Wahoo Fitness' new ELEMNT cycling computer puts an emphasis on simplicity and ease of use but aims to do so without sacrificing anything in the way of metrics or adaptability. The GPS-enabled ELEMNT offers all the usual functions that you'd expect to see on a high-end computer, including current, average, and maximum speed, distance covered, calories burned, feet climbed and elevation gained per minute, ride time, and a few others. Its mapping function makes sense for road riders, while a neat live-tracking feature can even show you where other ELEMNT riders are relevant to you.
Need to see incoming text messages while out on a ride for some reason? That sucks, but you can have those text messages sent to the computer's screen so you don't need to look at your phone, or even set it up to show watt figures while using Wahoo's KICKR indoor trainer.
Wahoo is working on another trick that they hope to implement soon: the ability to control a GoPro camera by using the computer's buttons. You'll be able to power the camera on or off, change settings and modes, and even check battery life, all from a dedicated page on the computer, something that could be pretty handy if the GoPro is on the top of your helmet. Expect this update to go live later in 2016.
ELEMNT Details
• GPS cycling computer
• Non-touch, backlit screen LCD display
• ANT+, Bluetooth, WiFi connectivity
• Barometric altimeter
• Compatible w/ STRAVA and other apps
• Battery life: 17 hours (claimed)
• Micro-USB charging port/cable
• Included mounts: stem, out-front, aero
• Size: 2.3'' x 3.5'' x 0.8''
• Weight: 3.5 oz
• MSRP: $329.99 USD
FeaturesThe ELEMNT offers a lot of features and setup options, some of which will make more sense for a roadie than a mountain biker. Below is a brief run-through of what it has on tap, but you can see them all by
visiting the Wahoo Fitness website.
The ELEMNT should be easy to use thanks to its "quick zoom" feature that allows riders to easily change the stats shown by simply zooming in or out on the screen through pressing the buttons on the side of the computer head. The more you zoom in, the less you see and zooming out will obviously show more info. Only want to look at your speed, distance, and ride time? Zoom way in. Want to look at everything from speed, calories burned and the number of feet you've climbed per minute? Just zoom further out.
Riders use their iPhone to customize the ELEMNT's display, with the changes happening in real-time as you make them. This requires pairing your phone by scanning the QR code that comes up on the ELEMNT's screen - once it's paired you can do things like set up a power page that shows relevant stats you might want to see in one place. A workout page would show you things like calories burned and watt numbers, or you can pull up the live tracking page that shows you where other ELEMNT users are. You can have up to ten custom pages.
You can also upload maps to pre-route your planned ride, with bright LEDs on the side of the computer acting as indicators that tell you where to go and when to make a turn, although this is a function that's probably of more interest to our skinny tire cousins.
Those same LEDs can also be configured as display indicators that let you know if you're above, below or in your desired zone, and all of the info from your ride can be automatically pushed via WiFi to whatever app you use to keep track of your rides. And kinda like a Tesla, the ELEMNT will even update itself to the newest spec from Wahoo when it's hooked up to WiFi, something that it did all on its own while I had it in my workshop. The singularity might be closer than we think, but at least our cycling computers will be up to date.
PerformanceI have a love/hate relationship with cycling computers that's probably more hate than love, mostly because a clever border collie has a much better understanding of electronics than I do. I'm simply terrible at this kind of stuff, which probably makes me the ideal guy to see if Wahoo's claims about the ELEMNT being easy to set up and use are actually true. And they are - getting the ELEMNT up and running proved to be an easy job that no one should have any trouble with. The iPhone app pairing system makes the job easy, and I had everything to my liking after only a few minutes of tinkering.
I didn't plan on spending much time looking at the ELEMNT's screen while riding - being a mountain biker, I'd rather look where I'm going - so I went with a pretty simple display that included a few things I'm interested in: ride time, time of day, distance traveled, elevation gained, and current elevation. The computer does insist on ten different metrics on the home screen, however, so I ended up also having the current temperature, grade, and average, current, and max speed. Ten items on the screen may sound like Wahoo packed it in tight, but the crisp and high-contrast display makes everything easy to read.
Because I'm most interested in climbing stats (yes, I'm
that guy), I liked the simpler climbing page that's accessed by pushing the 'page' button. It shows grade, total feet climbed and descended, feet gained per minute, and my current speed. Pushing the page button again took me to the mapping function (neat, but useless for my needs), and pushing it a third time goes to a super basic display that shows time of day, distance traveled, feet climbed, and total ride time. You can create up to ten custom pages to show power, gear selection, etc.
To the left of the page button, the center 'start' button is pretty self-explanatory, and the 'hist' button on the far left shows, you guessed it, data from your past rides. While all that might sound complicated, it's extremely simple to set up and, more importantly, make use of while out on the trail.
I attached the ELEMNT to my handlebar via the rubber-backed twist-lock stem-mount as the out-front setup would put the computer in harm's way, and also used the same mount to attach it to my bike's top tube. Both locations worked well, and the mount, which is very similar but not identical to what other computers use, is solid and refused to let the ELEMNT rattle loose.
It does attach via zip-ties rather than O-rings, however, which is more solid, but it also means that it's a bit of a pain in the ass to swap it between bikes. For this reason, I'd probably buy a spare mount if I was using the ELEMNT with more than one bike.
With large, tactile buttons and an easy to read screen, the ELEMNT is quite simple to use. It's not something that I'm going to be looking at while moving quickly on singletrack, of course, but switching between the screens while pedaling up a climb isn't out of the question. Its GPS also locks on quickly, and it never dropped the connection, even in places where my older Garmin would often lose touch. Rain and mud had zero effect on the computer, and I even left it on my bike during a few post-ride pressure washings. I'm pretty sure that Wahoo would frown on that, but the blasts of water did nothing to the ELEMNT.
I did get annoyed with the ELEMNT's auto-pause feature that activates itself when the rider's speed dips down to a near standstill. It's never going to be an issue for a roadie, but some of the steeper, more technical climbs in my 'hood force a rider to basically come to a stop on a handful of occasions. That causes the computer to issue a beep when it auto-pauses because it thinks I've stopped even though I haven't. It then takes five or six seconds for the computer to auto-start.
The seventeen hours of claimed battery life didn't really pan out, either, with it running for a bit more than ten hours before calling it quits. Things like the backlight and the auto-updating feature will certainly affect battery life, so it could last a bit longer for some riders. It also didn't want to jump onto my WiFi every now and then, but it would eventually find it.
Pinkbike’s Take: | Wahoo knows that ELEMNT is probably not going to be on a downhiller or freerider's wishlist, but it does make sense for anyone who's a bit of a data hound. There are other GPS computers out there, both smaller and larger, and less expensive and pricier, but it's the ELEMNT's easy setup and intuitive layout that I believe makes it worth checking out. After all, if I can figure out how to use it in only a few minutes of tinkering, you won't have a problem. - Mike Levy |
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My point is that I see no advantage of this over something around my wrist. I do see some major disadvantages. It looks pretty exposed, being so big and on the handlebar. Usually after a minor crash you just move on and find small things to fix as you go, somethings rubs, something rattles. But if you find out this device is broken and/or missing, it is going to make for a disappointment considering the investment.
Strava might be nice for people who find inspiration in it, but personally I believe mountainbike trails can be so different from day to day and even vary throughout the day that it doesn't make much sense competitively. I agree knowing there is a clock ticking can pace you, but that clock can be anything. It could be Strava, but a simple stopwatch (possibly built into your watch) can do the same thing. As long as it beeps when you start.
So let me get straight that I definitely see advantages in viewing training data real time for some types of training (like running or indoor cycling). But I think for mountainbike riding it doesn't apply to such an extend. The variations in terrain (how smooth it is rolling as well as wind conditions) make speed and distance data useless, the effort that goes into actions other than turning the pedals (but pumping, jumping etc) won't be picked up by a power meter. And due to the lag in heart rate what is being measured doesn't relate directly to what you're doing. The heart doesn't react real time to what you're doing (people who use optical sensors have an even bigger lag, but that's due to the measurements) so there is no point seeing it real time either. At least not for fast changing conditions I have when riding mtb or MUni. That said, I know there are people who ride their bikes sat down on more gradual terrain and don't move their bike around so much. Nearly all effort goes through the legs and they can go faster or slower to stay within the intended zones. In such cases indeed a power meter and hrm with real time feedback could be just as good (or better) than what I'm doing on the indoor training or when running.
the maps and ability to upload routes. Also the led's on the top let you know when you are off route (I have seen reviews and road videos with that). I would like to test that on trails. Basically I just need to be able to look at a trial intersection what way i should take, not looking for telling me to turn etc....
I have a race coming up that is more an unsupported adventure than anything and GPS with maps are basically required. Route markings can get removed or fall down on this course and it goes through some areas of spider web trails through actual good tech riding.
I personally have no experience with this particular device but I've got the Suunto Ambit 2s watch which can plot the planned trail with your relative position and direction. So that is without a map but it works sufficiently well if you also look ahead. I think the lights on this particular device are only going to make sense if it also knows the trails, not just the official roads. And I doubt this is the case honestly. But you'll probably be fine without.
The Wahoo ELEMNT is a bike computer, just like a Garmin or anything else most cyclists use. Sure, if your site's target audience is the gravity assisted crowd, they might not be as interested in this, but that's no reason to diminish the quality and depth of your review just to sound like you're a "real mountain biker." It just sounds like you're apathetic to using technology while riding, which makes you not the "ideal guy" for the review.
Oh, and "watts" are a unit of measure, like kph would be for the measurement of speed. I think the word you're looking for is "power."
That aside, this looks like a great bike computer with a lot of options, I especially like the customization with the zones and the display to reflect that.
The "being a mountain biker, I'd rather look where I'm going" reference is pretty simple: roadies have ample time to look down at their bar-mounted computer, whereas I don't spend a lot of time looking down while I'm mountain biking... do you? It kinda sounds like it.