Wahoo ELEMNT first impressions

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glam2deaf
Posts: 712
Joined: Mon Apr 27, 2015 4:36 am

by glam2deaf

jmechy wrote:Is there anywhere on the unit to attach a leash? I've learned my lesson with a Garmin Edge mount failing on a bumpy road, resulting in a computer left behind with a few miles left in an important race.


No hoops on my unit.

Krackor
Posts: 257
Joined: Tue May 31, 2011 9:48 pm

by Krackor

On a related note, after 2 hours of riding with the out-front mount provided by Wahoo, the mount started to droop. When I stopped to tighten it I had to turn the bolt a surprising amount - at least 3-4 full rotations. I don't know if the bolt worked its way loose that much during the ride, or if the mount simply wasn't seated properly on the bars yet. There is some soft material on the inside of the clamp that may take some breaking-in. I'll monitor it over the next few rides and report if it's still a problem and if I need to add blue loctite to the bolt.

The on-bar mount includes some zip ties for attaching to the handlebars. I would rather have the rubber band style mount that Garmin provides. Zip ties leave sharp edges and are obviously a bigger hassle to move from bike to bike, change position, or remove during handlebar maintenance. I'm looking forward to the claimed 3d-models of the mount design and the aftermarket mounts that will follow.

by Weenie


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miesemer
Posts: 1
Joined: Sun Feb 15, 2015 5:56 pm

by miesemer

Also suffered the loose mount mid-ride yesterday. I think I was a little too careful not to over tighten the mounting screw the first time around.

I also like the idea of a leash after having my Garmin 510 go bouncing down the road after hitting a hidden bump and having the Garmin mount inner disk thingy break. I'm trying an adhesive camera lens cap keeper as a substitute for the mounting hoop style of the Garmin.
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eric01
Posts: 909
Joined: Mon Feb 06, 2006 1:06 am

by eric01

Re: slipping mount. Wrap a little electrical tape on the handlebar first then put on the mount. I find that prevents slippage. Either due to the tape taking up a little extra space or providing a little extra friction.
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winstonwolfau
Posts: 1
Joined: Thu Mar 17, 2016 12:15 pm

by winstonwolfau

What happens when you try to charge the device whist its recording? Does it allow you to continue your activity ?

Krackor
Posts: 257
Joined: Tue May 31, 2011 9:48 pm

by Krackor

I can plug it in to my computer or to the wall charger while it is recording with no apparent interruption. I'm just carrying it around the room, so it's not a real test while riding, but it is what it is.

WannabeWeenie
Posts: 106
Joined: Mon Aug 03, 2015 7:05 pm
Location: Minnesota, USA

by WannabeWeenie

Going a little off-topic here. If you take your iPhone with you on all your rides, would you have chosen a RFLKT+ instead of the ELEMNT?

Krackor
Posts: 257
Joined: Tue May 31, 2011 9:48 pm

by Krackor

Speaking personally, I would not carry my phone in a race so I need something that works alone. I also don't like the battery drain on the phone - when I'm out on a long ride I prefer to save phone battery for making emergency calls or checking a map using cellular data.

siriz75
Posts: 46
Joined: Tue Jan 21, 2014 2:14 am

by siriz75

Hello -- can anyone provide an update to the ELEMNT, -- does the recent updates justify a move away from GARMIN?

bkw
Posts: 33
Joined: Tue Sep 09, 2014 3:04 pm

by bkw

Got any real world navi reviews? Compared against the 800, if possible.

And lastly, when on Di2 adjustment mode with the d-fly, does it show you the +/- adjustment display like the Garmin?

jmechy
Posts: 63
Joined: Wed Jun 04, 2008 3:18 am

by jmechy

siriz75 wrote:Hello -- can anyone provide an update to the ELEMNT, -- does the recent updates justify a move away from GARMIN?


I would say yes, with one caveat. I'm still getting occasional power meter data drops. Every time that happens, I need to either power cycle the Wahoo, or have the computer "forget" the power meter and re-add it. Not ideal in the middle of a race, surrounded by 100 other power meters. This only happens once every handful of rides, and only some users are seeing it, but power data is pretty important.
*edit*: Also, I haven't seen this issue yet with the new firmware, which I installed yesterday. It is entirely possible that the problem is now fixed.
That said, everything else about the computer is fantastic. They have done a great job with software updates, and I have grown to love the layout of the screens. I have faith that Wahoo will continue building even more functionality into the computer, unlike the Garmin philosophy of abandoning support for devices that are still very heavily used.

ghsmith54
Posts: 6
Joined: Fri Feb 13, 2015 9:42 pm

by ghsmith54

bkw wrote:Got any real world navi reviews? Compared against the 800, if possible.

Not an extended review as I've only run one route using the Elemnt but a few comments.

1. It's really cool that it automatically downloads your routes from ridewithgps when connected to WIFI. I was actually kind of surprised it did this.
2. When running a route, if you go off route there's a bank of LED's across the top that glow red but only for a short time. I'd prefer it if they stayed on until you got back on the route. If e.g., you're not looking at the thing, you go off route and miss the LED's you could think all is good (unless you study the map display).
3. It would be nice if one of the selectable fields for the map was "distance to next cue". Although with early notifications turned on in ridewithgps it DOES give you the next cue immediately after completing a cue, if you miss it you have to pay constant attention looking for the next cue (or look at a cue sheet). I prefer having it say "4.3 miles" in the distance to next cue so I don't have to constantly be checking the map to see if there's a turn coming up. Having said that, the "distance to next turn" field on a Garmin is usually so f'd up that it's nearly useless anyway.
4. No idea what battery life is when running a route. I'll be doing a 125K permanent this weekend and will use the routing function so we'll see.

So far, I prefer it to anything Garmin (I have a Garmin 1000 and have owned an 810 and 520) but then I loathe Garmin so ymmv.


Greg

bkw
Posts: 33
Joined: Tue Sep 09, 2014 3:04 pm

by bkw

Thank you!

seanmolin
Posts: 27
Joined: Fri Aug 26, 2016 9:20 pm

by seanmolin

I've been using mine almost two months now. It's fantastic. The screen is SO easy to read in any lighting conditions.

Also, Strava Live Segments has really upped the ante. Can't wait to see Ant+ FEC implemented so we can control our indoor fitness trainers.

ToffieBoi
Posts: 417
Joined: Fri Jan 31, 2014 4:54 pm
Location: Krakow, Poland

by ToffieBoi

I have mine for a few months. Just perfect. I'm happy that finally I got rid of my Garmin.

Here is a small bug (I guess) I found. Since there is no 'GPS Connected' notification on the device, if you start the ride before it actually connects to satellites, it never connects.
So because of that, I added a 'GPS Accuracy' screen on one of my pages.

by Weenie


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