Is an external battery pack an option?

---

Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

I have used a lipstick charger before but its not ideal and somewhat of a pain, that is what i am currently doing to get through longer races.

Quote from the DCR review of the Element Bolt. I'd guess it'd be similar for the Element.


https://www.dcrainmaker.com/...in-depth-review.html

Garmin Chargeâ„¢ Power Pack



https://buy.garmin.com/.../CA/p/571552#devices


site says availablity in 3-5 weeks.

---

Swimming Workout of the Day:

Favourite Swim Sets:

2020 National Masters Champion - M50-54 - 50m Butterfly

That was the only concrete piece of information i could find as well. That strongly suggested the Element/bolt are well above the battery life of the 520. The "advertised" battery life specs are rarely accurate. My 520 with every power saver suggestion never goes over 8 hours.

As far as battery packs they are a pain to deal with when racing. A lot of these gravel races are just road races and fumbling with a charger is often not in the cards. I am currently using a lipstick charger taped to my top tube and then have the cord plugged in to the 520.

I've never measured it myself but I've got a Bolt and one thing I never worry about anymore is battery life. It never seems to die. Very different from my old 500.

I thought i would swing back to this and give an initial report using the Wahoo Element Bolt for a long gravel race. This was my first ride with the Bolt. On the first use of the bolt with navigation, LED on, Backlight on a 15s timer, connected to power/HR, sound alert on, it had 58% battery left after 6:33 ride time and close to 8 hours of elapsed time (lots of pre-race and post-race riding around). My estimation is that this could easily handle a 12-14 hour ride with the above settings. That is more than double my Garmin 520 battery life and the navigation features outclassed the Garmin hands down. The setup was incredibly fast, it took less than 15 minutes to get every setting and data field perfect. I prefer the contrast of the Wahoo and the LED was great for navigation when in a pace line on the limit.

Other features that stood out include the ability to go from 9 down to 1 data field with a click of a button and the maps page was easily visible. The map was better than i expected, better than the 520. Visibility on low light was better than expected and no glare issues later in the afternoon. Another great aspect is the trainer control (if you have a smart trainer), less button clicks than the 520. Overall i am very impressed and am selling the 520 in favor of the Bolt.

I've had the Bolt basically since it came out a year ago. I typically get around 12-14 hours with speed sensor, HR monitor, and power meter (with cadence). This is with sounds and BT notifications on, 15 second backlight, and maps off.

I've had maps turned on for a few rides, and I didn't really notice much difference in battery life. My thought was that since GPS is on anyway, that turning the mapping page shouldn't cause too much additional battery use unless you have audible notifications and it triggers your backlight to turn on each time.