Looking for a compact GPS cycling computer that’s easy to use with lots of features? Like a color screen? The newest Wahoo ELEMNT BOLT seems to qualify.
When it was first launch, the BOLT was all about offering a smaller GPS computer than the larger ELEMNT. The Bolt was also designed to be aerodynamic when installed into the mount. That all carries forward with the new BOLT, just with a bunch of improvements.
The most notable is probably the addition of the 64 bit color screen. The 2.2″ display is easy to read in the sunlight and uses color to highlight select information like your target ride metric, water or busy roads on the maps, and other details. Like the ROAM, the use of color isn’t over the top – it’s used just enough to highlight the most important info during your ride. What info gets the color touch can be adjusted within the app to customize what you see on the screen.
Previously only offered on their larger computers, the BOLT also gains their smart navigation features including smart elevation. That gives you more options when riding with turn-by-turn directions and will help reroute you if you miss a turn, want to ride back to the start, take the flattest route, etc.
A big increase of internal on-device storage from 4gb to 16gb will help there since you have to download the riding areas ahead of time.
The BOLT’s charging has improved as well, moving to USB-C for faster charging. Run time is claimed to be 15 hours using the internal lithium ion battery.
Previous BOLT on the left, new BOLT on the right
Compared to the previous BOLT, the new one is slightly bigger and includes new buttons. The layout of the buttons hasn’t changed, but the three main buttons on the front of the computer are now raised instead of recessed making them a bit easier to access.
New BOLT with updated mount on the left, New BOLT with legacy mount on the right
That slightly larger size means the mount is different, though the legacy BOLT mounts are still compatible – you’ll just have a slight gap between the mount and the computer.
New BOLT mount on the left, legacy BOLT mount on the right
I also appreciate the fact that the included computer mount has more offset which makes it work better with wider stems. It’s still not perfectly centered on the Truvativ stem above, but it’s better than the previous version. The included mount on the new BOLT is still plastic with the option of locking the computer in place with a tiny screw.
In the box you’ll find the computer, an out-front mount for 31.8mm bars, a stem mount with zip ties, and the USB-C charging cable. The price is set at $279.99, and the new BOLT weighs in at 69g – just 8g more than the previous version. Available now.
@Zach. Since the new mount is slightly bigger and in that one image you show a gap, does that mean the old bolt computer will not fit on the new mount? (So while the new computer is backwards compatible mount wise, is the old computer forwards compatible?)
Great question. Correct, the old BOLT computers will not fit on the new Wahoo BOLT plastic mount. But both generations of BOLTs fit on the older mounts, and should work on most existing aftermarket mounts as well. The old BOLT computers are not forward compatible with any new mounts that take advantage of the ‘aero’ design, but right now that’s really limited to Wahoo’s stock mount since to our knowledge, no other company offers an aero mount for the new design yet.
Price increase is shockingly reasonable. Hopefully they keep the previous gen around and drop it in price, at 30,000 miles of training I’ve yet to have it miss a beat. One thing I’m still amazed by is that these units don’t have Qi wireless charging. Of any device that could benefit from that I’d wager a bike computer is one since most people are pretty conservative about leaving the house with a topped up battery, would be excellent for commuters.
OK, so now, my big question : how does it do against the Edge 530 ?
It still has 5 hours less battery life than a 530 (20 hours). I can’t believe Wahoo didn’t spec bigger battery to match Garmin. That’s one of the biggest selling point since battery life gets worse over time. Start the device out with a magnificently high capacity so two years later you have Wahoo’s 15 hours still.
Now you got me thinking of upgrading.
Are they still forcing E-MTB riders to use data from the motor for speed/distance and not the GPS which causes massive inaccuracies?
The display is 64-color, not 64-bit color.
Hmm, 64 color would be 6 bit color, which seems unlikely, LCD displays have 3 color subpixels which using varying brightness produce different colors. These colors are coded into the number of bits the processor can manage to compute, never heard of a 6 bit computer chip. 64 sounds over the top for number of bits, so may be an 8 bit processor, which would be 256 colors.
Eric is correct. One of the PR sources has it listed as 64-bit, but the rest list it as 64 color, including Wahoo’s site. .
So the Display is the same size but the frame got bulkier?!
“Solid” evolution….
Does this mean you will be upgrading the ROAM in the fall of 2021?
I don’t want to go from my current BOLT to the current ROAM if you bring out a new ROAM as soon as I do that.
I’m very pleased with all of the Wahoo products I’ve purchased!
There is no reason for 64bit color. The human eye can only distinguish around 10M. With 24bit color (8bitsRGB), that is 16M already.