Mounting a Phone or Tablet on a Planet Fitness Recumbent Bike

Planet Fitness recumbent bikeWhile there is nothing more boring than using a treadmill, a Planet Fitness recumbent bike is a close second.  In fact, it might be a tie.

Sure, there are about twenty televisions to watch but that may not work out well for a few reasons.  First, is that you need a corded headset to plug into the Planet Fitness recumbent bike.  Pedaling a Planet Fitness recumbent bike can become a challenge with a cable hanging from the port under the display.  Additionally, and just as obvious, you might not want to watch television.  Perhaps you want to watch YouTube or a podcast.

Mount Analysis

A photo of a Planet Fitness recumbent bike display accompanies this article.  We have been to three Planet Fitness locations and they all look like this but check your particular club.  These are typically found right next to the dozens of elliptical machines at Planet Fitness.

There’s a small shelf built into the display.  Go ahead and place your phone and tablet on it.  It blocks the display.  Maybe try to use the phone holder to the bottom left of the display.  Unless you have a very thin phone without a case, it will not fit.  That’s why we’re talking about phone and tablet mounts for a Planet Fitness recumbent bike.

There is really only one place to mount a phone or tablet on a Planet Fitness recumbent bike and that’s going to be the handlebars below the display.  You’re unlikely to use them as an actual handlebar so might as well put them to use and mount a phone or tablet.  The mounts should be attached to the portion closest to you and not under the display.

Ironically, the handlebar on the Planet Fitness recumbent bike is about the same diameter as a motorcycle handlebar so some mounts for that purpose might work well here.

We need mounts that can be easily and quickly installed and removed.  Making a quick getaway after your workout is vital in a Planet Fitness.  Don’t want to get stared at as you work with tools to remove the mount.  So we’re going to recommend mounts that do not require tools and are easy to install and remove.

Mount Recommendations

First, for a phone, we’re recommending the Arkon Bike or Motorcycle Phone Holder Strap Mount.  This versatile mount features a removable strap that fits handlebars up to two inches in diameter so it will fit the Planet Fitness recumbent bike handlebar just fine.  Attached to the strap mount is an expandable cradle that opens to 3.4 inches.  This cradle is large enough for practically any phone including an Apple iPhone 6s Plus with Otterbox or Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge with a thick case.  Simply place your phone within the expandable cradle and squeeze the sides to hold the device.  The cradle opens at the push of a button.  There are supports at the bottom of the phone to help hold your phone in place and it swivels into landscape or portrait mode.  The manufacturer provides a two-year warranty.

For a tablet, we recommend small to midsize and avoiding large full size models.  As long as it’s the size of an Apple iPad Mini you should be fine.  We recommend avoiding large size tablets because it might get in the way.  It’s simply too large for this model recumbent bike.

For a tablet no larger than an Apple iPad Air, consider the iBolt TabDock Clamp Mount for Gym Equipment.  The included expandable cradle opens to hold up to a 10-inch tablet.  The included clamp fits bars up to 2 inches so it will fit the Planet Fitness stair stepper just fine.  Easy to install and remove.  The tablet can swivel and pivot into any orientation.

Summary

One last thing.  Don’t forget to take the mount with you after you’re done with the workout.  We have seen several people leave wallets and keys in the little cup holders on the equipment so be sure to take everything when you’re done!