Review: Peak Design Everyday Case for iPhone and Out Front Bike Mount

Together, the Peak Design Everyday Case and Out Front Mount make for a safe and secure way to attach your phone to your handlebar. The case not only looks good, it’s of excellent quality, made with sustainable materials, while the mount has a quick-release element that means your phone won’t fall off or be in danger of being swiped by a passing scumbag.

As somebody who starts most of their rides in London, I find the idea of ​​mounting my phone on the terrifying handlebar. The idea that somebody wouldn’t attempt to just grab my phone and run off is, frankly, ridiculous. But, giving Peak Design the benefit of the doubt, I gave it a go…

> Buy now: Peak Design Out Front Bike Mount for £57.54 from Peak Design

> Buy now: Peak Design iPhone Case for £32.86 from Peak Design

The out-front mount attaches to the bar in the same way as most, using a bracket and a shim. Three shim sizes are included – just choose the correct one, place the bracket around the bar, and tighten the bolt. It’s a straightforward job, though a slightly softer shim would help prevent scratches to the handlebar.

As regards the mounting plate, it’s a tale of two parts. First, the large surface area is magnetic and holds the corresponding magnets in the case firmly; this not only adds to the security and stability of the phone in the case once mounted, but also makes sure it is seated correctly. Then, in addition to this, the phone is held securely by a quick release mechanism controlled by buttons on the back of the mount. If you don’t press these buttons, it is pretty much impossible to remove the phone.

This combination of magnets and quick release mechanism meant that my iPhone 13 Pro stayed in place throughout testing. It not only made it difficult to steal, but also ensured that it was stable on the bar.

The case itself is well made and looks good, with a textured fabric design on the back; it’s robust, with rubberised but substantial buffers, and practical, too, with a finger hold on the back. Peak Design offers specific cases for different phone models, and the version I used was a reassuringly tight fit on my iPhone 13 Pro; there’s no way anyone could just yank it out of the case.

Another cool part of the case is that it has a very effective MagSafe connection – better, in fact, than the MagSafe case I normally use. This enables you to connect things to the back of the phone by magnets, such as wireless chargers, wallets, or car mounts; being able to do this without changing cases is a nice touch.

I used the mount and case combination in a variety of conditions and on several bikes, from gentle e-bike rides on pan-flat tarmac to fairly extreme gravel rides on farm tracks, and it all stayed in place well.

You can mount your phone portrait or landscape – if I was following a map I found it most useful to have it landscape, while if I was using it in lieu of a bike computer I had it portrait.

You can also have the mount itself set vertically or horizontally – the hold on the phone case is equally good – and you can exchange the clamp-retaining bolt for a thumbscrew (included) so you can change its orientation easily mid-ride. So if you wanted to film part of your ride on your phone, for example, you can ‘flip’ the mount upwards (Peak Design says ‘flip’, but in reality it’s a case of undoing the thumbscrew and rotating the mount 90 degrees) , and it’ll still hold your phone securely, rather than always keeping it pointing forwards out front.

At the current exchange rate, the out-front mount costs £57.54 while the case is £32.86, which is a combined £90.40. That’s pretty expensive, though not that much more than others on the market, such as the Quadlock Out Front Mount Pro that Mike reviewed in 2020. Include the action cam mount and iPhone 13 Pro case and that’ll set you back £80.85, so around a tenner less, though the case isn’t quite as appealing to my mind, and doesn’t support MagSafe.

You can get cheaper options – the SKS Compit Smartphone Holder and Cover that Mike reviewed in 2019 is nearly half the price, although the mount is much larger and doesn’t give quite as stable a hold.

> Read more road.cc reviews of computer and phone mounts here

Overall I was very impressed by the Peak Design case and mount. The mount works really well, holding the phone in place securely, and the case is also excellent, being low profile and with MagSafe built-in too. It’s not a cheap option, but it works really well – not forgetting the ability to ‘flip’ the orientation – though it would be nice to have a softer shim to protect your bar’s finish.

verdict

Expensive but very effective and durable phone mounting system