The small company, Loop, with their two carefully designed, high-quality – but pricier – bike phone mounts have drawn our attention since they launched on Kickstarter a while back.
We’ve had the Micro Mount, the smallest of their two two bike phone mounts in for review. Does the Micro Mount do the business? And should it be considered one of the best bike phone mounts available?
Loop Micro Mount Key Features
The majority of bike phone mounts have two drawbacks. First, they usually require you to purchase an accompanying phone case to mount the phone to your bike – not ideal if you’ve already got a case you like or don’t want your iPhone ensconced in a world of additional rubber and plastic.
Second, most bike phone mounts look damn right awful. Flappy straps or bags topped with see-through plastic are two things that I’d rather my bike isn’t adorned with.
Loop Micro Mount aims to offer a solution to both these issues.
Micro Mount is a bike phone mount which is mounted by replacing the bike’s stem cap. The way it attaches makes it possible to orientate your phone in either portrait or landscape mode.
It doesn’t require an extra phone case to work and when not in use, the clever retractable mounting arms leave you none the wiser about what it is. It’s also machined in metal for strength and durability.
So Micro Mount has a universal design, it’s all-metal and it’s retractable. Let’s look at those three features in greater detail.
Universal Design
Micro Mount’s major selling point is its universal design – both for phones and bikes. It doesn’t require a special phone case, nor does it require a separate mounting piece to attach a phone to your bike.
If your bike has a standard stem, then the Micro Mount will fit – simply unscrew your stem cap with the included fallen key and replace it with the Micro Mount – it takes less than a minute.
Loop won’t work with older bikes with quill stems or other specialist bikes such as Brompton or electric cargo bikes.
So onto the phone side of things, how universal is Micro Mount?
Pictured throughout this review is my iPhone 11 (complete with a basic rubber case), which has a width of 2.81” (71.4 mm). Micro Mount held onto this nicely, good to know seeing the current iPhone 15 is just 0.2mm wider and the equivalent Samsung Galaxy S24 is a shade narrower at 70.6mm.
For good measure, I also slotted in my old iPhone 8 Plus into the Micro Mount. At 3.07” (78.1 mm) the mount held the phone perfectly steady. Loop says that Micro Mount works with all phones up to 85mm wide. This covers the majority of modern phones, even with the addition of a case.
Do watch out for bulky phone cases that add depth to your phone as well as width. Micro Mount will only accept a phone with a depth of 14.5mm.
If you’re worried, Loop has a handy specification page with all the exact measurements you’ll need to find out if your phone will fit.
All-Metal Construction
Loop began as the brainchild of an industrial design and product development agency and it tells. Holding Micro Mount in your hand, it feels really solid, well-made – and well finished – the packaging design is neat too – if you’re into that kind of thing.
When riding with Micro Mount, its grip is very solid – I never felt that my phone would dislodge and because it’s bolted to your bike it’s never going to part with that either!
The rubber finish on the lips of the Micro Mount does a good job of protecting your phone too. If you don’t have a case on your phone, I really wouldn’t worry Micro Mount would scratch your phone. The rubber is soft to the touch but still delivers enough friction to keep the phone in place.
Micro Mount isn’t designed for off-road riding but taking it down a light gravel path shouldn’t be out of the question in my book.
Looking at Loop’s website they suggest that Micro Mount looks so good, that it becomes part of your bike. If you colour-match it to your bike’s stem, I’d be hard to argue with that. Micro Mount is available in either black or silver.
Retractable
If you will, Micro Mount’s party piece is its ability to retract when not in use. How great you think this feature is will depend on two things. How much you value your bike’s aesthetics and how cluttered your bike’s handlebars are. Let me explain.
Like many of you, I’m sure, my bike riding has changed over the years. Gone are those fancy-free days when I could be in the saddle for however long I wished. Whether it was an extra loop on the commute home from work or a ride on both Saturday and Sunday, the march of life has certainly altered my riding habits.
Bike rides these days usually involve work or running errands with the odd ride for fun squeezed in when time allows. This is where Micro Mount has done the business for me. Its position on the stem has meant I can do away with that GPS mount, but keep my front light and handlebar bag mounted neatly.
Micro Mount has been perfect for navigation when heading to an unfamiliar part of town – simply snap in my phone, tap the directions and pedal away.
And when I have had the chance for a longer ride, Micro Mount has saved me charging up that long-forgotten GPS tracker to track my ride. In went my phone – on went Strava.
Is the Loop Micro Mount Worth it?
Yes, it isn’t going to suit everyone and every bike, but the Micro Mount is an excellent bike phone mount. It saves you from faffing with a compatible phone case and its mounting position leaves your handlebars free for mounting other bits and bobs.
If you’re a road bike rider who uses your smartphone for navigation or ride tracking and you like to maintain ‘the look’ of your bike, then get the Micro Mount, it’ll be a neat, useful addition to your bike.
Price-wise, you could say that Micro Mount is expensive, but when you factor in the total cost of an equivalent setup from the likes of Quad Lock or Mous, it’s not more expensive.
And for those comparing Loop to the bargain-basement options on Amazon, Temu or AliExpress, then you’re probably missing the point. This phone mount is a quality item and should stand the test of time.
Where To Buy the Loop Micro Mount?
Unlike its sister product, Loop Mount Twist which is available on Amazon, Micro Mount is currently only available via Loop.cc and selected third-party retailers. Shipping from Loop direct, is offered worldwide and at reasonable rates too.
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