Recommend a garmin type gizmo for touring

[wiggydiggy]

Good comparison of the Roam and Bolt v2 https://www.sportivecyclist.com/wahoo-elemnt-roam-vs-bolt-v2/

He does a good job of explaining how though the Bolt V2 has a smaller screen, the better contrast and more colours make the maps easier to read than the larger Roam one.

 

[PaulSB]

Thanks! Amy particular one that fits my needs?

My knowledge is quite limited and I use the now discontinued Elemnt, replaced by the Roam. From what I understand each model will perform the functions you're looking for. I'm not really in a position to recommend a specific model.

When I bought mine I chose the Elemnt for the larger screen. On that basis alone if I had to buy a new one I would lean towards the Roam but would check out the other models as well.

I would expect the Roam to offer a better navigation experience which is one of two key requirements for me. The other is screen size and clarity. I use reading and computer glasses. The position of a GPS device is just beyond the point at which I need glasses meaning I can read the device while riding. I've looked at friends' Bolt models and while I can read and follow the navigation I cannot read the other screens without glasses.

Two points I didn't mention. The use of coloured LEDs is tremendously useful. I have slight hearing loss and cannot hear beeps from a device. The highly visual LEDs are superb for indicating turns, on or off route etc. The "off route" LED for example is bright red and stays lit for ¼ mile - much more noticeable than a beep.

The other point is touch screens. Reviews often say things such "while the Wahoo doesn't have a touch screen the buttons work very well." To me this sounds negative but i believe it's a major positive. Have you ever tried to use a touch screen while bumping along at 15-20mph?? It isn't ideal! A touch screen would immediately eliminate a device from my list. The Wahoo buttons are very positive, yes a bit stiff initially on a new one, and respond well even when wearing winter gloves and liners. If you're not interested in all the statistics and data these devices generate you probably won't need to switch screens while on the move.

Custom alerts, optional, are useful. My Elemnt is set to show an "eat" reminder every 30 minutes and "drink" reminder every 15. The "be merry" alert is a seasonal option. 🤣

As someone else has mentioned Wahoo integrates seamlessly with other apps such as Strava and RWGPS. You wouldn't need to run Strava on your phone as well and would save battery life on that device.

I've never used cycle.travel but I would be very surprised if this didn't work with Wahoo. If cycle.travel creates a GPX you will be able to upload it to Wahoo in some way.

 

[PeteXXX]

+1 for Wahoo

 

[chriswoody]

It's funny how polarizing these threads can get!

I can't recommend a unit based on direct experience, however, I'm at a similar stage to the OP and need to replace my aging 15 year old Garmin unit. I have a broadly similar set of needs to the OP as well and will be using it for long complicated off-road tours with little need for training metrics.

Unlike the others above, I have settled on the Garmin Edge Explore 2 as meeting my needs perfectly and will be purchasing one later this year as and when funds allow.

A lot of the advantages that people outline for Wahoo units, are for me, negatives.

Setting up your device via an app on your phone? no thanks, I'd rather not need to rely on yet another piece of tech to operate, I'd rather sit down with a cup of coffee one evening and set up my Garmin on the unit.

Flashing lights to tell you where to go? again, no thanks. I like to leave my head unit on the data screen, with a couple of metrics like time and current speed displaying. Not only does this make the battery last a lot longer, but it's then not distracting me. I can then lose myself in the ride, look around enjoy the scenery, hum silly songs to myself, whatever. If I need to turn, then the unit will beep at me to wake me up and show me the way I need to go. I'm sorry, but I could easily imagine me missing flashing lights a lot of the time.

Buttons? again no touchscreen is a deal breaker for me. I need the ability to easily and efficiently look at the map screen from time to time and scroll around it effortlessly. My current head unit uses buttons to scroll around the map and I hate it, it's really clunky and hard to use. I get it when people say that touchscreens are hard to use at 25mph, but I have no desire to use it at 25 mph, I stop take a drink admire the scenery and then use the head unit.

Both Wahoo and Garmin make great head units and it really comes down to the nitty gritty details like above. I know what works for me and what doesn't, so for that reason I have made the choice I have made. There is no right or wrong answer, you just need to look at the detail of the different units and make a decision based on what you need and can live with.

As usual the excellent DC rainmaker review of the explore 2 is here:

https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2022/07/garmin-edge-explore-2-in-depth-review.html

 

[PaulSB]

@roubaixtuesday one other thought for you. The initial Wahoo set up requires one to scan a QR code. For this and running the app you will need a relatively modern smartphone.

Please do ensure your smartphone, presuming you use one as you run Strava, is compatible with Wahoo. I do know someone who used a very old phone and after buying a Wahoo couldn't do the setup as his phone couldn't scan the QR code. This was 4-5 years ago and very likely isn't an issue for the vast majority of today's phones.

You only perform this scan at setup.

 

[Mike_P]

My knowledge is quite limited and I use the now discontinued Elemnt, replaced by the Roam.

The Roam has a version 2 whilst version 1 is still available. The Elemnt (version 2) is also still available.
https://www.bikeradar.com/reviews/t...bigger,in accelerometer and gyroscope/compass.
Re Wahoo v Garmin my experience is that my Elemnt 1 is easy to use and my Garmin 530 a complete pain with an in built user interface that is overly complex and downright confusing at times.

Added to that is the weird time out on sensors on the Garmin such that if I have my Varia turned off to save it's battery and then turn it on I have to restart the 530 to get it to pick it up meaning ride data is no longer accurate; ride time being the one that I really miss on such a circumstance as I have a routine of stopping each hour to change my sportscams battery and every other hour it's SD card as well as having a snack.

 

[PaulSB]

@Mike_P mirrors my experience. Garmin device set up is complex, far from logical and the devices can be unreliable resulting from this. I ran two 810s and neither worked as I wanted and I never felt I could rely on them.

I find the exact opposite with Wahoo. One of the real benefits of a Wahoo is during setup, and any future time one wants to make a change, the changes made in the app are immediately visible on the Wahoo unit. I didn't experience this with Garmin.

 

[roubaixtuesday]

Thanks all. The touchscreen one is interesting. I can imagine they're much better to use on a nice day, but wearing gloves in the rain, not so much.

 

[Lee_M]

@roubaixtuesday one other thought for you. The initial Wahoo set up requires one to scan a QR code. For this and running the app you will need a relatively modern smartphone.

Please do ensure your smartphone, presuming you use one as you run Strava, is compatible with Wahoo. I do know someone who used a very old phone and after buying a Wahoo couldn't do the setup as his phone couldn't scan the QR code. This was 4-5 years ago and very likely isn't an issue for the vast majority of today's phones.

You only perform this scan at setup.

You can do it manually without the qr code. My phone never recognises the qr thingy

 

[Ming the Merciless]

Modern touch screens are fine in the rain. Plus there’s usually some complimentary buttons for base functions like starting / stopping them etc.

 

[Alex321]

It's funny how polarizing these threads can get!

I can't recommend a unit based on direct experience, however, I'm at a similar stage to the OP and need to replace my aging 15 year old Garmin unit. I have a broadly similar set of needs to the OP as well and will be using it for long complicated off-road tours with little need for training metrics.

Unlike the others above, I have settled on the Garmin Edge Explore 2 as meeting my needs perfectly and will be purchasing one later this year as and when funds allow.

A lot of the advantages that people outline for Wahoo units, are for me, negatives.

Setting up your device via an app on your phone? no thanks, I'd rather not need to rely on yet another piece of tech to operate, I'd rather sit down with a cup of coffee one evening and set up my Garmin on the unit.

It really is very easy to set up the Wahoo devices, and it is only when setting up that you need the phone. You don't need the phone to operate it.

Flashing lights to tell you where to go? again, no thanks. I like to leave my head unit on the data screen, with a couple of metrics like time and current speed displaying. Not only does this make the battery last a lot longer, but it's then not distracting me. I can then lose myself in the ride, look around enjoy the scenery, hum silly songs to myself, whatever. If I need to turn, then the unit will beep at me to wake me up and show me the way I need to go. I'm sorry, but I could easily imagine me missing flashing lights a lot of the time.

The Wahoo beeps AS WELL, it isn't flashing lights instead of beeps

Buttons? again no touchscreen is a deal breaker for me. I need the ability to easily and efficiently look at the map screen from time to time and scroll around it effortlessly. My current head unit uses buttons to scroll around the map and I hate it, it's really clunky and hard to use. I get it when people say that touchscreens are hard to use at 25mph, but I have no desire to use it at 25 mph, I stop take a drink admire the scenery and then use the head unit.

We all have different preferences, but I am with those who do NOT prefer a touch screen here. Much harder to use while in motion, and also rarely work well when it is raining.

Both Wahoo and Garmin make great head units and it really comes down to the nitty gritty details like above. I know what works for me and what doesn't, so for that reason I have made the choice I have made. There is no right or wrong answer, you just need to look at the detail of the different units and make a decision based on what you need and can live with.

This is absolutely the case. We all have different needs and preferences.

I'm sure quite a few of us will also have bought a head unit based on what was available at the time in their price range, and then once they are used to that unit, anything different won't feel as good.

 

[PaulSB]

You can do it manually without the qr code. My phone never recognises the qr thingy

Really, that would be interesting to know. Have you got a link? I'm asking because very occasionally I run a factory reset and once or twice have struggled with the QR code.

 

[PaulSB]

Modern touch screens are fine in the rain. Plus there’s usually some complimentary buttons for base functions like starting / stopping them etc.

In my experience it isn't rain that's the problem more that hitting a bump just as one is screen touching gives unexpected results. The only issue I had with rain was if one need to wipe it off a touch screen often the screen would respond to that and change.

 

[UphillSlowly]

With a Wahoo Elemnt Bolt you can turn off all the lights and beeps via the app. Or you can start with them in and turn them off in the go through the map screen (click on Route) - which also gives you distance and elevation remaining as well as a turn by turn cue sheet. As before I turn the beeps on in urban areas then usually turn them off again.

Lights can be set to indicate turns but also linked to HR or power zones, or even speed vs avg for the ride.

Having said all that and sounded like an evangelical for Wahoo I have had to have my Bolt replaced twice in 4 years, but always done with minimum if fuss by Wahoo. With both of them the screen just stopped working.

If it happens again I may consider a Hammerhead Karoo 2.

Do you have anyone you can borrow a device off to test ride?

 

[Peter Salt]

Reading your requirements, Edge 840 does everything you need (it has a touchscreen and physical buttons, by the way). It's available with solar panels - but personally think that's not really necessary.