Test: Announced a long time ago, available since this spring: The Wahoo ELEMNT – “The Most Connected Bicycle Computer of the World”. The ELEMNT further rounds out Wahoo Fitness' diverse range of fitness products and apps. We also tested the new bike computer on racing bikes and mountain bikes under competition conditions.
Wahoo ELEMNT summarized:
- Dimensions: 57,5mm x 90,5mm x 21,2mm
- Display: 2,7″ (6,7 cm) with backlight
- Interfaces: ANT+, Bluetooth, WLAN
- Altimeter: barometric
- Weight: approx. 99 g
- Price: € 329,99
Wahoo ELEMNT - Unboxing
The ELEMNT comes in a classy, compact package. When opened, the computer reveals itself and on the inside of the packaging you will find a quick start guide. The scope of delivery also includes three different brackets for mounting on different handlebars and stems. In addition, cable ties for assembly and a USB charging cable are included with the ELEMNT.
Wahoo ELEMNT - Set Up
First you download the ELEMNT app from the usual app stores, as this also brings advantages for further use. When you start the computer for the first time, a QR code appears that is scanned with the app. This connects the app and the device and you can make all other settings. It is advisable to connect the ELEMNT to the home WLAN at the same time. Then the bike computer at home synchronizes itself automatically and independently.
Wahoo ELEMNT - Connectivity
The Wahoo uses the interfaces ANT+, WLAN and Bluetooth and thus guarantees excellent connectivity. ANT+ can be used to connect to a wide variety of sensors, such as heart rate monitors or power meter cranks. Wahoo also offers the ELEMNT in a package with a heart rate monitor, cadence sensor and speed sensor, which can be used to further expand the features of the ELEMNT. As part of a test ride, we were also able to test the Wahoo in combination with a Power2Max performance crank, which also worked perfectly. Of course, the ELEMNT can also communicate with the Wahoo KICKR Trainer. Routes can be transferred directly to the home trainer and real routes can be simulated at home.
The ELEMNT connects to the smartphone via Bluetooth and significantly expands the connectivity, since you also have access to the mobile Internet. You can use your smartphone to stream your current activity on the bike live online and let other people take part. In addition, when connected via Bluetooth, messages from the mobile phone are also displayed directly on the ELEMNT.
The Wahoo computer is synchronized via the WLAN. In this way, the current driving performance is transferred or routes or segments are loaded onto the device. With the ELEMNT app you can sync the device with various services such as Strava, Apple Health, Komoot and many more. In the test, we only synchronized the device with Strava and were convinced of the absolutely flawless function. The ELEMNT records the route and as soon as the device connects to the home WLAN, the route is synchronized with Strava and you can then retrieve it directly via your smartphone. The upload worked faster than before via the smartphone, which surprised us a lot. Starred segments in Strava are loaded directly onto the Wahoo, are triggered upon reaching the segment and progress can be followed live on the device.
Wahoo ELEMNT Operation
Not much can be written about the operation of the Wahoo bike computer, as it is very simple. The hardware buttons on the front can be used to switch between the differently configured screens. These screens can be individually configured in the app according to your own needs. The hardware buttons on the right work like a kind of zoom for the different screens. The buttons can be used to set how much information is displayed on each screen.
Wahoo ELEMNT - Maps & Navigation
The Wahoo computer uses the Open Maps database and basically provides good map material for orientation. The map material is excellent for use on racing bikes. When it comes to mountain biking, there are still smaller forest roads, but trails are no longer marked. In the thicket of the Bavarian Forest, the GPS sensor occasionally reached its limits, which was noticed by the speedometer dropping out. The addition of the speed sensor is recommended here. We tested the navigation while participating in this year's WOIDMAN MTB Marathon. Loaded the route from the organizer's website, opened the file on the iPhone with the ELEMNT app and then simply started the synchronization. You could already access the material. The route is then displayed as a dashed line on the map material and you get a warning message via red LEDs on the ELEMNT if you deviate from the route. Of course, the height profile could also be viewed directly after the synchronization. Then in the race, the route was a welcome addition as you could focus more on the race and not worry about the right route.
