Bicycle Phone Charger Works on Mountain Bike Trails
We tested the Bike2Power phone charger on a cruiser bike a couple weeks ago, and it worked like a charm. It charged an iPhone with no problem, was easy to install, and held the phone just fine on relatively smooth roads, cement paths, and gravel paths.
But what about on bumpy, rutty, steep mountain bike paths? How would it perform on a Colorado single-track trail like the Heil Ranch trails? Rather than keep you in suspense, the answer is: It worked just fine. Here are the high points:
single track trail
- The universal phone holder that is available from Bike2Power, is absolutely amazing. It is like some kind of James Bond gadget. It literally grabs ahold of smart phones in a bear hug and never lets go. That was my biggest concern with using the phone charger on mountain bike trails. I was worried the phone would fall off. Fortunately, it didn’t.
- Switching the SpinPower from one bike to another was surprisingly fast and easy.
- As with the cruiser bike, it takes a little more energy to pedal the bike with the SpinPower unit engaged, but I must emphasize the “a little.” And after all, you’re out there to get exercise, aren’t you? So what’s a little extra exertion?
- If your phone is idle, you will actually see the charge indicator inching up throughout your ride. However, if you use a GPS-enabled mapping app while on the trail, you will see the available charge remain about the same or even possibly go down just a little bit over time. But without the SpinPower, you’ll see your phone juice depleting rapidly. GPS units are power hogs. My guess is that if you were on the trail, with your GPS going, you’d probably still have power left at the end of your ride. Whereas without the SpinPower unit, you’re likely to run out of power.
Suggestions for Using Your SpinPower Unit on the Trails
- If you’re going to be on the trail all day, especially if you’ll be using your phone (and its apps) a lot, the SpinPower by Bike2Power is a great alternative to packing around spare charging cases for your smart phone.
- If you are going to be on an especially steep or bumpy trail or you are in a big hurry, you may want to consider using either a battery case for your phone or limiting your phone use rather than using the SpinPower.
- The SpinPower is perfect for flat trails and can definitely be used on mountain bike trails if you keep suggestion #1 in mind.
- Absolutely make sure you have the universal mount for your phone if you’re going to be riding mountain bike trails with your Bike2Power Spinpower unit. I wouldn’t consider taking the unit on a bumpy trail with the standard handlebar mount. It might work, but then again, it might not. However, I felt very comfortable using the universal mount on the single track trails.
It was my pleasure to run this unit through the gauntlet. I would love to hear from anyone else who has had the opportunity to use the Bike2Power Spinpower unit.
