It’s been four years since the original Wahoo BOLT was announced, which was arguably Wahoo’s most important bike computer in terms of shifting consumers towards their offerings. Designed to be small and easy to use, it garnered many fans. However, it lacked full onboard routable maps, as well as a color screen. Wahoo then fixed that with the Wahoo ROAM two years ago, albeit in a larger and pricier form factor.
But now, the world is righted again, and the new Wahoo BOLT (it doesn’t have any different name) includes a full color screen, full maps, and basically, is a mini Wahoo ROAM. All for $279USD (compared to the ROAM’s $379). There are almost no new unique features that the ROAM didn’t have previously, so if you wanted a cheaper/smaller ROAM, then this is likely for you. Whereas if you were looking for new advanced features from Wahoo, this release doesn’t provide that.
Nonetheless, the unit is just as full-featured as that ROAM (actually, more full-featured). It’s got full ANT+ & Bluetooth Sensor support, GPS/Galileo/GLONASS connectivity, structured workout support, turn by turn navigation, live tracking, the ability to make Star Wars icons for approaching cars with Varia radar, and phone/text integration. It’s also got one hardware feature the Wahoo ROAM doesn’t: USB-C charging. Yes folks: We finally got the USB-C!
Now about this point you’ve noticed the title isn’t (yet) “In-Depth Review” – at some point, it’ll get there. But today my peoples…today is most definitely not that day. Mostly because try as I might, things simply haven’t been usable for me. I have yet to have a single cohesive ride without significant issues. But I’ll dive into that later in the ‘Caveat’ section.
Note that for this review I’m using a media loaner from Wahoo. Once this review is done, I’ll get it boxed back up and sent back to them. After which I’ll likely go out and buy my own for future use. If you found this review useful, you can use the links at the bottom, or consider becoming a DCR Supporter which makes the site ad-free, while also getting access to a mostly weekly video series behind the scenes of the DCR Cave. And of course, it makes you awesome.
With that, let’s get into it.
What’s New:
While the BOLT V2 (which, is still technically just called the Wahoo BOLT, not V2), might look roughly similar from the outside, there’s actually quite a bit different under the covers. In fact, one could argue it’s entirely different under the covers – hell, even the [USB] cover to the covers [internals] is different.
Here’s the quick and dirty bulleted list of everything that’s different on the new Wahoo BOLT:
– Added full onboard routable mapping (like ROAM)
– Added color display
– Increased colors to 64 colors (from 8 colors on the ROAM)
– Added color-tied data fields (based on HR and power zones)
– Increased internal storage to 16GB (ROAM had 4GB, BOLT had 4GB)
– Added onboard elevation data to map sets (not previously in ROAM due to lack of storage space)
– Have almost all of Europe/North America/Australia maps preloaded (with rest of world available via WiFi download)
– Buttons now pop-up, as opposed to divots (far easier for gloves)
– Switched to USB-C port (generally more durable, also IPX7 waterproof)
– Added faster charging, 5AMP vs 1.5AMP
– Battery door/cap also replaceable, versus previously not (could get torn off previously)
– Added support for more messaging notification apps (WhatsApp, Line, Signal, and Telegram)
– Changed a lot of the user interface fonts (compared to anything prior)
– Added ambient light sensor (in ROAM, previously not in BOLT)
– Increased size slightly, weight went up too, from 61g to 70g (ROAM is 95g, Edge 530 is 79g)
– Battery life stays the same at a claimed 15 hours
Got all that? Good, let’s keep moving and crack open that box then.
Digging into the details:
For this post, I’m going to dig into some of the new features and explain them a bit deeper. I also do that within the video up above, if you prefer a more audio-visual experience. Eventually, I’ll expand this post out into the normal sections on basics usage and stuff, but not until things settle down a bit with the firmware.
First up is the new full onboard routable maps. This is notable because while the BOLT in the past had “maps”, it didn’t really have maps. It just had a black and white stencil that it sorta faked overlaying your route atop. Meaning, the data wasn’t routable. The BOLT itself didn’t know that you were on Main street or 1st Avenue. It just fed you the instructions that were pre-determined in the route file from a mapping provider like Komoot or others. As such, when you went off-route, you didn’t get turn by turn instructions. You were instead just told…Good luck.
With the new BOLT though, its just like the ROAM – it’ll properly re-route you back. So for example, yesterday a few different places on my route there was construction. As a result, the bike path was closed. While the Dutch are exceptionally good about marking detours for bikes, the BOLT offered a re-route of its own (which, matched the official city re-route). You’ll see blue chevrons on the screen indicating the re-route taking you back on course.
Meanwhile, for normal routing you’ll get turn by turn instructions as well, and this is where they use some of the coloring to indicate the upcoming turns:
Speaking of which, the coloring on the new BOLT actually exceeds that of the ROAM. The ROAM has 8 colors, but they use various shading to make it look like more colors than it really has. Whereas the BOLT has 64 colors. I know…I know, Retina screens these are not. But then again – that’s sorta the point – to conserve battery, and in the case of Wahoo, it’s always been about a more minimal look than the more colorful screens from Garmin, or even Hammerhead.
And while you’ll see coloring throughout the mapping pages, as well as Strava – the major new area is on data fields now. Certain data fields, notably power and heart rate, have zone coloring. These allow it to match the color-coding that you’ve specified for your zones, in effect mimicking what Wahoo has historically used the glanceable LED’s for on the edge of their devices. First, here’s my zones:
And then you can see this playing out within the power field in blue, and the heart rate in yellow:
Next, the new BOLT has expanded storage, now 16GB versus the 4GB previously (the ROAM also only has 4GB). That’s notable for two reasons. First is that Wahoo now pre-loaded all of Europe/North America/Australia maps, meaning that if you travel, it’s far less likely you’d need to add maps to the unit. As a reminder, Wahoo includes all maps globally on their platform, so if you were to travel to somewhere that wasn’t pre-loaded, you merely need to use the Wahoo app, which tells the BOLT to connect to WiFi to download them.
However, more interesting than that though is the now included elevation data within the map set. Meaning, previously Wahoo’s maps didn’t include elevation data in the mapset, which meant that if the mapping provider (e.g. Strava or Komoot or anyone else) didn’t provide that elevation data with the route sent to it, you didn’t get the elevation data mid-ride, showing how long the climb was or how pancake flat (most of) the Netherlands is. It was more of an issue years ago, as these days virtually all of Wahoo’s 3rd party routing apps send the data correctly.
But, this also helps Wahoo’s own app, specifically for the ‘Take me to’ feature, which allows you to enter an address in the app and route one-way to that address. Anyway, I’d love to show this to you – but, I lack any meaningful hills/mountains around here. I might get down to some halfway acceptable hills later this week though, so I’ll pull it into my full review then. One minor thing is that while many of the minor tweaks discussed in this post will come to the existing Wahoo ELEMNT lineup, this particular one won’t, as it requires substantially more storage space.
Next, there’s expanded support for messaging services. This includes now adding in support for WhatsApp, Line, Signal, and Telegram – which is in addition to your previous text messaging support. As a reminder, text messages look like this:
This change will be rolled out to all Wahoo ELEMNT units.
Also, about this point in the post, existing Wahoo users are probably noticing a bunch of tweaks to the fonts and format styling. Wahoo says they “did a lot of research on accessibility of fonts, font sizes, capitalization, and more” and made a slew of changes as a result. These changes aren’t planned for the ROAM at this time, since some of them are also tied to the new coloring schemes with the added 64 colors.
Now, let’s rip through a bunch of quick hardware changes. First up – my favorite: They USB-C’d all the things! Well played!
The new charging port is IPX7 waterproof (meaning 30 minutes at 1-meter deep, in case you fall into a canal), and even more importantly supports faster charging, accepting up to 5A of power versus the previous 1.5A. The other benefit of USB-C ports is they tend to be more durable long-term as well.
However, to get to said port, you’ll have unknowingly passed another tiny new feature, which is the new battery door/cap. That part is now replaceable, in case it gets ripped off by your 1-year-old in a fit of cracker induced rage. Previously, that was not fixable (though, the port was previously also water resistant too).
Next, if you look carefully at the front of the unit you’ll find the ambient light sensor in the upper left corner. This sensor will automatically turn on the backlight in darker lighting conditions, such as tunnels or at night. In my testing it didn’t quite respond as fast as I would have liked – with some tunnels never quite triggering. Though, it’s also possible that was just part of the general bundle of issues I was having.
Finally, a quick look at size, here is the Wahoo BOLT V1, V2, and Wahoo ROAM – as well as the Garmin Edge 530:
With that larger size, the weight went up slightly as well, from 61g to 70g (for context, the Wahoo ROAM is 95g, and the Garmin Edge 530 is 79g). Here’s the old BOLT stacked atop the new BOLT (as the new BOLT is bigger).
Oh – and for lack of anywhere else to stick it, one question I asked Wahoo is whether or not this unit marks a potential ending point for the firmware of the Wahoo ROAM (or even the existing BOLT), given some of the features are tied to shifts in storage on the new BOLT. They said nope – they still plan to add new features there, even specifically noting “We have a lot of post-launch features…including to back-dated products”. They went on to say that as long as the feature isn’t dependent on coloring, screen specifics, memory, or other hardware limitations – they’ll try and include it in, specifically noting that “very limited feature updates that would fall into that [no-update category]”, and that they don’t “intend to penalize our customers” for buying their past products.
The Big Caveat:
Now at this point, I’d normally have all sorts of nifty sections in this review. But then again, this isn’t called an in-depth review. It’s a ‘review in progress’, because, frankly, I can’t get the photos and video I need to actually make it a review. I wish I could. For more than a week and a half I’ve been iterating firmware versions, playing whack-a-mole with issues.
Wahoo’s working on things, but I’ve had one of the worst test experience I’ve ever had on a GPS unit. Data fields sometimes take 2-3 minutes to update, I’ve got never-ending crashes, as well as constant sensor dropouts across multiple sensor types (HR, power, cadence, eTAP). I went 6 miles the wrong direction on yesterday’s ride because it didn’t tell me otherwise, mapping was often minutes behind my actual position (when it, rarely, worked). Chunks of ride files lost, live tracking randomly ending 1-mile into a ride. Today it crashed mid-ride, sensors dropped out again frequently (and spiked in other cases), and map/turn notifications were on average 30-90 seconds delayed. The list goes on and on (seriously, there are endless e-mail threads on it).
In my case, I set things up like a normal user, such as using a Wahoo TICKR HR strap, a single power meter, and simple synced Strava routes.
Wahoo believes the core of my issues may be related to the density of the bike routes and map data in my area (Amsterdam), as stability seems to improve the further away from Amsterdam I get, and then get worse the closer I get back home. Though, even that’s not always consistent. However, other folks I know and trust have had essentially flawless experiences, potentially because they ride in places that aren’t the world’s epicenter for bike paths and bike infrastructure.
Ironically, you’ll remember almost exactly three years ago – my choice of hometown ended up delaying the Garmin Edge 520 Plus launch too – for exactly the same reasons (albeit, minus all the crashes, lost ride chunks, and sensor dropouts). It’s astounding how close that scenario is to this scenario. But like that one, I don’t really know when Wahoo will fix the issue, or who else it might impact. Wahoo is frantically trying to figure it out, and perhaps they’ll have a solution this afternoon. Or, it might not be for two months. I just don’t know – and I don’t think they know either. Else, there wouldn’t be a Wahoo engineer parked outside the DCR cave right now off re-riding my yesterday ride with a just-released developer test firmware that might solve at least one of my core issues.
Thus, until I can get a single functional successful ride (hell, indoors or outdoors), it’s hard to start truly forming a long-term opinion of the new BOLT.
Update – Friday Evening May 28th: Wahoo’s engineers worked through the night to track down the cause of the core density routing issue which was essentially death-spiraling the issue. They then tested it from the DCR Cave, side by side with units on the old firmware and new firmware. The old firmware death spiraled, the new firmware fixed that issue. I then went out for a ride with it, and was able to successfully complete the ride. As well as another ride this afternoon/evening. No routing issues, nor crash issues. Some minor sensor issues for both ANT+ HR (Wahoo TICKR) & ANT+ power (Quarq DZero), that I’ll continue to work with them. I’ll circle back likely late next week to convert this to a full in-depth review.
Update 2 – June 14th, 2021: There are good days (rides) and bad days (rides). That’s where I’m at with the BOLT V2. Last weekend I had a horrendous ride that crashed the unit twice and eventually totally shut off, leaving me in the middle of nowhere without a functional BOLT. This past weekend was mostly good. It got me where I was going, and without major issue. Still, there are lots of minor issues (echoed by tons of people in the comments). Still had sensor dropouts on the heart rate side, still have incorrect elevation data, still have no notifications, and there’s still some quirky re-routing choices (not horrible, but kinda weird).
Summary:
As one might surmise at this juncture, writing a summary section is tricky for me right now. If we temporarily set aside the less than optimal experience I’ve had thus far, I’d say on paper this is a great option for either existing Wahoo BOLT users that want maps or color, or people who simply wanted to get into the Wahoo ecosystem without the price of the Wahoo ROAM. That’s notable for those that may be considering a Wahoo RIVAL watch, and are looking at some of that integration there on the triathlon side.
At the same time, I don’t think there’s really any reason for existing Wahoo ROAM users to pick up a BOLT V2. Sure, it has a few minor new tweaks, but unless you really wanted the smaller size, it’s probably not worth the mostly lateral shift. Similarly, I’m not convinced this is a model that’s going to take away any significant sales from the Garmin Edge 530 (at $299), given that it’s got a cruise ship full of added features Wahoo doesn’t have, and is largely considered pretty stable and dependable these days. But as has been the case for the last 1-2 years, most decisions on Wahoo vs Garmin tend to be more like political discussions than anything. It’s the sports tech equivalent of iOS vs Android.
Now as I already beat to death above, I simply don’t know when Wahoo will fix the substantial issues I saw (and it sounds like some others saw too). It’s entirely plausible the engineer that departed here a few minutes ago with the most recent internal development build will come back without failures, thus passing off the unit to me to ride for a bit and see if I can break it. Or, maybe he won’t come back at all – a victim to the routing issues I had. Or, maybe he’ll stop at the now open bar terraces and call it done. I don’t know. But, when I do know – I’ll report back.
With that – thanks for reading!
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Hopefully you found this review/post useful. At the end of the day, I’m an athlete just like you looking for the most detail possible on a new purchase – so my review is written from the standpoint of how I used the device. The reviews generally take a lot of hours to put together, so it’s a fair bit of work (and labor of love). As you probably noticed by looking below, I also take time to answer all the questions posted in the comments – and there’s quite a bit of detail in there as well.
If you're shopping for the Wahoo ELEMNT BOLT V2 or any other accessory items, please consider using the affiliate links below! As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. It doesn’t cost you anything extra, but your purchases help support this website a lot.
And finally, here’s a handy list of accessories that work well with this unit (and some that I showed in the review). Given the unit pairs with ANT+ & Bluetooth Smart sensors, you can use just about anything though.
I love out-front mounts. Both Barfly and K-Edge make good ones. I primarily use the aluminum ones though, because this mount comes with a GoPro (and light/Di2) adapter on the bottom. So I can mount a GoPro up front and have the footage be rock solid.
The Garmin Varia radar alerts you to cars coming up behind you, well before you see them. It's awesome for quieter roads (country roads/mountains), especially on longer rides. It's less useful for city riding. The RVR315 skips the light.
The Varia radar has become incredibly popular in the last year, with most bike GPS companies supporting it (Wahoo, Stages, Hammerhead, Garmin, and more soon). It notifies you of overtaking traffic. While useless for cities, it's amazing for quieter country roads.
This dual ANT+/Bluetooth Smart sensor will transmit cadence not only to your bike computer/watch, but also 3rd party apps like Zwift, TrainerRoad, and more.
Speed sensors are primarily useful for offroad usage. I don't find much of a need for one while road-cycling, but for mountain bike trails they can help alleviate speed/distance issues with poor GPS reception in dense trees.
The Wahoo TICKR is their baseline dual ANT+/Bluetooth Smart chest strap that includes basic broadcasting of heart rate data to apps. If you don't care about all the fancy features of the TICKR X, this is one of the best straps out there. The 'just works' factor is high.
The TICKR FIT is Wahoo's optical HR sensor band, and overall it's a pretty solid no-frills offering. It broadcasts dual ANT+/BLE with a claimed 30 hours of battery life. It doesn't have any other features beyond that. Simple and straightforward.
The TICKR X is Wahoo's top-end chest strap that not only does dual ANT+/Bluetooth Smart (with two Bluetooth Smart channels), but also Running Dynamics, running pace, storage of workouts when you don't have a watch/phone, and even music control and laps.
And of course – you can always sign-up to be a DCR Supporter! That gets you an ad-free DCR, access to the DCR Quarantine Corner video series packed with behind the scenes tidbits...and it also makes you awesome. And being awesome is what it’s all about!
Thanks for reading! And as always, feel free to post comments or questions in the comments section below, I’ll be happy to try and answer them as quickly as possible. And lastly, if you felt this review was useful – I always appreciate feedback in the comments below. Thanks!
Thanks for the information. Now that I have moved away from Garmin Connect ro use Runalyze as my main platform, this device -when fixed- seems like a really interesting alternative to an Edge unit.
As always, the question I always make, presented to the community:
When receiving a message in japanese, will this unit show them properly?
And a totally new one for this device:
Dos it support alternative maps, like the myriad of openstreetmap derivatives available for Garmin?
The routable maps for the Roam are much larger file sizes, therefore one benefit of the OG Bolt and Elemnt is lost, you cannot store as many maps on the unit at one time.
A distinct disadvantage for niche Ultra distance racers!
On the Roam, the preloaded maps were non-routable ones. For the routing to work, the local routable map needed to be downloaded, a much larger file and the unit soon ran out of storage.
Are the Boltv2 preloaded ones already routable?
@Dc Would you be able to test the battery life? If it’s colored doesn’t mean it should be decreased, or they actually changed the battery to maintain the life?
Yes, I normally include real-life battery estimates (especially since Wahoo does write the data to the .FIT file, and I can pull that data out from the DCR Analyzer). Unfortunately, given the nature of my outdoor rides to date, I simply don’t have any data to go on yet.
Assuming that they can get the BOLT V2 working, would you go ROAM or BOLT V2? I was literally watching ROAM reviews on YouTube while riding the trainer early this morning before all of this happened because I’ve been thinking about upgrading from my BOLT V1 (which is just feeling a bit tired). Would the only reason to go with the ROAM be to get the larger screen?
Really just depends on the size of the screen. The thing is, the new BOLT has more color and storage access. Practically speaking that gives it slightly more features in terms of color zones (though, the ROAM has a secondary color LED panel). The mapping elevation data is useful if you were to do one-off routes from your phone a lot, but basically not something you’d use for any other mapping providers.
The screen on BOLT2 is so good! Even at the smaller size I find it easier to read most of the time. I will probably use my Roam far less going forward. So if I were in the market I would probably save some money and do bolt 2 over roam. Unless the largest screen is of most importance.
Buy Wahoo! It has LEDs and setup via mobile. Aaaaand, that’s it.
I loved those features on mine. But I prefer Garmin since they solved those battery issues.
Hey, I just wanted to fill in a few things from Ray’s pre-review. I’ve been working with Ray today; First i just wanted to say, the new BOLT went through extensive testing with over 300 testers, in 18 countries and over 2500 rides; Ray did run into a few issues and he hasn’t had the unit long, however today we discovered a problem in very high density cities (there are only a few in the world) that contain loads of map data and unfortunately this is believed to be the source of his issues the last few days. I am confident we have found the cause of the issue and Ray should have a unit later today with our goal is to have this fix available to all users by the end of this week. Wahoo is committed to delivering the highest quality products, as always, consumers should have complete confidence in purchasing an ELEMNT BOLT from Wahoo. If anyone has any questions I will keep an eye on the comments.
Thanks, Murray! I’m ready to go all in on a new BOLT together with a RIVAL, but could you please, please, please roll out those structured workouts for the RIVAL for us OCD triathletes? I know not BOLT related, but since you’re here. :)
Great and thanks for asking, we have structured workouts and headwind control rolling out to OCD triathletes today as well!! (I think I can tell you that….)
The indoor issues were related to sensors. First, I had ANT+ FE-C issues where it wouldn’t control my NEO. And then when I sidestepped that and connected to a generic power meter I had ANT+ sensor dropout issues on the heart rate sensor (TICKR).
My understanding is the standalone HR sensor dropout issue was fixed (but my other issue then impacted that). I don’t know if the FE-C issue is fixed yet.
Hi Murray, if I order the new Bolt from your UK website today, would it be without the issues Ray has experienced? I’m keen to move from Garmin but don’t want to regret the change. So would rather wait for the issues to be addressed before making the change. Thanks
And, sure enough, looks like the RIVAL firmware has been updated today as you indicated. I know I’m still off-topic, but Ray, have you had a chance to play with the structured workout implementation?
The Rival workouts was on my to-do list for the last few days prior to today’s announcements, but things got a bit sidetracked chasing down stuff here, so I didn’t have time to dig in. It’s on my plate for tomorrow.
Currently neither Ant+ FE-C not BT FTMS work with my Neo2 on the bolt. It does work fine with my Kickr Bike using the legacy control communication- but not FTMS either. I’m sure that it will be fixed soon.
Hi Gavin, You won’t have any issues, the issue is resolved and a update will be going out very soon. It really was only an issue in a few cities. Thanks!
@Wahoo Murray – any chances for custom workouts and separate odometers for different bikes? Odometer is a veeeery basic feature of almost every bike computer
Hi, this is a bummer for me. I love the bolt.
But I just bought my first elemnt bolt steath edition last month, after checking and reading all the reviews. Your review convinced me in buying it.
Before I bought it, I checked if they were releasing a new version and couldn`t find anything. So I bought it, which wasn`t easy, because he was sold out everywhere. I was pretty happy, but now I`m a bit disappointed, I just bought a new but already obsolete model and probably for pretty much the same price as the new model. Which does suck a bit. Wahoo should give you the option to trade it for the new model if you bought the old one a few months ago..
Depending on when you bought the unit you might be able to return it. Of course a few months agao will probably be a stretch. Then again, there’s always ebay / craigslist.
I bought the unit (the stealth bundle) on 02/04 and registered on the wahoo website 09/04.
I bought the bolt online from a bikeshop here in Belgium, after an extensive search. Because I couldn`t find it anywhere, because it was sold out for months. I was very happy to finally find it.
but now I have a very mixed feeling. I`m not the person to buy expensive stuff every year. I was planning to use this unit for years. But I do know that this unit is now obsolete and updates will not be supported very long anymore.
I also love the new features, especially the color screen and gps updates. For me the black and grey screen for the navigation isn`t really clear to me. So the colors could help alot.
I don`t think I can return my unit to the bikeshop. They probably don`t want to switch a “used” unit for a new unit or should I contact Wahoo if there`s something I can do. I haven`t used it more then 4 times and there not a scratch on it. It`s still as new as when I bought it. :) I try to take good care of all the expensive stuff I own.
I would also of course pay the difference if the V2 is a bit more expensive. I also would not mind if I have to wait a bit.
I’m in the same boat. As I found in a German review it seems to work this way: new bolt on old mount works (not perfectly flush though), old bolt on new mount won’t work (which isn’t an issue for both of us I suppose).
I’ve contacted one of the content creators on shapeways and he said Wahoo Fitness originally made their mount available as a 3D file and he doesn’t see that they still have this available. He will try contacting them to see if it will be something they have in the future.
Also very curious about whether prior BOLT mounts will work. Hope they do.
As someone who’s had plenty of Wahoos and Garmins, I am surprised more people don’t comment on screen legibility in bright sunlight – Wahoo is exceptional whereas Garmin is terrible.
Really excited about trying this – hope they integrate Sufferfest workouts soon.
It’s mixed. These days if you have buy a newer Garmin Edge and have an older Garmin Edge, it’ll automatically pull in all your data pages/fields, as well as your sensors.
But if you’re new to Garmin, then aside from some quick profile-type stuff, it’ll still require on-device configuration for most things.
To me, I go both ways. I prefer on-device configuration when I want to change things mid-ride, but totally get that a lot of folks (quite reasonably) want to configure their unit the first time on their phone.
Ideally, we’d all adopt the Stages model which allows you to configure it on device, on phone, or on web. And it magically synces itself like a giant threesome.
Edge 530 requires a lot more fiddling to set everything up than Elemnt Bolt. However, the plus side is that you can configure in the Edge 530 in much more detail than you can configure the Elemnt Bolt.
When I had an Elemnt Bolt, I was never truly happy with the data screens. Using the device felt like Wahoo had made too many assumptions for me. I returned back to Garmin for that reason and have been much happier with the Edge 530. The navigation is also superior.
In fact, when Wahoo gets the new Bolt working smoothly, it’s still two years behind Garmin.
I really love the Bolt V1 when following a premade route. However, it’s very hard to navigate ‘on the fly’ because the smaller roads (and thus nicer to ride your bike) disappear when zooming out on the map. Is that the same for the V2?
That’s why I love your reviews. You are probably the only one that will say this. All the other ones can’t or won’t say that Wahoo is selling a faulty product.
Though, to be clear, I don’t doubt most other reviewers aren’t probably having all the issues I’ve had. I have complete trust in many of them, like DesFit and GPLAMA (and others, I just haven’t had a chance to watch their videos yet) in saying it like it is here.
I always appreciate Rays honestly too. FWIW, I have had very few issues testing Bolt 2 – and the ones I had seen seem pretty resolved. I do t have a tacx trainer though – so can’t comment there. It’s too nice outside to bring myself to ride indoors … but I’ve done one indoor ride with my 2018 kickr which worked fine).
I suspect my Roam will get little use going forward. I like the screen on this that much.
Hi Pablo,
The BOLT V2 was very solid from my testing and as Ray mentioned, his particular issues were due to a dense area which I do not live in. I will be sure to mention issues if they arise. The caveat being, IF I have issues.
I was one of the first users of the original BOLT in Belgium (and had a very early production unit replaced by Wahoo after issues with the altitude data – which I actually think was a firmware issue that they solved just while I was waiting for the new unit, so I will never know), I am still using the Bolt, and with 10000+ (or 20000+, I don’t know) kilometers I have never had issues, and I never wanted a Garmin again.
Then I also got the ROAM as one of the first users in Belgium (again :D), which has been my primary unit since then (I actually use the ROAM on my primary road bike, and the BOLT on the other). I also used it for more than 10000 kms, and I only had a mid-ride reboot once, but even then the first half of the ride was recovered and the recording just continued wit ha one minute gap. It has been more than 2 years ago, and never happened since then.
[I was also the one who pointed out the bezel-gate on twitter for the ROAM (the actual bezel being much wider than on the press renders), and while I don’t really care, I still remember this as a slight negative point for Wahoo.]
With all this introduction, I am just here to say that assuming these early issues are fixed, this looks like a great upgrade for the BOLT, and I like all the changes that are listed in this post. I especially like the new font types, it seems to make the screen sharper and more legible (and legibility was always a plus point on the BOLT to start with, thanks to the great contrast). I also like the colour coded background for power, that is something I could see myself using often. The tick bezel on the top is not my favourite, but still better than on the sides. Looking forward to the updates from the engineer :D
Me too, or even color coding the gradients in the climb screen or having a better zoom function with clear scaling for it. If they close the gap with Garmin for climbing I would be very happy
+1 @Wahoo Murray
Any infos about that? The zoom function in the elevation chart of my Bolt v1 is terrible…
Would realy appriciate something like the climb pro…
Recently (last three articles or so) some element on your web page causes Safari to refresh every 3 to 5 minutes. This refresh scrolls back to the top of the page and resets the cursor there. This makes the article quite hard to read. In fact, this happened as I was trying to create this comment the first time (erasing what I had written).
I have been using BOLT’s since the beginning, and was very pleased with it.
But since a couple of weeks, I ran into big trouble, as my BOLT refuses to load any route, and the helpdesk of Wahoo is absolutely useless: they are unable to read my messages and do not understand anything about software development.
So, I wonder if the software issues of the new BOLT extend to the existing BOLT (same codebase)?
It took the helpdesk several weeks to aknowledge that my problem was “a known issue”. Unfortunately, without no indication of when it is gonna be solved. They do not seem to realise that a GPS that cannot load routes is pretty much useless…
Very sad…
I started to experience this issue just this weekend. And this is super frustrating. The way I managed to go about was that once connected to WiFi, it synced routes from komoot (my case) and I managed to get the route with the workaround.
I have the BoltV1 and it worked flawlessly up until a few months ago (2-3months) when there was an ELEMNT app and firmware update. It broke route synchronization between the Bolt and the app. I have 178+ routes on the Bolt, while the ELEMNT app only has 98 routes. Wahoo is discouraging use of .fit files as routes and recommend using RidewithGPS, Strava apps instead for route creation.
I use the EasyRoute app to create the .fit files for my routes and upload it from my iPhone to the Bolt via the ELEMNT app. It’s a one-time fee vs the monthly fee that RidewithGPS charges. Perhaps Wahoo and RidewithGPS are in cahoots to drive up subscription revenue to the cycling apps. I dunno.
At least I can still upload .fit routes to the Bolt, however, route management is broken. I cannot delete routes that I have uploaded to the Bolt I can delete them from the ELMENT app, but the route stays in the Bolt, as if its write-only. Eventually, the memory space in the Bolt will run out and/or the number of routes stored will become unwieldy to sort through.
I have done a factory reset of the Bolt as well, but the old routes remain once Bolt is paired with the ELEMNT app. Strange.
A few more details, perhaps, someone from Wahoo software engineering is listening…
ELEMNT app Version History: “(1.38.2) Improved: Route support”, coincided with the loss of route sync between ELEMNT and Bolt as it relates to imported .fit files.
Synchro issue for me as well With Bv1. This winter there were firmware updates seemingly 2-3x/week. It’s probably been over a month since the last update and the workout history synchronisation is hit and miss (mostly miss). Helpdesk says it’s a known issue. I’m very interested in Bv2 but not if Wahoo has an insect infestation.
Do you know of a Dutch retailer selling this? Can’t find anything. Wiggle and Amazon EU have nothing either.
Willing to give it a try, since my Garmin 830 is already practically useless in and around Amsterdam for routing … or really anywhere with multiple bike lanes and high road density. It just won’t work.
Not yet, though, I know the guys at RideOut Amsterdam (local bike shop just around the cornre) often seem to have stock of new Wahoo gear the day it gets announced. I don’t see anything on their Instagram yet, but I’m sure you could reach out and they’d know.
Thanks for the great article. When the issues are all sorted i’d be very interested in a stabilised test of the TBT routing. I have the Garmin Edge 530 which has a bug where the screen zooms in a many junctions making the graphic totally misleading. Otherwise it’s a great unit but this bug infuriates me so much i might switch to this wahoo unit.
“I’ve got never-ending crashes, as well as constant sensor dropouts across multiple sensor types (HR, power, cadence, eTAP).”
The sensor dropouts is not an issues exclusive to this new unit. I’ve been dealing with it for a couple of months now with my Roam. About every three or four rides (all outside), it just suddenly stops connecting to my Varia, Powertap and Assiomas (power meters are on different bikes). Sometimes I get nothing from the very beginning, sometimes everything will pair up just fine only to drop 5-10mins into the ride. When the later happens about 50% of the time I can get things to repair only by “forgetting” each device and re-syncing. Not really a good solution during a group ride. The only thing that never drops out is my Tickr Fit strap.
Exactly the same here. Only HR works well, Radar and Powermeter are worst. (Interestingly, there was a time in between were Power did work and HR did not connect; you can’t have it all with Wahoo it seems.)
Same here, drops Varia Radar and Assiomas mid-ride. What worked for me was to just hit the settings button and then hiring it again to go back to data fields. Power and Radar popped up again!
FWIW, I have the old v1 Bolt and my connections to varia radar, 4iiii power meter, and polar HRM all seem solid. No drops I can recall. Maybe this issue is specific to new chips in Roam and v2 Bolt? Also all my stuff connects via ANT+ alone. Are you guys experiencing drops doing a mixture of BTLE and Ant?
Did they finally update the CPU or is it still really really slow to boot, change screens and pretty much anything? Update the WiFi to any of the more current 5 GHz standards?
I’m VERY curious about this as well. The only thing the device does quickly is update the screen when changing display settings on the iPhone app. This is a good thing ’cause it’s my biggest huurraahh for the Wahoo over Garmin which is a PIA to change settings. But it sure would be nice to have it run faster than an iPad v1.
Hi Ray! Thanks so much for this review, I’ve been waiting for a new BOLT with better routing. But, there’s one key feature that I NEED, and they never publish specs on. If you could help me out, it’ll save a potential purchase/return cycle.
I live in a rural area, and there are very few roads. I often ride with no planned route, just exploring. I look down at the BOLT to see if I should turn: does this road dead-end? Does it curve east or west? The problem is, there are ONLY secondary and tertiary roads on my rides, so when I zoom out far enough to see a few miles ahead, all the roads vanish, and I’m staring at a blank screen. They seem to have optimized the viewing density for urban areas.
I bought a ROAM, and it was actually worse than the BOLT, despite a bigger screen! It eliminated the roads I care about a full zoom level earlier. See the attached photo: BOLT and ROAM are both at the same zoom level, but the ROAM doesn’t show my road. The BOLT does. This is a complete non-starter for my use. If the new BOLT gives more detail at lower zoom levels, I’m ordering ASAP. If it’s less than the old BOLT, it’s dead to me.
This was one of my major annoyances when I had the Bolt. When I zoomed out the map would be completely useless. I could be on a major road but the map would only show the nearby highways — so no roads where cycling is even legal.
Below’s a screenshot I made showing the map when I zoom in. Left to right, the first four zoom levels are almost useless. The fifth zoom level is then suddenly EXTREMELY dense with information.
In general, this is something where Garmin is years and years ahead of Wahoo. Of course they have decades and decades of more experience with navigation.
We have totally replaced the map rendering engine on the new BOLT and have much improved the road networks when zooming out you will get at least 2 or 3 extra zoom levels with most roads.
I got my new BOLT, see attached: at 2000ft zoom, both are the same. At 1mi, the new BOLT is better for secondary roads, but not tertiary. These are where I spend most of my riding time, and just one more zoom level on them would be huge. It’s not worse, like the ROAM (a total non-starter, I returned mine before it ever got ridden), so I’ll be keeping it and bothering you guys for updates. Just give me the dial-in info for your next increment planning meeting and I’ll have some nice PowerPoint to make my case!
Some intelligent rendering that automatically applied or removed road network levels based on screen density would be fantastic, but I understand that may be very difficult to implement. What about a user-selected toggle button, “high density” or “low density”, or some such options? Ray can keep it at the “low” setting in Amsterdam, and I could set it to “high” out here in the boonies. Probably a bad time to ask, since apparently increased road density is causing issues for you right now…
Hello DC, firstly you are the best! Congratulations please proceed as usual. Concerning the new bold, is it compatible with the Garmin radar RTL ? The wahoo Roam is compatible but not the previous Bold….
Thanks in advance and best regards
Enzo
I think the Bolt 2 is still based on Android. Which Android version is currently in use? How many CPUs has the Bolt 2?
Which GPS-Chip the Bolt 2 use?
Then another question about the maps from Wahoo. OSM maps are known to change all the time. Garmin Edge devices get map updates 1-2 times a year. How often does Wahoo send map updates to the Devices? How do I, as a user, get the information that there is a map update available for my Bolt 2/Roam ? Did never see something about Map-Updates in the Element-App.
Is it possible to have more then one Element-Device in the App?
Is it possible to have more thAn one Element-Device in the App?
Yes and no from my empirical experiment.
You can pair a second Bolt to the ELEMNT app, but the routes and history are part of the ELEMNT app data. I think its Many-to-One synchronization, as in Many Bolt units to One ELEMNT app.
I have not tried a second ELEMNT app (on a different iPhone). Perhaps someone else has tried that.
From my observations, the ELEMNT app or Bolt should not be relied upon as a ride archive (neither should Strava or Dropbox). The Bolt should be treated as a ride/data recorder, which is uploaded to ELEMNT app (or Strava/Dropbox) which is then treated as a temporary cache. The ride data should then be offloaded from Strava/Dropbox to a USB drive/hard drive/computer.
Perhaps @DCrainmaker should write up a white paper about the proper methods for ride data archival and analysis.
I’m not sure on the CPU-related specs, most of the time companies don’t release that. So we only really find out later on when someone takes it apart.I also don’t know exactly how often Wahoo recompiles maps from the larger OSM repositories they use.
For multiple units per app, yes, you can. I’ve got a slew of units in my Wahoo app today.
In my case, I have the Wahoo stuffs (any unit) send data to TrainingPeaks, Strava, and Dropbox. The Dropbox data I then place into a folder structure per ride with all the other data files from other devices from that ride/run/whatever. I have a Dropbox business account, but it’s also backed up to my Synology NAS too, so everything is pretty well covered.
Generally speaking for files that I’m analyzing for a review, those also get uploaded to the DCR Analyzer as a set for that given workout.
Yes the new Bolt has an all new Chipset with a new multi-core processor. We are using the Sony chipset for GPS.
We having been updating maps about 1-2 times a year and the updates are shown in the companion app. We would love to increase the frequency to 4 times a year.
I have about 10 devices paired in my companion app…
Processor for the budget Qualcomm Snapdragon 212 APQ8009. Productivity is low, it is at the 2015 level. As you can see, RAM memory is also skeptical, although in the case of a system optimized for the main application, maybe 1 GB of RAM is enough, although I think that for an Android-based device it is still a bit small.
bolt2p0:/ # cat /proc/version
Linux version 3.18.120-perf-gebca802-00001-g4163b9b (bolt@bolt-Parallels-Virtual-Platform) (gcc version 4.8 (GCC) ) #1 SMP PREEMPT Mon May 10 20:58:32 EDT 2021
bolt2p0:/ # cat /proc/cpuinfo
processor : 0
model name : ARMv7 Processor rev 5 (v7l)
BogoMIPS : 38.40
Features : half thumb fastmult vfp edsp neon vfpv3 tls vfpv4 idiva idivt vfpd32 lpae evtstrm
CPU implementer : 0x41
CPU architecture: 7
CPU variant : 0x0
CPU part : 0xc07
CPU revision : 5
[…]
Hardware : Qualcomm Technologies, Inc APQ8009
Revision : 0000
Serial : 0000000000000000
Processor : ARMv7 Processor rev 5 (v7l)
bolt2p0:/ # cat /proc/meminfo
MemTotal: 962780 kB
Any idea of whether the processor has been updated on the new Bolt? This may also play a role in the issues being experienced. I seem to recall reviews of the ROAM, that suggested it may be under-powered from a processing standpoint.
Not sure there. Typically speaking most IPX7 ports don’t provide for active charging in liquid, unless it’s called out specifically. Of course, if the cable itself is one of those special water-tight seal sorta of cables, that’s a bit different.
How embarrassing. Been a Wahoo computer user since the OG RFLKT. I’ve owned every computer they’ve made (except for the mini) and am usually on board the Wahoo HYPE train but what a shitshow amateur hour.
You send YOUR best most tested and QC’d computer to Ray (and Shane) for review.
Good grief. The thing flat out didn’t work for goddamn the ONE person you want it to work for.
Amsterdam is tricky for mapping/navigation-related bike products. In the same way NYC is tricky for GPS-related products. I often wonder if I lived full time in NYC, how might sports-watch GPS accuracy be different today?
As I noted up above, Wahoo isn’t alone here. The Garmin dge 520 Plus was delayed (shipping) due to the issue I had with routing at the time, and delays. Sure, it wasn’t as substantial as this – but it was enough that I literally would go past the turn before it would tell about the turn that just happened. They eventually fixed it, and then started shipping the product.
Hammerhead had some minor early Karoo 2 teething pain as well with the density of the Dutch cycle paths around Amsterdam too.
Just as Garmin had some early challenges with the specific running track I use near Olympic stadium. Obviously, that doesn’t mean there aren’t other tracks. Some companies do indeed send engineers to test out devices in the areas I test. Wahoo sends their engineers to swim in the lake next to the DCR Cave, and did boatloads of testing at my track for their RIVAL track mode.
That doesn’t guarantee their success of course, as I’m still kinda random – and in normal times, I could just as easily be in Cape Town one weekend and the Canadian Rockies the next. In general though, the earlier I have a product in my hands, the easier it is to find show-stoppers, and the more time to fix said show-stoppers. Of course, no software is ever perfect.
Just a minor update for folks. The Wahoo engineer who came up today went out for his ride, and came back successfully (despite horrifically timed weather). He had four units on his handlebar (pic attached), three with a new firmware that they hoped would target the big-ticket routing engine death-spiral issue I was seeing in my denser Amsterdam conditions, and one unit with the same firmware I was using.
The three units with the tweaked firmware all worked, and the unit with firmware that matched my unit crashed. It sounds like there’s one more minor tweak they want to make overnight (my time) to clean up a few ancillary things before I head back out. But he left one of the three ‘known goods’ with me.
Assuming I get the go-ahead from Wahoo Murray (a different lead, in the comments above) I’ll give it a whirl tomorrow on a ride probably.
The new firmware update (which I believe went public late last night or this morning) solves the map density-driven issues (which in turn caused most issues). Meaning, that I was able to get my first ride in yesterday successfully (and my second ride in total also, successfully).
I had some minor TICKR dropouts on yesterday’s ride, and some minor power dropouts on today’s ride (I also need to more deeply look at the HR data from today’s ride, haven’t had the chance yet – I just saw the drop-out real-time today, so I know that specifically).
Hey Wahoo Murray saw the new update for the Rival with structured workouts. YAY!!! Any thought of bringing the Varia radar to the Rival? Also is there a roadmap for expected updates and features somewhere?
Thanks, another option to consider when replacing my 520. Had been waiting for Garmin to release an update to the 530 but not sure if that is coming any time soon.
Thanks so much for your in progress review. I had long hoped for a successor to my Roam, but after reading your text, I realized what I actually want or better don’t want: I no longer want to live with the absolutely miserable software quality of Wahoo. For several years, they have introduced with each firmware update or software release bugs and destroyed features, which previously ran smoothly. I’ve had countless email threads with nice Wahoo support people but ultimately I’ve just been put off every time. My powermeter only work correctly for one or two rides at most. I actually have sensor drops on every ride (esp. radar). I often can’t select routes in the companion app even though they’ve already been synced to the device – the loading bar just hangs. Simple translation errors have not been fixed for years, even though I have neatly documented and corrected them for free. I could go on like this forever, but it wouldn’t do my blood pressure any good. Much of what is in your text is familiar to me as a current Wahoo user and to read that Wahoo has once again managed to make everything worse instead of better with a new (hardware) release has made me realize that I am done with them. I come from Garmin because the usability hell and instability had totally annoyed me, was briefly happy with Wahoo Bolt, never got warm with the Roam and would not hesitate to spend money on a Karoo 2 if I knew that it just ran stable.
Regarding the Karoo 2- I’ve had one since it first came out and have not had a single problem in the four months since then. Now, of course, that is just one user that only uses some of the features. Nevertheless, I have never had a sensor drop or not connect in the first place. Routing always works. The screens are super easy to set up and change. Even mid-ride. And Hammerhead manages to push out substantial software updates about twice a month with real improvements in user interface and features (as well as bug fixes) and I haven’t had any previously working things break. There are a few things they could do better- better use of color in graphs and data fields, even more UI flexibility, etc.. But I have been surprised how solid it has been for me. I got it mainly for the large, bright screen but I was happily surprised about the software quality.
My wife has lots of troubles with her Bolt, too (but mostly Companion app related – connecting to the device, syncing routes to the Bolt, uploading rides to Komoot and Health app etc.) and some friends with their Roams. But mine seems especially worse regarding sensor connectivity. I’ve described all this in great detail to the support but they’ve never offered a replacement during the warranty period – therefore I actually don’t know.)
David, I am interested in your experience with the Karoo2. I am looking at replacing my Garmin Edge 1000 and need something with a better screen. My eyes are fading as I get older and the text on the Garmin is hard to read depending on the sunshine.
Like I mentioned, over the last 10 years (I’m almost 61 now) my main interest is getting a screen that I can read both with and without my glasses. I sweat a lot and a lot of times I have to remove my glasses. I have the Edge 1030 and it was ok but was not very bright and the touchscreen would randomly change screens when sweat dropped on it. Even on minimum sensitivity. So, I tried the Stages L50 which has a super screen but is missing out on a lot of navigation features and a lot of other things. So, I got the Karoo 2 to try out (I have the 1030, 2 Bolts, and Elemnt, and a L50). That has been the best for me so far- I run the screen at about 20% backlight level and 4 or 5 fields per screen and I can read everything without glasses. The touchscreen always responds to touches but I have never had it switch on its own (or course, in Arizona we rarely have pouring rain). I can even read the numbers (but not the text) with 8 fields on the screen. So, from a visibility POV it is great. Otherwise it works like a bike computer should- everything connects and stays connected, mapping and routing works, a lot of easy to configure data fields. The main thing that I would like to be added is connection to TrainerRoad workouts. Right now they only support TrainingPeaks. As an example of the things that have rolled out in the last few months are light and dark mode (like a phone), Better navigation through settings. Added an App store and the XERT app as the first app. It works great. Also, a feature where the sensor status is shown on every data field. For example, if you have a power field and it shows a number it means that a powermeter is connected. If the meter isn’t connected the field says either “searching” or “connecting”, same for HR and all the other sensors. Its great in that if something were to drop out (or you PM goes to sleep in a coffee stop) you will know it and you will know when its awake again. And in the 6 or 7 software updates so far since I got mine nothing has broken that I know of. So far it’s been solid which is number one for me.
This is precisely the feeling I’ve been getting. Garmin software bites. Wahoo software is headed that way. Unless things clean up dramatically and quickly it looks like I’ll it’s time for me to try the least suckiest of the bunch, Karoo 2.
Paul, regarding the Karoo 2 I can only second the positive impressions that David already shared. It is really not that often that I’m positively surprised by a sports tech device but in my case Hammerhead definitely exceeded (and keeps exceeding) my expectations. It just works – everytime. Routing works, sensors work, upload works, radar works – even Ant+ Lightning works. Battery burn is quite stable at 8% per hour for me. In fact, I’m so convinced of the K2 that I bought a second one for my wife and every time we go out for a ride together she keeps referring to the Edge 530 which she has been using before and saying that the Hammerhead is so much easier to live with and especially the map/display is way easier to read. The frequent software updates are another plus. Of course, there are numerous people out there which seem to have problems with the K2 and I’m far from claiming it is the perfect GPS unit, but my personal experiences are really encouraging. Btw, I’m not related to or sponsored by Hammerhead in any way – and I think after the Edge 520, 520 Plus, 820, Edge 1030, Edge 1030 Plus and even a BOLT in between that I owned before I have quite a good overview about recent und current units.
If you need to read your computer display with, or without glasses, then buy a pair of Duals (dualeyewear.com). I’m 61 and have using them for years…I don;t leave home without them.
Any idea when this will be available in Canada? I clicked on the Backcountry.com and competitivecyclist affiliate links you shared, however shipping cost is almost $30 US.
I had high hopes for the Bolt 2 to replace my aging Bolt 1; so I picked one up this morning. Oddly it refuses to connect to my Polar H7 sensor. Both my other fitness devices (Garmin Instinct, Bolt 1) connect to it, except the Bolt 2. Could be a defective BLE implementation or deliberate drop of BLE-only HR sensor feature? I’ve reached out to support to hear more before I bring it back to the store to get my money back.
Ah, so all BLE sensors are broken? Not nice. I’d guess the release date was set before the engineers said the product is ready. Let’s hope Wahoo can come up with a quick fix and we can all enjoy being actual customers and not beta testers.
Update: received some unhelpful response from support claiming that they don’t provide troubleshooting steps for particular sensors. My claim that Bolt1 works Bolt2 doesn’t apparently didn’t register with the support person. Does anyone know if BLE sensor problems are known to Wahoo engineers, and is being worked on, or should I try to convince support to escalate my request to engineering?
Thanks Brian. Can you confirm that the sensors are actually connected via BTLE or ANT+? Most sensors broadcast on both BTLE/ANT+ and what I’ve found is that the Elemnt prefers the ANT+, at least that’s the case for my power meter.
As a workaround I’ll connect my H7 strap to my Garmin and use the ANT+ heart rate broadcasting feature to get the heart rate over to my Bolt2; but it’s a bit annoying.
Update after 2 days: wahoo support had pulled verbose sensor logs off my Bolt2 to diagnose BLE sensor pairing issue. No news yet whether it’s a SW or HW issue.
Same here.
Every sensor working except the Garmin H7 heart rate strap, which is a BT only device. Worked well with all previously released Wahoo cycling computers. I am pretty underwhelmed by the Bolt v2 so far because mapping also didn’t work.
Hope that a software update soon fixes the issues.
I haven’t checked the temperature metrics on previous FW, but on WA20-11606 it does seem to read slightly high: 30-31C inside, indeed it should be roughly 5C lower.
I currently have a Garmin 810 which I like, but it doesn’t seem to reroute. I also have the Garmin speed and cadence units. Will the Garmin speed and cadence work with the Bolt?
I may be wrong but could this be an evolution of the Pioneer SGX-CA600??? If I am not mistaken the helped Pioneer to develop that unit and it looks pretty close in design.
Is this new bolt compatible with Pioneer powermeters too??? I used the old bolt however I think it has to be my unit it has a lot of dropouts so I had to go back to the older CA500. If this new wahoo is compatible with pioneer and don’t have much dropouts I will pick it up.
With the older Elemnt Bolt I do not get turn by turn prompts of I sync a route from Strava but I do get it from RideWithGPS. I love everything else about my Bolt. Does the new Bolt get turn by turn with Strava routes?
Really like my Bv1 but the one missing feature which annoys me (and others) highly is that you can only load structured workouts via platforms like Trainingspeaks (not sure about other platforms, though). I have been hoping for years that Wahoo would add the possibility to add/store workouts manually (via app for example). The update never came.
(yes, I know there is the possibility to add workouts manually, but this is quite involved and cumbersome)
Has this feature been implemented in Bv2? Given the price tag this should really be a feature.
Yes, I’ve been using Trainerday. Problem with that was that it would often fail to push to Trainingpeaks. It failed more often than it would work. Just tried a few weeks ago. Fail. And then, why do you need to take these extra steps if Wahoo could just integrate it into their companion app. The Bolt is a training device.
Good to read that you can now easily delete workouts when managing workouts via USB. However, it’s 2021, this should work wireless via the companion app. The Bolt is a training device.
Thanks for pointing this issue out!
Very interested in the anwer as well.
If the map always keeps turning while navigating (with no way to switch it off), that would be a reason for me not to switch over to Wahoo.
(found the disussion “Disable map rotation while following a route” in Google Groups after your question, read the manual of the Bolt V1 before that and that left me with the false impression that you could always turn the rotating off: “If disabled, the top of the map will always face North.” )
I find the turning map distracting and confusing in areas you are familiar with.
And in areas you are not familiar with, you lose (quick) sight on the general direction you are going if you are being rerouted when you deviate from the original route.
I had the original Bolt before going back to Garmin (which is a love/hate relationship, mainly the latter), and with the Bolt it was not possible to force North Up when following a route. Someone asked whether that was still the case in the comments below Rainmaker’s review of the Roam and the answer was yes it was, unfortunately. I would be surprised if the Bolt2 was different but would like confirmation. Surely it is not difficult to implement, so I can only imagine Wahoo do not think people want North Up. Hopefully they read comments like yours and mine because like you I find I lose all sense of where I am if the map rotates – fine for races and fast training rides but if touring / exploring, at which the Roam in particular is marketed, I want North Up. I would love to get away from Garmin but like you, not having North Up is a dealbreaker.
Should have said, I can only imagine Wahoo do not think *many* people want North Up *as an option* – I am not suggesting it should be the only option :)
It’s a dealbreaker for me, too. I raised a support ticket about this a few years ago, when the Bolt was new. So people have been telling them this for a long time. It’s one of the reasons I ended up returning it. The others (aside from the map being useless when zoomed out, which is now fixed) were all significant bugs around connectivity, the companion app etc. Those support tickets got the same treatment as the north-up one. By the sounds of it, bugs are still thriving at Wahoo just as they are at Garmin. I probably need to try Hammerhead, surely *someone* can make a GPS that isn’t thick with bugs…?
Agree with almost everything you say but not being able to set North Up while following a route is not a bug – it’s just a basic feature that Wahoo has inexplicably ignored. So it’s up to them whether they add it but I hope they realise how many customers not doing so costs them.
I made a trip through the woods yesterday and… well I don’t think the GPS-Chipset is better… probably worse. I had several issues that the Bolt V2 did not find the right direction I wanted to take… here and there it was a little bit annoying… and also the switch of the alignment was slow and sometime in the first few seconds wrong..
well it was a very shaded wood … but the Bolt V1 was better.
hi
automatic rerouting sounds good but i some case it’s not what i want at all. i’m into ’tiling’ and i there the original route is most important.
– when rerouting, is the original route still visible on screen?
– is it possible to disable rerouting?
Hi Yorick, on the Roam you can disable rerouting and the original route is still visible (it gets solid grey and the new one is shown in blue). I assume that this B2 shows the same behavior.
Anyone with the new BOLT and Assioma Duo pedals can check/confirm if Wahoo maybe fixed the total work done during the workout (i.e. total kJ output)? Up until recently, with Assioma Duo, BOLT was miscalculating total kJ (i.e. 1 hour workout with avg power 150 W would show like 405 kJ instead of 540 kJ (1 hr = 3600 s * 150 W = 540 kJ) – it regularly showed 25% less than it should). Wahoo aknowledged this bug through a support ticket but didn’t fix it. It was one of the reasons I changed to Hammerhead computer. But maybe they fixed that finally?
Note it happened only with Assioma Duo pedals (earlier I used bePro single sided pedals and all worked great)
As a Favero Assioma Duo user, your feedback is very important. I also looked Wahoo device for a long time, but this issue is like not be fixed since last year.
If bolt V2 fix this issue, I think I will buy one immediately.
I am also very interested in this. I rode with my Bolt v1 yesterday with Assioma power meter for the first time and saw that the energy was almost 2x understated in comparison to what my Garmin watch had registered. Had ordered the new Bolt but if the issue persists there – it will go back I am afraid. @Wahoo Murray – do you by any chance have any insight into this? Apparently it’s a known issue at Wahoo (and Assioma power meters) and there have been numerous support tickets logged for this. Any insights are much appreciated! Thanks!
Bolt v1 owner, and I would like to upgrade, but there are two things that makes me hesitate.
– Climb function like garmin, or just some better elevation info during the ride. Hammerhead does also a better job for this.
– A proper search function for routes on the app! I really don’t understand why there isn’t a search box for searching on name. A small feature, but it would help a lot when you have a large number of routes on the app.
@Romain this missing search function drives me crazy. Obviously, at Wahoo nobody uses routing with more than 20 routes or so. I have lots of them in different collections in Komoot and Strava and when I want to ride an old one, I have to duplicate the route in the portal just to let it appear as new on top of the list in the companion app. 2021 – just unbelievable.
That’s disappointing – when I had the Bolt1 not being able to search wasn’t so bad for routes from ridewithgps because you can filter on pinned routes, so if you just pinned the one you were about to ride. But Komoot doesn’t allow pinning routes and in the Wahoo companion app it wasn’t possible to filter on “liked” routes, which is the obvious equivalent. Is that still the case?
Nope, this is still the case. So for me it isn’t usable. When I want to ride a route, I look it up on komoot or strava, download the gpx and reimport the route everytime again. That is pretty absurd.
I can’t believe I didn’t think of this before – in Komoot just change the name of any route you want to ride to begin with an asterix (“* …”), then it will appear at the top of the routes list in the Wahoo app / device when rides are sorted A to Z. 100% agree it would be great if Wahoo added some decent search and better filtering functionality to their routes list (to be honest Komoot could do better themselves) but this is a decent workaround.
I have had loads of Garmins, the original Elemnt and the original Bolt. I loved the first Elemnt, which I had from the first week of release, particularly the great screen, ease of setting up, excellent LEDS for HR zone, and the chevron trail which is all I need for navigation. But I didn’t like the Bolt (unpleasant bluey screen with thick fonts, LEDs invisible in sunlight), and I didn’t buy the Roam since it seemed to offer so little above the original Elemnt and added poorer buttons. Instead I bought an Edge 830, which has been fine and is a very good unit, and I have had no problems with it – connect IQ even gave me coloured zone fields like the ones now on the Bolt2. But the coloured line instead of a chevron trail is very hard to see on the map, even with touch screen the menu hierarchy is a pita to use, and I don’t really like the iOS Connect app. Worse thing though (because I don’t have a Mac or PC, just an iPadPro) is that I can’t wirelessly download the activity fit file except by using the Garmin website, which of course needs me to have wifi or 4G available and the website not compromised – none of which are guaranteed.
I still wasn’t intending to buy the Bolt2, but decided to do so when I discovered it was available at Wiggle with my Platinum discount, which makes it a fabulous buy at the price. The discount is very unusual for Wahoo products so I don’t know if thats a short term thing, but great if you can get it.
Hi Ray, Probably an obvious point to Wahoo users but as a Garmin user I am slightly unclear what information can/does the row of LEDs at the top of the unit display? looks like it could be useful for a variety of different fields such as radar/climb pro etc.thanks
– heart rate or power zone (starts with one LED lit blue, then as you work harder more LEDs light up and change colour until they’re all lit magenta. Although if you’re in that power zone you usually won’t notice…).
– current speed compared to average speed (centre LED lights up white, then others show whether you’re faster or slower than the average).
– Varia radar (yellow / red depending on approaching vehicle speed, green when there’s nothing else behind).
Hameed- The LEDs don’t show all that information at the same time. You chose which metric you want to display in the Companion app. You chose one of power zones, heart rate zones, etc and that one item is displayed during normal riding. If you are riding a route the LEDs change to a turn direction indicator when you approach a turn in your route and then go back to normal after the turn. It really is quite a handy feature and unique to Wahoo.
I currently use Komoot on my iPhone XR on a Quadlock mount alongside my Garmin 645 to record the route and give me speed, heart rate etc. This works really went, the main downsides being limited battery life of the iPhone and performance in the rain as the Quadlock rain cover massively reduces the responsiveness of the touchscreen. In a nutshell what would I gain by switching from my iPhone to a Bolt?
Hi Ray, will you be able to adjust the brightness manually? I’d like a low low setting when for ultra endurance event to save the battery. Thanks again
Don’t know if you’ll know the answer to this one, but I suspect you know who to ask. The BOLT v1 only connects to 2.4GHz wifi, and only uses channels 1-9 of the available (in the UK) 11. So, if your router has decided to auto-select channel 11, you just get “connecting wifi…” forever. Will the v2 have better wifi hardware and remove the 2.4GHz / channels 1-9 limit?
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I think you had a brain fart or fat finger “Next, the new BOTL has…”
Thanks!
BOTL would be the perfect name for a Wahoo bidon….
Thanks for the information. Now that I have moved away from Garmin Connect ro use Runalyze as my main platform, this device -when fixed- seems like a really interesting alternative to an Edge unit.
As always, the question I always make, presented to the community:
When receiving a message in japanese, will this unit show them properly?
And a totally new one for this device:
Dos it support alternative maps, like the myriad of openstreetmap derivatives available for Garmin?
The routable maps for the Roam are much larger file sizes, therefore one benefit of the OG Bolt and Elemnt is lost, you cannot store as many maps on the unit at one time.
A distinct disadvantage for niche Ultra distance racers!
Ok, I see it’s now 16GB, that may be enough, will it fit all of Europe once the routable maps are installed?
Yes, all of Europe, all of North America, and all of Australia are pre-loaded.
On the Roam, the preloaded maps were non-routable ones. For the routing to work, the local routable map needed to be downloaded, a much larger file and the unit soon ran out of storage.
Are the Boltv2 preloaded ones already routable?
Yep. Pre-loaded on the new BOLT
That’s great news!
Did I miss battery life?
– Battery life stays the same at a claimed 15 hours
Still can’t compete with Garmin then.
@Dc Would you be able to test the battery life? If it’s colored doesn’t mean it should be decreased, or they actually changed the battery to maintain the life?
Yes, I normally include real-life battery estimates (especially since Wahoo does write the data to the .FIT file, and I can pull that data out from the DCR Analyzer). Unfortunately, given the nature of my outdoor rides to date, I simply don’t have any data to go on yet.
Assuming that they can get the BOLT V2 working, would you go ROAM or BOLT V2? I was literally watching ROAM reviews on YouTube while riding the trainer early this morning before all of this happened because I’ve been thinking about upgrading from my BOLT V1 (which is just feeling a bit tired). Would the only reason to go with the ROAM be to get the larger screen?
Really just depends on the size of the screen. The thing is, the new BOLT has more color and storage access. Practically speaking that gives it slightly more features in terms of color zones (though, the ROAM has a secondary color LED panel). The mapping elevation data is useful if you were to do one-off routes from your phone a lot, but basically not something you’d use for any other mapping providers.
The screen on BOLT2 is so good! Even at the smaller size I find it easier to read most of the time. I will probably use my Roam far less going forward. So if I were in the market I would probably save some money and do bolt 2 over roam. Unless the largest screen is of most importance.
I amazed how Wahoo still has the goofy decimal and the non centered display field. It may seem minor but it’s the main reason I sold mine.
Buy Wahoo! It has LEDs and setup via mobile. Aaaaand, that’s it.
I loved those features on mine. But I prefer Garmin since they solved those battery issues.
I gave up on Garmin due to the terrible GUI and crashes.
Hey, I just wanted to fill in a few things from Ray’s pre-review. I’ve been working with Ray today; First i just wanted to say, the new BOLT went through extensive testing with over 300 testers, in 18 countries and over 2500 rides; Ray did run into a few issues and he hasn’t had the unit long, however today we discovered a problem in very high density cities (there are only a few in the world) that contain loads of map data and unfortunately this is believed to be the source of his issues the last few days. I am confident we have found the cause of the issue and Ray should have a unit later today with our goal is to have this fix available to all users by the end of this week. Wahoo is committed to delivering the highest quality products, as always, consumers should have complete confidence in purchasing an ELEMNT BOLT from Wahoo. If anyone has any questions I will keep an eye on the comments.
Thanks, Murray! I’m ready to go all in on a new BOLT together with a RIVAL, but could you please, please, please roll out those structured workouts for the RIVAL for us OCD triathletes? I know not BOLT related, but since you’re here. :)
Great and thanks for asking, we have structured workouts and headwind control rolling out to OCD triathletes today as well!! (I think I can tell you that….)
Wow. Now that’s customer service! :-p
Ray said it was unreliable for indoor workouts as well. “Thus, until I can get a single functional successful ride (hell, indoors or outdoors)”
Seems odd that a high density of map data is an issue for indoor rides when no location nor mapping is needed.
Perhaps hints at a new KICKR SNAP feature? Rapid transition from trainer to road!
link to youtube.com
The indoor issues were related to sensors. First, I had ANT+ FE-C issues where it wouldn’t control my NEO. And then when I sidestepped that and connected to a generic power meter I had ANT+ sensor dropout issues on the heart rate sensor (TICKR).
My understanding is the standalone HR sensor dropout issue was fixed (but my other issue then impacted that). I don’t know if the FE-C issue is fixed yet.
Hi Murray, if I order the new Bolt from your UK website today, would it be without the issues Ray has experienced? I’m keen to move from Garmin but don’t want to regret the change. So would rather wait for the issues to be addressed before making the change. Thanks
And, sure enough, looks like the RIVAL firmware has been updated today as you indicated. I know I’m still off-topic, but Ray, have you had a chance to play with the structured workout implementation?
The Rival workouts was on my to-do list for the last few days prior to today’s announcements, but things got a bit sidetracked chasing down stuff here, so I didn’t have time to dig in. It’s on my plate for tomorrow.
Currently neither Ant+ FE-C not BT FTMS work with my Neo2 on the bolt. It does work fine with my Kickr Bike using the legacy control communication- but not FTMS either. I’m sure that it will be fixed soon.
Hi Gavin, You won’t have any issues, the issue is resolved and a update will be going out very soon. It really was only an issue in a few cities. Thanks!
@Wahoo Murray – any chances for custom workouts and separate odometers for different bikes? Odometer is a veeeery basic feature of almost every bike computer
Murray, how about the issues with wifi, ble, altitude and temperature? Do you have fixes for these ready as well? Thanks
Hi, this is a bummer for me. I love the bolt.
But I just bought my first elemnt bolt steath edition last month, after checking and reading all the reviews. Your review convinced me in buying it.
Before I bought it, I checked if they were releasing a new version and couldn`t find anything. So I bought it, which wasn`t easy, because he was sold out everywhere. I was pretty happy, but now I`m a bit disappointed, I just bought a new but already obsolete model and probably for pretty much the same price as the new model. Which does suck a bit. Wahoo should give you the option to trade it for the new model if you bought the old one a few months ago..
Depending on when you bought the unit you might be able to return it. Of course a few months agao will probably be a stretch. Then again, there’s always ebay / craigslist.
Hi Michi, thanks for your reply.
I bought the unit (the stealth bundle) on 02/04 and registered on the wahoo website 09/04.
I bought the bolt online from a bikeshop here in Belgium, after an extensive search. Because I couldn`t find it anywhere, because it was sold out for months. I was very happy to finally find it.
but now I have a very mixed feeling. I`m not the person to buy expensive stuff every year. I was planning to use this unit for years. But I do know that this unit is now obsolete and updates will not be supported very long anymore.
I also love the new features, especially the color screen and gps updates. For me the black and grey screen for the navigation isn`t really clear to me. So the colors could help alot.
I don`t think I can return my unit to the bikeshop. They probably don`t want to switch a “used” unit for a new unit or should I contact Wahoo if there`s something I can do. I haven`t used it more then 4 times and there not a scratch on it. It`s still as new as when I bought it. :) I try to take good care of all the expensive stuff I own.
I would also of course pay the difference if the V2 is a bit more expensive. I also would not mind if I have to wait a bit.
Did the bottom aero interface change? I’m using a shapeways mount with the current bolt and will hate to buy a new one because of that.
I’m in the same boat. As I found in a German review it seems to work this way: new bolt on old mount works (not perfectly flush though), old bolt on new mount won’t work (which isn’t an issue for both of us I suppose).
I’ve contacted one of the content creators on shapeways and he said Wahoo Fitness originally made their mount available as a 3D file and he doesn’t see that they still have this available. He will try contacting them to see if it will be something they have in the future.
Yes, the important question for me is it will work with 2019 s-works aerofly mount?
Also very curious about whether prior BOLT mounts will work. Hope they do.
As someone who’s had plenty of Wahoos and Garmins, I am surprised more people don’t comment on screen legibility in bright sunlight – Wahoo is exceptional whereas Garmin is terrible.
Really excited about trying this – hope they integrate Sufferfest workouts soon.
I haven’t used Garmin since I got my Bolt how many years ago. Has Garmin made their set up/UI more like Wahoo? Seems like I read that at one time.
It’s mixed. These days if you have buy a newer Garmin Edge and have an older Garmin Edge, it’ll automatically pull in all your data pages/fields, as well as your sensors.
But if you’re new to Garmin, then aside from some quick profile-type stuff, it’ll still require on-device configuration for most things.
To me, I go both ways. I prefer on-device configuration when I want to change things mid-ride, but totally get that a lot of folks (quite reasonably) want to configure their unit the first time on their phone.
Ideally, we’d all adopt the Stages model which allows you to configure it on device, on phone, or on web. And it magically synces itself like a giant threesome.
Edge 530 requires a lot more fiddling to set everything up than Elemnt Bolt. However, the plus side is that you can configure in the Edge 530 in much more detail than you can configure the Elemnt Bolt.
When I had an Elemnt Bolt, I was never truly happy with the data screens. Using the device felt like Wahoo had made too many assumptions for me. I returned back to Garmin for that reason and have been much happier with the Edge 530. The navigation is also superior.
In fact, when Wahoo gets the new Bolt working smoothly, it’s still two years behind Garmin.
I really love the Bolt V1 when following a premade route. However, it’s very hard to navigate ‘on the fly’ because the smaller roads (and thus nicer to ride your bike) disappear when zooming out on the map. Is that the same for the V2?
I’m probably blind… but is there an affiliate purchase link?
Nope, not yet. Typically it takes till the end of the day to show up. Sometimes later. Appreciate the support!
That’s why I love your reviews. You are probably the only one that will say this. All the other ones can’t or won’t say that Wahoo is selling a faulty product.
Thanks!
Though, to be clear, I don’t doubt most other reviewers aren’t probably having all the issues I’ve had. I have complete trust in many of them, like DesFit and GPLAMA (and others, I just haven’t had a chance to watch their videos yet) in saying it like it is here.
I always appreciate Rays honestly too. FWIW, I have had very few issues testing Bolt 2 – and the ones I had seen seem pretty resolved. I do t have a tacx trainer though – so can’t comment there. It’s too nice outside to bring myself to ride indoors … but I’ve done one indoor ride with my 2018 kickr which worked fine).
I suspect my Roam will get little use going forward. I like the screen on this that much.
Hi Pablo,
The BOLT V2 was very solid from my testing and as Ray mentioned, his particular issues were due to a dense area which I do not live in. I will be sure to mention issues if they arise. The caveat being, IF I have issues.
I was one of the first users of the original BOLT in Belgium (and had a very early production unit replaced by Wahoo after issues with the altitude data – which I actually think was a firmware issue that they solved just while I was waiting for the new unit, so I will never know), I am still using the Bolt, and with 10000+ (or 20000+, I don’t know) kilometers I have never had issues, and I never wanted a Garmin again.
Then I also got the ROAM as one of the first users in Belgium (again :D), which has been my primary unit since then (I actually use the ROAM on my primary road bike, and the BOLT on the other). I also used it for more than 10000 kms, and I only had a mid-ride reboot once, but even then the first half of the ride was recovered and the recording just continued wit ha one minute gap. It has been more than 2 years ago, and never happened since then.
[I was also the one who pointed out the bezel-gate on twitter for the ROAM (the actual bezel being much wider than on the press renders), and while I don’t really care, I still remember this as a slight negative point for Wahoo.]
With all this introduction, I am just here to say that assuming these early issues are fixed, this looks like a great upgrade for the BOLT, and I like all the changes that are listed in this post. I especially like the new font types, it seems to make the screen sharper and more legible (and legibility was always a plus point on the BOLT to start with, thanks to the great contrast). I also like the colour coded background for power, that is something I could see myself using often. The tick bezel on the top is not my favourite, but still better than on the sides. Looking forward to the updates from the engineer :D
Nice move, Wahoo!
Does the inclusion of elevation in the mapping data imply we can expect a feature that is similar to Garmin’s ClimbPro?
Very interested in the answer on this one aswell… It’s for me the only feature (plus maybe drink reminders) that Garmin has that I find interesting…
Me too, or even color coding the gradients in the climb screen or having a better zoom function with clear scaling for it. If they close the gap with Garmin for climbing I would be very happy
+1 @Wahoo Murray
Any infos about that? The zoom function in the elevation chart of my Bolt v1 is terrible…
Would realy appriciate something like the climb pro…
+1 the only feature I think Garmin excels Wahoo. Climb page needs some love!
Would be interested to know this as well. The only function why i want to buy a 530/830 :D
Can you scroll around on the map screen?
No. I’d really like to see that happen someday…
You can sort of scroll around the map. You can scroll when creating a route but not when you are running a route.
Is the climb profile also colour coded like the HRM / Power fields? e.g. green / yellow / orange / black depending on percentage?
A bit like climbpro but not as annoying when you’re also going for a segment.
Did we find out if the new v2.0 unit fits the old v1.0 aero mounts?
The old mounts do fit the new Bolt but there is a small gap as the new Bolt is a little bigger.
Good to know. Thank you. Doing LEJOG in a few weeks times and means I can take both in case this issue isn’t solved.
Any when K-Edge will have an updated version of their Aero Mount to close this small gap ? I suppose you guys work together.
Just for reference. The new bold had been ordered a few minutes after it went life in the US ;-)
Thomas, I’m not really sure about the K-Edge, I would suggest dropping them a email.
Hello Ray,
Recently (last three articles or so) some element on your web page causes Safari to refresh every 3 to 5 minutes. This refresh scrolls back to the top of the page and resets the cursor there. This makes the article quite hard to read. In fact, this happened as I was trying to create this comment the first time (erasing what I had written).
Grr, that sucks. My guess is it’s the ad bits. I’ll probably follow up with you offline to try and get to the bottom of it, if that’s OK?
I have been using BOLT’s since the beginning, and was very pleased with it.
But since a couple of weeks, I ran into big trouble, as my BOLT refuses to load any route, and the helpdesk of Wahoo is absolutely useless: they are unable to read my messages and do not understand anything about software development.
So, I wonder if the software issues of the new BOLT extend to the existing BOLT (same codebase)?
It took the helpdesk several weeks to aknowledge that my problem was “a known issue”. Unfortunately, without no indication of when it is gonna be solved. They do not seem to realise that a GPS that cannot load routes is pretty much useless…
Very sad…
I started to experience this issue just this weekend. And this is super frustrating. The way I managed to go about was that once connected to WiFi, it synced routes from komoot (my case) and I managed to get the route with the workaround.
See if it works for you.
I can relate to your predicament.
I have the BoltV1 and it worked flawlessly up until a few months ago (2-3months) when there was an ELEMNT app and firmware update. It broke route synchronization between the Bolt and the app. I have 178+ routes on the Bolt, while the ELEMNT app only has 98 routes. Wahoo is discouraging use of .fit files as routes and recommend using RidewithGPS, Strava apps instead for route creation.
I use the EasyRoute app to create the .fit files for my routes and upload it from my iPhone to the Bolt via the ELEMNT app. It’s a one-time fee vs the monthly fee that RidewithGPS charges. Perhaps Wahoo and RidewithGPS are in cahoots to drive up subscription revenue to the cycling apps. I dunno.
At least I can still upload .fit routes to the Bolt, however, route management is broken. I cannot delete routes that I have uploaded to the Bolt I can delete them from the ELMENT app, but the route stays in the Bolt, as if its write-only. Eventually, the memory space in the Bolt will run out and/or the number of routes stored will become unwieldy to sort through.
I have done a factory reset of the Bolt as well, but the old routes remain once Bolt is paired with the ELEMNT app. Strange.
A few more details, perhaps, someone from Wahoo software engineering is listening…
ELEMNT app Version History: “(1.38.2) Improved: Route support”, coincided with the loss of route sync between ELEMNT and Bolt as it relates to imported .fit files.
Synchro issue for me as well With Bv1. This winter there were firmware updates seemingly 2-3x/week. It’s probably been over a month since the last update and the workout history synchronisation is hit and miss (mostly miss). Helpdesk says it’s a known issue. I’m very interested in Bv2 but not if Wahoo has an insect infestation.
I had exactly the same issue, I thought it was only me…
Do you know of a Dutch retailer selling this? Can’t find anything. Wiggle and Amazon EU have nothing either.
Willing to give it a try, since my Garmin 830 is already practically useless in and around Amsterdam for routing … or really anywhere with multiple bike lanes and high road density. It just won’t work.
Not yet, though, I know the guys at RideOut Amsterdam (local bike shop just around the cornre) often seem to have stock of new Wahoo gear the day it gets announced. I don’t see anything on their Instagram yet, but I’m sure you could reach out and they’d know.
Thanks. I tried. They said they don’t know when it’ll be available yet. Haven’t found any EU stock yet.
If elevation data is in the map loaded on the Bolt v2, does it mean there is no barometer on this unit ?
There’s still a barometer. At present, the baked-in elevation data is only used with routing.
Thanks for the great article. When the issues are all sorted i’d be very interested in a stabilised test of the TBT routing. I have the Garmin Edge 530 which has a bug where the screen zooms in a many junctions making the graphic totally misleading. Otherwise it’s a great unit but this bug infuriates me so much i might switch to this wahoo unit.
With the additional elevation data on the device, what are the differences between the Bolt v2 and Garmin’s Climb Pro feature?
I have a Bolt v1, but purchased it recently and plan to return it for the v2.
“I’ve got never-ending crashes, as well as constant sensor dropouts across multiple sensor types (HR, power, cadence, eTAP).”
The sensor dropouts is not an issues exclusive to this new unit. I’ve been dealing with it for a couple of months now with my Roam. About every three or four rides (all outside), it just suddenly stops connecting to my Varia, Powertap and Assiomas (power meters are on different bikes). Sometimes I get nothing from the very beginning, sometimes everything will pair up just fine only to drop 5-10mins into the ride. When the later happens about 50% of the time I can get things to repair only by “forgetting” each device and re-syncing. Not really a good solution during a group ride. The only thing that never drops out is my Tickr Fit strap.
Very frustrating!
Exactly the same here. Only HR works well, Radar and Powermeter are worst. (Interestingly, there was a time in between were Power did work and HR did not connect; you can’t have it all with Wahoo it seems.)
Same here, drops Varia Radar and Assiomas mid-ride. What worked for me was to just hit the settings button and then hiring it again to go back to data fields. Power and Radar popped up again!
FWIW, I have the old v1 Bolt and my connections to varia radar, 4iiii power meter, and polar HRM all seem solid. No drops I can recall. Maybe this issue is specific to new chips in Roam and v2 Bolt? Also all my stuff connects via ANT+ alone. Are you guys experiencing drops doing a mixture of BTLE and Ant?
Did they finally update the CPU or is it still really really slow to boot, change screens and pretty much anything? Update the WiFi to any of the more current 5 GHz standards?
I’m VERY curious about this as well. The only thing the device does quickly is update the screen when changing display settings on the iPhone app. This is a good thing ’cause it’s my biggest huurraahh for the Wahoo over Garmin which is a PIA to change settings. But it sure would be nice to have it run faster than an iPad v1.
I’ll circle back on latency aspects once things are settled on my other pieces (since they directly impact latency.)
Will ANT+ Bike Light (LGT) support be coming to the ELEMNT line anytime soon?
My question exactly.
I can’t even tell you how much I hope so…. I sometimes roll double computer just because my Karoo can do this.
Pretty please wahoo?!?
Hi Ray! Thanks so much for this review, I’ve been waiting for a new BOLT with better routing. But, there’s one key feature that I NEED, and they never publish specs on. If you could help me out, it’ll save a potential purchase/return cycle.
I live in a rural area, and there are very few roads. I often ride with no planned route, just exploring. I look down at the BOLT to see if I should turn: does this road dead-end? Does it curve east or west? The problem is, there are ONLY secondary and tertiary roads on my rides, so when I zoom out far enough to see a few miles ahead, all the roads vanish, and I’m staring at a blank screen. They seem to have optimized the viewing density for urban areas.
I bought a ROAM, and it was actually worse than the BOLT, despite a bigger screen! It eliminated the roads I care about a full zoom level earlier. See the attached photo: BOLT and ROAM are both at the same zoom level, but the ROAM doesn’t show my road. The BOLT does. This is a complete non-starter for my use. If the new BOLT gives more detail at lower zoom levels, I’m ordering ASAP. If it’s less than the old BOLT, it’s dead to me.
So, can you tell me, please? Thanks! – Phil
Second this. The inability to zoom out while maintaining secondary road (or trail) detail made the original Elemnt somewhat useless for navigating.
This was one of my major annoyances when I had the Bolt. When I zoomed out the map would be completely useless. I could be on a major road but the map would only show the nearby highways — so no roads where cycling is even legal.
Below’s a screenshot I made showing the map when I zoom in. Left to right, the first four zoom levels are almost useless. The fifth zoom level is then suddenly EXTREMELY dense with information.
In general, this is something where Garmin is years and years ahead of Wahoo. Of course they have decades and decades of more experience with navigation.
Hi Phillip,
We have totally replaced the map rendering engine on the new BOLT and have much improved the road networks when zooming out you will get at least 2 or 3 extra zoom levels with most roads.
Hope that helps
That’s fantastic! Ordering now. Thanks!
-Phil
Murray,
I got my new BOLT, see attached: at 2000ft zoom, both are the same. At 1mi, the new BOLT is better for secondary roads, but not tertiary. These are where I spend most of my riding time, and just one more zoom level on them would be huge. It’s not worse, like the ROAM (a total non-starter, I returned mine before it ever got ridden), so I’ll be keeping it and bothering you guys for updates. Just give me the dial-in info for your next increment planning meeting and I’ll have some nice PowerPoint to make my case!
Some intelligent rendering that automatically applied or removed road network levels based on screen density would be fantastic, but I understand that may be very difficult to implement. What about a user-selected toggle button, “high density” or “low density”, or some such options? Ray can keep it at the “low” setting in Amsterdam, and I could set it to “high” out here in the boonies. Probably a bad time to ask, since apparently increased road density is causing issues for you right now…
Hello DC, firstly you are the best! Congratulations please proceed as usual. Concerning the new bold, is it compatible with the Garmin radar RTL ? The wahoo Roam is compatible but not the previous Bold….
Thanks in advance and best regards
Enzo
Yes, Varia Radar works like a champ!
All of the Wahoo ELEMNT line are compatible with Varia Radar – even back to the original ELEMNT.
My Bolt 1 works fine with Varia.
Except the Rival, I mean.
Dear oh dear. PR nightmare..
I think the Bolt 2 is still based on Android. Which Android version is currently in use? How many CPUs has the Bolt 2?
Which GPS-Chip the Bolt 2 use?
Then another question about the maps from Wahoo. OSM maps are known to change all the time. Garmin Edge devices get map updates 1-2 times a year. How often does Wahoo send map updates to the Devices? How do I, as a user, get the information that there is a map update available for my Bolt 2/Roam ? Did never see something about Map-Updates in the Element-App.
Is it possible to have more then one Element-Device in the App?
Is it possible to have more thAn one Element-Device in the App?
Yes and no from my empirical experiment.
You can pair a second Bolt to the ELEMNT app, but the routes and history are part of the ELEMNT app data. I think its Many-to-One synchronization, as in Many Bolt units to One ELEMNT app.
I have not tried a second ELEMNT app (on a different iPhone). Perhaps someone else has tried that.
From my observations, the ELEMNT app or Bolt should not be relied upon as a ride archive (neither should Strava or Dropbox). The Bolt should be treated as a ride/data recorder, which is uploaded to ELEMNT app (or Strava/Dropbox) which is then treated as a temporary cache. The ride data should then be offloaded from Strava/Dropbox to a USB drive/hard drive/computer.
Perhaps @DCrainmaker should write up a white paper about the proper methods for ride data archival and analysis.
I’m not sure on the CPU-related specs, most of the time companies don’t release that. So we only really find out later on when someone takes it apart.I also don’t know exactly how often Wahoo recompiles maps from the larger OSM repositories they use.
For multiple units per app, yes, you can. I’ve got a slew of units in my Wahoo app today.
In my case, I have the Wahoo stuffs (any unit) send data to TrainingPeaks, Strava, and Dropbox. The Dropbox data I then place into a folder structure per ride with all the other data files from other devices from that ride/run/whatever. I have a Dropbox business account, but it’s also backed up to my Synology NAS too, so everything is pretty well covered.
Generally speaking for files that I’m analyzing for a review, those also get uploaded to the DCR Analyzer as a set for that given workout.
Klus, A few questions in there.
Yes the new Bolt has an all new Chipset with a new multi-core processor. We are using the Sony chipset for GPS.
We having been updating maps about 1-2 times a year and the updates are shown in the companion app. We would love to increase the frequency to 4 times a year.
I have about 10 devices paired in my companion app…
If you add a second (new) unit, will it copy the settings and sensors and the like over from the old one to the new one?
Processor for the budget Qualcomm Snapdragon 212 APQ8009. Productivity is low, it is at the 2015 level. As you can see, RAM memory is also skeptical, although in the case of a system optimized for the main application, maybe 1 GB of RAM is enough, although I think that for an Android-based device it is still a bit small.
bolt2p0:/ # cat /proc/version
Linux version 3.18.120-perf-gebca802-00001-g4163b9b (bolt@bolt-Parallels-Virtual-Platform) (gcc version 4.8 (GCC) ) #1 SMP PREEMPT Mon May 10 20:58:32 EDT 2021
bolt2p0:/ # cat /proc/cpuinfo
processor : 0
model name : ARMv7 Processor rev 5 (v7l)
BogoMIPS : 38.40
Features : half thumb fastmult vfp edsp neon vfpv3 tls vfpv4 idiva idivt vfpd32 lpae evtstrm
CPU implementer : 0x41
CPU architecture: 7
CPU variant : 0x0
CPU part : 0xc07
CPU revision : 5
[…]
Hardware : Qualcomm Technologies, Inc APQ8009
Revision : 0000
Serial : 0000000000000000
Processor : ARMv7 Processor rev 5 (v7l)
bolt2p0:/ # cat /proc/meminfo
MemTotal: 962780 kB
Any idea of whether the processor has been updated on the new Bolt? This may also play a role in the issues being experienced. I seem to recall reviews of the ROAM, that suggested it may be under-powered from a processing standpoint.
When you say the USB-C port is IPX7-waterproofed, does that mean I can charge it in the rain? Assuming the other end of the cable is protected.
Not sure there. Typically speaking most IPX7 ports don’t provide for active charging in liquid, unless it’s called out specifically. Of course, if the cable itself is one of those special water-tight seal sorta of cables, that’s a bit different.
FTP flex dropped as in no big deal…
How embarrassing. Been a Wahoo computer user since the OG RFLKT. I’ve owned every computer they’ve made (except for the mini) and am usually on board the Wahoo HYPE train but what a shitshow amateur hour.
You send YOUR best most tested and QC’d computer to Ray (and Shane) for review.
Good grief. The thing flat out didn’t work for goddamn the ONE person you want it to work for.
Somebodies getting fired.
Amsterdam is tricky for mapping/navigation-related bike products. In the same way NYC is tricky for GPS-related products. I often wonder if I lived full time in NYC, how might sports-watch GPS accuracy be different today?
As I noted up above, Wahoo isn’t alone here. The Garmin dge 520 Plus was delayed (shipping) due to the issue I had with routing at the time, and delays. Sure, it wasn’t as substantial as this – but it was enough that I literally would go past the turn before it would tell about the turn that just happened. They eventually fixed it, and then started shipping the product.
Hammerhead had some minor early Karoo 2 teething pain as well with the density of the Dutch cycle paths around Amsterdam too.
Just as Garmin had some early challenges with the specific running track I use near Olympic stadium. Obviously, that doesn’t mean there aren’t other tracks. Some companies do indeed send engineers to test out devices in the areas I test. Wahoo sends their engineers to swim in the lake next to the DCR Cave, and did boatloads of testing at my track for their RIVAL track mode.
That doesn’t guarantee their success of course, as I’m still kinda random – and in normal times, I could just as easily be in Cape Town one weekend and the Canadian Rockies the next. In general though, the earlier I have a product in my hands, the easier it is to find show-stoppers, and the more time to fix said show-stoppers. Of course, no software is ever perfect.
“Wahoo sends their engineers to swim in the lake next to the DCR Cave, and did boatloads of testing at my track for their RIVAL track mode.”
Swim… boat…
I see what you did there :-)
Just a minor update for folks. The Wahoo engineer who came up today went out for his ride, and came back successfully (despite horrifically timed weather). He had four units on his handlebar (pic attached), three with a new firmware that they hoped would target the big-ticket routing engine death-spiral issue I was seeing in my denser Amsterdam conditions, and one unit with the same firmware I was using.
The three units with the tweaked firmware all worked, and the unit with firmware that matched my unit crashed. It sounds like there’s one more minor tweak they want to make overnight (my time) to clean up a few ancillary things before I head back out. But he left one of the three ‘known goods’ with me.
Assuming I get the go-ahead from Wahoo Murray (a different lead, in the comments above) I’ll give it a whirl tomorrow on a ride probably.
Is the new firmware working without issues regardless of dense conditions?
The new firmware update (which I believe went public late last night or this morning) solves the map density-driven issues (which in turn caused most issues). Meaning, that I was able to get my first ride in yesterday successfully (and my second ride in total also, successfully).
I had some minor TICKR dropouts on yesterday’s ride, and some minor power dropouts on today’s ride (I also need to more deeply look at the HR data from today’s ride, haven’t had the chance yet – I just saw the drop-out real-time today, so I know that specifically).
Hey Wahoo Murray saw the new update for the Rival with structured workouts. YAY!!! Any thought of bringing the Varia radar to the Rival? Also is there a roadmap for expected updates and features somewhere?
I love that route called “Oh Please Don’t Crash”. So scenic so beautiful.
Thanks, another option to consider when replacing my 520. Had been waiting for Garmin to release an update to the 530 but not sure if that is coming any time soon.
Thanks so much for your in progress review. I had long hoped for a successor to my Roam, but after reading your text, I realized what I actually want or better don’t want: I no longer want to live with the absolutely miserable software quality of Wahoo. For several years, they have introduced with each firmware update or software release bugs and destroyed features, which previously ran smoothly. I’ve had countless email threads with nice Wahoo support people but ultimately I’ve just been put off every time. My powermeter only work correctly for one or two rides at most. I actually have sensor drops on every ride (esp. radar). I often can’t select routes in the companion app even though they’ve already been synced to the device – the loading bar just hangs. Simple translation errors have not been fixed for years, even though I have neatly documented and corrected them for free. I could go on like this forever, but it wouldn’t do my blood pressure any good. Much of what is in your text is familiar to me as a current Wahoo user and to read that Wahoo has once again managed to make everything worse instead of better with a new (hardware) release has made me realize that I am done with them. I come from Garmin because the usability hell and instability had totally annoyed me, was briefly happy with Wahoo Bolt, never got warm with the Roam and would not hesitate to spend money on a Karoo 2 if I knew that it just ran stable.
Perhaps you had a defective unit? I know a lot of folks with the V1 version and I have yet to hear of such glaring issues as yours.
Marco,
Regarding the Karoo 2- I’ve had one since it first came out and have not had a single problem in the four months since then. Now, of course, that is just one user that only uses some of the features. Nevertheless, I have never had a sensor drop or not connect in the first place. Routing always works. The screens are super easy to set up and change. Even mid-ride. And Hammerhead manages to push out substantial software updates about twice a month with real improvements in user interface and features (as well as bug fixes) and I haven’t had any previously working things break. There are a few things they could do better- better use of color in graphs and data fields, even more UI flexibility, etc.. But I have been surprised how solid it has been for me. I got it mainly for the large, bright screen but I was happily surprised about the software quality.
My wife has lots of troubles with her Bolt, too (but mostly Companion app related – connecting to the device, syncing routes to the Bolt, uploading rides to Komoot and Health app etc.) and some friends with their Roams. But mine seems especially worse regarding sensor connectivity. I’ve described all this in great detail to the support but they’ve never offered a replacement during the warranty period – therefore I actually don’t know.)
My two-cents is that Wahoo’s original software team has checked out, only to be replaced by ex-Garmin software engineers. :O
David, I am interested in your experience with the Karoo2. I am looking at replacing my Garmin Edge 1000 and need something with a better screen. My eyes are fading as I get older and the text on the Garmin is hard to read depending on the sunshine.
Hi Paul,
Like I mentioned, over the last 10 years (I’m almost 61 now) my main interest is getting a screen that I can read both with and without my glasses. I sweat a lot and a lot of times I have to remove my glasses. I have the Edge 1030 and it was ok but was not very bright and the touchscreen would randomly change screens when sweat dropped on it. Even on minimum sensitivity. So, I tried the Stages L50 which has a super screen but is missing out on a lot of navigation features and a lot of other things. So, I got the Karoo 2 to try out (I have the 1030, 2 Bolts, and Elemnt, and a L50). That has been the best for me so far- I run the screen at about 20% backlight level and 4 or 5 fields per screen and I can read everything without glasses. The touchscreen always responds to touches but I have never had it switch on its own (or course, in Arizona we rarely have pouring rain). I can even read the numbers (but not the text) with 8 fields on the screen. So, from a visibility POV it is great. Otherwise it works like a bike computer should- everything connects and stays connected, mapping and routing works, a lot of easy to configure data fields. The main thing that I would like to be added is connection to TrainerRoad workouts. Right now they only support TrainingPeaks. As an example of the things that have rolled out in the last few months are light and dark mode (like a phone), Better navigation through settings. Added an App store and the XERT app as the first app. It works great. Also, a feature where the sensor status is shown on every data field. For example, if you have a power field and it shows a number it means that a powermeter is connected. If the meter isn’t connected the field says either “searching” or “connecting”, same for HR and all the other sensors. Its great in that if something were to drop out (or you PM goes to sleep in a coffee stop) you will know it and you will know when its awake again. And in the 6 or 7 software updates so far since I got mine nothing has broken that I know of. So far it’s been solid which is number one for me.
This is precisely the feeling I’ve been getting. Garmin software bites. Wahoo software is headed that way. Unless things clean up dramatically and quickly it looks like I’ll it’s time for me to try the least suckiest of the bunch, Karoo 2.
@David thanks for your comment. At least there seems to be a way out of this bug and usability hell.
Paul, regarding the Karoo 2 I can only second the positive impressions that David already shared. It is really not that often that I’m positively surprised by a sports tech device but in my case Hammerhead definitely exceeded (and keeps exceeding) my expectations. It just works – everytime. Routing works, sensors work, upload works, radar works – even Ant+ Lightning works. Battery burn is quite stable at 8% per hour for me. In fact, I’m so convinced of the K2 that I bought a second one for my wife and every time we go out for a ride together she keeps referring to the Edge 530 which she has been using before and saying that the Hammerhead is so much easier to live with and especially the map/display is way easier to read. The frequent software updates are another plus. Of course, there are numerous people out there which seem to have problems with the K2 and I’m far from claiming it is the perfect GPS unit, but my personal experiences are really encouraging. Btw, I’m not related to or sponsored by Hammerhead in any way – and I think after the Edge 520, 520 Plus, 820, Edge 1030, Edge 1030 Plus and even a BOLT in between that I owned before I have quite a good overview about recent und current units.
I’m pretty close to pulling the trigger on a K2. Wahoo pushed an update to the Elemnt today: it fixed one issue and broke something else. 👎
@Howie Oh, that sounds like an improvement to me. Usually Wahoo fixes one thing and breaks at least two others. SCNR 😎
😂 I’m sure more will appear shortly. I found the first issue in the first minute of my first workout with the update.
If you need to read your computer display with, or without glasses, then buy a pair of Duals (dualeyewear.com). I’m 61 and have using them for years…I don;t leave home without them.
Any idea when this will be available in Canada? I clicked on the Backcountry.com and competitivecyclist affiliate links you shared, however shipping cost is almost $30 US.
Thanks!
I had high hopes for the Bolt 2 to replace my aging Bolt 1; so I picked one up this morning. Oddly it refuses to connect to my Polar H7 sensor. Both my other fitness devices (Garmin Instinct, Bolt 1) connect to it, except the Bolt 2. Could be a defective BLE implementation or deliberate drop of BLE-only HR sensor feature? I’ve reached out to support to hear more before I bring it back to the store to get my money back.
Currently the Bolt 2 has problems connecting to any BT sensor. I don’t know why it is different than the Bolt 1 but it currently is.
Ah, so all BLE sensors are broken? Not nice. I’d guess the release date was set before the engineers said the product is ready. Let’s hope Wahoo can come up with a quick fix and we can all enjoy being actual customers and not beta testers.
Update: received some unhelpful response from support claiming that they don’t provide troubleshooting steps for particular sensors. My claim that Bolt1 works Bolt2 doesn’t apparently didn’t register with the support person. Does anyone know if BLE sensor problems are known to Wahoo engineers, and is being worked on, or should I try to convince support to escalate my request to engineering?
FWIW, my BTLE sensors work just fine. I don’t have a PM to test however, but all my HR sensors and Kickr work without issue.
Thanks Brian. Can you confirm that the sensors are actually connected via BTLE or ANT+? Most sensors broadcast on both BTLE/ANT+ and what I’ve found is that the Elemnt prefers the ANT+, at least that’s the case for my power meter.
As a workaround I’ll connect my H7 strap to my Garmin and use the ANT+ heart rate broadcasting feature to get the heart rate over to my Bolt2; but it’s a bit annoying.
Update after 2 days: wahoo support had pulled verbose sensor logs off my Bolt2 to diagnose BLE sensor pairing issue. No news yet whether it’s a SW or HW issue.
Same here.
Every sensor working except the Garmin H7 heart rate strap, which is a BT only device. Worked well with all previously released Wahoo cycling computers. I am pretty underwhelmed by the Bolt v2 so far because mapping also didn’t work.
Hope that a software update soon fixes the issues.
*Polar H7
Update: current beta WA20-11606 seems to have resolved the BLE pairing issue for me.
How does one get access to the beta firmware ?
Beta testers are added by Wahoo themselves. The public FW release should be coming soon.
Can you confirm if the beta resolves the temperature issue (+5C or +10F)?
I ask because Wahoo support has asked me to return my Bolt 2, but I’m not convinced that it’s a hardware issue.
I haven’t checked the temperature metrics on previous FW, but on WA20-11606 it does seem to read slightly high: 30-31C inside, indeed it should be roughly 5C lower.
I currently have a Garmin 810 which I like, but it doesn’t seem to reroute. I also have the Garmin speed and cadence units. Will the Garmin speed and cadence work with the Bolt?
I may be wrong but could this be an evolution of the Pioneer SGX-CA600??? If I am not mistaken the helped Pioneer to develop that unit and it looks pretty close in design.
Is this new bolt compatible with Pioneer powermeters too??? I used the old bolt however I think it has to be my unit it has a lot of dropouts so I had to go back to the older CA500. If this new wahoo is compatible with pioneer and don’t have much dropouts I will pick it up.
Anybody knows if it is compatible with Pioneer powermeters???
It is. See my answer below
With the older Elemnt Bolt I do not get turn by turn prompts of I sync a route from Strava but I do get it from RideWithGPS. I love everything else about my Bolt. Does the new Bolt get turn by turn with Strava routes?
Dave, Yep, you wilnow always get That regardless of the source of the route.
Can you switch it off? Because if there’s one thing I hate it’s TBT directions.
Yes you can switch off TBT directions on any Wahoo ELEMENT bike computer: link to support.wahoofitness.com
Really like my Bv1 but the one missing feature which annoys me (and others) highly is that you can only load structured workouts via platforms like Trainingspeaks (not sure about other platforms, though). I have been hoping for years that Wahoo would add the possibility to add/store workouts manually (via app for example). The update never came.
(yes, I know there is the possibility to add workouts manually, but this is quite involved and cumbersome)
Has this feature been implemented in Bv2? Given the price tag this should really be a feature.
Markus, there you go:
link to trainerday.com
Yes, I’ve been using Trainerday. Problem with that was that it would often fail to push to Trainingpeaks. It failed more often than it would work. Just tried a few weeks ago. Fail. And then, why do you need to take these extra steps if Wahoo could just integrate it into their companion app. The Bolt is a training device.
Good to read that you can now easily delete workouts when managing workouts via USB. However, it’s 2021, this should work wireless via the companion app. The Bolt is a training device.
Still no “North Up” option while routing?
Thanks for pointing this issue out!
Very interested in the anwer as well.
If the map always keeps turning while navigating (with no way to switch it off), that would be a reason for me not to switch over to Wahoo.
(found the disussion “Disable map rotation while following a route” in Google Groups after your question, read the manual of the Bolt V1 before that and that left me with the false impression that you could always turn the rotating off: “If disabled, the top of the map will always face North.” )
I find the turning map distracting and confusing in areas you are familiar with.
And in areas you are not familiar with, you lose (quick) sight on the general direction you are going if you are being rerouted when you deviate from the original route.
I had the original Bolt before going back to Garmin (which is a love/hate relationship, mainly the latter), and with the Bolt it was not possible to force North Up when following a route. Someone asked whether that was still the case in the comments below Rainmaker’s review of the Roam and the answer was yes it was, unfortunately. I would be surprised if the Bolt2 was different but would like confirmation. Surely it is not difficult to implement, so I can only imagine Wahoo do not think people want North Up. Hopefully they read comments like yours and mine because like you I find I lose all sense of where I am if the map rotates – fine for races and fast training rides but if touring / exploring, at which the Roam in particular is marketed, I want North Up. I would love to get away from Garmin but like you, not having North Up is a dealbreaker.
Should have said, I can only imagine Wahoo do not think *many* people want North Up *as an option* – I am not suggesting it should be the only option :)
It’s a dealbreaker for me, too. I raised a support ticket about this a few years ago, when the Bolt was new. So people have been telling them this for a long time. It’s one of the reasons I ended up returning it. The others (aside from the map being useless when zoomed out, which is now fixed) were all significant bugs around connectivity, the companion app etc. Those support tickets got the same treatment as the north-up one. By the sounds of it, bugs are still thriving at Wahoo just as they are at Garmin. I probably need to try Hammerhead, surely *someone* can make a GPS that isn’t thick with bugs…?
Agree with almost everything you say but not being able to set North Up while following a route is not a bug – it’s just a basic feature that Wahoo has inexplicably ignored. So it’s up to them whether they add it but I hope they realise how many customers not doing so costs them.
Also is there the capability to pan over the map rather than just zoom in or out? Cheers.
there is but its a hack. the process has been detailed on reddit thanks to u/HenkStubbe.
link to gist.github.com
link to reddit.com
Please check GPS accuracy in the woods as that is a big problem with mine and many others Bolt V1.
Only use mine for following routes now, track with phone as it has much better accuracy.
Yup, absolutely plan to get into the woods with it. That was actually on plans for this psat Monday before I ran into snags.
In any case, I’ll be in the woods mountain biking with it, soon. The weather is looking fantastic for the next 10 days, after tomorrow morning.
I made a trip through the woods yesterday and… well I don’t think the GPS-Chipset is better… probably worse. I had several issues that the Bolt V2 did not find the right direction I wanted to take… here and there it was a little bit annoying… and also the switch of the alignment was slow and sometime in the first few seconds wrong..
well it was a very shaded wood … but the Bolt V1 was better.
hi
automatic rerouting sounds good but i some case it’s not what i want at all. i’m into ’tiling’ and i there the original route is most important.
– when rerouting, is the original route still visible on screen?
– is it possible to disable rerouting?
thanks, great review so far also
Hi Yorick, on the Roam you can disable rerouting and the original route is still visible (it gets solid grey and the new one is shown in blue). I assume that this B2 shows the same behavior.
thanks
that soonds good
I only have one question. Does it fit the pre-existing wahoo bolt aero mounts (such as K-edge)?
Anyone with the new BOLT and Assioma Duo pedals can check/confirm if Wahoo maybe fixed the total work done during the workout (i.e. total kJ output)? Up until recently, with Assioma Duo, BOLT was miscalculating total kJ (i.e. 1 hour workout with avg power 150 W would show like 405 kJ instead of 540 kJ (1 hr = 3600 s * 150 W = 540 kJ) – it regularly showed 25% less than it should). Wahoo aknowledged this bug through a support ticket but didn’t fix it. It was one of the reasons I changed to Hammerhead computer. But maybe they fixed that finally?
Note it happened only with Assioma Duo pedals (earlier I used bePro single sided pedals and all worked great)
Thank you Ivo,
As a Favero Assioma Duo user, your feedback is very important. I also looked Wahoo device for a long time, but this issue is like not be fixed since last year.
If bolt V2 fix this issue, I think I will buy one immediately.
I am also very interested in this. I rode with my Bolt v1 yesterday with Assioma power meter for the first time and saw that the energy was almost 2x understated in comparison to what my Garmin watch had registered. Had ordered the new Bolt but if the issue persists there – it will go back I am afraid. @Wahoo Murray – do you by any chance have any insight into this? Apparently it’s a known issue at Wahoo (and Assioma power meters) and there have been numerous support tickets logged for this. Any insights are much appreciated! Thanks!
I am using theatest available firmware of the Bolt v1 by the way.
Bolt v1 owner, and I would like to upgrade, but there are two things that makes me hesitate.
– Climb function like garmin, or just some better elevation info during the ride. Hammerhead does also a better job for this.
– A proper search function for routes on the app! I really don’t understand why there isn’t a search box for searching on name. A small feature, but it would help a lot when you have a large number of routes on the app.
@Romain this missing search function drives me crazy. Obviously, at Wahoo nobody uses routing with more than 20 routes or so. I have lots of them in different collections in Komoot and Strava and when I want to ride an old one, I have to duplicate the route in the portal just to let it appear as new on top of the list in the companion app. 2021 – just unbelievable.
That’s disappointing – when I had the Bolt1 not being able to search wasn’t so bad for routes from ridewithgps because you can filter on pinned routes, so if you just pinned the one you were about to ride. But Komoot doesn’t allow pinning routes and in the Wahoo companion app it wasn’t possible to filter on “liked” routes, which is the obvious equivalent. Is that still the case?
Nope, this is still the case. So for me it isn’t usable. When I want to ride a route, I look it up on komoot or strava, download the gpx and reimport the route everytime again. That is pretty absurd.
I can’t believe I didn’t think of this before – in Komoot just change the name of any route you want to ride to begin with an asterix (“* …”), then it will appear at the top of the routes list in the Wahoo app / device when rides are sorted A to Z. 100% agree it would be great if Wahoo added some decent search and better filtering functionality to their routes list (to be honest Komoot could do better themselves) but this is a decent workaround.
That’s fantastic! Ordering now. Thanks!
-Phil
I have had loads of Garmins, the original Elemnt and the original Bolt. I loved the first Elemnt, which I had from the first week of release, particularly the great screen, ease of setting up, excellent LEDS for HR zone, and the chevron trail which is all I need for navigation. But I didn’t like the Bolt (unpleasant bluey screen with thick fonts, LEDs invisible in sunlight), and I didn’t buy the Roam since it seemed to offer so little above the original Elemnt and added poorer buttons. Instead I bought an Edge 830, which has been fine and is a very good unit, and I have had no problems with it – connect IQ even gave me coloured zone fields like the ones now on the Bolt2. But the coloured line instead of a chevron trail is very hard to see on the map, even with touch screen the menu hierarchy is a pita to use, and I don’t really like the iOS Connect app. Worse thing though (because I don’t have a Mac or PC, just an iPadPro) is that I can’t wirelessly download the activity fit file except by using the Garmin website, which of course needs me to have wifi or 4G available and the website not compromised – none of which are guaranteed.
I still wasn’t intending to buy the Bolt2, but decided to do so when I discovered it was available at Wiggle with my Platinum discount, which makes it a fabulous buy at the price. The discount is very unusual for Wahoo products so I don’t know if thats a short term thing, but great if you can get it.
Hi Ray, Probably an obvious point to Wahoo users but as a Garmin user I am slightly unclear what information can/does the row of LEDs at the top of the unit display? looks like it could be useful for a variety of different fields such as radar/climb pro etc.thanks
It shows lots of stuff:
– heart rate or power zone (starts with one LED lit blue, then as you work harder more LEDs light up and change colour until they’re all lit magenta. Although if you’re in that power zone you usually won’t notice…).
– current speed compared to average speed (centre LED lights up white, then others show whether you’re faster or slower than the average).
– Varia radar (yellow / red depending on approaching vehicle speed, green when there’s nothing else behind).
Edit: forgot to add turn directions – the LEDs scroll in the direction that you’re meant to turn.
Many thanks – sounds a great feature!
Many thanks – sounds a great feature!
How does it show so much information with a single row of LEDs??
Hameed- The LEDs don’t show all that information at the same time. You chose which metric you want to display in the Companion app. You chose one of power zones, heart rate zones, etc and that one item is displayed during normal riding. If you are riding a route the LEDs change to a turn direction indicator when you approach a turn in your route and then go back to normal after the turn. It really is quite a handy feature and unique to Wahoo.
Thanks for clarifying! 👍
I currently use Komoot on my iPhone XR on a Quadlock mount alongside my Garmin 645 to record the route and give me speed, heart rate etc. This works really went, the main downsides being limited battery life of the iPhone and performance in the rain as the Quadlock rain cover massively reduces the responsiveness of the touchscreen. In a nutshell what would I gain by switching from my iPhone to a Bolt?
Hi Ray, will you be able to adjust the brightness manually? I’d like a low low setting when for ultra endurance event to save the battery. Thanks again
Don’t know if you’ll know the answer to this one, but I suspect you know who to ask. The BOLT v1 only connects to 2.4GHz wifi, and only uses channels 1-9 of the available (in the UK) 11. So, if your router has decided to auto-select channel 11, you just get “connecting wifi…” forever. Will the v2 have better wifi hardware and remove the 2.4GHz / channels 1-9 limit?