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Review The Wahoo Elemnt

Heath

Maximum Pace
Dec 13, 2014
527
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Well, I finally got the time to sit myself down and write a very lengthy review of the Wahoo Elemnt cycling computer that I've been staring at endlessly amidst my rides over the past 4 months.

By the way, I haven't written this to say that you should buy the Elemnt. It's just my spiel of the situation I currently see.

So here goes, you have to consider both cases, and please do bear with me through this very, very lengthy review.

Case A: A car navigation company makes a plethora of GPS cycling computers over many years, doesn't listen to its customers when they complain about glitches with the product, and sponsors a few pro cycling teams for promotional purposes to push their product.

Case B: A group of cyclists/triathletes get together to form a company and make their first GPS cycling computer. It's very beta, and thwart with issues, but their core concern is sorting the product out, because after all, they want it to work properly for themselves out on the road, too. They respond to support tickets within days, and are active daily with their beta testers on a certain Google chat forum: https://groups.google.com/forum/#!forum/wahoo-elemnt-users . The staff and even the company CEO chime into the chat regularly. They have, in effect, made all cyclists who use their product beta testers, but more importantly, they listen to them. They are minor sponsors of a big pro team because they are already pros and don't need to wank their product up. Their cycling computer is by no means perfect, but I reckon they are cutting their way to a game changing product.

The future will tell the tale.

By the way, from all reports the Garmin 520 is a damn good product. I have witnessed it navigating very well indeed. We need some more reviews on that in here.
 
Well, I finally got the time to sit myself down and write a very lengthy review of the Wahoo Elemnt cycling computer that I've been staring at endlessly amidst my rides over the past 4 months.

By the way, I haven't written this to say that you should buy the Elemnt. It's just my spiel of the situation I currently see.

........

The future will tell the tale.

By the way, from all reports the Garmin 520 is a damn good product. I have witnessed it navigating very well indeed. We need some more reviews on that in here.

I recently lost my Garmin 520 and am looking at the Bolt as a replacement. Like you, Garmin's glitchy software and lack of timely fixes, always bothered me. On top of that, their customer service sucked. From what I can tell, the Bolt is a bit cheaper, easier to see in strong sun, longer battery life, and much easier to set up via smartphone. Only potential downside seems to be with comments about Bolt's navigation being a bit harder to follow.

So, before I go ahead and get one, any words of wisdom?

BTW.... where did you get your Bolt? Amazon.jp doesn't offer them. Wiggle does, but I'm off them after having problems with a return item. Any other options?
 
I just bought a Lezyne Super GPS (couldn't justify the price of a Garmin or Elemnt/Bolt). Sets up easily with phone (works fine with android) and no problems linking with Bluetooth / ant+ peripherals. Only thing it doesn't have is planned workouts.
 
I'll check it out. Thanks.

Update:

Just had a look. Price is great. Looks like great functionality. But....comments on Amazon showing 20% of folks having trouble with GPS cutting out and data loss... customer service not so hot, they say. The thing about Wahoo is they seem to have their act together on those scores, even if they are priced closer to the Garmin 520. Have you had any problems with yours?
 
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I've only had it two weeks but the only "problem" I've had so far was the barometer starting me off at 250 metres on one ride. No problems with the GPS whatsoever, in fact I've forgotten to start it a couple of times but within a metre or two it's reminded me to start recording.
I'd seen the people saying they'd had GPS problems so for the first few rides I recorded it on my phone too but I haven't bothered since.
 
Bought a 520 a few weeks ago from Bike24 in Germany for about 22,000 yen. Was strongly considering the Bolt but it was actually more expensive than the 520. I don't ride with a smartphone either so that was another minus for the Bolt. The 520 does require some faffing around to set up, especially with Open Street Maps, but once set up I couldn't be happier.
 
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Yeah...The 520 was nice (till I lost it). It worked pretty well for me once it was set up. Downsides for me were: 1) having to cycle through so many menus for setup or changes, 2) software updates that sometimes didn't work (bricked my older 500), 3) poor-terrible customer service, 4) general attitude of Garmin that once you bought it, tough luck if it breaks or bricks. So, I'm ready to throw some cash to their competitors now that Wahoo seems to have come up with a better interface and seems to care about addressing software issues in a timely manner. Maybe if Garmin gets a challenge, they'll get off their duffs and start paying attention to bugs.

Harumpff
 
I hear you. Cycling (no pun intended) thru the pages is the worst thing about the 520. In some ways the 500 is still their least fussy device to use. I was concerned, as a non-smartphone user, that the Bolt would become unusable after a while as my iPod Touch gets older and slower. Not an issue for people who follow upgrade cycles for smartphones though....
 
I would hope that as smartphones change, so would the software for the Wahoo. Wahoo seems to be on top of that kind of thing.
 
My garmin 800 has been working fine for 55000km

Only one glitched ride which happened recently, and I had to replace the battery.

I can't complain about it at all, it was well worth my money.
 
@Karl I bought my Elemnt direct from Wahoo themselves (shipped to Jp.), but that was before they were available in Jp. I've had it for eons and love it. However, Garmin do have the 520 that a lot of my riding buddies rave about. It does track to the road, GPS-wise, very well. I've witnessed that on rides with those lads. Wahoo do have good CS and their devices are easy to use, as you said. The choice is up to you.
 
Glad you like the Wahoo Elemnt and it has worked well for you.

I had a Garmin 500 for years. Each time I loaded an update, I always crossed my fingers and hoped it would work. Eventually, after probably 6 or 7 years of use, it went totally FUBAR after an update. On forums, lots of folks having same problem. All possible fixes tried before finally giving up on it. I liked it well enough that, despite concerns about software, I replaced it with a 520. The software seemed to be more reliable and I really didn't have any problems, other than the inconvenience of setting it up via menu after menu. GPS worked very well for me and Garmin Connect website is getting pretty nice. I liked it a lot, but unfortunately, it disappeared somewhere. : (

Now that the Wahoo Elemnt Bolt has come out I think I'm going to give it a try. It has:
1) easier interface, programmable by my phone
2) easy to use 'zoom' feature which I think I'll use a lot when navigating (it was always a PITA to zoom in and out on maps on the Garmin)
3) a bit lower price
4) much better customer service, faster bug fixes that work. (probably the biggest deciding factor for me)
5) company dedicated to cycling enthusiasts... seems motivated to respond to community's needs/interests

Probably won't get the Bolt for another couple months but will post a review when I've used it for a bit.
 
Thanks.. I decided to go ahead and order the Bolt. Should have it in a week or so.
 
As jdd I long ago eliminated all vowels from my user name/ID. I didn't even leave one or two, so that I'd be at the forefront of things, when there were no vowels at all...
 
@jdd In the future we'll only be using consonant-based acronyms, so you're on the right track there. Vowels are doomed! :flip:
 
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