SKS Compit Smartphone Holder & Cover

The SKS Compit Smartphone Holder is a great system for holding your phone securely on the handlebar, and as a general phone case. You can mount lights or a camera out front, and as a base for the Compit+ system you're future-proofed too.

• Pros: Fits all bar diameters, easy fit and removal of mount and phone, expandable for lights and camera, low profile, works with gloves on
• Cons: None, really

The Compit system from Germany's SKS is focused on e-bikes and charging phones for navigation, and this is reflected in the design of the Compit mount here – the five little brass contacts are in the mount to pass charging current from an e-bike head unit's USB port to the optional Compit+ battery-wireless charging unit.

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In this non-e-bike version the contacts are included but are superfluous, as there's no USB cable to connect them to anything.

What we have on review here is the basic Compit mount and smartphone cover, the mount retailing at £29.99, with cases being £9.99 each. Phone cases are available for a number of newer phones. I tested the iPhone X model and SKS keeps adding to the range so you should be future-proofed when you upgrade. At time of writing it does cases for iPhone 6 through to 8+, X and XS, Samsung S7-9 and Huawei P20 Pro. Coming soon are iPhone 11 and Samsung 10. If your phone isn't listed, SKS also does a universal stick-on mount, which could also be fitted to a waterproof or ruggedised case if desired.

The mount fits handlebars from 22.2 up to 31.8mm diameter using the included rubber adapters, and is absolutely rock-solid. Though not advisable, you can pick up an unladen bike by the mount, it's that solid. The mount is secured either side of the stem by four hefty Torx T20 screws (T20 tool included), and there's 49mm of stem width to play with underneath it.

The plate your phone locks onto can be set to a number of angles using a 3mm Allen (also included), so between the mount itself and the plate you have a lot of adjustment to get the phone viewing angle and clearance for lights or computers just right.

If you want to run lights or a camera out front, there's an included set of lower mount light brackets you can swap in. The maximum width of the light mount body possible is 12mm, with a minimum borehole of 6mm. The installation manual is rather thorough and clear on the process.

You can position your phone forwards or rearwards on your handlebar by alternating whether the plate sits to the front or rear of the bar. I set mine forwards to give maximum knee clearance; it's good to have the choice here if you have lots of other handlebar hardware to clear.

The case clicks on by positioning at 45 degrees and turning either horizontal or vertical, securing with a solid click. Those familiar with the Quadlock case system will be pleased to know that SKS has made its version of the 'quarter-turn' method even more intuitive and forgiving to mis-alignment at the start.

To release, there's a little plastic lever that gets depressed, allowing the phone to rotate again then be lifted free.

I gave this system a really good thrashing, on and off-road over really rough sections of road and track – nothing fazed it. The mechanism was consistently rock-solid, with no hint anything was coming loose after many hours of bashing about. If your phone comes off this mount unbidden, then it's likely you've lost something else more strategic, like a handlebar or limb.

As a daily knockabout phone case it worked well – the case is lower in profile than the already-slim Quadlock equivalent, with all buttons and the mute switch accessible. I had no issues plugging in charging cables. The case doesn't really sit proud of the phone's screen, though, so if you put it face-down on a surface it will be in contact. It's not designed to be overtly protective in its own right or it would be considerably chunkier, which is fair enough.

Unlike Quadlock, which sells a 'poncho' to go over phones, SKS must assume you're happy with your phone's native weatherproofness. If you want seriously-hefty protection, fitting the separately-available £9.99 universal stick-on mount to a ruggedised case would be the way to go.

Whether you should go for the SKS Compit or the Quadlock Out Front mount really depends on whether you need to mount lights or a camera, or expand to include SKS's optional Compit+ battery/wireless charging module (review to come). The Quadlock system is quickly removable with a single hex screw, unlike the SKS Compit which is more involved but also more configurable and adjustable.

> How to choose the right bike computer

Overall, the SKS Compit Smartphone Holder is a great option for holding your phone for navigation or simply close to hand for that mid-ride selfie. It's secure, expandable and made to SKS's typical high standards, with future phone cover availability almost guaranteed.

Verdict

Secure and expandable choice for bar-mounting your smartphone