If you switched from Garmin to Wahoo for your cycling computer, tell me why. What did you like? What do you miss? Regret it? Love it?
I got to see the Bolt when the Wahoo rep came by my bike shop. It is interesting but I’m still on the fence.
I went from an 800 to an Elemnt. My 800 died while my bike was on the car in a rainstorm. Chose the elemnt for “something different” and I got a bit of a deal.
Some thoughts: Wahoo products seem to get better over time. Initial purchases are very beta-test like. It happened with our Gen 1 Kickrs and I feel it happened with my Elemnt. Over time, Wahoo slowly addressed most of my issues with updates.
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Automatically switching to the segment page when you approached a segment. I missed the start of some 20 min efforts because the Elemnt had switched off my “Interval” page and onto the “Segment” page. So, there I am trying to navigate back to the correct display as I’m starting a super-threshold effort
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Mapping has improved signficantly
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You still cannot move the map. I need to zoom out to see further, but then the map looses detail
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The monochrome display is great for battery life, but causes the product to look cheaper than Garmin screens.
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On multiple occasions my Elemnt has re-uploaded workouts to TP. Months worth of workouts. Randomly. This is typically only discovered when I look at history CTL / TSS and wonder why I was at (-100) TSS. I then have to go through and delete each of the duplicate workouts. Which is extremely tedious. This fact alone has caused hatred toward my elemnt.
Never had any of the Edge series devices, but I do on the Elemnt. After owning a bunch of Forerunners for running, the Elemnt is so good that when wahoo releases a running watch I will ditch my 935 in a heartbeat for it.
Never had any of the Edge series devices, but I do on the Elemnt. After owning a bunch of Forerunners for running, the Elemnt is so good that when wahoo releases a running watch I will ditch my 935 in a heartbeat for it.
I’m with you. Use a Bolt, LOVE it.
I am pondering the same thing also and will be interested in seeing what this thread brings.
I am not “unhappy” with my Garmin products but I am so far in bed with them it might be hard to actually make a change (Pedals, Watch, Computer). I currently have 2 x Garmin Edge 810 and I love them and they work fantastic…
BUT Garmin from what I am finding is no longer supporting the unit and my Vector 3 pedals are not giving me all my “dynamics”… that I don’t really need, but I don’t have and paid for haha!
Wahoo doesn’t have a web portal like Garmin Connect. I actually like Garmin Connect.
I just switch from the Edge 500 to the Bolt so everything is better but, here are a few positives for me so far:
- Initial pairing to multiple power meters was super easy.
- Once paired I no longer have to worry about the head unit finding multiple power meters. I know everything newer than the 500 does this but, it’s new to me and I’m loving it!
- Again, new to me, but the downloading of data via bluetooth has been flawless, quick and easy compared to “plugging in” the 500.
- Nice aero finish…
The only downside I can think of right now is the orientation of the mount and the clamp. The orientation is 90 degrees different from Garmin. I ride a Factor so they have a their own Black Inc. computer mount which is only set up for Garmin orientation. The Wahoo mount that comes with the unit won’t fit my bars for some reason so we had to take a puck and modify my Black Inc mount…just fyi. If the stock mount works then that’s another positive as it is super aero. It does fit my TT bike.
I recently acquired a Bolt - for all my years have been a Garmin user - and have to say I think I like it better than the 520. It “feels” a bit cheaper, but the menu navigation and ease of use of the Bolt is abooooout 1000x more intuitive than Garmin.
The data fields button is cool. I’m one of those who want a color screen though.
I switched from a Garmin Edge 500 to the Wahoo ELEMNT Bolt.
Pros:
Bluetooth and ANT+ integration
iOS app interface for configuration, ride data, etc.
Zoom feature for more or fewer data fields per page
Turn-by-turn navigation
Cons:
No integration with Garmin Connect (I still use a Garmin watch, so it’d be nice if all my data could be centralized here without manual work)
Screen brightness without backlight isn’t great.
Not impressed with the mounting options for TT/tri bike setups
Overall, I’m very happy I made the switch. Admittedly my Garmin was pretty old, so I wasn’t accustomed to the more modern mapping features, color display, etc. So I don’t really feel like I’m missing anything there. The biggest annoyance from my Garmin was the work required to get it synced with the various devices I have on multiple bikes and wheel sets. With the Wahoo, there’s nothing to do. It picks up the different powermeters, speed/cadence sensors, and HR monitors I use with no manual input.
I’ve been in Garmin ecosphere since I got first GPS sports device.
When I was shopping for new bike computer I considered the 820, 520, and Element Bolt.
I ultimately decided on the Bolt. For me the deciding factor was at the time the Bolt had better live tracking integrated. I wanted this feature so my wife could track progress, know when I’d be home, etc.
But overall it’s great. I’ve found it much easier to use than a garmin ever was. B&W screen hasn’t been an issue. Resolution is good enough in small Element screen to follow maps, etc.
I have zero regrets. If they ever make a Tri watch I’ll probably sell my 920 and get one.
I prefer my Bolt over my old 510. The only real ask that I have from Wahoo (and I believe they are working on it) is to support ANT+ lights, specifically controlling the new Cycliq lights/camera.
I switched from the Edge 520 to the Wahoo Element Bolt. Honestly had no reason to switch other than the fact that I love Wahoo products so I wanted to try out the Bolt. I have been using it since January and am really loving it. The battery life has been fantastic. I really like the simplicity of the bolt and the ability to add or reduce from the main page. I create a lot of routes through strava and they sync quickly and easily from my iphone to my bolt. Also the strava segments work great. I have used it with a pioneer and quarq and have had no issues so far with power readings.
I was a long time garmin user from the 500, 510, 520. As a competitive cyclist I had some issues with the 520, in particular battery, navigation, and visibility in poor light conditions. I made the switch to the bolt three weeks ago and I overall think it is a superior product. A few pros and cons:
Pro
Setup- crazy easy and fast
Battery - more than double my 520
Navigation
Visibility - no need forbacklight
Button placement
WiFi upload
Superior trainer control
Con
Double upload of data on occasion
No color if that matters
- On multiple occasions my Elemnt has re-uploaded workouts to TP. Months worth of workouts. Randomly. This is typically only discovered when I look at history CTL / TSS and wonder why I was at (-100) TSS. I then have to go through and delete each of the duplicate workouts. Which is extremely tedious. This fact alone has caused hatred toward my elemnt.
This has happened to me a couple of times and I can’t seem nail down what exactly triggers this. It is a huge pain in the ass to have to sift through weeks of old workouts to spot the duplicates.
I switched from a 520 to a Bolt and I’m basically happy.
Pros:
- Routes automatically sync with Strava and RidewithGPS, which is awesome!
- Route navigation is much better IMO than Garmin’s
- Happier with the screen/data field management, which you can do from that app and is very easy. Generally the UI is better than the Garmin’s, which I often find kind of counter intuitive.
Cons:
Persistent firmware issues:
- the double workout upload problem mentioned above has been happening sporadically for at least a year and hasn’t been fixed
- if my power meter drops out, which it does on occasion (briefly) as the battery gets low, the Wahoo will often never get it back without me stopping the file and starting a new one, which is annoying as hell. Even if it does get it back, the average power for that particular interval isn’t calculated correctly (even with just a couple seconds of zeros it basically won’t calculate average power right).
- it freezes up and has other annoying GPS dropouts etc more than it should. These are just firmware bugs.
I find the Bolt’s firmware to be at least as buggy as the Garmin’s, and that’s saying something. However, I have both and I choose to use the Bolt, so that’s saying something too.
Got one last week, just before leaving on a trainingcamp abroad and I absolutely love it.
As a uni student i was relucant to spend the money, but boy I have not regretted it one bit!
- Navigation is super! Yes it doesn’t have rerouting. But let,'s be honest, most devices don’t do a very good/fast job at that anyways.
- Screen is so easy to read, even with glaring sun out.
- Data fields are plenty plenty plenty.
- Buttons >>> touchscreen
- No issues with my quarq dzero readings, which i wouldn’t expect anyways.
- Elevation graph is pretty darn handy
Overall very happy not to have spent the extra cash on an 820. I’ve been riding in unknown territory in the spanish mountains, solely relying on the bolt and have never had less worries.
I switched from my old 310xt to the Wahoo BOLT a couple months ago. I haven’t found any negatives yet, but here are the things I really like;
- Pairing with the mobile app couldn’t be easier. And I love setting up the device through that user interface, it is so much easier.
- Route navigation. Main reason I bought it, and with the pairing above and the ability to associate/link your Wahoo account with 3rd party apps it is a piece of cake to put routes onto the thing. I use ridewithgps or komoot and it really couldn’t be any easier.
- Zoom function on main display. This is such a simple thing that you wonder why everybody didn’t think of it. As you press the zoom in/out buttons (up and down on side of unit) it knocks a row off the bottom of the main display and enlarges the remaining rows. I order my data fields by most important (to me) at the top to least important at the bottom. For eg, if I’m doing a 10m TT I’ll just zoom it right the way in to 3s, 10s and avg power and that is all I’ll see. Your summary data fields can be at the bottom if you don’t want them in your normal view… for example total ride distance, average speed, elevation… whatever you like to check now and again, and you just zoom out a bit to see it. Basically you don’t really need to scroll pages any more…
- … but if you were following a route and did want to scroll pages, there is a nice big button to switch between route view and your main data view.
- It reminds you to hit “start” when you set off moving. Helpful for idiots like me who often forget.
- Auto-pause seems very accurate to me, better than my Garmin.
- Battery life seems excellent, although I haven’t stressed this to its limit yet.
- There is a retaining bolt you can screw in from beneath which will prevent the unit from rotating in its mount no matter what you ride over. This was a nice piece of security for me at Paris-Roubaix the other week.
- LEDs. I haven’t really figured out what these are for yet or had a play with them, but I get an inkling that I will like them if I set a power target for a race.
- The beep is nice and loud and reminds you that things are happening.
- Display seems crystal clear in all conditions. There is no issue with viewing angle, which has allowed me to line it up nice and flat in-line with my stem.
I am basically delighted and as per the poster above, as soon as these guys put a strap on their kit I will be getting a new running watch.
Cheers,
Rich.
Perhaps someone here can tell me. I’m a frustrated Edge 820 user. At its pricepoint it’s just a bad product. Really bad. Therefore, I’m considering a Bolt. However, a feature that is really important to me are workouts/intervals.
I see that Wahoo has updated the Bolt. I could live with the TrainingPeaks limitation but do uploaded workouts persist for only a few days on the device?
I have several workouts loaded on my Edge, 10x40/20, 10x60/30, 10x2/1 and so on. I often decide during a ride what I will do. Often I decide late in a ride to work a little bit on my fatigue resistance with some 30/30s. So more spontaneous. I must say after 4 hours it’s simply “easier” to do this things with a voice/screen telling you what to do. Is this feasible with a Bolt? Does not seem so flexible.
Actually, does the Bolt feature audio announcements for planned workouts?
- if my power meter drops out, which it does on occasion (briefly) as the battery gets low, the Wahoo will often never get it back without me stopping the file and starting a new one, which is annoying as hell. Even if it does get it back, the average power for that particular interval isn’t calculated correctly (even with just a couple seconds of zeros it basically won’t calculate average power right).
Related question: when it auto-pauses and stays still for some time will it then find the powermeter (as before T1 for example)? I am having a really hard time getting my Edge 510 to work for sprint races. In all my recent races something went wrong and I had no power data (would be nice for post processing). Bad luck with both auto-pause on or off and Vector 2 pedals or a P2M NG.