides of the case, with some good size finger pulls underneath the case that make it easy to open even with gloves on. Flip open the lid and you reveal the compartment in which the phone is placed.

At this point it's perhaps worth mentioning that the case will add an extra 9mm to the width of your phone and an extra 24mm to the length. Like I said, it's a substantial piece of kit.

Inside the case there is an rubber gasket that goes round the perimeter of the case and gives you the feeling that it will provide a good degree of weather protection. Inside the hard shell there is a silicone liner which would seem to add additional sealing and some shock protection to the phone. The reason the case is so much longer than the phone is that it's possible to connect your charger and headphone cable to the phone while it's in the case and still have some degree of weather sealing.

Once your precious iPhone is in the case, the lid closed and the cam clips done up, operating the phone is easy. The clear plastic cover which allows you to operate the phone is quite thin, providing you a good degree of visibility without any noticeable reduction in sensitivity.

As far as the case is concerned, so far so good.

Moving onto the mount for the bike. The mount has a straightforward plastic jubilee clip type arrangement to attach to the bike. You can use the supplied Allen key to tighten up the plastic band around the handlebars or stem (don't do it up too tight as you will strip the head on the plastic worm screw).

I wasn't a great fan of the mount itself; in comparison to the case it seems a bit of an afterthought. The case connects to the mount with a bit of a slot and push arrangement. Then you have to fiddle around underneath the case to try and get the securing screw in the hole and done up. Not easy with gloves on. If you don't get the screw in right, the mount will fall off.

I wasn't planning on testing the drop protection offered by the case but in faffing around trying to screw the case to the mount I did drop the phone from handlebar height onto the concrete floor of my garage. I'm pleased to report that the case does indeed offer good drop protection to the phone. In all it probably took about ten minutes to fit the mount the first time round. Ten minutes isn't ages but other mounting systems like the Quadlock and RokForm can be taken on or off the bike in less than a minute.

Once the case is connected to the mount and screwed up properly it does feel secure. The mount allows the case to rotate through 360° with a nice 'clicky' feel allowing the phone to operate in landscape or portrait mode.

Out on the road I used the mount on a couple of 40-mile rides, mainly using the phone as a sat-nav. You do feel secure that what ever the weather may throw at you, your phone is going to be safe. I was caught in a couple of rainstorms but was never worried about my phone getting wet.

The sensitive screen cover really helped when actually using the phone. Switching apps and pinch zooming in and out on the maps was as responsive as usual. The home button worked well if you press confidently enough.

All that weather proofing comes at a cost however: you can't hear the phone ring. Stopping the water getting in means the sound can't easily get out and I did miss a couple of calls.

The case as it stands at the moment is one of the best I've seen for protecting your phone from the weather. With your iPhone secured inside you feel confident that it's safe in the event of a substantial downpour. The trade-off is that you are unlikely to use it on a daily basis as a standard phone case: it's just too big. Charging your phone whilst not on the bike would also be tricky. You can fit a charging lead in the bottom but you're unlikely to do so when at home or in the office, it's just far easier to take the phone out of the case.

If you are looking for a seriously water resistant case then the BioLogic is great. I can forgive it for being big as it seems to do a good job of keeping my phone secure and dry when the weather gets bad. You can always slip it into a different case when off the bike. It's just a shame about the mount. The Quadlock and RokForm mounting systems are a league apart from the Biologic. Your friends will be half a mile down the road by the time you've finished faffing with that screw.

Verdict

Great a protecting your phone in all weathers but the mount is too fiddly

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road.cc test report

Make and model: Biologic Bike Mount Plus for iPhone 5

Size tested: n/a

Tell us what the product is for, and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

"The Bike Mount Plus is a hard-shell, weatherproof case for the iPhone 5 and iPhone 5s that lets you mount your iPhone to a bike. The case protects your phone with a combination of hard-shell ABS case and internal silicone liner and meets the IPX4 standard of protection, keeping an iPhone well protected from rain, sweat, mud, and dirt."

The Biologic bike mount is a heavy duty phone protector for the worst of British winter weather. The case will keep your phone dry and safe from knocks and drops helping you use the phone to its full potential as a sat-nav or a read out for Strava.

" A heavy-duty mounting bracket secures the case to handlebars and locks to the case via a screw-down latch. The bracket rotates 360° allowing use of the phone in portrait or landscape modes."

Once fitted properly, the mount is OK, it is secure on the handlebars and it does hold the case without too much wobbling around.

Overall though it's fiddly to connect the case to the mount and other systems out there do a better job.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

The BioLogic phone mount is a tough, well constructed ABS plastic outer shell with a silicone internal cushion. It does a good job of keeping your phone dry and protected from knocks. It is designed for use on the bike and wouldn't really be suitable for everyday use off the bike. As the phone is so well sealed in the case its hard to use as a phone as its difficult to hear it when it goes off.

The mount holds the phone securely to the stem or the handlebars but its not as easy to fit the case to the mount as other systems on the market.

Features:

  • Hard-shell case protects against scratches and knocks, silicone liner protects from shock
  • SoundPipe™ channels in liner redirect audio towards user
  • Phone useable in case in speaker phone mode — removal not necessary
  • Sealed ports for headphones and charge cable
  • Screw-lock mounting bracket for extra security
  • Touch-sensitive membrane allows full access to touchscreen
  • Fits handlebars or stems with a diameter of 44 mm (1.78”) or less
Rate the product for quality of construction:
 
7/10

The case is its self is well thought out and constructed. It feels well made and is easy to operate with gloves on.

The mounting system needs more thought Once mount and case are connected its fine but the mount does feel like an after thought.

Rate the product for performance:
 
8/10

In use the case kept my phone protected from knocks and drops and kept the phone dry through a couple of downpours.

Rate the product for durability:
 
7/10

The case feels solid and pretty bomb proof.

The mount with the plastic jubilee clip fixing arrangement would be easy to strip the thread or the head if you over-tighten it.

Rate the product for weight, if applicable:
 
5/10

This is not the product if you are worried about weight, it's a substantial piece of kit, designed to protect your phone from drops and bad weather.

Rate the product for comfort, if applicable:
 
7/10

The phone once in the case is easy to operate through the touch sensitive plastic just don't expect to be able to hear that much through it.

Rate the product for value:
 
7/10

Coming in at around £39 the case isn't cheap but is a fair price considering its substantial construction. The mount on the other hand does feel a bit cheap. It doesn't replace an everyday case so you aren't going to save any money by not having to purchase one of those as well.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

Out on the road the case kept the phone dry in all weathers and gave a good degree of confidence that even if the case came off your bike the phone inside would still be safe.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

You do feel confident that your phone is protected from the elements, cocooned inside a substantial plastic and silicone shell.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

The mount lets down the overall product down.

Did you enjoy using the product? Yes, the case .

Would you consider buying the product? Yes, if the main objective is to protect the phone no matter what the weather then its does that job really well.

Would you recommend the product to a friend? If they were looking to take their phone out in all weathers or off road then I think the BioLogic would be recommended.

Anything further to say about the product in conclusion?

Great for the worst British weather but certainly not an everyday case.

Sort out that mount.

Overall rating: 7/10

 

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3 comments

Avatar
andyeb | 9 years ago
0 likes

This looks the same as the Tigra mount I had, which work perfectly for a few months before depositing my iPhone 5 on the deck at 35mph, when the flimsy plastic mount failed.

You have been warned.

I've since bought a Garmin 800, which although not without it's faults is a far better solution for navigation and getting vital stats while riding.

Avatar
anarchy | 9 years ago
0 likes

£40 for a phone mount?!!?!

Avatar
jacknorell replied to anarchy | 9 years ago
0 likes
anarchy wrote:

£40 for a phone mount?!!?!

It's for an iPhone. On a bike... it's a wonder it's not £125 or more!

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