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Wahoo ELEMNT

71K views 236 replies 45 participants last post by  Wetworks 
#1 ·
Just saw the announcement for this. TL;DR version, it does everything the Garmin 520 promises (and then some) but with what sounds to be better integration with smartphones (and presumably less bugginess). It won't be available until the winter, but I think it sounds like a slam-dunk for under the tree, at least for me.

Wahoo’s new GPS bike computer–ELEMNT: Hands-on first look | DC Rainmaker
 
#66 ·
Supplied mounts:
The road bar mount works great, weighs nothing, not a bad option.

Zip tie mount, others, including DC Rainmaker are not a fan of the zip ties, I like them, they make it a viable mount for hard mountain biking.

TT mount. slick carbon aero extensions and slick internal mating surface make this hard to tighten down. I ended up adhering a tiny piece of skateboard grip tape on the extension, so the mount had something to grip to. Otherwise, it is fine.

Other mounts:
K-edge, talked to them at Sea Otter, they only had one blue disc and I bought it to retrofit my XL out front mount. They did say they were not comfortable and have not tested the the older XL mount with the Elemnt and something attached to the GoPro adapter. They recommend buying the new one if you are attaching things.

Barfly, I did not talk to them but they also have Elemnt mounts now. I don't know anything more than that though.

I wish the Elemnt had a tether, I would hate to see it fly off.

Serendipitous Mapping:
Went to Henry Coe, turned it on with no connection to the internet and it had all of the trail maps as long as I stayed at the same zoom level. My buddy and I got off on a rarely used (Stava only had 10 people ever riding it) trail that got so overgrown, without the map, we would probably have gotten completely lost. At one point there was so much overgrowth, even with the map it took us a good fifteen minutes to find it again (my scrapes from manzanita branches, sunburn and poison oak are still healing two weeks later).
Still have not tried following a pre-defined route.

Sync:
After the ride, if it is syncing but just kind of sitting there at 1/3rd complete or the app can't find the Elemnt, I reboot my phone and then the Elemnt seems to skip the sync to the phone and just use Wifi directly rather quickly.

Screen Readability:
Still light years better than the 510.Sunlight to shade and back again with polarized and non-polarized sunglasses on, no problem.

Stages PM for Power and Cadence (MTB bike, I've only tired it once with the Elemnt):
Cadence spikes, up to 245rpm (my best is 140...), drop outs and freezing (says I'm doing 80rpm but I am coasting).
Power also did some odd things, shows a super smooth roll off from 1 second to three minutes on what looks like 10% down hill starting at 1100 watts ending at 600 watts. I've been training, and I had a really strong day but my previous all time 3 min high was 375 watts, so I find these results a little hard to believe.
Note: I've stayed up on the Stages firmware and any time I go to Henry Coe, it does something dumb, like it is the Bermuda triangle of technology for mountain biking for me.

Side LED's:
HR has no use to me, it is not even on my main screen so I certainly don't need any lights telling me I am working hard, it's not like I am going to slow down or stop based on that. That leaves Power, which is based on ride average. This has to be the most useless status I can imagine. For example (and I am simplifying for clarity), say your ride is hilly, half the time you spend putting out 300 watts climbing, the other half you spend coasting down hill, your average is 150 watts. What use is that as the center of a graph. They already collected my FTP in the app, how hard would it be just to implement the FTP as the center and each light above and below 10% of that. No extra interface needed. Easy enough to extend that by letting people set what the % is for each segment as a customization. That would let people do some great things with those LEDs when working on bike splits etc. I am hopeful this will be addressed, for now these are just blinking lights.

Bottom line:
I still like this far better than the Garmin 510 and have high hopes things will get better as Wahoo works through the issues.
 
#68 ·
I checked on the Di2 Battery Status, and that data does indeed show on the device in the D-Fly sensor menu. The field is actually not there (not just showing zero or no value its *not there*) if D-Fly is not connected.

ELEMNT Main Menu -> D-Fly Sensor -> More



Needless to say, my Di2 is on the charger as we speak.

And for you Di2 naysayers out there, I got about 2500 miles out of this charge (and still at 20%)
 
#69 ·
I haven't updated this thread in a while.

I've been using the ELEMNT fairly extensively, and have been having more issues with ride data sync and some sensor drops, particularly my Wahoo TICKR, but other bluetooth devices as well (Stages PM, Wahoo Speed and RPM). My ANT sensors don't seem to be affected, but I don't use them as much (mostly just to test), so it's hard to say if they actually work better.

I've also been experiencing some lag/slowness in the UI that seems to get worse the longer the ride goes (again, small sample size).

I've been having a pretty open dialog with Wahoo support about these issues, and they assured me fixes were coming for all of the issues I've been experiencing.

Well, today might be the day.

I haven't updated yet, but according to their support site, there are new versions of both IOS and Android companion apps, as well as new firmware for the head unit itself.

ELEMNT Software Updates – Wahoo Fitness Support

Wahoo Support Software Udpates Page said:
ELEMNT WF38-420 / IOS 1.2.4 (60) / ANDROID 1.2.0.12 - 4TH MAY 2016

Focusing on improving the ELEMNT’s mapping, workout recording, syncing and sharing, the ELEMNT WF38-420 (and companion app) release includes the following core updates:


  • [*=left]FIT on the Fly (New & improved method for transferring ride data to the app/cloud) Allows for exceptionally faster and more reliable data syncing.
    [*=left]Map Management - Add/remove world maps to the ELEMNT’s built-in memory.
    [*=left]Map Rotation - Allowing riders to orient the map according to the direction they are currently traveling as well as the current North-facing setting, users can now toggle between the two via the ELEMNT companion app.
    [*=left]Map Style Improvements - The map page will now keep trails/local roads displayed on the screen for an additional two zoom levels.
    [*=left]Improved Tracking - More data points will improve the accuracy of 'bread-crumb' navigation.
To update to the current firmware, you’ll need to connect your ELEMNT to your home network and then navigate to the setup menu where you’ll press the 'System Info' option, followed by the 'Check' option that will appear when the current firmware version is highlighted.
Full change log below:

ELEMNT WF38-420



  • [*=left]Big improvements to sync speed and reliability.
    [*=left]Fixes missing/mismatched values between ELEMNT, the phone and 3rd Party sites
    [*=left]Always have access to the original FIT data on any device, any time.
    [*=left]Added all new history detail post workout with all your stats (automatically shown post workout)
    [*=left]Added option to always rotate the Map in your direction of travel
    [*=left]Maps: Keep roads, cycle paths, trails and footways around at higher zoom levels
    [*=left]Maps: Fixed rendering issues of bridges
    [*=left]Maps: Fixed rendering issues of some types of trails
    [*=left]Improved speed of UI updates of power data
    [*=left]Fixed issue with Routes not syncing from phone apps (via Wahoo Cloud)
    [*=left]Fixed several missing and incorrect localisations (let us know if you find any)
    [*=left]iOS notifications are not dismissed on ELEMNT when read on iPhone
    [*=left]Fixed issue with time format not matching users (phone) settings
    [*=left]Improved styling of menus
    [*=left]Improved formatting of data fields for consistency
    [*=left]Changed FIT file name format to follow industry standard
    [*=left]Fixed issue with Route taking a very long time to load
    [*=left]Improved support for TrainingPeaks login
    [*=left]Fixed a few crashes when navigating menus
IOS COMPANION APP 1.2.4 (60)



  • [*=left]Added auto-upload support from the phone
    [*=left]Much improved sync speed and reliability
    [*=left]Added ability to manage maps on ELEMNT (Add/Remove/Update)
    [*=left]Added FIT file export to all share sites and email
    [*=left]Added elevation chart to history detail view
    [*=left]Added charging reminding for ELEMNT
    [*=left]Added notifications for new ELEMNT software updates
    [*=left]Improved share site UI
    [*=left]Fixes for missing/mismatched values between ELEMNT/Phone
    [*=left]Fixed support for re-ordering/deleting custom pages
    [*=left]Fixed issues with 3rd party site credentials not being synced with ELEMNT
    [*=left]Fixed support for syncing Routes when using Facebook sign in
    [*=left]Fixed updating Live Tracking when finishing workout
    [*=left]Added iOS low storage warning
    [*=left]Fixed several pesky user reported crashes
ANDROID COMPANION APP 1.2.0.12



  • [*=left]Much improved sync speed and reliability
    [*=left]Fixes for missing/mismatched values between ELEMNT/Phone
    [*=left]Added auto-upload support from the phone
    [*=left]Added support for setting power meter crank length
    [*=left]Added ability to manage maps on ELEMNT (Add/Remove/Update)
    [*=left]Fixed a crash when uploading to Training Peaks
    [*=left]Improved localizations
    [*=left]General stability and UI improvements

I'll update the unit and my apps (I'm playing with both android and IOS versions) and report back after I have a few rides.
 
#70 ·
I did the update yesterday and here is my experience with that:
Update App on Android Nexus 6P
Open App, it crashes (try several more times, same result)
Restart Phone, Open App, it crashes (try several more times, same result)
Uninstall App/Reboot Phone/Reinstall App
Have to run setup on phone again, as soon as I enter my user name it starts downloading all of my rides from the device to my phone.
Plug phone into wall, let this go on for 5 hours, keeping both awake so I can watch the progress, it takes about an hour per ride.
Plug device into computer and remove all existing rides from device.
Restart Element and kill App and restart, continues to sync.
Do factory reset on Elemnt.
Finally lets me enter the WiFi password and complete App setup.
Re-setup custom screens.
Turn off Auto Pause.
Re-add all sensors.

Did a local group ride where cell coverage is only somewhat spotty, 27 miles/2250ft/1:45 time (so not exactly an endurance test as far as phone or device batteries go), everything seemed to work properly and it uploaded the ride immediately on completion using cell network (no wifi available).
 
#71 ·
I installed the update last night on both phones (iPhone 5S and LG-G5). Both went smoothly. The unit was paired to the iPhone when I did the update, and other than a few minor issues getting connected to WiFi, the update installation went smoothly.

After updating, I decided to switch back to the G5 and permanently retire the iPhone (again). The re-pairing went well, and all of the sensors were still working fine.

I had my first ride this morning, and the ride went very well. I had one HR dropout from my TICKR. It dropped for about 2 min, but reconnected before it annoyed me enough to stop and fix it. I really hope they work out these bluetooth dropouts. This is really starting to be frustrating. And for me, HR is really the only stat I care about in real time ( I monitor my zones actively for various reasons).

After the ride, it auto-updated Strava for me, and that also worked well.

I didn't really spend much time playing the new mapping stuff, as I don't use routes on my morning commute. I may try riding a planned route this weekend if I can find time to get a ride in around some other obligations.

One thing I did notice, and it's obviously a single ride, so the sample size is small, but looking at the ride map in Strava, it seems to be much more accurate. The red line follows my exact route fairly closely. I can even see some swerves that involved avoiding some obstacles in the bike lane in a couple of places. There is much less 'drift' and there are no 'variations' (a gps plot that is obviously pretty far off of my actual track).
 
#72 ·
Two more rides in the books. Both went flawlessly. The only minor issue was, in both cases, the TICKR was a little slow to connect. Once it connected everything stayed connected and worked fine.

Definitely more consistent after the last patch.

Sent from my LG-H830 using Tapatalk
 
#73 ·
I had all kinds of chaos today. Thinking maybe changing recommendation from a buy to a wait and see.

My Strava results seem pretty close except that my ride is missing many of the segments that show up in my friends ride. So maybe the GPS was having trouble tracking in the mountains. Speed, cadence distance and power seem all within range and similar to my friends.


Here is a comparison between Strava and the Elemnt:
Strava 39.3 miles (matches friends), Elemnt 53.7 miles
Strava Max Speed 50.6mph (likely), Elemnt 213 mph, App, 66.9mph
Strava Avg Speed 16.4mph, Elemnt 19mph
Strava Climbing 4137, Elemnt 4136 (I'll call this one ok)

Numerous times on the ride it displayed NA for Power and Cadence although I can't find these dropouts in the Strava data.
 
#75 ·
I have to admit, I have been reading this thread for awhile but never joined to post.....until now. It's interesting to read all the issues that may deter some from making the plunge to the Elemnt. I have had a completely different experience. First, my set up -

I previously used Cyclometer and used both together for a few weeks. Both export my data to Strava. I have an Iphone 6S. I have a Trek Domane with duotrap, a Felt FX2 with Powertap pedals and DI2 and a Trek FX hybrid with duotrap. I mostly use a Mio wristband for heart rate but also use a Wahoo Tickr chest strap and a Garmin Tri chest strap. All of these sensors are saved in my elemnt and no matter what bike or HR I use, I start and go and Elemnt has flawlessly been connected to whatever I am using for the entire ride, every ride. The only issue I ever had was with originally getting it to recognize the DI2 and one time the DI2 did not connect. The readings are dead on when I was using Cyclometer but while doing this I had the sensors to Cyclometer and using just GPS for speed and distance. Readings also coincide with my Garmin 930 watch.

As far as rides syncing over Wifi, I just need to make sure I leave the elemnt on long enough to sync once I get in my garage (usually 3-5 minutes). After reading about the update a couple of days ago, I turned on the Elemnt last night to update it to the latest version just released and it was already updated with me doing nothing.

As of this morning have 1193 miles on my Elemnt I have successfully downloaded several routes but have not yet used the mapping page or any routes.

Maybe I am just lucky with my experiences?
 
#76 ·
Luck may be part of it.

I'm not familiar with all of those sensors, but if I'm not mistaken, all of them except the TICKR are ANT + only, correct?

The reason I ask is, from my experiences with the unit, it seems like the devices I have the most trouble with are Bluetooth (but not all of them). Specifically the TICKR and my Stages (Gen2) power meter, with the TICKR being by far the most problematic. I also have an array of other sensors, most of which are ANT + (2 bikes have D-Fly Di2 units, a couple of garmin magnetless speed and cadence sensors, and one each of the Wahoo magnetless speed and cadence sensors). Of these, the Wahoo's are the only units that are dual band ANT+ and Bluetooth. The RPM Cadence and RPM Speed seem to work fine, but I feel lucky if I finish a ride with the TICKR not dropping.

Yesterday on my morning commute, my TICKR lost connection twice. Both times it logged the last known value for the duration of the time it was not connected to the sensor. Then, on my afternoon commute (40 miles total), the TICKR stayed connected, but shortly after I started, my freshly refurbed Stages PM (Gen 2 175mm Ultegra 6800) lost connection, and nothing I could do to get it to reconnect. i stopped and tried deleting and re-pairing, etc... but it wouldn't re-connect. When I got home, I turned on my old Garmin 510 and it immediately detected my entire array of sensors across all of my bikes, inluding the Stages and the troublesome TICKR.

As frustrating as this has been, I have to say that Wahoo's support has been fantastic. I have a nearly daily exchange with their service techs, and have exchanged details of my rides and the issues with their developers. Over the couple of months I've been doing this, as issues have come up, the promised patches have been delivered and resolved most of the issues. I have been assured that these sensor dropouts are a known issue, and they should be addressing this in their next update.

While I have had some trouble, sporadically, with the Element, generally I'm very happy with it, but more than that, I'm very impressed with their support. If you've ever tried to engage Garmin customer support, you know how frustrating that process can be, especially for bug related issues (i.e. not a damaged hardware unit). It can be weeks or months before they even respond to things related to connectivity issues. Every time I ponder going back to my Garmin until the Element's issues are resolved, I remind myself how frustrated I was with my Edge units, and even more frustrated I was with the Garmin support of those units.
 
#77 ·
Good Point!

The only one that is Ant+ only is the Garmin HRM Tri strap. The duo-trap speed and cadence sensors, the power tap pedals cadence and power, and the Mio Fuse HRM are all Ant+ and Bluetooth. However, I have no idea how they are connected to the Elemnt.

I called support once on the DI2 battery display and they were great! Never used Garmin before this Tri watch and haven't had any issues but heard the horror stories.
 
#78 ·
Migen21, I think the BT thing may be part or all of my issues. I realized that one thing I had changed in my setup was removing the Garmin Speed/Cadence sensor and adding a Wahoo Speed. Last night things worked great until I had an extended stop at the top of a mountain waiting for the rest of the group. After that, only my Tickr worked so I had N/A for Power/Cad/Speed until I got to the bottom of the hill and removed and re-added everything. The data was also missing from Strava so it was not just a display issue, it was really gone.

I am going to switch back to the garmin speed/cad and use my motorola ant+ hrm this weekend and see how that goes. I am doing 84 miles tomorrow and 124 on Saturday so I should have a good idea of how it's working (provided the battery can last for 124 miles, I have my doubts and am considering pocketing my wife's edge 500 as a backup). We'll see...

I have not interfaced with Wahoo support yet but maybe that is because of the poor experiences I have had with Garmin in the past making me hesitant, since those interactions always ended up being a huge waste of time (in the cases where they even responded at all).
 
#79 ·
Ok, 2 days, 3 rides, 200 miles and I still can't draw a solid conclusion on the sensor dropping. All sensors are now Ant+, it never dropped the Motorola HRM or Garmin Wheel Speed sensor but dropped the Power2Max about 12 times (the power2max battery has 30 hours on it).

Sensor Dropouts:
For the most part if I keep moving there is not an issue (only noticed 2 dropouts while moving). I also noticed that if I leave the NA sensor on the list and have it start doing a search, then cancel, the NA sensor comes back (at least that worked the two times I tried it).

Also, I had quite a few more dropouts with the phone connected over BT than when I turned the BT off on the phone.

Battery life:
On Friday my ride was 90 miles, phone connected over BT, finished with 45% batt on Elemtn and 35% on phone.
My second ride on Saturday (after recharging the Elemnt) was 80 miles, finished with 48% batt on Elemnt and 58% left on phone. So the Elemnt is getting better but the phone app battery consumption is still a bit high for my taste.

Routing:
Updating Strava routes with BT enabled on the phone seemed to cause some kind of conflict. After waiting 15 minutes for the routes to update, I turned BT off on the phone and it instantly said it was updating from Strava and downloaded my route.

Both of my routes were basic drop a pin at the start, drop a pin at the end, "use popular": "on", "minimize elevation":" "off", let Strava figure it out, nothing custom.

I used routes for both 90 and 80 mile rides and they worked flawlessly over many "new to me roads". The LEDs at the top flashing Red when off route and Green when back on route regardless of the screen I was currently looking at.

Also, with the route enabled, the elevation profile shows what is coming up so you can gauge your effort on unknown climbs.

Weather resistance:
Well, it rained on me again for my 30 mile ride on Saturday, this was rain from all directions, where you lean your head down and a river flows off your helmet kind of rain and the Elemnt did just fine.
 
#80 · (Edited)
Yea, I'm a bit befuddled with the sensor dropouts. I'm starting to think my issues were with a finicky TICKR. The only other sensor I've had more than one dropout on was the Stages PM. That one was odd, and frustrating. I had just got it back from being serviced by Stages, paired it up and went for a ride. It worked great for about 10 miles. Then I noticed my RPM field said "N/A". I rode until it was time for my first food break. While I was stopped I tried to get it to reconnect. I tried everything (more than once).. Removed the battery, un-paired and re-paired.. it wouldn't recognize it. I finally gave up. Later that evening, at home, after the ride had ended and been uploaded to Strava, I tried again to re-pair the stages with no luck. I even power cycled the ELEMNT and still no joy. Nothing I did worked. I know the Stages isn't the problem because I had an old Garmin 510 in my pocket that I had paired my sensors to as a test. It was also accessible from the Stages app (I was able to recalibrate, etc...). Oddly, the next morning I turned on the Elemnt and it paired right up to the PM this time. Very odd... On the other hand, for the last half-dozen or so rides, everything else has worked flawlessly. I shelved my old TICKR and am using a newer one (one that I had only used indoors on the trainer). Speed RPM and Speed Cadence, and TICKR have all been working flawlessly. I also tested an older Garmin HRM (ANT only) and it worked fine as well.

I updated my support case with the Stages issue on Friday. We'll see what they have to say. To their credit, they have been very responsive.

I'm really hoping the next update fixes some of this stuff.

Edit to add: I also noticed after my last ride that I had a small scratch in my screen. It's only noticeable at certain angles, and I don't see it when it's mounted on my bike. I am pretty hard on it. It gets tossed around in my bike bag, jersey pockets, car floorboard on occasion, mingling with keys, bike tools, etc... Generally speaking, the durability seems excellent, and the screen is outstanding. I mounted my old Garmin 510 next to it for a ride, and it's shocking how much easier the Element is to read. The 510 is far too reflective, and there isn't enough contrast between the text and the background. The Element, even with the light off, is very easy to read in almost any lighting condition.
 
#82 · (Edited)
Well, this is disheartening, and somewhat encouraging at the same time ..

I thought I had resolved my issues by replacing my TICKR. The last two rides over the weekend worked flawlessly.

However, today has been a completely different experience.

I had two rides today (commutes). The bike had a Gen2 Stages for power and cadence and and an RPM Speed for wheel speed. I was also wearing a the new TICKR. All of the batteries were full/green (registering 3.0v on a coin cell battery checker - one of the best $6 I ever spent :) ). Everything is on the latest firmware available as of the last check I made (Saturday - see below).

On the ride in this morning, the TICKR dropped out on two different occasions. Both times I was able to get it to reconnect by 'forgetting' the sensor and re-pairing (sadly, I'm getting good at doing this riding down the MUT). The stages seemed to work as well. The speed sensor, I'm not 100% sure about. Since the head unit registers speed by the GPS as well. As I'm riding, I don't have any way of knowing if the speed it's displaying is from the GPS or from the Wheel Speed Sensor. Today however, I happened to look down and noticed my speed at 0 MPH. The problem is, I was probably going about 16MPH. It obviously wasn't getting this speed reading from the GPS, as I have auto-pause enabled. If the GPS were not registering movement the unit would have paused. My assumption is that the wheel speed sensor was either disconnected, or just not transmitting data to the unit. The speed reading came back after a few seconds, although again, I have no way of knowing if the speed being displayed is GPS based or sensor based.

The ride home was even worse. When I powered the unit up, all of the sensors connected except the Stages. I puttered around the office parking lot for about 10 minutes to see if it would come to life, but no joy. The Stages App worked fine, so I know it's not the PM. I did the forget/re-pair thing the Stages and even though it re-paired immediately, it still showed no data. After deleting and re-pairing again, I decided to rename the sensor on the phone app, and after doing that it immediately started displaying data and worked fine for the rest of the ride.

Now, the wheel speed sensor is another story. About 5 miles into my ride, I noticed the 0 MPH thing again. I waited a minute, expecting it to reconnect on it's own like before. And it did.. however, apparently, something was wonky. The speed on the unit was displaying 225 MPH (wooo! finally an error in my favor!!). Anyway, I did the 'forget/re-pair' thing, and it started working normally, except the occasional 0 MPH thing, which seemed to resolve on it's own (again, I'm assuming - i could have been reverting to GPS speed).

When I got home and ended the ride, the speed and distance data were way off (way too high). The commute is just over 16 miles, and I usually average between 15 and 16 MPH for this ride. Today, the distance registered as 23.6 miles, with an average speed of 22.6 and a max speed of 224.6 MPH.

I haven't uploaded this to Strava yet. I have a dummy strava account I'm going to upload it to to check it out before I post it to my real account. I don't want to get flagged for going 225mph down the 520 trail (30mph is fast enough on that downhill).

Here is the kicker. When I got home, I started typing out an email update to the support rep I've been working with, when I decided I'd double check to make sure there wasn't a firmware update that might deal with these odd behaviors.

Sure enough, they posted ELEMNT Firmware WF38-435 some time yesterday afternoon, and also updated the iPhone App (I use android, so this didn't affect me). I also opened up the Wahoo Utility app and checked for sensor firmware, and sure enough, there was a firmware update for my RPM Speed sensor as well.

ELEMNT Software Updates ? Wahoo Fitness Support

I have updated everything as of 10 minutes ago, but of course I have no idea if this will help with this odd sensor behavior I've been experiencing. I surely hope so, as it's starting to get frustrating. I *really* want this thing to work so I can permanently retire my Garmin (i.e. smash it into a brick wall as hard as I can, over and over and over).

Sadly, I won't be riding for a couple of days (schedule rest), so it might be the weekend before I have another test.

Edit: When I uploaded the ride to Strava, I fully expected it to give me some data errors, but apparently Strava cleaned up/normalized the speed spikes, as the ride data in Strava looks fairly normal.
 
#83 ·
Migen21, thanks for the info, I am updating now.

I may have a ride tomorrow night but it has few stops and that is typically when I have my sensors drop, so I am not sure if I would have any problems anyway. I should know by the weekend though.

On a side note, my phone battery has not been lasting on non-riding days and have been watching that (for instance a week ago, the Facebook app was using more power that Screen for the day and I had not even opened the app, they have since fixed that). Anyway, today, while never even opening the Elemnt app, it used 4% / 30min for cell communications. So I wonder what it is doing. I killed and reported the app.

I too really want this thing to work, I have some important events coming up and that is when my 510 typically fails so I really don't want to dust it off at crunch time.
 
#84 ·
Thought I would chime in...

I have owned the ELEMNT since the first day it was released. At first, like many others, I loved it overall, but I experienced a lot of headaches. Syncing issues, corrupted internal drive, lost 2 rides completely. I was pissed. However, eventually, all my issues disappeared after the last two updates.

In fact, the ELEMNT is just spot on perfect for me right now. The uploads are seamless and lighting fast. I can't even sit down in my chair after a ride, and I already receive a Strava notification telling me my ride is ready. It's crazy fast. The battery life is also terrific. No drain on my unit or my phone.

As for the actual riding, it is such a huge leap forward from my prior Garmin units. This thing just functions better in so many different ways. Highly recommend the ELEMNT now after originally being worried that maybe I had made a mistake.
 
#85 ·
I'll echo what the previous poster said; the latest update seems to have squashed the majority of the issues many riders were experiencing. With that, the ELEMNT is now a fantastic bike computer, very happy with my decision to go with it as my first.
 
#86 ·
Well, I finally got outside last night and I just wish I could go back to 2 updates ago when my only real issue was battery life and upload speeds. Oh the good old days.

On the main climb it read 0.1 for mph, my actual was 7.0 mph. This stayed this way till I got over the top, then it went back to normal. I was using the Garmin hub type speed sensor.

On the last climb, just as I jump out of the saddle for the hairpin, it reads NA for power and cadence. As I crested the top, it went back to normal. Even worse, when I looked at it on Strava later, it was recording power and cadence for the whole segment but in the last minute of the climb it recorded 375 watts (totally flat) and a cadence of 92 (also totally flat). So it's like it got stuck and just kept wrote the same data until it unstuck. (see pic)

So frustrating and distracting.

Might start riding with the wife's 500 in my pocket just to know I'm getting good data that wont mess up my power curve.
 

Attachments

#87 ·
My luck has gone the opposite direction. Last five or six rides, two of which were 5hrs plus have been flawless.

My spiky speed sensor issues were solved by putting the latest firmware on the speed sensor itself (per supports suggestion).

I also had a faulty TICKR (the one that went through the laundry). Replacing that solved my HRM issues.

The last ELEMNT firmware seems to have solved the sync issues and everything else is working fine.

Edit to add:
The stages PM is still slow to connect/reconnect at times. The last half dozen rides have worked fine. It's just slow to connect, and if it does disconnect for some reason (a pause, etc...) the re-connect isn't as fast as some of the Wahoo stuff I'm using. Wahoo support hasn't said much about this, but I suspect they are probably still working with Stages to resolve that issue.
 
#90 ·
Migen21, talked with K-edge about the puck at Sea Otter. They would rather not sell them because they feel that having an Elemnt and a GoPro may be too heavy for the older mount arm, that the new mount is much stronger. I don't know if I buy that explanation. It may just be to sell more stuff like you said. Not sure.


Meanwhile...
I went 60mph yesterday according to my Elemnt (note the flat line and then huge spike in the screen shot). Also having a serious problem following the road. Opened a support case last night with Wahoo, hopefully they can help. Only lost the PM 3 times in 100 miles. Blue Green Slope White Colorfulness
 
#91 ·
Are you using a speed sensor? I was getting those spikes too. The last speed sensor firmware update resolved those.

If it's not the speed sensor, you might have been in an area with poor GPS reception (heavily wooded?) I live in the pacific northwest, and this time of year when the trees are in full foliage, there are quite a few places where the track gets out of whack.

I rode the 7 Hills century with mine today. For the purposes of the ride it worked flawlessly again. I did have some trouble syncing the ride to the phone afterewards. The data on the phone was corrupt (it showed the full distance, but it had me stopping at about mile 88 on the map - odd). When I got home I manually uploaded the .fit file to Strava and all is good.

I'm going to ask the Support folks about that as well.

My day today was 9+ hours on the bike (7+ hours of riding time). At one of the rest stops about halfway through, the battery was at about 65%. Just to be safe I plugged in an external battery and let it charge while I fed and watered myself (what am I, a horse?). That put it back up to almost 80% (it charges really fast). I didn't touch it again until I finished the ride, and it was still at 61%. It probably would have been fine if I hadn't topped it off at the rest stop, but I wanted to play it safe (my first Century since getting hit by a car last June.... didn't want to take a chance on losing the data).
 
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