Wahoo Fitness Elemnt bike computer / GPS

I was not stoked that Garmin seemed to be based on older tech, but wanted something that wasn't my phone. Been using Wahoo fit blue tooth hrm, scale, and cadence monitor, so after reviewing the specs, I preordered one and it shipped today. I will report as I understand.

http://www.bikeradar.com/us/road/ne...lenges-garmin-with-elemnt-gps-computer-45261/

 

That was a good read... I also found the DC Rainmaker review. It looks like a pretty capable unit, and the phone integration alone would be very nice. My Garmin 510 is a decent device, when it's not throwing a temper tantrum. It also wasn't fun to have it start me 15 miles off shore on the Catalina Gran Fondo, and then report that I did 20+ miles in the first 30 minutes. Strava on the phone had no issues tracking the remainder of the ride. When the Garmin dies, it's replacement will display texts on the screen. Pulling over to fiddle with the phone is a real PITA.

 

This article was a bit dated or maybe written well before its published date. The Garmin 520 has the same features and Live Tracking as well, minus the turn signals. If I was gonna stop using Garmin products, the Cateye GPS devices look very interesting.

@Faust29 ,Did you ever have Garmin check out your 510, they're CS is usually pretty good and quick to respond. I've used them for repairing my old 500 after I crashed on my computer and needed another screen.

 

Garmin is most definitely the king of the category. I like Wahoo because of their customer service. I had a scale that did not work, and they sent me a new one without even requiring return of the old one. I also have many of their Bluetooth sensors, And did not want to have to regress to the Ant sensors in order to use a Garmin.

You are correct the article is quite dated. It was written back in September. The elemnt just started shipping last week, so more reviews should be dropping soon. The review that Faust mentions is really comprehensive. And if you read the comments, you can get an Idea of the corporate culture and responsiveness of wahoo

Here is that article.

http://www.dcrainmaker.com/2015/09/wahoos-computerelemnt-first.html

 

I didn't have them take a look. I followed Mikie's advice and changed the battery. Dirt cheap off eBay. It hasn't had too many issues since then... One "reformat" a couple months back.

 

Arrival. Made it thru the day without playing with it. Just configured it, and designed a custom display screen, and input my wife's email address for some ride notification function. REALLY intuitive. Nice packaging, almost "Apple" like. Can't wait to use it this weekend. Came with three different mounts.

 

I know nothing about this product. Is it more accurate in regards to elevation? Garmin uses barometric pressure which I think would be ancient technology since we now have satellites. Another thing I don't like about Garmin is location accuracy and how many pings per second (don't know how else to describe it)? But when you blow up a map with your recorded ride route, it's all over the map! Pun intended.

 

@Mikie it is indeed a barometric altimeter. One of the things that I really like about this is the customizable screen. PLUS, in addition to customizing the screen, you can also zoom in on one or two or four data points to make them larger. The map function will be interesting, as the screen is fairly small. It would be better for a current Garmin user to make this comparison and to report on the product... so if we have a current Garmin user who bought one of these (they are under $350) don't hesitate to chime in and take over this slowly unfolding review. Another quite amazing feature is the integration with their training stand the Kicker. You can take a ride you did... get on your trainer (the Kicker)... load that ride into the trainer, and the trainer will mimic the ride. I can't use their training stand... my dog is too curious and likes to sit right next to me when I am on the trainer (I have a spin bike... no, I don't wear Lululemon when I am riding it)... I could not have spokes and stuff spinning next to curious and loveable Maximus!

More to come.

 

Here is another "review" but it sounds more like a press release.

https://roadcyclinguk.com/gear/wahoo-fitness-elemnt.html

 

One more quick thing, Wahoo decided to open source their mounting system. That is a VERY aggressive move for saturation ... Walking away from a higher component margin. Impressed.

 

Paired it to my HRM and my cadence sendor. Reversed the mount to protect the unit. We will see tomorrow. This is one of three different mounts that came with the unit.

My bike is still a mess... But my drive train is clean and greased.

 

https://www.strava.com/activities/516236410

Hit start. Ride. Toggling between map screen and my custom screen was a piece of cake. Finish, hit end. Then hit other button to say yes, I really want to finish. Then automatic wireless update to Strava cloud. Stoked on this unit.

Shortened the ride to hang out with son who is home til Monday. But PR'd Cholla while having ghost shifting issues. Also could not do the "back way" to five oaks, too muddy, so I just dropped behind Soka.

 

It looks like the fastest time up Cholla today! Nice PR...

There is a Strava IMTB group if you want to see how you compare to other riders on the forum. Personally, I like to see how the fast guys make it through some of the harder stuff.

 

Reversing the mount is something that never even occurred to me...

 

Until you bump it with your knee and break it.

Personally, I'd put it on the left side with the GPS over your stem.

 

That's where I have it...only place it's far enough away I can actually read it.

 

There is a mount that puts the unit right on your stem. I just thought it would be kind of cool to reverse the road mount.

 

@Faust29 i am pretty clueless on Strava. How do I find the IMTB group? Thx

 

Explore --> Clubs --> search "imtbtrails"

 

Oh great, another one will be ahead of me in every category on that club!!

 

This is even easier:

https://www.strava.com/clubs/IMTBTrails

 

Thx gentlemen. @Runs with Scissors just do some tech downhill. I think I am the slowest time in recorded history on some of those runs.

 

They use the same mount as Garmin btw. But going Open-source is the one way they can try to wrestle some of the bike-computer market from Garmin, which is comparable to GoPro in the action camera business.

 

1.) Why is there mud on your bike? Bikes are to be looked at, photographed and talked about, not ridden.
2.) Speaking of which, your Bronson seems green with Enve, stuffed into a corner of your garage like an un-loved Razor scooter. I swear I heard it crying.
3.) What's with the duct tape on your top tube?

 

Looking at your picture again... Mostly to see the duct tape that Herz mentions. But, the screen resolution of your Wahoo really jumped out at me. The 510 is hard to read sometimes, and yours looks crystal clear and bright. I imagine the newer Garmins are better, but are they that good?

 

@herzalot the Bronson gets love. But it is certainly the lesser ridden of the two! The duct tape is to protect the top tube from getting scratched by my phone mount for when I use it. There is a metal piece on it. The mud is still from holy Jim. I cleaned the drive train, but spent all of my spare time on family time last week.

@Faust29 The resolution is very, very crisp. That was a big part of the development from what I have read. Even if I keep the data points small, I can read them at a glance.

 

@riiz according to the DC Rainmaker review (link above) the mount is very similar to Garmin, but not compatible. I don't have a Garmin, so I can't check.

 

Somehow my unit became unpaired from my phone. Went to the website Q&A, very easy instructions. Re-paired in one minute. Why did it "unpair"? Not sure but will keep you posted.

 

My unit's been unpaired for a while...

 

Forgot my HRM at home because I overslept. Hit start. Rode. Hit stop. Opened the app on my phone. Uploaded to Strava. Used the elevation screen for most of the ride, as my custom training screen was useless without the HRM. Used the map screen as well. Screen is so crisp. Digging it. What a fun toy/tool.