NEW Wahoo Elemnt Bolt 2.0 First Impressions - Is It Worth Upgrading To?
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- čas přidán 7. 07. 2024
- Hands-on first impressions with the brand new Wahoo Elemnt Bolt GPS computer. First launched in 2017 this update brings a sharper colour screen, beefed up battery run time and improved navigation capability.
Available here uk.wahoofitness.com/devices/b...
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Love the previous Bolt. Does what it says on the box, great clear display, and no software glitches. This new one looks great and can totally believe it’s a joy to use 👍👍
I just literally jumped today from a Polar V650 to the Garmin 1030 Plus, I’m super impressed how tech has evolved in the last 5 years I’ve been road cycling
Straight to your channel for your thoughts.....no others compare. Ps I'll be sticking with my original bolt
Nice job on this review! 👏👏👏 I agree on the size of those bezels. Bike GPS units are many years behind their smartphone brothers in utilizing the space available for the display screen and that's a shame for consumers and an embarrassment for the manufacturers. Not enough competition in the bike GPS market needed to push the screen technology forward?
Your website has quickly become my favorite go-to site for all things about biking. Really enjoyed this review AND I bought my new Zipp 101 XPLR wheels based primarily on your review. You have a real knack for addressing all the important issues and questions -- at least, the ones I have. And I REALLY like your focus on key issues like reliability and ease-of-use. So, thanks for all your good work. It's much appreciated.
4 years and 20,000 plus miles on my original Bolt and it's been solid. What I don't understand is how there's almost no battery degradation, it defies science!
Same with mine. Battery 100% after 3 years or 12 ours live
Mine just died and was flawless before for over 4 years
Nuclear powered
@@HumaneNewt yeah...might be so !!!
My v1 bolt got dead pixel in the right bottom corner after 2 years,... no crash just unlucky i guess
Hey David, really look forward to your uploads - the quality of your videos, your way of presenting , its absolutely stellar. it wouldn't be a stretch to say your the MKBHD of bikes, and that's saying something! Keep it up!
Wow, thank you!
Agreed always like watching your videos
Great to see them have a color screen now.
Great initial review!
Loving this new Bolt V2. It's just a great looking little device. And the buttons are 👌
The flat screen and raised buttons are great. Excellent to stop water, grime and dirt building up
Great review...I really appreciate your total honesty. Keep up the great work.
Have been deliberating over an old Bolt or Roam for the last few weeks and scouring ebay/FB marketplace. Saw this was released today and seems to be between the 2 so have gone for this! Got a bikepacking trip coming up on Friday so we'll see how it is.
The very thing I've been waiting for is the "updated" Bolt.
I've currently got the Garmin Edge 520 from new back in late 2017". Although it's been OK, I have had to "reset" it twice and I never really liked the million button presses to get to where you want......
Along came the 1st gen Bolt. Immediately attracted, but the garmin was still quite good. As time passed I really thought of swapping, BUT I knew by then, they'd be an updated one.... It took a while! 👍
Thanks for the review.
I used to use a garmin edge 520 and just bought a bolt v2 a week ago. All I can say is I’ll never go back to garmin again. I just enjoy the bolt so much more. My 520 was glitchy and functionally it could not compete with the bolt
Few days ago I bough Wahoo Roam, its great. Today I would have hard choice between these two, Bolt 2 looks also good while its cheaper than Roam.
I have 4 bikes. 2 Elemnt Bolts & 1 Elemnt Roam. The Roam is a beast!!!
I use to have the Bolt V1... then i changing it for Roam, and now, i'm testing the Garmin edge 530... my thoughts... I love the simplicity of Wahoo bike computers, screen is so mucho easy to read, smartphone integration, i like much more wahoo workouts page, i prefer the buttons arrangement... Garmin until now have had no issues with reliability, the more colors on screen is a plus, the initial setup is a pain, but when you have the right pages and fields setting up you don't think it over again, navigation is more accurate and have some extras that can be helpful, but Garmin has one feature that i really love: CLIMB PRO, it's very handy at least for me because in my country (Colombia) are so many climbs and mountains to explore. In conclusión, in my ideal world, i'll wish if Wahoo implements some CLIM PRO function, that would be the best bike computer for me.
Absolute right. I miss climbing info on my Wahoo . I live in the netherlands so I stay with it
Loved my 530. But just couldn’t read the glossy screen well. So went to ELEMNT Roam and solved the problem with the flat screen. 😃
I switched to the Bolt a couple of months ago from Garmin. Overall I like it, but it doesn't always auto connect to my HR monitor or Power meter. Other issues auto uploading to Strava.
The colour screen significantly improves the navigation readability, but the onboard turn-by-turn navigation is tempting. The old Bolt's navigagion is next to useless (It just bleeps uselessly when you take a diversion) so I use my phone when I need turn-by-turn navigation.
Can't wait an in depth review 🙂Could you make a Hammerhead Karoo 2 review? And compare later to Wahoo and Garmin? 🙂
Thanks, I'll see what I can do
Just bought the Roam for its battery life, colored screen and navigation features.. Could've saved some money here..
But then you would have missed out on that lovely larger screen and better battery life. Just my opinion, of course, but I think you made a GREAT purchase and that extra $50 spread out over the life of the unit is minimal. You're a lucky man! I wish I owned the Roam.
How does it compare to the Roam in readability of the maps during a ride ? ... it seems to me the colours in combination with the small screen make the display of the maps seem a bit oversaturated.
Also now that it has an build in accelerometer do we still need the speed sensor ?
A very common Strava post is "Garmin fail." Garmin users frequently post duplicate rides b/c they run a back-up program like Strava or RWGPS. Clearly Wahoo has prioritized reliability and performance over "features."
Garmin is improving to. Lot of issues with the older models
Hi David, in the full review can you check if the Wahoo also has got a similar function to Garmin's Climb pro?
Great review David. Will the software updates carry over onto the old Bolt? The navigation is software and not hardware driven so I'm hoping they'll allow re-routing on the old Bolt.
I don't know but I'll guess that the answer will be no - the new Bolt has bigger memory capacity which must allow for some of the navigation and mapping improvements
Not very familiar yet with Wahoo; If you have all the data fields on screen and you are close to a route turn, can it jump to the map automatically for the turn and then afterwards show the data fields again? Or do you have to have it on the map page? I'm always following a route while cycling, so if the map is on screen you barely have screen space for data fields.
Please explain how to load the maps into this computer? For example, I need Russian map with Lipetsk area.
I do wonder if it would take some of the Roams market? Which I always thought was a fairly weak offering but I’m very into Navigating, which I’m aware most are not!
Since moving to a Wahoo Bolt from garmin... I don't lose data/rides anymore!!!
you have my second dream job
what's your first?
my dream is to be a professional cyclist
@@fonneferket3506 isnt it for all of us?
I don't know why it annoys me so much, but why does it say "kph" and not "km/h"
Good review. If I was getting a new bike computer this would be on the list. But I'm on the Roam now and wouldn't be getting this.
Ok, it's 2021 and I have an Element Bolt and a 2021 Giant TCR with power pro cranks and I still write down my data and that way I don't have to depend on my electronics becoming dead and losing my data. Do what you feel is best for you. What if you crash and destroy your computer unit?
So I use my iPhone X to navégate with Strava. I hate it. It keeps turning off and I never know exactly when and where to turn. Once my phone got wet and the screen wouldn´t turn on. I was on a completely new route. Got seriously lost... Spoiled my ride. I need to get a bike computer but I am still not quite sure if garming or Wahoo. Any winning arguments?
1:41 The battery life has not been improved the original Bolt is said to have 15+ hours of battery life.
Nice looking screen! I wonder if I were to upgrade, would I lose all my current data? I like to retain my history. Thanks for a nice review!
No, it stays in your Wahoo Elemnt app on your phone & on the Wahoo portal
@@slowdownadventures thanks!!!
Why don't you write down all of your data and then you have your history.
@@kenharris9751 because it’s 2021 ✌️
Hello! Can navigation also be used for walking? I would also like to use it for trekking as well as mountain biking
I like my old Elemnt bolt, simple display, no nonsense, but the need to connect to wifi is really weird when most garmin computers just sync via bluetooth seamlessly , it's not the worst thing but it does mean your wi-fi has to match the standard used by the cycling computer, which my home wi-fi doesn't , so I'm left faffing with a mobile hotspot at the end of the ride and waiting a very long time for the ride data to upload, it really should be better than that.
I have a Garmin 530 and the screen quality is pony compared to the wahoo or even the 130 I had before. I know they claim this is about battery life but they could easily improve the quality. This would make the garmin the best imo.
I’ve got the garmin edge 1000 and I hate it! I’m not a tech guy and I feel you need a master degree to understand it. It always puts me on a gravel track when I specifically put in road biking. Also when it it’s following a route if that road is closed then it won’t give you a alternative even if you go a different direction.
I’ve had the same isues . Wahoo is simple. Just follow the crumble on the screen. Now 4 years happy cycling with navigation or not.
I have used Garmins for years and never had an issue with reliability.
I never had any issues with their cycling products but their automotive products are frustratingly bad sometimes
You are right, although 4 years ago it was an other story.
I think I will keep my original bolt not enough change to justify swapping really.
My only complaint was when you used the Allen key to lock the bolt to the mount you couldn't charge it and it got annoying keep unscrewing that tiny bolt to charge it. I wished wahoo would of put the charge port on the underside or side on the next version but seems they have left it in the same place.
Never had a bolt myself. But from what i saw about the design of the charging port, why dont you try using a 90° bend microusb charging cable? I think there might have been enough room between the head unit and the stem for that particular type of cable.
It’s certainly a decent cycling computer.
However, both Wahoo and Garmin are a decade behind when it comes to user interface and the visual eye candy that the Hammerhead Karoo 2 offers. It’s not even a close comparison.
Seeing this level of display with relatively monochromatic graphics on a 2021 launch device is simply hilarious. At the same time, metrics and GPS accuracy / mapping are certainly more important, so eye candy is more fluff than fanfare.
Regardless, the Karoo 2 is miles and miles ahead of any of these devices. From the stunning mapping, intuitive touch screen accessibility, gorgeous and glorious display with infinite metrics and display customization, relatively decent support and consistent software updates. Just a killer device.
It also costs as much as an entry level bike.
Bought this new Wahoo Elemnt Bolt today, yet to explore how it will be
Is it possible to use the buttons on top of the Dura ACE DI2 hoods with this?
Yes it is, you can also have your gears displayed on the unit if you have the di2 wireless adapter 👌
Hope its better than my ROAM. I use that mainly for navigation and its just terrible. The rerouting is too slow, constantly telling me I should turn.. 20m ago. Also the navigation just ends sometimes, line disappears and I just have to ride blindly for a while before the unit either reboots or finds the route again. Also its the safest time of all to check your route when stopped, so of course when stopped they plaster AUTO PAUSED!!!!!!!!!!! all over the screen so you cant see your route. They made so many dumb decisions ;(
That doesn't sound good at all! So far the speed of rerouting seems to be swift, enough that you don't have to stop. Guessing that's the extra memory capacity and on-board maps of this new Bolt?
I don’t know if you’ve tried;
Step 1: Forgetting the ELEMNT Companion in the companion app
Open the companion app
Select settings
Scroll to the bottom and select Unpair ELEMNT
Step 2: Forgetting the phone on the ELEMNT device
Power on the ELEMNT device
Press the power button to bring up the menu
Select forget phone
Step 3: Forgetting the ELEMNT in your phone's Bluetooth settings
Open the iOS settings app
Select Bluetooth
Under my devices, find the ELEMNT and select the info button on the right
Select forget this device
Repeat these steps for any duplicate listings of the device
Important: Toggle the Bluetooth switch at the top of the screen off for 10 seconds, then back on
Step 4: Re-pairing the ELEMNT to your phone
Quickly press the left-side button on your ELEMNT to display the menu
Scroll (with the right-side buttons) to either "PAIR PHONE" or "FORGET PHONE"
Your device may reboot, displaying the QR code when it powers back on
If the QR code does not immediately display on reboot, return to the settings menu on the ELEMNT and select "PAIR PHONE" - the QR code should now be shown
Return to the ELEMNT Companion App on your device, then navigate to the settings menu to add the ELEMNT
Make sure that once the QR code is scanned that you allow any requested permissions from the pop-up dialog
Once this is complete, go to Bluetooth settings once again, select the circled 'i' next to your ELEMNT in the list, and ensure that 'Allow system notifications' is enabled.
And then also;
- a factory re-set on the Roam.
The auto-pause is an easy one - just press “Page” to get rid of the message (and see whatever screen’s underneath).
Just press page and you see the info again
Hi! Si better wahoo elmnt bolt or garmin 530?Thanks
Is the display backlight dimmable?
How accurate is it in real use? On my Garmin 500 the GPS gives you kind of location and I need to configure the altitude for every ride (or calibrate your starting point before) otherwise it is compleet rubbish.
I've found the previous Bolt to be accurate. This new one has elevation data baked into the maps so should be fine on that front
Can an existing Garmin mount be adapted to accept a Wahoo or does it need a completely new mount(. I've got a Canyon Grail that has its own unique Garmin mount for the double bars?
Yes, Wahoo sells an adapter AFAIK
You can also take the cup out of the Canyon mount and turn it a quarter turn and remount it. You have to drill new holes in the mount that align with the new placement of the cup. It sounds more complicated than it is. I did it with mine, and the mount now holds my Wahoo Bolt perfectly. This method is more aero than the adapter, and looks way better also. (If you care about that sort of thing. lol)
Just gone over to hammerhead Karoo 2 from garmin got a few mates that use wahoo but had reliability issues which put me off the wahoo
Have they sorted out the memory issue on rides over 12 hours. There customer service is terrible
Still rocking the bigger brother of the bolt , the ELEMNT !
Could you tell us all if this new Bolt fits the same mount as the old Bolt? Those of us that have an out front / integrated mount, can we get away with our existing ones or will we have to try and get new after market ones?
I've just tried that and it does work. However the new Bolt is slightly larger so there's a small gap between the mount and computer, but its underneath so you can't see it
@@davidarthur Thank you for the feedback. That is great. Could purchase a new Bolt and live with the existing mount and then possibly change that some time in the future.
Im pretty sure the new Bolt comes with the aero mount anyway so you'd have two!
Try Bryton, cheap and reliable too
Which bryton model?
@@AG-xq3rk 420s
Can you buy another mount for a second bike to assist easy move over?
Absolutely... lots of aftermarket mounts, or you can buy the wahoo aero mount for lots of good bike shops
Waiting for a roam with Usb-C
I don't think the 12hrs(10hrs on mine after 1 year plus of use) on the old Bolt is impressive, even when it upgraded to 15hrs now it's still very low as compared to Bryton which can last up to 30hrs. The display screen should be extended to the edge as far as possible on this new version but Wahoo wanted to maximise the profit by reducing the hardware changes. It's a shame which I will not plan to upgrade too soon.
16gb storage vs 4gb and 64 colour screen as well.
Is it worth upgrading from the original Elemnt?
I don’t see why . Ok it’s color screen but it’s not like you stare at it like on the phone . I have the elemnt since 2018 and it’s rock solid.
Wahoo’s ease of use trumps any bike computers even Garmin Edge 530. I’d love to purchase the new version but my wife said no more unnecessary purchases 😣 so I’m staying away unless someone wants to giveaway.
Time for some new balls as well by the sounds of it, seems the misses has stolen your last pair 😉
Have they improved the build quality Dave? I had the old one and it’s quality was awful although it worked flawlessly.
What build quality issues did you have? I didn't have any issues myself and so far this new one hasn't showed any signs of weakness in build quality
@@davidarthur the case was creaky cheap plastic and if you pushed the buttons a bit too hard the screen would go black along the bottom. One friend had his catch fire and another had his buttons start to peal off. If you hold a Garmin 830 in one hand and the old Bolt in the other the difference in build quality is very very noticeable. The Wahoo units just work though. I ride every day and my Garmin still only uploads when it feels like it without having to open the app. When I had a Wahoo it never missed a beat.
@@leeharding8306 i'm impressed by thé built Quality. I dropped my unit so many times and even had it in thé washing machine
Did you also experience crashes while routing? I have my Bolt V2 a couple of weeks now and on 50% of my tours the routing just stopped in the middle of the route and I needed to start the navigation again. Very annoying.
Are you still having this issue? Looking to get one myself and curious if there was a firmware fix since then. Thanks!
@@caligaming9386 It seams to be fixt with the firmware updates that came out since than. But I switched to Garmin some time now so I do not use the Wahoo anymore.
@@christophmuller830 got it thanks for the reply!
Not worth changing from the last bolt in my opinion, and I got a black one not grey then again if wahoo gave you a good trade in price that’s a different matter.
Wahoo Elemnt Bolt 2.0 or garmin 530 ?
Hi David, do you know how to turn off the turn by turn navigation feature? Cheers
Yes you can turn it of support.hammerhead.io/hc/en-us/articles/360051739854-Karoo-2-Turn-by-Turn-Directions
@@davidarthur thanks! But meant for the Bolt V2 please
Ah my bad sorry! This might help otherwise the Wahoo help pages are your best bet czcams.com/video/ccDMxcW1BuM/video.html
Thank you for the review! It is great! I was in the process of purchasing a bike computer and was looking at Garmin Edge 530 and with the new Bolt I am not so sure. What would you recommend? I need something that records Power, HRM, and basic navigation but most of all that it will work when I need it to. What are some of the extra features that the Garmin 530 has over the Bolt? Everybody talk about some more data points? Are those data points actually useful or are they just nice to have but not super important? thanks!
What i like at the garmin is the garmin segments . You can see the list of climbs to come and data of the Climb your inn. Touch-screen is way beter than let’s say the edge 800. But if you like simplicity go for Wahoo .
@@wirooudejans4939 I was considering the Garmin for the climb feature, then learned that climb only activates if a certain set of factors are met first...before the algorithm kicks in and activates the graphic. So i bought the Bolt v2
@@waltrmitty it’s an offline service grom Garmin.
Why is the screen so small?
Can i use the buttons on top of the di2 hoods to change Func/display?
Yes, at least you could with the previous one so sure it's the same with the new one support.wahoofitness.com/hc/en-us/articles/115000460504-What-Are-the-Functions-of-the-Di2-Hood-Buttons-When-Paired-to-an-ELEMNT-
Nice, Now I can buy the elemnt bolt 1 for cheaper.
If you can find one for sale...
You can even buy a Second hand to. Battery live is very good after years
12h battery life on old one? I made a 13h ride and had 40% left.
That's amazing. Do you any tips on increasing battery life? I already have backlight off and not connected to phone.
What the price
Gone up by 50 quid in the process.
Annoying they updated the Bolt just after I bought a Roam - absolutely no point having the Roam really 🤷♂️
It’s better for training cause it’s so heavy 😅
Bigger screen is just abt the only feature the roam has at this point lmao
Does it do mph? or is it only for Europe?
Yes you can choose mph or kph
I need to stop drinking and get on my bike more often
Wahoo have won the GPS game ... just better
This or a Garmin 1030 plus?
totally different class of product.
@@Pauleuh in what regard? Which one would you go for?
@@solefreak2 the 1030 plus is way more complete as a device however it's also more expensive. Depends what you want out of your cycling computer why are you getting one? exploration or training?
@@Pauleuh Not entirely sure until I've used one. Currently, I'd say more having a route loaded and knowing where I'm going, what to expect in terms of upcoming elevation etc. Now the training features would be nice but not sure I'd use these as I have a smart trainer to do all my specific training on I guess.
Are they supporting Facebook Messenger Notifications??
E-mail notificaties .... yes
Does it support 5ghz WiFi?
Ha ha
Minimum waste? Quite some bags inside a box.
I thought that too
They have left the bezel large because they don't want to improve it too quickly. If you make a device too well you limit future profits. They do this with most products these days. Every time I update my phone's software (Note 9) I'm wondering how they have incrementally made my phone worse. They build in finite life. In the same respect they build in a moderated role out of technology.
Not true. Wahoo has to compete with other brands so they have a goal
To claim a GPS computer is more aero is laughable. Just goes to show if that is the best USP they can come up with it can't be up to much.
The best USP is ease of use and reliability in my experience
@@davidarthur Agree. Just to be clear David my comment wasn't aimed at you but Wahoo's marketing.
bye garmin. hello wahoo.
What is the point in buying this, if you have all of this in your phone, on a much bigger screen? That's another piece of electronics you carry. I mean, everyone these days carries a smartphone with him anyway, so you might as well use it. Maybe if you're into measuring your cadence, bp and all that usefull stuff professional teams are worried about, then yeah, it makes sense but for bike packers and other regular folk i dare to say that buying any bike gps is a waste of money.
Battery life.
Not true, we need a small divice with buttons on the right place and 10 ours battery live
Ok 0
I wasted my money on one of these..No out front mount available for integrated aero bars.. lags badly.. takes ages to sync.. not good..stay with Garmin
too thick ( hamburger )
My first impression: Lots and lots of plastic packaging that will be thrown away. Where is the environmental responsibility of Wahoo??