Sea Otter 2013: Tate Labs' Garmin, CycleOps, iPhone 5 mounts
Off-the-bar handlebar mounts for many computers
Tate Labs' Bar Fly mount for newer Garmin Edge computers isn't just a model name, anymore – it's fast become the common term for any computer mount that sets the display out in front of the bars. Tate Labs hasn't been resting on its laurels, though, and now has a new Bar Fly 2.0 model plus an expanded collection for use with CycleOps, CatEye and even the iPhone 5.
Tate Labs has taken feedback on its original Garmin-compatible Bar Fly 1.0 and 1.1 models – including from us – and rolled the improvements into an impressive new model called the Bar Fly 2.0. The new model now lowers the computer so that it's roughly inline with the stem for a cleaner look while a clever dual-slot quarter-turn interface provides some positioning flexibility with smaller computers plus compatibility across all of Garmin's newer Edge range.
Garmin has even added space on the bottom of the new 2.0 to mount junction boxes for Shimano Dura-Ace Di2 or Campagnolo EPS electronic drivetrains. Suggested retail price is $25 (£16) and Tate Labs says it will be available in about two weeks.
Similar mounts for CatEye's Micro and Stealth families and CycleOps Joule computers are scheduled to arrive in stores around the same time, too, with prices ranging from $20-25 (£13-16) depending on model. Tate Labs marketing man Kris Lunning says the CycleOps version will soon be bundled together as standard equipment with those computers as well.
Tate labs' bar fly 1.1 (right) uses a unique eighth-turn mount so that garmin computers can be mounted in either portrait or landscape orientations depending on the model. there's also a model for cycleops computers, too (left): tate labs' bar fly 1.1 (right) uses a unique eighth-turn mount so that garmin computers can be mounted in either portrait or landscape orientations depending on the model. there's also a model for cycleops computers, too.
We also have new details on the company's pending bike mount for Apple's iPhone 5. The new handlebar mount is a joint collaboration with Optrix, who already makes a weatherproof plastic case to fit. Tate Labs has adapted that case with a modified bracket that's impressively solid on the bars and allows for both portrait and landscape orientations.
It can also be easily flipped up when it comes time to use the camera to record the action – with or without Optrix's own VideoPro app, which is outstanding (it's what we used it to log in-car video during our stint with Vittoria neutral support at last year's Giro d'Italia).
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Tate Labs' iPhone 5 mount is a little further out than the other upcoming models – around six weeks, according to Lunning – and given its greater complexity, will be more expensive, too. Suggested retail price will be around $99 (£65).
For our complete coverage from Sea Otter 2013, click here.