“But did you tell them you aren’t a phone guy?”
This was a legitimate question from a good buddy of mine when I mentioned to him that the team at Armor-X was sending me a phone case and mounting system to try out on my mountain bike.
Brent’s query was a good one. I am not a phone guy. I proudly toted around an iPhone 3 for years until, finally, it couldn’t keep up with the demands of the world wide web and the apps I wanted to use. I upgraded to an iPhone 6 and, applying the same sophisticated mathematical algorithm, might wait for an iPhone 12 before upgrading again.
So, for sure, I am no techie phone guy. But, because I want to extend the life of each phone I get, I am most definitely a phone case guy. And, because I spend a lot of time on both my road bike and mountain bike, I am always looking for cases and mounting systems that protect the investment I have in my mobile technology.
With Armor-X, I found a great one.
Prior to getting their iPhone 6 case and mounting system, my phone could be found in my pocket when I was riding trails. Remaining upright and on the bike generally makes this a nonissue, but my mountain bike history is littered with crashes and spills, and I saw the usage of the Armor-X gear as a serious upgrade to my phone protection strategy.
And I was right. All it took was a poorly executed bunny hop to prove it.
I was recently riding the new trail system above Flag Rock, near Norton, Virginia, and was heading down a fire road I had cruised many times. Across the fire road lay a fallen tree of about six inches of diameter. I had crossed over this tree more times than I can count. I was feeling pretty froggy, moving down the fire road at a pretty good clip, when I had this thought . . . .
I’m going to bunny hop that log.
There is no good explanation as to why such silliness entered my head. None at all. I am 45 years old and haven’t really bunny hopped anything since I was a pre-teen. My single track time is generally marked by a relative sense of caution; I don’t mind going fast, but I try to avoid broken bones and what not at all cost.
That bunny hop panned out exactly as you can imagine. Poor timing and not enough lift slammed my front wheel square into the log. I was catapulted over my handlebars, able to look up in mid-flight to see one foot still clipped to a pedal and my bike sailing over my head. I landed squarely on my left side, the wind bursting from my lungs, my bike landing a few feet beyond my body akimbo.
I was bruised up a bit. Sore, for sure. Two days later, I could barely turn over in bed without gasping, and it was a couple weeks before I felt right again.
But my phone? Locked tight to my stem, exactly where it was meant to be, and no worse for the crash.
The case from Armor-X is a regular on my phone these days and certainly goes with me whenever I hit the trail on my mountain bike. The case itself is slim enough for everyday use and easy to handle, while the mounting system, as evidenced by my crash, keeps everything locked securely on my bike.
I am looking forward to more miles, but fewer spills, with both.
