Do you use your phone to record your rides using apps like Strava?
Chances are that your battery is running low by the end of your ride.
Do you connect to your tv with apps like Zwift when on your trainer?
Changes are your battery is also running low. And wouldn’t it be great to not have to worry about getting an extension cord or a long cable to charge your phone while on the bike?
StrideCharge is here for the rescue.
The StrideCharge iPhone Charge Case
Introducing the StrideCharge iPhone Charge Case. An iPhone case with a built-in battery that will allow you to extend your ride all while recording your rides, listening to music, and more. The case also has a bracket that will allow you to attach it to the Bike Mount
Unboxing
The product feature in this review is the charge case bundle that includes the iPhone Charge Case and the Bike Mount. The bundle comes in the nicely designed box and is securely packed inside. Upon opening the box, you will find each item housed within their box in their own cut-out.
First thoughts, I’m impressed with the branding and packaging. They were well thought of, and it shows that the folks at StrideCharge took their time and effort with these details. The colors draw you in and make you want to dive in to see what’s inside.
Each item is separately package in their own box. Inside the boxes the items are housed in a plastic holder. These products are very well packaged.
StrideCharge is design by cyclists for cyclists but can also be used for other activities too. With the StrideCharge Bike Mount, you can securely attach the mount to a bar that is 25-40 mm in diameter.
The case is made from durable high-quality materials (ABS and TPU) that are shock absorbing and strong. The case has been thoroughly and rigorously tested (by StrideCharge) to ensure durability and protection to your phone. Charging is a great feature, but typically a top priority is phone protection. This case is very strong and has done a great job protecting my phone.
The top portion of the case is made only of the TPU material. This allows you to fold the (rubbery) case backwards so you can slide your phone into the bottom portion of the case (made of both ABS and TPU). Push your phone down firmly into the case to ensure it is plugged in, then fold the top of the case around the top of your phone.
When installing your phone do not try to press it into the case, it must be slid downwards (glass screen protectors do not interfere with the case). Also, when removing the phone, do not try to pry the phone out of the case. This could damage the phone, the case, or both.
The iPhone Charge case is compatible with iPhone X – 13 and will fit both Pro and Max iPhone models.
No iPhone?
Currently, StrideCharge only make the charge case for iPhones, but they make the Stride Universal Connector that uses 3M adhesive to attach to the back of your phone or case. This connector will allow you to attach your non-iPhone to the Stride Bike Mount.
The Universal Connector is also a good option for people when charging their phone isn’t a priority but want a secure method of connecting their phone to their handlebars.
| StrideCharge Product | $USD | g (oz) |
|---|---|---|
| iPhone Charge Case Bundle | 120 | 211 (7.42) |
| iPhone Charge Case | 70 | 138 (4.85) |
| Bike Mount w/ rubber strips | 50 | 73.2 (2.58) |
| Universal Adapter | 20 | n/a |
StrideCharge is confident that you will love the product, this is why they have a 30-day money back guarantee. Just return the product within 30 days of purchase for a full refund. But it is doubtful that you will be doing that.
Sign Up and Save, but FAST!
Want to save $25 USD off your order?
Go to stridecharge.com and subscribe to their newsletter to receive special offers, free giveaways, and $25 off! This offer is not going to last forever, I am unsure exactly how long it will last, but I know it will be changing in the future.
So, act quickly before this current promotion ends.
Charging
Once you have properly installed your phone into the charge case you can begin charging it. To charge your phone press and hold the power button on the back of the case for three seconds. Do the same if you want to stop charging.
If you want to check the battery level of the case press the button and let it go. The four battery indicator lights on the back of the case will turn on in a certain manner depending on the battery level. If you press the power button and the four lights blink a few times, the phone case battery is dead. If the case is fully charge, all four lights will turn on and for a battery level of 75%, 50%, or 25% will turn on 3, 2, or 1 light(s) on respectively.
The case uses a standard Apple Lightning plug to charge it. So, the same plug you are currently using to charge your phone will work to charge your StrideCharge iPhone Charge Case. The case does not come with a charging cord; therefore, you will need to use your own. The folks at StrideCharge probably assumed that customers already have a charging cord, thus including a cord is not necessary.
There is no need to remove your phone from the case to charge it. By plugging the power cord into the charge case, you will charge both your phone and the case.
Pro Tip: Turn off Optimized Battery Charging. (Setting>Battery>Battery Health>Optimized Battery Charging)
I was noticing issues with my phone not charging all the way. Also, I noticed that when charging the case with the phone in it, it wouldn’t charge all the way either. This is because I had Optimized Battery Charging turned-on on my phone.
Optimized Battery Charging helps reduce battery aging and learns from your charging routine and stops the charging at 80%, then finishes the last 20% before you typically begin using your phone. This is a great feature for people that consistently plug their phone in at night before going to sleep, not so good if you are charging at random times.
Battery Specs and Battery Life
The charge case uses a 4800 mAh 3.7 V battery. The max input is DC 5 V at 1.5 A and the max output is DC 5 V at 1.0 A. Theoretically it should take about 3.5 hrs to charge the case and should give about 5.5 hrs of charging time. The iPhone X has a 2716 mAh battery which is a little over half the size of the charge case battery.
Batteries aren’t meant to drain down to zero, so the useable stored energy is going to be less than the rated values. Thus, to get a feel of its real capabilities I have done some testing of my own. One thing to note though, these numbers are going to highly vary from phone to phone. As of right now, my phone is at 76% of max capacity relative to when it was new.
Charing up the phone case took about 4.0 hrs from a power block USB charger (typical USB-A block charger that used to come with iPhones). Charging from a lower amp USB-A output (from my computer monitor) took about 6.5 hrs to fully charge the phone case.
The StrideCharge iPhone Charge Case is giving me about 1.5 charges. I achieved that with minimal use of the phone while charging. Thus, if you are using the phone such as recording a Strava ride you will probably get less.
Having a StrideCharge iPhone Charge Case can extend your battery life by up to 150%, which could equal 4-5 hours of extra use before running out of power.
The Bike Mount
The charging and phone protection features are great, but the interesting part we are here for is the cycling integration of the case. The bike mount doesn’t require tools to install and uses a thumb screw to tighten down the bracket. The bracket can attach to bars ranging from 25-40 mm diameter. Using different amounts of the rubber pieces provided will ensure a secure fit to your handlebars.
My mountain bike handlebars have a slight taper to them so I couldn’t get the bracket to fit just right. It was either too tight or too loose with the provided rubber strips. To fix the issue, I modified one of the rubber strips by cutting it a little shorter and beveling the ends (always be careful when using sharp object to cut and cut in the direction away from yourself).
This style of mounting could be called 1/8 turn mount. Attaching the case only requires a 45-degree turn instead of other mounts (Garmin, wahoo, etc.) that require a 90-degree turn (known as quarter-turn). To attach the case, place the phone on to the mount at a 45-degree angle then turn counterclockwise and to remove turn clockwise.
This smaller turning angle makes attaching and removing much easier and only requires hand.
When you turn the phone in to the locked position you will hear a subtle click. Once you hear this sound, you can be rest assure that your phone isn’t coming off until you remove it.
The Bike Mount has the male connector, and the case has the female side. This is good design because having it the other way could cause the case to snag on things such as when trying to put your phone into your pocket, purse, etc.
The Ride
I don’t’ think many people would be surprised if the mount held on a road ride or a leisure ride on a paved bike trail. Some might not be too impressed if it held stay on for a gravel ride (I rode some chunky gravel this weekend that popped my GoPro Mount loose). Therefore, testing on a mountain bike ride would be a very good test of the Charge Case and Bike Mount’s abilities.
The bike I tested on was a Felt Solo hardtail converted to 10-speed with an 80 mm travel fork. After 7.2 miles, 784 ft of elevation gain, and 1 hr 22 mins of bumpy fast descents and trails covered in small rocks and pinecones, the Bike Mount with my phone and the charge case didn’t budge at all.
Initially, I thought I would be more worried about having my phone on top of my bars, but the phone was so securely mounted I hardly thought about it during the ride. It wasn’t until the end of my ride that I thought of it and realized that it didn’t move at all.
Final Thoughts
A phone case that provides additional battery life at the touch of a button, protects your phone, and securely mounts your phone to your handlebars is a definite win. We all know cycling is an expensive activity and has a high entry barrier.
Most people already have smart phones, so there is no need to add an additional expense of $300 or more for a cycling computer that you only use a few times a week. Having a StrideCharge iPhone Charge Case will let you substitute or replace you cycling computer.
With the StrideCharge iPhone Charge Case and Bike Mount you can confidently go out for long rides knowing you will have plenty of battery power to keep you phone charge. Your phone is securely mounted in plain view so you can easily access your phone to view your current ride stats or make phone calls.
The StrideCharge iPhone Charge Case holds your phone to the handlebars perfectly. It is great if you want to used ride recording apps like Strava, or maybe you want to catch up on the latest YouTube videos. I like to call it guilt-free binge watching.
With StrideCharge you can stay charged on the move.
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2 thoughts on “StrideCharge iPhone Charge Case – 3 great reasons you need it”
After receiving less than stellar support for my previous Quadlock mount, I decided to try the Stride Charge Solution. I own an iPhone 13. All was going well until I hit a non-trivial bump, at which point my $1000 phone broke away from the mount and fell to the sidewa;k at maybe 15 mph. The case got roughted up a bit and luckily, my iPhone appeared pretty much undamaged. I was left with 2 pices of the case, a round ring and another round metal part, which I expect should not have come apart from the main body of the case. For me, that’s a showstopper. At least the Quadlock case held on securely to the handlebar mount. I also have a light on my handlebars, a small bell as mandated by Ontario law and a Wahoo RFLKT+ display and none of those ever came off. Let’s see what the company plans to do tou address my situation.
Wow, That is quite unfortunate. I am sorry to hear that. I can tell you I rode some gnarly stuff on my hardtail MTB that only has 80 mm of travel and had zero issues. Hopefully they take care of you.