Where Do You Keep Your Phone When You Ride?

[Guest Gap Trash]

I've heard alot of controversy about this subject. Where do you keep your phone while you are riding? For those that don't know the two schools of thought are 1)Keep the phone somewhere on your bike, such as a tank bag, or 2) Keep the phone on your person. Some claim that by keeping it on your bike it is less susceptible to damage from a wreck. Others say it is best to keep it on your person since if you are thrown from your bike (likely) in an accident and can't move to where your bike is you can call for help. Personally I keep mine in the breast pocket of my leathers.

[wera803]

Keeping it in a pocket just allows something else for you to fall on and hurt yourself with. I know a couple of people that put it in their pocket and ended up loosing it during a ride as well because the zipper worked it's way open. Tank bag or saddle bag for me.

[theoxmole]

I've heard alot of controversy about this subject. Where do you keep your phone while you are riding? For those that don't know the two schools of thought are 1)Keep the phone somewhere on your bike, such as a tank bag, or 2) Keep the phone on your person. Some claim that by keeping it on your bike it is less susceptible to damage from a wreck. Others say it is best to keep it on your person since if you are thrown from your bike (likely) in an accident and can't move to where your bike is you can call for help. Personally I keep mine in the breast pocket of my leathers.

Both things I have considered. My phone has that GPS, locator thing on it. I keep mine in my jacket unless it needs charging and plugged into the 12V socket, then it goes in the tank bag. I always figured if I got separated from the bike in a corn field (hey, I'm from Ohio) it would be easier for me to get into my jacket than to crawl to my bike to call for help. Of course you could smash it on a corn cob ('nother Ohio reference) while flying through the air but, in my mind, it's a risk/benefit analysis thing. Mine stays inside my jacket. The GPS locator thing. . . by the time my wife thinks to have people look for it I've probably already checked out.

My $.02 worth.

[Guest]

On the kitchen counter.

I fell with a phone in my jacket pocket once. The only harm was the phone shaped bruise on my ribs. I don't carry the thing on rides. I want to get away from everything, not carry it with me.

Next someone will want to know where they carry thier laptop.

[spud786]

I've heard alot of controversy about this subject. Where do you keep your phone while you are riding? For those that don't know the two schools of thought are 1)Keep the phone somewhere on your bike, such as a tank bag, or 2) Keep the phone on your person. Some claim that by keeping it on your bike it is less susceptible to damage from a wreck. Others say it is best to keep it on your person since if you are thrown from your bike (likely) in an accident and can't move to where your bike is you can call for help. Personally I keep mine in the breast pocket of my leathers.

I've carried my phone in a pouch on my belt for many years, but presently put it in the side pouch of my tailbag as its a blackberry. I guess it also depends on wether ya want to answer it, then it needs to be on your person.

I dont put alot of thought on the crashing aspect

[Guest]

On the kitchen counter.

I fell with a phone in my jacket pocket once. The only harm was the phone shaped bruise on my ribs. I don't carry the thing on rides. I want to get away from everything, not carry it with me.

Next someone will want to know where they carry thier laptop.

I didn't mention in my first post but I think that it is a safety precaution to carry a phone while riding. Personally I won't answer my phone on a ride. I also carry mine because it has a GPS built into it.

[enzed_viffer]

It depends.

If I have my tankbag, and it's a workday, then it's probably inside my shoe (yeah, it's a shoephone) inside the tankbag.

But most of the time, it's in this special "communications-pocket" in my new jacket. :salesman:

It'd be a shame to not use it, seeing they went to all the trouble to provide one.

And I'm not worried about it breaking my ribs - it's pretty small, and it's my spleen or some other giblets that will be wrecked if I fall off.

[The mailman]

After reading an article about a local rider who was thrown from his bike (HD) and injured so badly he could not get himself back up to the road, I started keeping it on my person. This guy layed in the weeds for 3 DAYS until a person walking along the road heard him in the brush. No one knew where the rider was headed that day just as many of us give our wives a general route but we tend to just follow our front wheel wherever it decides to go some days. After his recovery, he said he had a phone in his saddle bags and could hear it ringing but couldn't get to his bike. My phone will forever be in my jacket.

[SEBSPEED]

If I have it with me, it's in my inside jacket pocket. It's real slim, the zipper will do me more harm!

[YoshiHNS]

it depends. If im expecting a call while im on the road and i need to answer it asap, then i use these crazy foam twistie things. Just wrap part around the triple tree and the rest around the phone. that way i can physically see if i got a call since the vibrate setting doesn't work while riding.

otherwise i keep it in my lower jacket pocket or pants pocket. somewhere away from my ribs. My great uncle broke 3 ribs from falling with a camera in his jacket pocket. camera was fine.

[marid2apterbilt]

I am about 50/50..

i also wear a jabra 250v bluetooth so even if its 30 feet away if i can remove my helmet n hit the button on my ear i can make a call by voice command but i usually carry it in my jacket pocket...

[gll429]

in a ziplock baggy in a inside HIGH pocket... the padding on the jacket will cover it and me ..hopefully leaving the phone ok if i have a really bad day.

[VFR4Lee]

I usually keep it in tank bag or fanny pack. I use the tank bag for the VFR, but don't like it on the CBR so use a fanny pack.

Maybe I should start putting it in my jacket pocket. The handwarmer one or whatever it's called.

So if I crash on it, the phone punches me in the gut, not the ribs. :unsure:

[Guest]

I am about 50/50..

i also wear a jabra 250v bluetooth so even if its 30 feet away if i can remove my helmet n hit the button on my ear i can make a call by voice command but i usually carry it in my jacket pocket...

I think you have figured out the best way to do it Sam. Your method protects the phone while still allowing you to use it.

[TimC]

I have a Joe Rocket Manta tankbag that has a small cellphone pouch on top with a little clear window so I can see the display, tho if someone calls I may not see it light up - and I certainly wouldn't answer it while riding, but at least sometimes I can see that someone is calling or that I have a voice mail.

If I'm not using the tankbag I put the phone in my zip-up breast pocket inside the jacket. I may start carrying it there all the time.

BTW, it's a good idea to carry a couple small Ziplock baggies with you. If it starts to rain, put your phone (or other gizmo) in the baggie and then in your pocket.

[Guest]

my jacket has a zippered pocket in the inside. I keep mine there. No wind to worry about. I keep my wallet there too.

[BonusVFR]

When riding locally, I generally keep it on my person.

On tour, I usually keep it in my tank bag or in a bike pocket so I can keep it on the charger since I also have BTooth on (which sucks batteries). Sometimes when you are camping you never know if you are going to have power available so I like to keep the phone at full charge.

With the Zumo and a BT phone you can easily see if you are called and whether you have cell.

[marid2apterbilt]

I am about 50/50..

i also wear a jabra 250v bluetooth so even if its 30 feet away if i can remove my helmet n hit the button on my ear i can make a call by voice command but i usually carry it in my jacket pocket...

I think you have figured out the best way to do it Sam. Your method protects the phone while still allowing you to use it.

I forgot to mention the V (250V) stands for vibrate. It also vibrates on the back of your ear when i get a call, I usually set my phone to auto answer. But have found myself talking to myself while someone listens cause i didnt feel it vibrate.. Great for good laughs later. With my old helmet i could talk up to 40mph with my new hjc im guessing maybe 60 or 70mph. It is quieter

[doug5551]

Always in my tank bag.

One extra hint. I went on a ride to eat in the rain once, and my tankbag got soaked and my phone ruined. I got to meet my cell phone provider and learn that water damage is not covered and I had to buy a new phone.

Now, I have a waterproof container I got at wal-mart in the camping section that I use EVERY time. Last weekend I found out it will hold my camera, radar detector and cell phone all at once. Yay!!

[skuuter]

I used to put it somewhere on the bike (depending on which bike) until about 2 years ago. A friend of mine crashed outside Lynchburg on a backroad. He had severly broken leg and was down a ravine about 20 feet below the road and couldn't get out. His bike (CBR600F4I) was about 50 feet below him in a tree row with his cell phone in the tank bag. He carried it in his jacket pocket sometime, but not today.

Almost died laying there for 2.5 days and 2 nights until a farmer riding the fence row on a 4-wheeler discovered his bike. He could have called 911 if he had his cell phone on him..........he and I both keep em' in a jacket pocket at all times now...... :thumbsup:

[The Phantom]

Stories like Skuuters have always had me riding with my phone in my breast pocket - there's a vertically zipped pocket just inside the main zip of my Teknic leather jacket.

My new phone is only 6mm thick! I'm more worried about it being destroyed than any damage it might do to me.

Bluetooth adds another dimesion - I have no interest in it, I'd rather be less contactable than more contactable - but can see how it could be of benefit in riding (and crashing) situations.

[Auspanglish]

I used to carry it in a front pocket of my pants, because I was concerned it would fall out of a jacket pocket if I forgot to zip it up. This of course made it difficult to get to when pulling over to answer a call, as with gloves and stuff, access is difficult. I also figured I'd notice the vibration easier from that pocket. Thing is I suffer from paresthesias so I often don't notice the vibration...

Then I installed TOMTOM on the phone and bought a GPS receiver, so in order to see the screen, I would place it in the transparent map compartment on the top of my tank bag. I also have a Bluetooth system in my helmet, but the truth is, once you've got them all hooked up, the batteries last only a couple of hours and all the fuss of pushing buttons to operate the TOMTOM on the phone with gloves on, and even if carrying extra batteries, and having the cigarette lighter style charging socket I installed, it was all so much rigmarole and fuss that I found it was deterring from my enjoyment of riding, and also affected concentration. It was just so many more little things to have to keep in mind.

Now I just ride!! If I need a map, it's a paper one with the route marked out in coloured marker. It's actually easier (except for urban navigation, which is when GPS is at its worst anyway!!!)

The phone now always, religiously goes into the same pocket: left hand breast pocket with large zipper, easy to open and close with gloves. I like the idea of having it on me in the case of a crash. You can ignore calls if you want to "get away" from it all. Even turn it off and only check it at pit stops, so the battery will last longer. Mine lasts for 3 - 5 days on stand by anyway.

[Rivcyko]

In my jacket. If in an accident, I may not be able to crawl back to the bike.

[Nicole]

in a ziplock baggy ...

I keep all my electronics in ziplock baggies if I am on a trip. I keep the phone in a side pocket though. I keep anything small that could be stolen off the bike on my person. Anything that's bigger than that I keep easily accessible in my tailbag. I will grab it out and take it into the store with me or wherever I am going. I've had too much stolen from me over the years.. I am tad bit paranoid! <_<

[crepitus]

Left front pocket of my pants. I have a ziploc bag I keep in my jacket pocket in case I get caught out in a monsoon. I am really OCD about checking to see if all my pockets are zipped so I doubt I'll ever lose it.