New Wahoo Element BOLT (now in colour)

[Ridgeway]

Nice review from GP Lama here: (also there's one from DCR) all neatly synchronised in there release today:

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Py1HKzrEV_0

 

[bikingdad90]

Do you think first adopters will now sell their wahoo 1st on Ebay at a knock down price?

I currently use a quad lock and the wahoo app on my iPhone but get annoyed by the delay in speed readings and cadence readings particularly if travelling at speed. I am seriously considering going to a Wahoo.

 

[Ridgeway]

I can only assume yes although there's already quite a few there, maybe the 2nd value will reduce though.

 

[mikeIow]

Interesting it has 4x the memory of the Roam unit that I have: one thing you cannot do is remove routes from the Roam!
You are meant to be able to remove them from the Elemnt app, & that will sync and remove from the Roam...except it doesn’t

A pretty basic feature, but they are all stacking up on it.....
I opened a support call & was told “This is an issue we are aware of and we have opened an internal ticket with our development team to investigate and resolve the problem”, as well as “Route files are relatively small and you can store a large number of them on the ROAM - we don't have a specific spec on this as it depends on route length and detail contained in the file as well as how much storage you have used for maps, but it is safe to say that most users should be able to store 100+ routes on the device without issues.”

That said.....I do love my Roam!
I guess a more colourful screen would look good....but I love the battery life more (they claim still 15 hours, which is good). USB-C? I get why it is important....but my Varia and Burner lights are the same as my Roam, so no real benefit there for me!

Good to see them moving things forwards though

 

[Mike_P]

Incorporating live route updating which the v1 Bolt does not have is a big plus.

 

[gcogger]

I recommend people watch the DCRainmaker video, all the way to the end - he's had a lot of trouble (software bugs) with his and regards it as unusable until they're fixed

 

[Ridgeway]

I recommend people watch the DCRainmaker video, all the way to the end - he's had a lot of trouble (software bugs) with his and regards it as unusable until they're fixed

But wasn't the whole story (from his blog) that he and Wahoo thought it could be down to map data density in his area (Amsterdam) vs 2 others he referred to (one was GP Lama) that hadn't had any (?) issues ?

 

[ColinJ]

But wasn't the whole story (from his blog) that he and Wahoo thought it could be down to map data density in his area (Amsterdam)

So, it is totally reliable, as long as you don't use it where it isn't...?

I would like to know how good the colour screen is in bright sunlight. I'm used to greyscale screens on my ancient Garmins and the brighter the sun, the better the contrast (as long as the sunlight doesn't reflect straight into your eyes). I tried an old colour-screened Garmin and I couldn't read the screen on bright days unless I shaded it.

I might be in the market for one early next year as a retirement present to myself. I assume that the bugs will have been fixed by then.

 

[Ridgeway]

Yes the colour screen and how easy it is to view is a key "need to know" my current Bolt is easy to read from that perspective but i struggle with following the GPS the it's just not easy to read (glasses wearer), maybe the colour differentiation can help this ?

The buggy part though is why most Wahoo users moved to Wahoo in the first place so if that isn't solved then they lost their Nº1 value

 

[ColinJ]

Yes the colour screen and how easy it is to view is a key "need to know" my current Bolt is easy to read from that perspective but i struggle with following the GPS the it's just not easy to read (glasses wearer), maybe the colour differentiation can help this ?

The buggy part though is why most Wahoo users moved to Wahoo in the first place so if that isn't solved then they lost their Nº1 value

My cousin has a Mk 1 bolt and I liked it, but colour would definitely help make the screen clearer.

I just had to invest in a pair of cycling glasses with lens inserts in because the current GPS is becoming harder to read unassisted!

I've had problems with buggy Garmins so reliability is something that I was looking to Wahoo for. It is disappointing that they appear to have rushed this out before perfecting it. I know how that goes - trying to convince management that some over-ambitious deadline is unachievable. They don't listen, and commercial pressures lead to a culture of JGIOTBDAWCFIWASUL***...




*** Just Get It Out The Bloody Door And We Can Fix It With A Software Update Later!!!!

 

[Mike_P]

Wahoo have released a firmware update to address the GPS issue

 

[PapaZita]

So, it is totally reliable, as long as you don't use it where it isn't...?

That reminds me of an item in the change log when I updated the software on our car sat nav:

FIXED - unit reboots when crossing an intersection in Madrid.

It struck me as oddly specific. I suppose it was just the only known case of position, map data, etc. that triggered a particular bug.

 

[PaulSB]

My cousin has a Mk 1 bolt and I liked it, but colour would definitely help make the screen clearer.

I just had to invest in a pair of cycling glasses with lens inserts in because the current GPS is becoming harder to read unassisted!

I've had problems with buggy Garmins so reliability is something that I was looking to Wahoo for. It is disappointing that they appear to have rushed this out before perfecting it. I know how that goes - trying to convince management that some over-ambitious deadline is unachievable. They don't listen, and commercial pressures lead to a culture of JGIOTBDAWCFIWASUL***...




*** Just Get It Out The Bloody Door And We Can Fix It With A Software Update Later!!!!

You could be disappointed by this so I would look very carefully before buying on this basis. I've had a colour screen Garmin and the definition was very poor. My Wahoo Elemnt is b/w and the definition is fantastic and for me one of the main reasons to have a Wahoo.

My sight is generally good but I need reading and computer glasses. On a bike the distance to the Wahoo screen is just beyond the point at which I need glasses. This makes the b/w definition a significant benefit.

 

[gmw492]

The display zones change colour on screen when you enter another zone, so why the led lights still there , I had a bolt but didn’t really find any use for them whereas this new feature looks quite good, could get rid of the led lights and push the bezels up further maybe, looks a decent unit though once the teething issues get sorted by Wahoo

 

[Ridgeway]

You could be disappointed by this so I would look very carefully before buying on this basis. I've had a colour screen Garmin and the definition was very poor. My Wahoo Elemnt is b/w and the definition is fantastic and for me one of the main reasons to have a Wahoo.

My sight is generally good but I need reading and computer glasses. On a bike the distance to the Wahoo screen is just beyond the point at which I need glasses. This makes the b/w definition a significant benefit.

That's exactly my concern although i'm short sighted but starting to need too remove my glasses for close up viewing and as you say the distance to a bike computer is exactly in that grey zone. Can read my bolt well for anything expect the GPS, not sure if colour will help or not...