Wahoo Elemnt Bolt Overview – New tech makes this small biking pc a winner

Wahoo has launched an up to date model of its smallest biking pc, the Bolt, with a high-resolution shade display, bigger onboard reminiscence, up to date person interface, multi-sport handover between it and Wahoo’s Rival smartwatch, and a bunch of different refinements that make this biking pc a winner.

Wahoo Aspect Bolt Highlights

• 64-color high-resolution display
• Sensible navigation & mapping
• 16GB of reminiscence
• 15-hour battery life
• Aerodynamic design
• Capacity to handover exercises to and from Wahoo’s Rival smartwatch
• Worth: $279.99
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  Purchase the brand new Aspect Bolt at Aggressive Bike owner
  

What’s new for the second era Elemnt Bolt?
First issues first, should you’re in search of an enormous leap ahead in biking pc tech from Wahoo, this is not it. Many of the additions to the second-generation Bolt carry it on top of things with Wahoo’s bigger Roam pc. The brand new Bolt contains a shade display, Bluetooth and ANT+ connectivity, GPS/GLONASS connectivity, turn-by-turn navigation, stay monitoring, mid-ride re-routing, an ambient mild sensor to regulate display brightness, and textual content messaging help—all options already current within the dearer Roam.

That mentioned, the Bolt does supply some refinements that put it barely forward of the bigger Roam. The place the Roam has an 8-color display the Bolt contains a broader 64-color palette. The Bolt makes use of its colours strategically to name out vital knowledge, resembling coronary heart price and energy zones. I discover this function fairly helpful. I do not really want to know if my coronary heart price is 165 or 168bpm, however I would prefer to know which zone I am in. A fast look on the display offers me this data with out having to focus an excessive amount of on the numbers. Customers can customise using shade indicators as properly.

Talking of focus, the Bolt’s display dimension and total decision is smaller however the excessive distinction show makes it seem that barely crisper than the Roam. This plus the broader vary of colours make this smaller unit simpler to learn in some conditions, resembling mapping, although riders with getting older eyes will most likely nonetheless respect the bigger display dimension of the Roam when a number of knowledge fields.

The Bolt can be the primary Wahoo pc to transition away from USB micro to USB-C charging. The swap improves charging pace in addition to water resistance. The Bolt’s body has an IPX7 waterproof score, which means the Bolt ought to stand up to an unintended submersion in a single meter / 3.3 toes of water for as much as half-hour. Hopefully, it will not take you that lengthy to cross a creek in your subsequent gravel race or mountain bike trip.

The Bolt’s person interface is just like Roam—scan the QR code on the machine’s display along with your smartphone and observe the set-up directions. I discover Wahoo’s smart-phone primarily based setup to be probably the most intuitive and least painful of all of the biking computer systems I’ve examined, with nary a hiccup when connecting auxiliary sensors, resembling coronary heart price displays and energy meters. The Bolt additionally connects to Wahoo’s entire ecosystem, whether or not you’re a triathlete or journey racer utilizing the Multisport Handover mode to trace knowledge between this head unit and the Rival smartwatch, or utilizing it to regulate your Kickr biking coach.

Through the preliminary setup, I needed to undergo a number of laborious rounds of software program updates. That is forgivable in a brand new product launch and every little thing has carried out seamlessly since then. In contrast to biking pc check guru DC Rainmaker, I’ve but to come across any points with sluggish knowledge area updates, sensor dropout, or the app crashing. In accordance with a Wahoo tech help consultant, his points could also be distinctive to riders in very high-density cities with a great deal of map knowledge. My Colorado testing grounds aren’t almost as dense as Washington DC.

One among my favourite options of the Bolt is small within the bigger image, however one I instantly appreciated upon unboxing. The Bolt’s menu buttons are convex with a reassuring “click on” that permits you to know your digit had hit its goal. That is particularly good when carrying thicker gloves and a welcome improve to the recessed and considerably vague-feeling buttons of the Roam. Some cyclists desire the smartphone-style contact screens discovered on Garmin and Hammerhead’s biking computer systems. Personally, I discover buttons to be the higher possibility when toggling by means of menus in opposed climate. Plus, buttons maintain my display smudge-free. Benefit Wahoo on this tester’s opinion.

Wahoo Elemnt Bolt versus Elemnt Roam – Which pc is healthier for you?

Previous to the revealing of the brand new Bolt, these two computer systems had very totally different goal audiences. The Bolt was Wahoo’s stripped-down aero pc for street racers, whereas the Roam was aimed on the gravel and journey phase. With this launch, there is a vital overlap between these two biking computer systems. Except you really want two additional hours of runtime or the bigger show, the brand new Bolt is the clear winner by way of options and value.

Early Verdict

Wahoo’s Roam is a value-packed biking pc with a terrific display, an intuitive interface, and options that make it appropriate for street, gravel, mountain bike, and even multi-sport use. We are going to replace this assessment if we run into any points or if Wahoo rolls out extra options.

Purchase the brand new Aspect Bolt at Aggressive Bike owner