taco2ewsday

Hi all;
Looking at getting a bike computer and have read enough to know that Wahoo seems to be the way to go. As 2020 has started I've noticed that the Elemnt is at or below the cost of the Bolt on some sites backcountry, amazon etc... this may mean that they are dumping stock for a new model which makes sense for a 3.5 year old piece of tech. Now here comes the question considering the Elemnt had a cost higher than the Bolt up until recently is there anything technologically different between the two (Sensor support, CPU, GPS support etc.....) that should steer me towards the Bolt, or shoudl I just jump on an apparent deal.

Thanks in advance

bitpuddle

The price might be dropping because of the Roam.

I got the Bolt because I liked the smaller size.

Steve B.

I think the main operating system is the same as the Bolt, so basically you’re getting a larger Bolt.

Your choice if you need the size

John_V 

The Elemnt is a little heavier, the screen is larger, it has two rows of LED lights instead of one and the battery life is said to be two hours longer. Other than that, they are the same. One other minor difference is that if you attach an Ant+ Radar to it, the only notification you'll get is on the display vs the Bolt that uses the display and the LED lights.

jpescatore

Kinda the differentiator: if you mostly care about how fast and how far you are going, get the Bolt. It is lighter and more aerodynamic, but not as useful as a map display/routing/ integrate other info type device.

If you mostly want to have maps and directions and other display info (like the radar already mentioned) up on the display, go for the Elemnt or the Roam. I now have the Roam, I'd say get that if you can afford it, the Elemnt if you want to save money. My original Elemnt is now on my wife' s bike, I like the Roam for the color display and it has some (not very sophisticated or reliable yet) re-reouting capability.

taco2ewsday

Thanks all for the responses, this has been really helpful

Steve B.

This is kind of misleading as it implies the Bolt doesn’t have maps and turn-by-turn directions, which of course it does as it’s essentially the same software as the larger Elemnt. Bolt is a smaller screen is all.

And I would think that the aerodynamic benefit of a Bolt over the Elemnt is ?, minuscule ?, unmeasurable ?, you’d likely gain more benefit shaving that morning.

jpescatore

The marketing for the Bolt is all about it being more aerodynamic. There is really no reason to buy it unless you want reduced wind resistance.

My text said it was "not as useful as a map display/routing/integrate other info type device" - yes, it shows maps and directions but on a smaller screen, significantly smaller. It is definitely not as useful for that as the Elemnt or the Roam.

u235

The Elemnt has a longer battery life and I like the larger screen. If my Elemnt broke today, I'd get another one or possibly the Roam. I like the advanced navigation features of the Roam if it worked good. When you drift off course with an Elemnt or a Bolt you have to find your own way back. I always carry my phone and my area downloaded for offline so I have a workaround but that would be nice on the unit. I got my Elemnt on a random one day sale back in 2017 for $230 which was cheaper than the Bolt.

Elemnt price history on Amazon.
https://camelcamelcamel.com/product/B01DFQUTTC

Steve B.

Do you believe the marketing about aerodynamic though ?. I guess they are correct in that anything smaller is going to offer less wind resistance, but I wonder if any mere mortal is going to benefit.

The Elemnt at $240 is a good price and I always go for the larger screen for the maps and is why I have a Edge 1030.

jpescatore

Personally, I'm a wide body rider that is only breaking 20 mph when going downhill - tinkering with aerodynamics of the GPS computer, or even the bike itself, isn't going to meaningfully gain me any power!

taco2ewsday

Agreed I also browse the Clydesdale & Athena's forum so I completely agree the weight and aero aspects are the least of my concerns I was mainly making sure I was not missing out on features. cutting down on the beer and donuts will have more affect on my Watts/kg than a slightly smaller cycling computer

taco2ewsday

Just in case anyone is looking back country now has the Blue and Pink limited edition bolt for $199

https://www.backcountry.com/wahoo-fi...Fob28gZWxlbW50

jbell_64

I've been using the element for a couple years and really like it. I'm pretty sure the whole"aero" benefit of the smaller unit is utter BS. No way it could make a detectable difference.