As one who has stopped bringing my phone on rides, I am curious as to reason for bringing or not bringing the phone on rides.
My logic says if I need a phone someone in the group has one or a person will pass by with a phone.
Thoughts?
1 Like
Itās just for safety, no other real reason for me. I used to not bring it, but I was young (and dumb?).
4 Likes
I canāt think of a valid reason to not have a phone with me on my rides.
Running is a bit different as Iām usually closer to home and it is genuinely a hassle to carry. 
12 Likes
As others have mentioned, I canāt see any upside of not having it, but I can see plenty of downsides and potential risks. Beyond the obvious safety aspect, I enjoy taking pictures along my rides and would hate to see something exciting or beautiful and not have it. As for the weight, even on climbs it is so minimal as to be immaterial in most circumstances. The only rare occasion I donāt bring it is on hillclimb events when every gram matters and there are spectators and race services nearby, but even there itās probably not going to make much difference.
5 Likes
I honestly canāt think of a good enough reason not to bring it? The only thing I can think of is to ādisconnectā, but that can be accomplished by turning your ringer and notifications off.
6 Likes
so do you use that same logic for an extra tube or multi tool?
5 Likes
I canāt think of any reason not to have my phone with me on a ride. The only possible reason is that conditions are so bad that it might get wrecked - but thatās when you are most likely to need it for an emergency so its not a valid reason.
Aside from several ācalls of shameā over the years to get a ride after an insurmountable mechanical, Iāve been around a several crashes (and been part of one myself) where if not actually lifesaving, it certainly significantly sped up getting medical care.
Like a flat repair kit, every rider should have their own phone. Even in a group, you never know when youāll end up alone. And while somebody will come by eventually, it could be a few minutes or it could be a few hours. Sitting on the side of the road with a broken collar bone is bad enough without making an afternoon out of it.
3 Likes
Spotify. Garmin LiveTrack if I am going off-grid on my gravel bike.
4 Likes
Iāve broken my phone a couple of times already (tipping over during mountain biking. I have a watch with 4g so I usually use that in case of emergency but unfortunately no maps and no pictures.
1 Like
the 'gram, duh
3 Likes
I didnāt bring it once on a spicy group gravel ride. TBH, I was trying to save the weight. Then I crashed and lost contact with the group and ended up inconveniencing them because they didnāt know where I was, and I wasnāt answering the phone. It wasnāt worth it.
3 Likes
Would you say the same about a spare tube or nutrition?
@BillyWaldman beat me to it!
4 Likes
But how do you take pictures?!?
Also google maps is just far superior to any mapping on my device. Need to find roads, paths, cafes, petrol stations, look up train times, etc.
Also I wouldnāt want to rely on somebody else lending me their phone. Most of the reasons why an actual phone on a ride is needed is because someone got lost.
The only rides I donāt take my phone are very local rides with a high chance of crashing, eg CX or MTB skills sessions. And races.
2 Likes
Having recently crashed which caused three three non-displaced cervical fractures I cannot see why you would not bring a phone. Laying on the ground waiting for the EMTs to take me away I was able to talk to my wife and others to let them know about the crash and that i was ok(ish).
3 Likes
It is really hard to listen to music or podcasts when I donāt have my phone with me. 
Seriously, thoughā¦.as others have stated, I canāt think of a good reason to not bring my phone with me. Or perhaps put better, I canāt think of a single reason why I would want to ride without it.
3 Likes
I bring it on rides to listen to music and take pictures. But when Iām āracingā it stays in the car. I figure if I go down hard enough that I canāt ride back, then Iāll definitely need help and all the races I do are supported. If itās unsupported, Iām taking it with me.
2 Likes
Mine comes with me, livetrack could be important. And if a rider crashes etc, I canāt really count on using their phone for a variety of reasons. Network coverage, I think we all ride some where coverage gets spotty for at least some carriers, the more networks you have access to the better. And generally as others have said, I try not to rely on the group for anything.
2 Likes
You could get dropped, the group could have to split up for some reason, livetrack, audible, being reachable in case of emergency at home. Itās nice to detach, but honestly, I donāt deserve to detach for 10-12 hours a week.
3 Likes
Thatās a pretty poor attitude expecting other people to bail you outā¦ You donāt want to bring your phone, so you are expecting someone else to. Do you also not carry a spare tube / pump / CO2 / etc. expecting someone else to?
This might sound harsh, but itās true. You are expecting other people to dig you out if you have an issue, just so you donāt have to carry a phone that weighs 7oz / 200g?
5 Likes
I take it not only for my safety, but for others too: To take pictures of someone elseās accident. To record the āenvironmentā, the surroundings, the damage, the lighting, the position of those involved, and perhaps recording the reactions of those involved, and the authorities that show up. Such documentation can be extremely helpful in a bad accident. In an area with few witnesses it can come down to the perpetrator telling a long form lie about what happened. Iāve heard some stories of drivers swiping cameras on bikes they have hit, so documenting any cameras, helmets, lights, clothing on the rider(s) involved, etc could really help too. So I carry mine for them, as well as me. I posted a video from a ābike lawā group that spelled out the idea of being someone who documents the results of a crash, and does a better job than I just did explaining what should be documented.
Securing the phone is a whole conversation. Baggies and expensive āwalletsā. Plus placement in back pockets is important too, but I digress.
What happened to me: I wish someone had a camera and footage of the Manhattan cab that pushed me (several times too) with their bumper. Yeah, it actually happened, it was assault, and it should have been a chargeable offense because if a cab driver is going to literally try to push me, they are more likely to do worse, like cut a cyclist off, or ābrushā them with mirrors, etcā¦ If I had had a GoPro, it would have been an interesting video.
Um, for not bringing one: Landing on one, or losing it somehow? But Iāve only found one cell phone in all my years of riding, and the owner had lost it months prior and had already replaced it, according to their provider. 
2 Likes