New Wahoo Bolt replacement

[Steve Curtis]

Bolt V2 boots a bit slower than the V1. Also, for now, the V2 gets its GPS fix slower than the V1. The latter seems to be fixable with a (future) software update.

Weird. That's the exact opposite to my experience with two V2 units and a V1.
I deleted all of the location maps I'm never going to use so maybe that caused the difference.

[splzd]

Hello all, can someone who has the new Bolt confirm whether or not it boots much faster than the old version? This would be my main incentive for replacement. My old Bolt takes forever to startup, whereas my GF's Garmin 530 just switches on pretty much instantly..

Can't seem to find an unambiguous answer to this anywhere!

Bolt V2 has no sleep mode and drains quickly if you don't switch it off.

Don't have a BOLT v2, but had an ELEMNT and have a ROAM. When I leave it on it doesn't drain quickly at all. And furthermore: You can power it off without ending the recording. It picks it back up when you switch it on again. If I'm not mistaken, the power-off-gap can be up to eight hours long.

[raven14]

Bolt V2 boots a bit slower than the V1. Also, for now, the V2 gets its GPS fix slower than the V1. The latter seems to be fixable with a (future) software update.

Weird. That's the exact opposite to my experience with two V2 units and a V1.
I deleted all of the location maps I'm never going to use so maybe that caused the difference.

I did the same, have about 5gb free space on the Bolt V2.

[Steve Curtis]

Bolt V2 boots a bit slower than the V1. Also, for now, the V2 gets its GPS fix slower than the V1. The latter seems to be fixable with a (future) software update.

Weird. That's the exact opposite to my experience with two V2 units and a V1.
I deleted all of the location maps I'm never going to use so maybe that caused the difference.

I did the same, have about 5gb free space on the Bolt V2.

My V2 is about 7 seconds quicker to boot than yours. I only have one available to test right now.
My V1 is a little slower than your V1.

Interesting comparison

[wolflikeme]

Debating if i should:

- Stick to the original bolt (works fine afterall aside from the slow start up)
- New Bolt
- Hammerhead Karoo 2 (less battery life and a lot heavier and bulky)

If anyone has any experience with the Karoo 2 coming from a Bolt please chime in!

I've used a Bolt for 2 years and tested a Karoo 2 for a few weeks. Ended up returning the K2. It's really nice if you need navigation and are going on unfamiliar routes often but all of the metrics are the same as the Bolt so there wasn't an advantage of a nicer screen for my use.

[nikospeed]

Bolt V2 boots a bit slower than the V1. Also, for now, the V2 gets its GPS fix slower than the V1. The latter seems to be fixable with a (future) software update.

Weird. That's the exact opposite to my experience with two V2 units and a V1.
I deleted all of the location maps I'm never going to use so maybe that caused the difference.

I did the same, have about 5gb free space on the Bolt V2.

My V2 is about 7 seconds quicker to boot than yours. I only have one available to test right now.
My V1 is a little slower than your V1.

Interesting comparison

Interesting indeed...my v2 is also a bit slower than my V1 (maps reduced to what I need on v2, 5.8GB free mem) but that's the least of my problems...BT connx, GPS sensitivity, altitude and temperature are way more important to get solved IMHO...

[chris1234]

One thing that looked good about the Bolt v2 was how well the rerouting worked. If you go the wrong way it instantly puts you back on course using a logical route.

Compared to Garmin Edge which tells you to do a u-turn for five minutes then ends up sending you back to the start. Garmin nav is just terrible and I am considering switching to Wahoo just for this.

[MayhemSWE]

Just bought the new Bolt over the counter at my LBS today. Time to update software, connect sensors and configure the display fields to what I am used to. Tomorrow first ride to find out whether the software is still undercooked or not…

[nikospeed]

New FW today. Fixed (my) BLE pairing issue (can now connect to Polar speed sensor) but no change to incorrect temp and altitude readings and GPS sensitivity.
But at least there's relatively quick progress...

[MikeD]

One thing that looked good about the Bolt v2 was how well the rerouting worked. If you go the wrong way it instantly puts you back on course using a logical route.

Compared to Garmin Edge which tells you to do a u-turn for five minutes then ends up sending you back to the start. Garmin nav is just terrible and I am considering switching to Wahoo just for this.

What's so great about that? Just go back to where you made the wrong turn. The Garmin tells you pretty quickly when you go off course. Who wants to be rerouted onto a road that's bad for cycling?

[chris1234]

One thing that looked good about the Bolt v2 was how well the rerouting worked. If you go the wrong way it instantly puts you back on course using a logical route.

Compared to Garmin Edge which tells you to do a u-turn for five minutes then ends up sending you back to the start. Garmin nav is just terrible and I am considering switching to Wahoo just for this.

What's so great about that? Just go back to where you made the wrong turn. The Garmin tells you pretty quickly when you go off course. Who wants to be rerouted onto a road that's bad for cycling?

Having to slow down and stop to do a u-turn is annoying, may not be easy on some roads and interrupts the flow of the ride. No one wants to be rerouted onto a road that is bad for cycling but unless you live in a part of the world where there is only one good road for cycling this strikes me as a bit of a strange argument.

If a cycle computer advertises rerouting as a feature, you can bet I am going to be a bit frustrated if the rerouting amounts to "turn around and get back on the route".

[RDY]

One thing that looked good about the Bolt v2 was how well the rerouting worked. If you go the wrong way it instantly puts you back on course using a logical route.

Compared to Garmin Edge which tells you to do a u-turn for five minutes then ends up sending you back to the start. Garmin nav is just terrible and I am considering switching to Wahoo just for this.

What's so great about that? Just go back to where you made the wrong turn. The Garmin tells you pretty quickly when you go off course. Who wants to be rerouted onto a road that's bad for cycling?

The Garmin's terrible in terms of re-routing, frequently tells you that you're off route when you're not, and the map and where you're supposed to go is difficult to interpret in dense situations. The Bolt V2's been absolutely perfect both routing and re-routing wise, and the navigation map is way better than Garmin's. I'd put Garmin behind all the main players in that regard, though ... Wahoo, HammerHead, Bryton, even Stages (Sigma I haven't used or seen). Their offering is not unlike it was 10+ years ago ... little improvement has been made.

BUT. Huge BUT.

Selecting a destination on the Wahoo is a complete shit show. You can't enter an address or place on the device, despite this being just about the most basic feature of all nav software / devices for the last 15 years. You're supposed to be able to do it on the companion app on the phone ... but address entry does nothing. It detects what you're entering and predicts it too. You can select it, but nothing happens. It just disappears. Useless. Presumably they'll fix this at some point, but it's still ludicrous that you'd have to pfaff around with your phone if you're out on a ride, particularly as pairing is still (even with latest update) pretty hit or miss.

You have to know where you want to go on a map, and have a good idea where it is. Zoomed out, Wahoo's maps lose all the excellent clarity and legibility that they have for close in nav, and UX for zooming and scrolling is like something from the 1980s. It's awkward, and laggy as hell. Takes forever, and there's no way you can do it whilst moving on the bike and safely keep your eyes on things.

Address entry ommission is inexcusable, and UX for point selection just adds insult to injury.

[chris1234]

The Garmin's terrible in terms of re-routing, frequently tells you that you're off route when you're not, and the map and where you're supposed to go is difficult to interpret in dense situations.

The Garmin also frequently forgets to tell me when a turn is coming, which compounds the re-routing issue. In the latest beta they have added arrows to the route (similar to Wahoo) which does make reading the map easier on my Edge 530.

[chris1234]

delete

[HJWS]

I've got a really strange issue with my new Bolt V2 - I sync routes from Strava and certain routes (75% of them) cause the entire unit to freeze and I need to reboot to get it moving again. None of these routes work but then other routes from Strava load fine. Never had this issue with the Bolt V1 so have reached out to Wahoo support to see what they can suggest.