New to Garmin - mount options for a solar 1040 - to cover road, MTB and gravel bikes

Scoob198
6 days ago

Hi folks. I’ve seen a few posts about mounts from a few years ago (I guess I’m late to the 1040 party now that they’re drives in price a wee but to get one. 

I have a MTB (31.6mm at the stem) which I currently just attach a simple zip tie basic mount to, out near the levers. It enables me to (just) squeeze my existing Wahoo Roam on without fouling the lever, but still keeping the mount on the regular bit if the bar (or not having to move the mount on to the bit if the handlebar where it starts to bend). 

Unfortunately I don’t have an equivalent Garmin quarter turn mount (this is when the quarter turn thing is a pest when it’s the issue of hitting things when you mount the computer sideways … it would be finer anywhere if these things mounted straight in I guess). 

So I’m looking at options that people have used to mount a 1040 on MTB bars. I have a fairly cluttered bar setup as I MTB at night a lot. So Exposure mounts are at the stem, and then at the normal grip ends of the bars I have brake levers and dropper levers and gear selectors all blocking quarter turn scenarios. 

As I have to buy a new mount anyway - what do you folks use? (I’ll then need to repeat this for a Specialized SL7 road bike as well which looks like the out front mount isn’t long enough, and same issue with a gravel bike …

  • 0 6 days ago

    The standard Garmin MTB mount works perfectly fine, with the clamp taking a little bit of space on the bars directly next to the stem plate, and the mount itself above the stem/headset area (so towards the rider). It doesn't interfere with my cluttered bars in any way.

    An alternative might be a headset mount, replacing either the top spacer or the end piece itself.

  • 0 6 days ago

    I've used a couple of different mounts on my mtbs, including the included Garmin Out Front mount, which is what I'm currently using on my mtb and gravel bikes.  All I've used will clamp to 31.8 mm bars adjacent to the stem. Those that will clamp to 35mm bars, like the Garmin Out Front mount, include a rubber spacer to allow clamping to 31.8mm,  The Garmin Out Front mount also includes a thicker rubber spacer to clamp down to 25.4 mm..  The diameter of mtb bars at the grips is 22.2mm, so a bit smaller. 

  • +1 6 days ago

    Thanks both. 
    I’ll see if I can line up the normal (close to stem) one so that it fits alongside the exposure lights mount. 
    Appreciate that. Also I think I’m hearing - just use the ones Garmin supply rather than look at third party solutions first now. . . 

  • 0 6 days ago in reply to Scoob198

    Some aftermarket mounts are a little more svelte and take up less room on the bars. The Garmin Out Front mounting clamp is about 14-15mm wide while the clamp on a Barfly plastic mount I have is10mm wide, so it save a little bit of real estate.

  • 0 3 days ago

    I have one that is for my Scott bike. Syncros do a top stem mount replacement, so it sits over handlebar stem and doesn’t protrude out in front - as I felt that would leave the unit more vulnerable.

    Put the link here - and maybe something similar for your bike?

    www.westbrookcycles.co.uk/computer_mount_for_mtb_stem_xr-11020

  • 0 3 days ago in reply to deandon

    Old pic, but gives idea of where it sits over handlebars.

  • 0 3 days ago in reply to deandon

    Hey. Thanks. I think this is where I bump in to the issues. 
    it’s a great example. 
    As I mount exposure lights for MTB racing right beside (or sometimes on the front of) the stem I am forced to move the bike computer out to the side … and historically computers have been smaller so just sit slightly strangely slotted in to a quarter turn wahoo mount anywhere I can get them on. 
    I didn’t really ‘get’ just much my new shiny 1040 would cause me an issue with mounting it … it’s the need to turn it sideways to mount it that’s a bit of a pest. 

    all these pictures and ideas are helping. I think the Garmin mount itself is prob going to be key here. Especially if I can mount it on the narrowest part of the bars. Or just undo the mount .. slide it away to one side, fit the 1040 and then slide the whole thing back with the computer in place. Minor faff but that might be fine. 
    especially with the 1040 battery life