Wahoo ELEMNT BOLT V2 Review: a Non-Competitive Cyclist's Perspective
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 23 ก.ย. 2024
- Bike GPS computers are super popular for competitive cyclists since they accurately record metrics and can connect to bio-metric devices for optimal training. But should you look into the Wahoo ELEMNT BOLT V2 if you're a non-competitive cyclist: a bike commuter, tourer, or hooligan? I've used the Wahoo ELEMNT BOLT V2 for the past six months to find out.
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Zach, I run the Wahoo element bolt too. Also a non-competitive cyclist XD. The cost is hard to beat and a small detail is that the international maps are free! So if you travel and take the bike and Wahoo with you, you can ride immediately, no need to maps for map packs or do any weird set up.
The pages of the display are customizable for your various wants and needs.
One can for instance have a chill/non-competitive mode with distance, time and maybe heart rate for when you just want to cruise around and others with speed (or power) as the focus.
You can really get creative with it.
Zach about to discover power meters in his next video.
I have the Wahoo Elemnt (the first computer they made). The way I've dealt with the boot up time is to turn it on and get it into the mount just before I check my tire pressure. By the time I'm done putting air in my tires, it is done booting and has a GPS lock.
I'm not training to become a super track star, but do like all the data. I have a power meter, speed sensor, and a heart rate monitor. I'm using that to track my fitness vs. setting records or trying to break a wattage record. To me it's just a fun toy with a built-in map.
It's been a great computer, but I'll probably get the Hammerhead Karoo 3 when it comes out.
This is by far and away the best review on the Bolt 2. I wish there more tech reviews in the spirit of not being subservient to some overpriced gizmos,
I loved their RFLKT unit. It did what I wanted and showed the metrics when and where I wanted. It was like $50. It's basically a mirroring device. Wahoo lost me permanently as a customer when they killed it off... no doubt to get people to pony up the dough for a roam or element.
Now I use a Coospo BC200 with a cadence sensor. $75 brand new. Does the same thing as the RFLKT once did. Shows me exactly what I need n want displayed. Idc about the navigation...I use my phone's GPS navigation audibly.
Your view of a competitive cyclist is actually a bit skewed. An actual racer does not ride hard all the time. One or two really intense interval sessions per week max is the way to go. That means that the rest of training is a lot slower than you would think. I spend most of my training pedalling easy and enjoying the ride. Average speed is a complete non-factor in all of my rides, don't really care how fast I'm going. The only thing that matters is that, come raceday, i go faster than my competitors
I have the Bolt V2 as well and I'm barely using it. Every time I turn it on, it takes the fun away from cycling.😂 I mainly use it for long rides and not commuting. Last week, I got this little bike computer called Beeline Velo2 and it's amazing!
I got an Elemnt Roam V1 when they went on clearance earlier this summer, and it's been great to not get lost when I'm in new gravel trails.
This !
I have a cheap $60 head unit. It gives GPS read speed as well as pairing to a cadence sensor and heart rate monitor. I like those features as I'm older and want to keep my effort in an appropriate range. Oh, and it is also USB C charging.
Which one do you have? This is all I need
@@VideoGameAtlas igpsport bsc100s. sensors connect - I use heart rate and cadence, GPS driven speed and distance, map recorded but not shown on head.
Great informative review. I just use Strava to keep track of mileage and to look back on where I went. I don't care about speed so I just start Strava and hide my phone in the insulated cup holder I have so I'm not too tempted to look at it.
Awesome review. Thanks!! This is the category I would put myself in.
If u need to check what speed are you going it is possible to check on your apple watch while you have strava running on it.
Nice clean setup on your cockpit
Great video!
That's not an E-Ink screen. If it was, you would have no trouble with polarized glasses or glare.
hi. i just got mine and i found the brightness of the display relatively low (compare to a smartphone). is this normal, that we cant increase the brightness? thanks
For longer (multiday rides) I use a separate gps otherwise phone is just fine. I only need directions and a watch.
If there was a way to passively measure my yearly distance (across multiple bikes with different riders) that would be nice. I.e it needs to measure how much I ride, not how far my bikes ride.
Happy to see you're still making bike videos. Long time subscribe. I don't know if anyone has suggested this to you but you would have a million subscribers by now if you covered everything bikes including the ever popular ebikes. I know it's not your thing but I love everything with peddles and It would be a must watch to have you talk about something other than fixed gear. Take care.
Wow, that was slick.
Hey Zach, would you consider getting a quad lock mount & case for your phone?
Hello! Can navigation also be used for walking? I would also like to use it for trekking as well as mountain biking
I’m also curious if you could use this for walking or hiking.
Has Wahoo improved the boot up time on the Bolt V2?
Okay Granite I'm probably really slumming it with MapMyRide but I like to keep track of these things because I'm riding the bike because I enjoy it but I'm also riding a bike because I'm trying to get in better shape and lose weight and be healthier so knowing how far I rode how fast I went and a rough idea of how many calories are in may have burned is important.
i still have the garmin 520
try riding to roseville more climbing/hills
8:20 use the take me to feature. 👍
actually it has a navigation functionality
I am curious if you considered the Garmin Explore 2? I chose it over the Bolt with its' similar price, usb-c, and touchscreen. I think it is the non-competitive cyclists Garmin computer.
agreed, I also went with the Garmin explore 2, for robust mapping, on the fly re-routing and searches. Happy so far, apart from [user error I guess ] I've still not worked out how to force turn by turn directions when I start a loaded course, sometimes it just does it, other times I have to deliberately take a wrong turn to get it to show the upcoming turns etc.
Unfortunately, there’s not much wahoo can do about the time it takes to triangulate the GPS location. This is a common problem with GPS devices. The only reason your phone is able to grab its location so quickly is because it can use data from the cell towers to narrow down its location.
I put a bell on my bike and my cockpit looked crowded, this would be way too much for me.
What kind of watch do u have?
11:14 lol. Great video.
Out of interest, why didnt you just use Quadlock, I feel like this is the most convinient, and the phone finally isnt in the pocket anymore and causes a sweat in the summer. + not another thing to own and carry around.
I don’t have a quad lock, but I’ve read online the constant vibrations on the phone can mess up the camera
I use my apple watch, Gives me heart rate, speed, altitude and distance plus others that I dont care about. Watch cost about as much as these bicycle only computers and is useful for other times.
I agree. I use my Garmin running watch. It has a more for bike riding. Just glance at my wrist for speed and distance.
Garmin Edge 530 for the win.
nice review of the bolt v2 the bike on the other hand isnt my style
That isn't e-ink. It's transflective TFT.
I'm a slow ebike driver with a wahoo. Who cares, it's good.
It's cool if you got money to burn like that dude but your options are always on the way higher price than you need to go.
Love Taiwan, the bicycle kingdom!
My broke ass is only using a Garmin Edge 200 that's like older than me.
@8:19 get your facts straight… there is navigation on this unit… are you sure you know how to use it? Geez
A minute to turn on? Hard pass. I'll stick to the Garmin.
@@Just-DanWhat you work for Wahoo? 1 minute to turn on and another 30 seconds to find a GPS satellite is pathetic. That's like bike computer speeds from 10 years ago. Ain't no one got time for that.
@@Just-DanI ride for my commute, generally by the time I get to my bike I'm running late or exactly on time and need to just jump on and go instantly.
Going for joy rides of course you can work around that but for a daily commute computer that's a significant wait time imo
Zach, time runs thin. The liberation of souks will devour u and every spec of humanity. Prepare yourself for the day that the sea will run red as blood.
Cycling computers are probably the most anoying electronic device on a bike. 1. The battery time is really low. 10 hours in not acceptable for day long trip. Yes, you can increase the run time by using only one satelite standard and removing sensors and connected bluetooth device but I don't want to do that. 2. Most features people actually want are the most rudamenteray and somehow you have to pay a premium price for them to actually be worth it. That's primarily proper navigation, battery run time, and maps. 3. G** d*** USB-C charging. Come on, there are so many really good devices out there that I don't want because of their micor USB port.