Wahoo Fitness - ELEMNT BOLT GPS Bike Computer

I finally upgraded from a simple speedometer/odometer (Cateye Padrone - which I loved) to this GPS unit because I am racing Dirty Kanza and want turn by turn directions.

This really seemed to be the ideal bike computer with GPS & this price point. The hardware really is well designed & the user interface ideas with the screen sizing on the fly are great!. But there are a couple of HW issues: the LED's are just low intensity & virtually invisible in daylight on the trail (limited usage too), and the GPS accuracy is not great. On a local 10 mile MTB loop fairly flat not heavily wooded, full cell coverage, not in the sticks, the BOLT lost .7 miles, phone in back pocket lost .2 miles.

The basics seem to work. Text notifications, email notifications, and Strava segments do not. After getting the run around from their customer support for days, they sent me a message that Android phones were not compatible. Also, the device comes with very high pitched sounds which cannot be fully disabled. It also requires an app to be run on your phone while connected. The screen is too small for navigation and grade.

I've purchased this unit 2x now --- first in March 2017. The screen stopped working, so I had to replace it in May. Here we are

Fantastic works perfectly, no hiccups. Will highly recommend to all my cycling friends.

Not not does Wahoo work with only 2.4G, and not 5G, WiFi, it also cannot connect to my home’s hidden WiFi network nor to public WiFi networks with a splash page (e.g., Starbucks), making this unusable. Even cheapie smartplugs can connect to my home’s hidden WiFi network. Wahoo Support confirmed it. See photo. Will return and buy Garmin.

Functionally this computer is pretty decent - the screen is very legible and data is reasonably customizable. However I've had two units die in two years. The first one (original REI purchase) died with a screen failure. Wahoo warrantied that one and sent me a new unit. That second unit just died (also with a screen failure and also within about a year). No warranty love on the second one. So I can't recommend this one. I just purchased a Garmin Edge 520 Plus and we shall see if it is more reliable.

Just purchased the Wahoo Elemnt Bolt and am very satisfied. Size is great - I did not want an iphone sized device on my handlebars. B & W display easily readable in the varying light conditions of typical ride. Set up, customizing display pages and adding sensors could not be easier. Value priced and syncs with common riding apps/sites. Great alternative to Garmin.

Getting to design my own routes in RideWithGPS and then importing them into my Wahoo has completely opened up my world as a cyclist. I used to be dependent on my phone and my phone lost battery all the time. The battery life on the Wahoo is incredible and can last all day. Glide through side streets with ease! I've used this and a Garmin and though the Garmin has a lot more functionality, the Wahoo is all I really want or need. I love my Wahoo!

Easy to use, read and toggle through screens. I do not “geek” out on numbers, but this product provides all one would need for that stuff. I can pick the data I want, upload after my ride and go. I would have given it 5 stars, but I wish they offered more mount choices. Don’t get me wrong, the mount Wahoo provides is AWESOME, I would just like one for my mountain bike or gravel bike stem as well. Having a mount out front on a mountain bike is tricky with crashes. It fell off during one of my events, and I was glad to have seen it in the dirt. I lost my first wahoo element that way, not the bolt, the larger version. The mount for that product did not fit the product quite as snug. A bumpy gravel race can also easily pop these expensive items off. Looking forward to many seasons with my new bolt.

This device blows away my Garmin 520. The screen is super bright and it has a very intuitive interface.

It just works. Simple interface and easy to use. The integration with the Wahoo heart rate, speed, and cadence sensors are perfect. Never a dropped signal, issue pairing, it just works.

The "aero mount" does not fit earlier standard handlebar diameters 25-26.2 mm, so if you want to use it on an older bicycle, you will have shim it up 1/4" -- too much for good old inner tube padding. Wahoo Fitness doesn't offer any advice but to use the stem mount. (I still want to have a clamp on my stem for paper route sheets.) As an owner of classic bikes, I'm deeply offended.

This is real easy to setup and customize the display using a smart phone app. The scheme provides a consistent user interface unlike all the others I've had from a brand G. It evens gives me an alert on my phone if I need to charge the battery.

I purchased the Bolt as a replacement for my 3 year old Garmin 1000 which was starting to show problems with recharging. Unfortunately, the audio volume of the notification beep was way too low. I could barely hear it. The flashing LEDs were of little use. Finally, the onscreen information displayed during a navigation turn was too small to be legible. I loved the way the Bolt handled downloading of routes. However, the above problems were deal killers. I contacted Wahoo support about increasing the beep volume. There doesn't seem to be any way to do this.

The Bolt is just fantastic. It took me less than 5 minutes to set it up the way I wanted with the smartphone app and have it connected to other apps like Strava.

I would love to give 4.5 stars if possible!!!

It does not alert you when you deviate from your path unless you recalculate via the app. You maybe in a situation you simply cannot do it or you are lost.

Great computers but does not synch with older SRM power meters

I would have given this 5 stars based on the first 3 months of use. Very easy to set up and use. Battery life is outstanding. Maps are probably better on the Garmin due to a color display, but navigation is good at this price point. The monochromatic screen is easier for my eyes in any case. The buttons for scrolling are much easier to use then the Garmin. Unfortunately, this morning it would not turn on. Troubleshooting guide was not helpful. Going to return product. Not sure if I will replace or just go over to the Garmin 530

I needed to upgrade my old Garmin Edge 200, and assumed I would stick with the Garmin product line. After reading many reviews and speaking to friends who made the jump to Wahoo, I decided to buy the Elemnt Bolt. This computer is extremely easy to set up/customize, and uploads your ride data via WiFi or Bluetooth very quickly. I read a review that compared the transition from Garmin to Wahoo to that of moving from an old DOS computer to an Apple back in the early 90's, and I agree. Customization via your smartphone is far easier that clicking buttons on a Garmin unit to drill down into various menu screens to shift data points around. My only issue is that with all the data that can be presented on each Wahoo screen, the numbers can be fairly small and difficult to see. This is easily rectified with the click of a button that enlarges the text (some data no longer appears on that screen, however).

Wow - I can't believe how easy it was to setup through the iphone app. So fast/easy to change data fields as you want to change the order of zooming in/out which is a unique and awesome difference on the Wahoos. I can honestly say the wahoo works better with my old garmin speed/cadence sensors that I used with the Garmin Edge 500. Do yourself a favor, save a couple hundred bucks and get a better GPS bike computer in the Wahoo Elemnt Bolt! Display is great, LEDs are a nice option and love the Strava/phone text/msg integration!

This was my first GPS unit. I liked all of the displays and how easy it was to change them up. . You have to connect to a mobile device to change the order of items on the pages but very easy to do. The button placement makes it super easy to navigate pages and zoom in and out while riding. The only thing I found just OK was the navigation compared to the Garmin. The Garmin color screens and notifications were enough for me to switch. But if you don't care about that, the Bolt is a great size and device.

Loved both the unit and the app--setup was a breeze, the data fields are easy to navigate, and it paired almost instantly with all of my (non-Wahoo) sensors. The main issue is that it reliably overestimates ascent/descent by ~40% compared to every other source I can find, including Google Maps, Strava maps, and my Garmin Forerunner 935 (the latter, like the Bolt, has a barometric altimeter). What's strange is that the actual elevation data appears to be accurate--the measurements at individual spots in my rides match up with what the other sources say. My guess is that the ascent/descent errors are coming from Wahoo's algorithm for calculating elevation change, which is basically a non-starter because it's not something that can be fixed by returning the unit for a new one. :(

Unit is constantly off regarding distance (typically a mile or more) and climbing as much as 300 feet. Had difficulty with multiple functions so contacted Wahoo customer assistance who were helpful. However, when I asked them about issues with distance and climbing data all they could say was use canned air to clean out the sensors, probably dirty. Needless to say this did not improve things. On group rides my data was significantly different from other riders who were all in ballpark of each other.

I've only been on one ride with my new Bolt and it performed great. I still have a lot to learn about how to operate it. It didn't come with very good instructions on the many features and how to navigate it but I feel sure I can find it all on line.

Very frustrating device. The on/off switch is a tiny spot on the left side of the device, buried beneath a rubber cladding. Despite multiple attempts to turn it on using my fingernail and the stylus, it fails to turn on. I was unable to use it on a ride today. This evening I finally got it to turn on but it will not turn off. The on/off function operates randomly. It cannot be relied upon to work when you need it.

I have had 4 garman GPS headunits all of them gave me problems, random loss of data. Not recording data. GPS thinks I rode across the ocean ect. This one never failed me and pairing it to a phone to do the set up and add or change pages is so easy.

I purchased this Bolt from REI in Asheville. Initially, I really liked it. It was easy to set up and use. However, within two weeks it developed shaded vertical streaks making it difficult to read. By now, I was in Florida so I made a return to the REI in Jacksonville that was very gracious in making the exchange. Once again I was pleased with my purchase. However this unit also developed the same malfunction and then stopped working entirely. By now I was on an extended trip to in Round Rock, Texas and was experiencing the same problem. Once again I visited REI. They too were most helpful but this time I returned the Bolt and "upgraded" to a competitors product. Frankly, I don't like the competitors product as well as I did the Bolt in terms of being user friendly but at least it is working and, once I've figured out how to navigate through it's various functions, I believe It will be satisfactory.

I just wanted to know 'how far' and 'how fast' and 'where am I?'. I do not want to be bothered with txt, emails, calls, etc when I am on my bike. I could care less. The world can live without me for a few hours. I do not want to compare notes with my 'friends' on social media. I did not want to spend a mortgage payment on a little gizmo. I have always used Polar - until now. This little device does everything I need it to do. Yes, you can get the txt and heart rate and cadence - if you want to. Or you can just ride! I use Ride With GPS, I do long rides in the county and short rides in the city. It has a tracking feature so my wife knows where I am if I need help. The price point is good. The directions are on-line and pretty easy to follow, I love this thing! I plan on many happy miles with my little buddy.

Once Wahoo adds real-time route creation on the head unit this will simply be the best cycling computer on the market. Everything else about this unit is by far the best on the market to-date.

Returned it after the discovery that it will only work with 2.4 G wifi, not with 5. This should be in bold letters on the box. A waste of a lot of time trying to figure out what was wrong on New Years Day, no support available, only to find it in the fine print on the Wahoo website. Like another reviewer, disappointed and I returned it. It was a gift, and the giver is disappointed too, but it is the thought that counts. Back to square one.

The best thing about the Bolt is the phone app. It makes setup and changes very easy to do. As for the head unit itself, the resolution is pixelated which was a big disappointment. I guess when you use a smart phone to setup and then you look at the head unit image the contrast in resolution is a let down. Maps.... unfortunately the maps are poor. I find myself looking longer than a glance to see what is next. I especially notice this when exploring a new area. In the end for maps I revert back to google maps. Black and white (gray) just doesn't make for a solid map. What I was hoping for was a strong alternative to Garmin. The phone app was the answer to Garmin and I do like the phone app but, the maps and screen clarity don't compare. In the end both Wahoo and Garmin just don't put a smart and solid effort forward on there products. Which is too bad.

I love almost everything about this computer. It is super easy to setup. Fully customizable. Easy to read. Easy to use. The only thing I have a problem with is the altitude or ascent rate. It’s not accurate. I’ve done many rides that have come up short. For example one ride everybody I was with had 5500’ and I had 5000’. I hear they’re aware of this and hopefully there will be an update at which time I’ll give 5 stars.

I bought this to replace my long-in-the tooth Garmin 500 Edge. After researching and comparing this to Garmin 520/+ and 820s, and a recommendation from a friend that has the big brother Elemnt, went with this and am not sorry. Love the companion app, was very easy to set up - found my ANT+ HR strap, speed/cadence, and power meter with no trouble. Connections to RideWithGPS routing and auto-uploading to SportTracks/TrainingPeaks/Strava and others is extremely useful. Battery life so far has been great. I have used the routing function only once but it worked like a charm. I have only a couple of minor things I would improve - can't figure out why I have a blank spot for a metric when I "zoom into" a page. Also tried the live tracking/see your friends issue a couple of times, never got it to work. But: very possible that both are user error and I'll figure it out! Highly recommended.

Everything about it was great - easy setup, screen readability, functionality, etc... The reason I returned it was that the altimeter was unreliable.Took it on 4 rides: the 1st was off a little, the next 2 were right-on target, the last ride was off significanty. I started/stopped from the same location, but while it reported my Total Desc. accurately, the Total Asc. was off by 700ft.

So far so good. I bought this computer as a replacement for a Garmin 500. I was ready for an upgrade and between this and the Garmin 520, this was a pretty clear winner in my book.

Had one of the very first Elements and took it back because the software just wasn't up to my standards. After a year I decided to give the bolt a try and it has been great. Seems that they got all the bugs out and I really like the size and now the software actually works great. Still getting used to it. Have only gotten 4 to 5 rides so far, but so far it has been great.

I didn’t know what I was missing before I got the Elemnt Bolt. I came from a Polar m450 that I had for about 5 years. I bought it when it first came out and I was interested in a Garmin alternative with the Bluetooth (BLE) technology. The Polar would differentiate between road cycling and mountain biking and would designate your bikes based on sensor and wheel size (that you had to input). The Bolt just fired up ready to go. No waiting for sensors or GPS. When it was ready, it was ready! The connectivity it Strava means I could download routes and follow them on the unit. This was a major game changer for me because the Polar did not have any map capabilities. I’ve used the maps twice on road and MTB and it worked well. If you are coming from nothing or something other than a Garmin, this will change how you ride. And I’m a TrainerRoad user and the ability to do my workouts outside was another reason I converted. Could not be happier.

Been using Element Bolt for almost 2 years without issue. Battery lasts through even the longest of rides. I've not used it much for navigation but when used with RideWithGPS, street names are added to the turn by turn navigation. When it's time to replace, will likely go with Element or Element Roam if for no other reason than the bigger screen.

This thing does everything and then some for me. I am able to see watts and cadence via the left side crank stages power meter I can program any type of data I am looking for from the phone app and it allows me to view what I want on the device when I ride in a custom page. It syncs with strava and the wahoo app on my I phone. Good product so far.

I've been on a few rides with this now, including using the navigation, and have really liked it so far. It's very easy to sync routes from ridewithgps and it uploads to Strava automatically (once a Strava account is connected) when you connect to your phone or wifi. I've taken it on 5+ hour rides and it still has 50% battery left too.