# Wahoo question



## Domus (21 Jun 2019)

Looking to ditch the Garmin Edge Touring, never lost data but the thing freezes and switches off randomly.

The Wahoo Bolt comes in a bundle with heart rate strap, cadence sensor and speed sensor. What is the speed sensor for? Is it more accurate than the GPS unit? Or am I barking up the wrong tree?


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## Heltor Chasca (21 Jun 2019)

You can use the the cadence sensor for a wheel-on turbo. 

That said I have heard that the old magnet/spoke bike computers are more accurate than any gps. I can’t verify that though.

You’ll love Wahoo. I haven’t looked back since chucking my Garmin.


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## bluezelos (22 Jun 2019)

I'm hanging on for the overpriced Elemnt Roam, strangely 5 reviews on the website, some a month old, yet the thing hasn't been made for sale yet as far as I'm aware.


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## steveindenmark (22 Jun 2019)

They have the Roam in the US. If you have not read DCRainmakers extensive review you should. He is not impressed.

I have the Bolt and it is excellent. I would like it to recalculate a route if you go off track. But that is my only complaint. In 2 years it has never gone wrong.


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## Milkfloat (22 Jun 2019)

To answer the question, the speed sensor supplements the GPS and should improve your distance/speed accuracy, especially in areas with poor quality GPS reception.


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## bluezelos (22 Jun 2019)

steveindenmark said:


> They have the Roam in the US. If you have not read DCRainmakers extensive review you should. He is not impressed.
> 
> I have the Bolt and it is excellent. I would like it to recalculate a route if you go off track. But that is my only complaint. In 2 years it has never gone wrong.



Yeah, read the review, it's pretty thorough, also seen his clip on youtube. I think his main gripe is he doesn't think it's worth the money for what it does. He also thinks some of the features seem a bit dated. I quite like the size of the roam, it has a bigger screen than my garmin. Would you say the bolt is a better value buy? Is the screen size similar to the roam?


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## Heltor Chasca (22 Jun 2019)

bluezelos said:


> I'm hanging on for the overpriced Elemnt Roam, strangely 5 reviews on the website, some a month old, yet the thing hasn't been made for sale yet as far as I'm aware.



Didn’t they recall the Roam? I think I saw something on Twitter. Or am I dreaming?


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## CXRAndy (22 Jun 2019)

Domus said:


> Looking to ditch the Garmin Edge Touring, never lost data but the thing freezes and switches off randomly.
> 
> The Wahoo Bolt comes in a bundle with heart rate strap, cadence sensor and speed sensor. What is the speed sensor for? Is it more accurate than the GPS unit? Or am I barking up the wrong tree?



Speed sensor is more accurate, especially if riding slowly. The larger Elemnt is nicer to look at, but that's me with failing eyes


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## Domus (22 Jun 2019)

I saw the YouTube review, the extra £100 for the Roam does not look like good value to me. 
Been out this morning very early, 57 Kms and the Garmin behaved perfectly.  
I fancy the cadence and HR monitor gubbins so may well bite the bullet and get a Bolt bundle.
Thanks for all the replies.


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## HobbesOnTour (22 Jun 2019)

Domus said:


> I saw the YouTube review, the extra £100 for the Roam does not look like good value to me.
> Been out this morning very early, 57 Kms and the Garmin behaved perfectly.
> I fancy the cadence and HR monitor gubbins so may well bite the bullet and get a Bolt bundle.
> Thanks for all the replies.



I understand the Roam is not being sold due to a problem with the mount - it breaks. 

I've tested an (older) touring model and returned it after a few weeks. I use a Wahoo Elemnt and it is great. Has never let me down, although I only use it for navigation.

I too have seen the Roam reviews and it does nothing for me, which surprised me because the Roam is all about navigation.

As with all these types of things, I've found it's important to think about what I want a unit to do before looking at what is available.


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## steveindenmark (22 Jun 2019)

bluezelos said:


> Yeah, read the review, it's pretty thorough, also seen his clip on youtube. I think his main gripe is he doesn't think it's worth the money for what it does. He also thinks some of the features seem a bit dated. I quite like the size of the roam, it has a bigger screen than my garmin. Would you say the bolt is a better value buy? Is the screen size similar to the roam?


I dont know what size the Roam screen is. But screen size is not important with the Wahoos. You can easily navigate with the beeps and leds.


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## 13 rider (22 Jun 2019)

Wahoo bolt user . Love it . Big difference in the new roam and the elmnt and bolt is the cloud screen which sounds nice but having used the black and white screen bolt for 2 years would I upgrade answer no .
Speed sensor is more accurate and instant . My battery went in the speed sensor I knew this as the head unit was slow hoping the speed when I accelerated but it's not essential if your looking to save money


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## Heltor Chasca (22 Jun 2019)

steveindenmark said:


> I dont know what size the Roam screen is. But screen size is not important with the Wahoos. You can easily navigate with the beeps and leds.



A good point. I went for the larger screen on the Elemnt as it is easier to read at night, but like you say, you can set it up so LEDs direct you ‘straight, left or right’.

Bare in mind though, that it’s not just a larger screen: It is a larger battery too. (Same software etc and you can add more fields to view, but I like it simple so opt for less anyway)


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## Domus (22 Jun 2019)

Ooooh, got another question. I do like Garmin Connect where I have all my rides uploaded, will it allow a Wahoo to upload rides? Or will I have to use a different site?


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## Pumpkin the robot (22 Jun 2019)

My wahoo bolt started freezing on longer rides. I do not know whether it was because it had just had an update, but when it got to just over 200 miles it had a screen freeze, then just turned itself off and restarted itself. On rides shorter than this it has been perfect, unlike my garmin which threw hissy fits at will!
The screen size is quite small, but the def is very good. I struggled to follow the route on a garmin 800, especially in bright light. No such problems with the wahoo. My mate can even read it while riding next to me.
If you want to have a look at the Bolt, let me know, I am just around the corner from Radcliffe.


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## PaulSB (22 Jun 2019)

Domus said:


> Ooooh, got another question. I do like Garmin Connect where I have all my rides uploaded, will it allow a Wahoo to upload rides? Or will I have to use a different site?



You can set a Wahoo to upload directly, and automatically, to Strava and RideWithGPS. It will also do the same for a wide range of fitness apps. Most people I know go with Strava.

I'm not very familiar with the Roam. What I can is this.i find the Elemnt black and white screen very easy to read and use. I would not go back a colour screen as I had on my Garmin.

The "Get me Started" function could be useful for getting to the start of a ride when in an unfamiliar area.

The reroute when off track? Well I suppose it has benefits but a flashing red LED for a quarter mile after missing a turn is adequate for me. This is already in the Elemnt.

"Route to Start" to get back to your starting point is useful. I thought but have never used it this could be achieved on the Elemnt by selecting the reverse route option?

I would highly recommend the Elemnt. Mine has never faltered. My experience of Garmin 810 is it became so complex the device would almost confuse itself and constantly fail. Poor set up by the user, I was guilty, made it very difficult to use and the directions as to how to do this very poor. I would not buy another Garmin.

My concern with Wahoo is the Roam could be the start of a road leading to ever more complex devices which become difficult and bloated to use. The beauty of Wahoo is simplicity.


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## Phaeton (22 Jun 2019)

Domus said:


> Ooooh, got another question. I do like Garmin Connect where I have all my rides uploaded, will it allow a Wahoo to upload rides? Or will I have to use a different site?


There is another program whose name alludes me currently which synchronises all the apps so whichever you upload it to the others get a share, it will backfill garmin connect if you want.


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## Mark1978 (22 Jun 2019)

Phaeton said:


> There is another program whose name alludes me currently which synchronises all the apps so whichever you upload it to the others get a share, it will backfill garmin connect if you want.



https://tapiriik.com/ ????


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## Phaeton (23 Jun 2019)

Mark1978 said:


> https://tapiriik.com/ ????


That's the puppy


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## Domus (26 Jun 2019)

Just bitten the bullet, should be here on Monday, should be able to use it on the Friday Night York to Hull ride.


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## Pedropete (27 Jun 2019)

Used the original Elemnt for a couple of years with no issues. Nice big screen thats easy to read even in direct sunlight, good battery life and good enough navigation. I do sometimes wish there were more navigation options available without the companion app but I guess the relative simplicity is part of why it's so reliable. I looked at the Bolt but didn't like the screen as it was too small and too low contrast for me.

The only point of caution I'd raise it that whenever you update the firmware, make sure you take it outside straight away and give it time to get a stationary GPS fix before your next ride. I've had a few occasions where I've updated just before a ride and then not been able to get a GPS fix for a good 10-15 mins while moving, which is annoying as you lose that part of your ride/workout.


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## HobbesOnTour (27 Jun 2019)

Pedropete said:


> I do sometimes wish there were more navigation options available without the companion app



Curious about this bit.
You can connect your Wahoo directly to a P.C. and transfer files directly, bypassing the app. You can do the same with a bit more effort on a phone or tablet (but only really useful in rare situations).
You can also use other routing apps on the fly, sync and be able to use those routes on your unit. I find the Wahoo "Take me to" functionality to be very poor, but there are simple alternatives once you're online, and even other alternatives if you're offline.
Or have I completely misunderstood?




Pedropete said:


> The only point of caution I'd raise it that whenever you update the firmware, make sure you take it outside straight away and give it time to get a stationary GPS fix before your next ride. I've had a few occasions where I've updated just before a ride and then not been able to get a GPS fix for a good 10-15 mins while moving, which is annoying as you lose that part of your ride/workout.


Good advice for any gps device. It seems nowadays that there are very few "updates" that don't mess with something. And if planning a long ride, do a short one first just to test functionality.


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## Pedropete (27 Jun 2019)

I meant that it would be nice to be able to amend a route from the device itself - as with Garmin - rather than being dependent on the phone app or other external source of data. 

And that's always been the biggest point of differentiation between Garmin and Wahoo on paper. From a features perspective, Wahoo's navigation experience really doesn't compare favourably to Garmin; in real world use though and in terms of doing what it should _when_ it should and not crapping out every other time, the Wahoo beats Garmin most of the time, in my experience.

Be keen to see how the 830 does in the longer term though as it looks like a nice unit, on paper.


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## HobbesOnTour (27 Jun 2019)

Pedropete said:


> I meant that it would be nice to be able to amend a route from the device itself - as with Garmin - rather than being dependent on the phone app or other external source of data.
> 
> And that's always been the biggest point of differentiation between Garmin and Wahoo on paper. From a features perspective, Wahoo's navigation experience really doesn't compare favourably to Garmin; in real world use though and in terms of doing what it should _when_ it should and not crapping out every other time, the Wahoo beats Garmin most of the time, in my experience.
> 
> Be keen to see how the 830 does in the longer term though as it looks like a nice unit, on paper.


Gotcha! I agree. 
My only interest is in navigation and I dropped a Garmin in favour of a Wahoo simply because the Wahoo does what it is supposed to. 
There are better route planners too than Garmin, so I just use them, typically cycle.travel. Linking that to the unit is technically (slightly) more involved than with Garmin, but the routing is better.


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## tom73 (27 Jun 2019)

@Domus Enjoy it not much more to say my Wahoo has never missed. Works out the box simple to use and to set up. Sync's with most things without issue the few times it has gone funny just turn off and then back on and off you go again.


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## Domus (2 Jul 2019)

Been out for a short spin to test the Bolt, one issue arose, I have set the top LEDs to HR and my resting heart rate at 60 BPM and a max of 180 BPM but the LEDs just show 5 red lights all the time even though my HR was up and down during the ride. Any ideas?

Everything else seemed OK, will test the navigation tomorrow.


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## Heltor Chasca (2 Jul 2019)

Domus said:


> Been out for a short spin to test the Bolt, one issue arose, I have set the top LEDs to HR and my resting heart rate at 60 BPM and a max of 180 BPM but the LEDs just show 5 red lights all the time even though my HR was up and down during the ride. Any ideas?
> 
> Everything else seemed OK, will test the navigation tomorrow.



Definitely an issue with your actual heart. I would get it changed ASAP Frankenstein.


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## Domus (2 Jul 2019)




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## 13 rider (2 Jul 2019)

Have you set your heart range zone in the app .input max and resting and it calculates your zones


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## tom73 (2 Jul 2019)

+1 check heart range zone


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## Domus (3 Jul 2019)

Yes. Set at 61 and 180. 
No matter what the HR I still have 5 steady red lights.


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## tom73 (3 Jul 2019)

Try setting up the blue tooth again. 
Have you had a look at the online help ? Contact wahoo see what they say it maybe a fault 
Is the software up to date ?


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## Domus (3 Jul 2019)

Wahoo are on the case, they asked for screenshots of app and invoice etc. I have re set the Bluetooth and will try again when I go out later.


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## Domus (3 Jul 2019)

Did a re set of Bluetooth and went for a ride, all seems OK now, all the colours as per HR.

Now all I need to do is sort the turn by turn out, the breadcrumb route works well but no sound or flashing LEDs. I used a quick route I made on Strava if that makes a difference.


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## Pedropete (3 Jul 2019)

Domus said:


> Did a re set of Bluetooth and went for a ride, all seems OK now, all the colours as per HR.
> 
> Now all I need to do is sort the turn by turn out, the breadcrumb route works well but no sound or flashing LEDs. I used a quick route I made on Strava if that makes a difference.



I’ve always had best results from Komoot. Could never get turn-by-turn to work from Strava without issue.
Also, regarding wacky sensor readings, I’ve found that telling the device to forget the sensor and re-pairing usually resolves things. Failing that, checking sensor firmware is up to date from the Wahoo Utility app and finally swapping the battery will generally sort it.

One quirk I got reminded of last night was that if you normally use a speed sensor but then go for for a ride without it, it can take quite a while for the head unit to start using GPS again for speed/distance. Never worked out how to solve that one.


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## tom73 (3 Jul 2019)

Ride with GPS works a treat too never had a problem. 
+1 for Wahoo Utility app handy one to have sorts most things


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## 13 rider (3 Jul 2019)

Domus said:


> Did a re set of Bluetooth and went for a ride, all seems OK now, all the colours as per HR.
> 
> Now all I need to do is sort the turn by turn out, the breadcrumb route works well but no sound or flashing LEDs. I used a quick route I made on Strava if that makes a difference.


I used ridewithgps and get full turn by turn warning you don't get that with routes plotted on Strava


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## stoatsngroats (3 Jul 2019)

Another +1 for Wahoo, and the app, recently updated to allow a quick *Take me to.. *ability, which I think is amazing!

I really like the no colour screen, and the battery life. In France last year we had no issues following our preplanned RWGPS routes.
Fantastic and well worth my £s!


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## PaulSB (4 Jul 2019)

stoatsngroats said:


> Another +1 for Wahoo, and the app, recently updated to allow a quick *Take me to.. *ability, which I think is amazing!



I have the Wahoo Elemnt about 12 months old and software is up to date. I can't see this feature please could you point me to it.

Thanks


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## PaulSB (4 Jul 2019)

Domus said:


> Did a re set of Bluetooth and went for a ride, all seems OK now, all the colours as per HR.
> 
> Now all I need to do is sort the turn by turn out, the breadcrumb route works well but no sound or flashing LEDs. I used a quick route I made on Strava if that makes a difference.



I would have expected you to see chevrons showing the route you're following. I do though have an Elemnt. 

Sounds and lights have to be turned on in Settings.

I don't think Strava will give turn by turn instructions. I use RWGPS which has proved faultless with the Elemnt unlike with my Garmin 810. I get directional lights, left and right arrows, road name and countdown distance to next turn often from miles away.


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## stoatsngroats (4 Jul 2019)

PaulSB said:


> I have the Wahoo Elemnt about 12 months old and software is up to date. I can't see this feature please could you point me to it.
> Thanks



It’s on the phone app, I believe under Routes, I’ll check later and give you the location in the app if I can!


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## PaulSB (4 Jul 2019)

@stoatsngroats thank you that would be very helpful.


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## HobbesOnTour (4 Jul 2019)

stoatsngroats said:


> It’s on the phone app, I believe under Routes, I’ll check later and give you the location in the app if I can!





PaulSB said:


> @stoatsngroats thank you that would be very helpful.



If I may...
In the app tap "view Rourtes"
In the bottom right of the screen there is a blue button with a "+" sign - hit that
Hit "Take me to".

I find it a bit fiddly, but it will get you out of a jam


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## PaulSB (4 Jul 2019)

HobbesOnTour said:


> If I may...
> In the app tap "view Rourtes"
> In the bottom right of the screen there is a blue button with a "+" sign - hit that
> Hit "Take me to".
> ...



Thank you. I never play enough with these things. I'll try it out on Sunday when I'm on the club ride - we are doing a route I know like the back of my hand. I'll do "Take me to" "home" at the cafe and see what happens.


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## Domus (4 Jul 2019)

Komoot needs a one off investment of £30, and RWGPS needs a subscription either monthly or annually. Which is the best value? Leaning towards the one off Komoot.


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## 13 rider (4 Jul 2019)

I use ridewithgps for free works fine


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## Domus (4 Jul 2019)

Do you get turn by turn for free?


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## Milkfloat (4 Jul 2019)

Domus said:


> Do you get turn by turn for free?



Plotaroute will give you TBT for free, but is tricky to use on a mobile device.


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## Heltor Chasca (4 Jul 2019)

Domus said:


> Komoot needs a one off investment of £30, and RWGPS needs a subscription either monthly or annually. Which is the best value? Leaning towards the one off Komoot.



Depends. Komoot has some pretty major software issues which can corrupt your routing causing you to get lost. Then it doesn’t work in the field wh3n you need it most. I am after 100% reliability so stopped using Komoot. It is also Jurassic when it comes to downloads. The routing to campsites is about the only thing I would ever use it for. 

For easy touring cycle.travel is good. For slick uploads, advanced routing and avoidance of NCN routes, canal paths etc I am a paid up subscriber of RWGPS.


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## 13 rider (4 Jul 2019)

Domus said:


> Do you get turn by turn for free?


Yes


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## Nomadski (4 Jul 2019)

Against my better judgement I bought a Garmin edge 830 and after quite a few rides I can safely say it's exactly what all their other units should have been.

They've clearly (finally) significantly updated the processor as it's incredibly fast when zooming in and out of maps, is far faster at calculating routes uploaded (as in, it's done a 50 mile ride in less than 13 seconds).

The font is much cleaner and easier to read, it's got the appearance almost of a Kindle with the backlight on. The route is much cleaner on the map and had been easy to read even cycling in Spain these last few days.

The screen is also much better at reacting to touch, apparently it's much better with gloves now too though I haven't tested that yet. I also haven't tested wether rain affects it in any way, I know some had issues with the 820 with this.

My biggest issue with the 820 was battery life. With everything turned off save for gps, speed and cadence sensors my battery would run out while navigating within about 6-7 hours. 2 replacements hardly faired better.

I did a 6 hour ride yesterday in 30 degree heat with GPS and GLONASS on, speed cadence sensors connected and my phone's Bluetooth connected and I finished the ride with 84% battery life remaining.

I can't stress how much of a step up Garmin have made with this product. Imo the 800 was ok tho had fits occasionally, froze a couple of times and took ages with loading routes. The 810 my mate had seems to be a complete mess all round. The 820 was beyond frustrating with touch issues, small screen that was either hyper sensitive or lacked sensitivity depending on it's mood, slow performance on maps and loading routes and ridiculous battery life.

I'll try upload a video when I get home on Saturday of this things speed, but I'd recommend for those wanting a navigation bike computer to go in a shop and try it out, it's really very very good.


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## Domus (4 Jul 2019)

Ridewithgps it is then.

Thanks all


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## PaulSB (4 Jul 2019)

Good to read your 830 is performing so well, it sounds very impressive.

I think the difficulty Garmin have is they have pissed off so many potential customers with rubbish products for years. Personally I will never buy another Garmin product and I'm quite happy to tell anyone who asks how significantly superior the Wahoo is. Plus it's around £150 cheaper.

Word of mouth is both the best and worst advertising. Garmin got it very, very badly wrong for the last five years in my opinion.


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## Nomadski (4 Jul 2019)

PaulSB said:


> Good to read your 830 is performing so well, it sounds very impressive.
> 
> I think the difficulty Garmin have is they have pissed off so many potential customers with rubbish products for years. Personally I will never buy another Garmin product and I'm quite happy to tell anyone who asks how significantly superior the Wahoo is. Plus it's around £150 cheaper.
> 
> Word of mouth is both the best and worst advertising. Garmin got it very, very badly wrong for the last five years in my opinion.



I certainly wouldn't disagree with you. It's such a shame after so many missteps they do come up with something so good, it will miss a lot of potential customers.

Their own fault, but I'm very happy I took the plunge.


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## PaulSB (4 Jul 2019)

Nomadski said:


> I certainly wouldn't disagree with you. It's such a shame after so many missteps they do come up with something so good, it will miss a lot of potential customers.
> 
> Their own fault, but I'm very happy I took the plunge.


I am genuinely pleased you have a good device which you are clearly very happy with.


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## PeteXXX (6 Jul 2019)

PaulSB said:


> Thank you. I never play enough with these things. I'll try it out on Sunday when I'm on the club ride - we are doing a route I know like the back of my hand. I'll do "Take me to" "home" at the cafe and see what happens.


I've used 'take me to' for the first time this morning. As said, tap the + in Routes. I then just dropped a pin on the map at a random crossroads, tapped the arrow, and it loaded onto my Elemnt.
I'll probably use it a lot more often now I know it works. Only trial & error will discover whether it tries to route me on unsuitable roads.


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## Domus (6 Jul 2019)

Bolt worked superbly on the York to Hull night ride. Excellent battery life even with backlight on all night. 
The turn by turn worked a treat on the ride to Victoria Station. I put in a short cut to the main road. The red lights flashed and the beeping sounded but stopped and picked up when I turned onto the correct road, all be it 1 Km further on. 

Very pleased


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## Domus (8 Jul 2019)

RWGPS route of 30Km just tried.
Worked very well, would prefer a direction arrow at roundabouts, not easy reading “third exit” but not the end of the world.
One more question, where is the distance remaining field?


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## Mark1978 (8 Jul 2019)

Domus said:


> One more question, where is the distance remaining field?



Its called "Distance Remaining (selected course)" on the wahoo companion app


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## Domus (8 Jul 2019)

Mark1978 said:


> Its called "Distance Remaining (selected course)" on the wahoo companion app



Missing something, can't see it.


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## LeetleGreyCells (8 Jul 2019)

A note on Komoot pricing - it's £30 for the world maps when you first create an account, but wait 7 days and you'll get a code dropping the price to £20.


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## Domus (8 Jul 2019)

Found it. Didn't realise some data fields are hidden and need searching for. More playing required.


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## graham bowers (10 Jul 2019)

HobbesOnTour said:


> Gotcha! I agree.
> My only interest is in navigation and I dropped a Garmin in favour of a Wahoo simply because the Wahoo does what it is supposed to.
> There are better route planners too than Garmin, so I just use them, typically cycle.travel. Linking that to the unit is technically (slightly) more involved than with Garmin, but the routing is better.


Would you mind explaining the steps to get a cycle.travel planned route into an Elemnt such that turn by turn navigation is possible please?
My 810 has found two new ways to taunt me and it's on borrowed time.


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## graham bowers (10 Jul 2019)

Nomadski said:


> Against my better judgement I bought a Garmin edge 830 and after quite a few rides I can safely say it's exactly what all their other units should have been. <Big snip>


I'm genuinely pleased your 830 is working so well. When my 810 is working properly, it is brilliant - OK, not as quick as you describe the 830 to be, however it navigates well and saves data as it should. Trouble is, it is prone to sulking. It seems to me that when considering a Gormin device, you have to decide if you feel lucky. If I heard nothing but good things from many people I'd consider another Gormin unit, however spent a week cycling with my brother last week. My 810 switched off twice, froze once, randomly changed fields on the display once, refused to pair with my phone. Brother's Elemnt worked perfectly. Sorry to rant a bit.

Edited to add, Gormin deliberately mis spelled to prevent this website turning the Gormin word in to a link against my wishes.


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## bluezelos (11 Jul 2019)

graham bowers said:


> Would you mind explaining the steps to get a cycle.travel planned route into an Elemnt such that turn by turn navigation is possible please?
> My 810 has found two new ways to taunt me and it's on borrowed time.



To get a planned route on to my Wahoo Elemnt Bolt, I simply go to Ride With GPS site on my laptop, plan my route and save it. Make sure your Wahoo Elemnt app is synced with Ride With GPS then simply open the Wahoo App on your phone, turn on your wahoo device, pair it with your phone, and thats it, it automatically downloads the route to your device, simple as that. It automatically gives you turn by turn navigation when using Ride With GPS.

I had a Garmin 820 Explore, I changed to the Wahoo, will never go back to a Garmin.


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## Heltor Chasca (11 Jul 2019)

graham bowers said:


> Would you mind explaining the steps to get a cycle.travel planned route into an Elemnt such that turn by turn navigation is possible please?
> My 810 has found two new ways to taunt me and it's on borrowed time.



Without actually physically doing it while I write this, because that would be more accurate and how my brain works: I remember you need to export the cycle.travel route to Dropbox, then I think you import it from there. You need to set up your Elemnt so it has permission to access Dropbox.

These days though I am tending to plan directly into RWGPS which links straight to the Elemnt. Just quicker and simpler. Even when sat in a campsite planning your next leg.


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## graham bowers (11 Jul 2019)

bluezelos said:


> To get a planned route on to my Wahoo Elemnt Bolt, I simply go to Ride With GPS site on my laptop, plan my route and save it. Make sure your Wahoo Elemnt app is synced with Ride With GPS then simply open the Wahoo App on your phone, turn on your wahoo device, pair it with your phone, and thats it, it automatically downloads the route to your device, simple as that. It automatically gives you turn by turn navigation when using Ride With GPS.
> 
> I had a Garmin 820 Explore, I changed to the Wahoo, will never go back to a Garmin.



Thanks @bluezelos. My brother has an Elemnt and that's the process he follows. I'm afraid I prefer the routing that cycle.travel produces so if I were to move to Wahoo, being able to use cycle.travel is an absolute must have.

To further confuse matters, I created a route in cycle.travel, then manually replicated it in my RWGPS account - so there was no electronic linkage. My brother copied my route to his account, synched as described and guess what, no turn by turn instructions. It seems even the most minor departure from the normal process throws up challenges. I'm not having a go at Wahoo by the way, just illustrating how minor departures from the normal process can mess things up.


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## graham bowers (11 Jul 2019)

Heltor Chasca said:


> Without actually physically doing it while I write this, because that would be more accurate and how my brain works: I remember you need to export the cycle.travel route to Dropbox, then I think you import it from there. You need to set up your Elemnt so it has permission to access Dropbox.
> 
> These days though I am tending to plan directly into RWGPS which links straight to the Elemnt. Just quicker and simpler. Even when sat in a campsite planning your next leg.


Thanks, the dropbox step I wouldn't have guessed. Can you remember which file format you use to export from Cycle.Travel please, and do you use the option given in C.T to announce turns in advance? 

Sorry to ask for such detail. My aim is to understand the process in sufficient detail so I can write it up then get my brother, who lives overseas, to trial it. He created a route in RWGPS when we were together last week and it routed us through a farmyard and onto an impassable footpath. C.T produced a perfect route.


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## Heltor Chasca (11 Jul 2019)

graham bowers said:


> Thanks, the dropbox step I wouldn't have guessed. Can you remember which file format you use to export from Cycle.Travel please, and do you use the option given in C.T to announce turns in advance?
> 
> Sorry to ask for such detail. My aim is to understand the process in sufficient detail so I can write it up then get my brother, who lives overseas, to trial it. He created a route in RWGPS when we were together last week and it routed us through a farmyard and onto an impassable footpath. C.T produced a perfect route.



I use GPX and TCX. GPX just gives you a breadcrumb trail and TCX tells you road names and 30m prompts etc. If I’m feeling lazy the advance prompts are handy, but I’ve never made an error using breadcrumb trails. I am just more alert. TXCX takes up more memory and uses more battery but that has never been an issue for my Elemnt.


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## Nomadski (11 Jul 2019)

graham bowers said:


> I'm genuinely pleased your 830 is working so well. When my 810 is working properly, it is brilliant - OK, not as quick as you describe the 830 to be, however it navigates well and saves data as it should. Trouble is, it is prone to sulking. It seems to me that when considering a Gormin device, you have to decide if you feel lucky. If I heard nothing but good things from many people I'd consider another Gormin unit, however spent a week cycling with my brother last week. My 810 switched off twice, froze once, randomly changed fields on the display once, refused to pair with my phone. Brother's Elemnt worked perfectly. Sorry to rant a bit.
> 
> Edited to add, Gormin deliberately mis spelled to prevent this website turning the Gormin word in to a link against my wishes.



I never owned an 810 but a mate does and he had no end of problems with it. The 800 and 820 never switched off as you described but they did both have their own issues which were frustrating. Between them all the 800 was by far the most reliable. Still no where near justifying it's cost. 

Don't want to go on about it as this is clearly a wahoo focused thread but the 830 (at least in my experience with my unit) is brill. Btw It took just 48 seconds to find my new location in the UK having been switched off near Gibraltar.


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## PaulSB (12 Jul 2019)

graham bowers said:


> Thanks, the dropbox step I wouldn't have guessed. Can you remember which file format you use to export from Cycle.Travel please, and do you use the option given in C.T to announce turns in advance?
> 
> Sorry to ask for such detail. My aim is to understand the process in sufficient detail so I can write it up then get my brother, who lives overseas, to trial it. He created a route in RWGPS when we were together last week and it routed us through a farmyard and onto an impassable footpath. C.T produced a perfect route.



I suspect the farmyard and footpath issue is more to do with the planner than RWGPS. It's difficult to make RWGPS deviate from cyclable routes.

For example locally we have two sections of abandoned road which are now footpath and cyclepath. To route on to these it is necessary to switch from cycling to walking as RWGPS simply will not route on to these sections in cycle mode.

I've never used cycle.travel and have always found RWGPS simple and adequate for turn by turn navigation. If you want to use Dropbox in Wahoo simply go to:

Profile
Connected Apps
Select Dropbox

As an aside I just tried routing from my home in to my local town using cycle travel. It sent me down an inaccessible footpath, along the canal, up steps from the towpath on to an A road and though the back streets of a local housing estate thus putting in unnecessary turns across busy dual carriageway and A roads. RWGPS doesn't do this on the same ride!! My usual route requires three right turns, cycle travel put in more than I could be bothered to count!!!!

If you want to use a Wahoo I suggest going with RWGPS. It's simple and works every time.


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## graham bowers (12 Jul 2019)

PaulSB said:


> I suspect the farmyard and footpath issue is more to do with the planner than RWGPS. It's difficult to make RWGPS deviate from cyclable routes.
> 
> For example locally we have two sections of abandoned road which are now footpath and cyclepath. To route on to these it is necessary to switch from cycling to walking as RWGPS simply will not route on to these sections in cycle mode.
> 
> ...



Thanks for that.

I guess none are perfect, all have to be operated appropriately and we all have our favourites.

C.T will route for short distances down paths to avoid busy road sections, for example, and shows the path in green on the map. It is possible to select paved only, should that be desired.

I do find that routing idiosyncrasies in all routing websites are often the result of errors and / or omissions with the Open Source Map and when I find them, I correct them. Daft things like a cycle path simply not being linked at one end on the map even though it is on the ground will prevent it being routed.


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## Domus (14 Jul 2019)

Yet another question. 
If while using turn by turn I change my mind and want to go home for example and I know where I am, do I stop the ride or ignore the beeps and flashing lights? If I do stop the ride will It still record?


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## PeteXXX (14 Jul 2019)

Yes, you can stop the route. It'll still record the whole ride.
On an Elemnt, it is the left button 'ROUTE', and you get the option to quit the route.

Edit: Or just ignore the red LED's. They'll stop after a while, anyway!


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## Domus (15 Jul 2019)

Ta


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## HobbesOnTour (16 Jul 2019)

graham bowers said:


> Would you mind explaining the steps to get a cycle.travel planned route into an Elemnt such that turn by turn navigation is possible please?
> My 810 has found two new ways to taunt me and it's on borrowed time.



Ok, there are several different ways of getting the cycle.travel file onto the Elemnt.
(Forgive me if some of this comes across as patronising, but I've no idea how technically minded you are )

First is the file format. Cycle.Travel gives you the choice of different formats - TCX is the format with TBT (as @Heltor Chasca says).
Second, the Wahoo works in conjunction with an app used on a phone or tablet.

If planning on a PC I save the file on cycle.travel, then download it to my P.C. I then email that file to myself. I open the file from the email app in my phone. The phone will prompt me what app to use to open it, I'll select Wahoo and after that everything is automatic. 
You can also connect the Elemnt directly to the PC with a usb cable - the PC sees the Elemnt as an external disk - and transfer the file over as I'd transfer any other file. (It's also possible to connect an android phone directly to the unit, but that's a whole other story.)

Another alternative is to save the route in my cycle.travel account, then on my phone access my cycle.travel account and download it directly to my phone. Then I find the file in the downloads folder, click on it and follow the previous steps.
Of course, this works too if I plan a route on my phone. Not practical, unless a simple from to route.

An aside on file naming. I prefer to save my file and rename it on the PC, then email that. Otherwise file names start with cycle.travel in the name and can be confusing on the device.

As a further aside, be careful when planning a route in cycle.travel and transferring that to RWGPS (or any other app) for Turn by Turn directions. I'm no expert, but my understanding is that a conversion process occurs when importing the route, so that if RWGPS does not recognise a road that cycle.travel uses there could be an issue when you hit that point on your route. It's probably not an issue if planning on well used routes, but can be an issue on unfamiliar roads or less well used paths. 

While RWGPS is great for sharing routes, if you and your brother share a cycle.travel account you can both download the same route.


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## graham bowers (16 Jul 2019)

HobbesOnTour said:


> Ok, there are several different ways of getting the cycle.travel file onto the Elemnt.
> (Forgive me if some of this comes across as patronising, but I've no idea how technically minded you are )
> <Big snip>



Many thanks for the detailed reply. Not patronising at all, I think it wise not to assume too much.

I must admit I always check my routes carefully on the PC. Quite often odd things are caused by map errors amongst other things.

My routes in C.T are all public, so I just send my brother the URL and he can save it to his account. 

Using a phone and / or tablet is something I do need to practice.


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## gmw492 (6 Jun 2020)

Nomadski said:


> Against my better judgement I bought a Garmin edge 830 and after quite a few rides I can safely say it's exactly what all their other units should have been.
> 
> They've clearly (finally) significantly updated the processor as it's incredibly fast when zooming in and out of maps, is far faster at calculating routes uploaded (as in, it's done a 50 mile ride in less than 13 seconds).
> 
> ...


Bit late to this post , how do you find the 830 now, is the touchscreen ok especially with gloves on , the reason I ask is I had the 530 which had a few issues when updating I had to reinstall it after some updates, the buttons on the fly are ok but setting up in menu the buttons are a long way around to setting up screens where as the touchscreen looks more easier and quicker, on the fly I didn’t mind the buttons scrolling though the custom screens, I decided to sell it and got a Wahoo Elemnt Bolt, so easy to set up and use but like the Apple v Android debate its what system you prefer and I do miss the Garmin screen and features just because that’s all I have been used too, now I’m thinking of getting the Garmin 830 or even another 530 if the 830 isn’t worth the extra money for the touchscreen and then just put my 530 experience to a blip of a unit , other Garmins I had worked fine , dilemma


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## stuarttunstall (6 Jun 2020)

I went for the ELMNT bundle almost 2 years ago, it is great, this was my first computer for the bike and reading recommendations I went for it... 

Support from Wahoo is good as well... I did ask the question my self and was told by there support the speed sensor does improve the accuracy.. 

One question on the ELMNT how long does your battery last between charges? With the HRM, SPeed and cadence sensors attached I get about 10 hours from a full charge..


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## gmw492 (6 Jun 2020)

stuarttunstall said:


> I went for the ELMNT bundle almost 2 years ago, it is great, this was my first computer for the bike and reading recommendations I went for it...
> 
> Support from Wahoo is good as well... I did ask the question my self and was told by there support the speed sensor does improve the accuracy..
> 
> One question on the ELMNT how long does your battery last between charges? With the HRM, SPeed and cadence sensors attached I get about 10 hours from a full charge..


Only been out with it a couple of times as it’s new , I just usually charge my device before each ride , reviews say it’s similar with Garmin . Didn’t notice any major loss of battery, Wahoo great to set up via phone just I’m used to Garmin interface and screen is better on Garmin , but yes Wahoo is good


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## Sillyoldman (7 Jun 2020)

I had a Garmin 800 for about 7 years and I have to say it was really reliable. From other reports maybe I was just lucky. Anyhow I decided to go for an 830 and as Nomadski has said the processor speed is now very fast and to date (after 9 months) this has been reliable also. I did have an itch to try Wahoo given all the positive plaudits but on balance I’m glad I stuck with Garmin. One thing I really like (maybe wahoo also does this) is once you pin a route on ride with gps on your pc you can open the app on the Garmin and wirelessly down load it to the GPS. That and the fantastic integration to the varidar sells it to me. That said I believe Wahoo can now connect to the Garmin varidar.


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## Nomadski (11 Jun 2020)

gmw492 said:


> Bit late to this post , how do you find the 830 now, is the touchscreen ok especially with gloves on , the reason I ask is I had the 530 which had a few issues when updating I had to reinstall it after some updates, the buttons on the fly are ok but setting up in menu the buttons are a long way around to setting up screens where as the touchscreen looks more easier and quicker, on the fly I didn’t mind the buttons scrolling though the custom screens, I decided to sell it and got a Wahoo Elemnt Bolt, so easy to set up and use but like the Apple v Android debate its what system you prefer and I do miss the Garmin screen and features just because that’s all I have been used too, now I’m thinking of getting the Garmin 830 or even another 530 if the 830 isn’t worth the extra money for the touchscreen and then just put my 530 experience to a blip of a unit , other Garmins I had worked fine , dilemma



Seeing as the weather God has been very kind to us, I still haven't tried it with gloves on, but unlike before I have tried it in the rain and it was as responsive to touch as it was dry. Battery life is still as good as it was when I wrote my previous posts, I don't think I've ever dropped below 80% after lengthy rides with all the features enabled (sensors, bluetooth, accident notification, phone notifications, GPS + Glonass, navigation, live tracking).

As for 530 v 830 my limited knowledge of the 530 is that its the same unit but without the capability to route on the fly (like take me to cafe / home / bike shop) and no touchscreen. Beyond that I don't think there;s much difference apart from the price. For me the touchscreen is worth it, YMMV.


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## Mo1959 (11 Jun 2020)

Nomadski said:


> Seeing as the weather God has been very kind to us, I still haven't tried it with gloves on, but unlike before I have tried it in the rain and it was as responsive to touch as it was dry. Battery life is still as good as it was when I wrote my previous posts, I don't think I've ever dropped below 80% after lengthy rides with all the features enabled (sensors, bluetooth, accident notification, phone notifications, GPS + Glonass, navigation, live tracking).
> 
> As for 530 v 830 my limited knowledge of the 530 is that its the same unit but without the capability to route on the fly (like take me to cafe / home / bike shop) and no touchscreen. Beyond that I don't think there;s much difference apart from the price. For me the touchscreen is worth it, YMMV.


I love my 830. I’m not sure if all gloves are the same or not, but my full finger DHB gloves change screen ok. Maybe they have to have touch screen finger pads and I have just been lucky they do. Must see if I can google it and find out.


Yes, on checking they say touch screen compatible finger tips. https://www.wiggle.co.uk/dhb-lightweight-cycling-gloves/


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