Waterfield Designs Cycling Ride Pouch: Take your iPhone along for the ride
Cyclists love to pack minimally, but for even a casual ride it's important to have spare tubes, tire irons, repair kits, a pump, and even your iPhone along. Waterfield Designs teamed up with cycling gear designer Eleven Vélo to produce the perfect pouch for all that equipment, and it fits easily into the back pocket on a cycling jersey. The Cycling Ride Pouch (US$69) features a scratch-free slot for your iPhone (and note that it will fit larger phones in case the next iPhones are bigger...), interior pockets for ID and credit cards, and enough volume to hold everything you'll need to support your ride -- except for water and a SAG wagon.
Specifications
Dimensions: 6.75 x 4.0 x .75 inches (unloaded -- 171.45 x 101.6 x 19.05 mm)
Weight: 3.1 ounces (87.88 grams)
Materials: Distressed full-grain leather, Ultrasuede lining
Zipper: YKK locking zipper
Colors: "Grizzly" brown leather, black leather
Design Highlights
The Cycling Ride Pouch looks rugged and was obviously designed with love by cyclists. The plastic window makes it easy to see and even use an iPhone -- although Touch ID isn't usable, of course. Placing the iPhone in the phone pocket ensures that it is has adequate protection against rain, dust, and of course, sweat.
Being a fan of Waterfield Designs' other products, I love the simple rugged design -- the leather will only get more distressed and classy looking as time goes by, and the quality of the components means that the Cycling Road Pouch will last for many years of long rides.
Functionality Highlights
While my existing mini air pump was a bit too long to fit inside the Cycling Ride Pouch, I could see where you could pop in something like a CO2 inflation system instead. The card slots are perfectly sized for a driver's license and a credit card or two (helpful for those after-ride beer stops...).
Placing an iPhone into the phone pocket is easy and fast thanks to a large, full-width bottom opening. Once the phone is in the pocket, it's easy to use if the pouch is full of stuff pushing the phone screen against the plastic window. Unzip the locking YKK zipper and the Cycling Ride Pouch lays flat, perfect for picking out just the tools you need to make repairs on the street or trail.
And yes, it does fit into the typical back pocket of a jersey!
Conclusion
Although it's a bit "niche", the Cycling Ride Pouch is the perfect accessory for any dedicated cyclist. Combining good looks, a nicely sealed see-through phone pocket, card slots, and enough volume to carry a good amount of equipment, the pouch is also well-built and reasonably priced. Waterfield Designs has another winner on their hands with this classic accessory that should be on the market for years to come.
Rating: 4 stars out of 4 stars possible
Giveaway
Just in time for those late summer, early fall bike rides, TUAW and Waterfield Designs are teaming up to give a reader a "grizzly" brown leather Cycling Ride Pouch. Here are the rules for the giveaway:
Open to legal US residents of the 50 United States, the District of Columbia and Canada (excluding Quebec) who are 18 and older.
To enter, fill out the form below completely and click or tap the Submit button.
The entry must be made before August 1, 2014 11:59PM Eastern Daylight Time.
You may enter only once.
One winner will be selected in a random drawing and will receive a Waterfield Designs Cycling Ride Pouch valued at $69.
