Has anyone returned a Wahoo bolt?

Machoman121

The wahoo units seemed to receive incredible reviews - hardly anyone reports a damning report.

Has anyone actually returned a Wahoo bolt/elemnt and gone back to a Garmin?

With the impending edge 520 plus coming around the corner I'm shopping for a lightweight GPS to use. The choice boils down to the Edge 520 Plus or the Bolt. Would any of these be too small for a 54 year old cyclist eyes - especially for navigation.

JakeJ

I cannot comment on the Garmin, but I have a Bolt. If you're worried about not being able to see the maps properly, there's a great zoom in/out feature. Just by pressing the side buttons on it, it'll zoom in and show more detail of the roads around you.

sloppyschleckonds

Machoman121 wrote:

Would any of these be too small for a 54 year old cyclist eyes - especially for navigation.

The Bolt easily adjusts screen/ display size

adlopa

I didn't get on at all with maps on the Elemnt and its slightly bigger screen. I only really need the screen for navigation on long rides, but the B&W display and indistinct (to my 50-year old eyes) maps just didn't cut it. The inaudible beeper for TBT also didn't help. I loved everything else about it, but I returned it and grudgingly went back to my Garmin 810, before buying a discounted 1000 with its much-improved high-res display.

savethemamil

I am thinking about returning mine as it keeps dropping GPS signal on long rides and you have to switch it off to get it back. I don't know if this is a fault on my unit or a more general problem but it really annoys me.

Machoman121

Adlopa wrote:

I didn't get on at all with maps on the Elemnt and its slightly bigger screen. I only really need the screen for navigation on long rides, but the B&W display and indistinct (to my 50-year old eyes) maps just didn't cut it. The inaudible beeper for TBT also didn't help. I loved everything else about it, but I returned it and grudgingly went back to my Garmin 810, before buying a discounted 1000 with its much-improved high-res display.

Bummer.....i thought the B/W would improve readibility - you are the first one i've read which have said that the monochrome screen was not an improvement over readibility - everyone's different i guess.

I have the Cyclo 505 (brilliant for navigation) but it's colored screen is hard to read in sunlight unless it's angled perfectly. Mostly i have to move my sight in order to get a clearer view.

Frank Wilson

Be much safer if everybody was to keep their eyes on the road.

MiddleRinger

Machoman121 wrote:

Has anyone actually returned a Wahoo bolt/elemnt and gone back to a Garmin?

Yes. Returned my (faulty) Bolt and bought an 820 instead. Don't let that put you off though, every manufacturer has dud units and issues from time to time. The Wahoo units are ace and have some great features that should have Garmin worries, but for now I just prefer the Garmin interface.

dstev55

savethemamil wrote:

I am thinking about returning mine as it keeps dropping GPS signal on long rides and you have to switch it off to get it back. I don't know if this is a fault on my unit or a more general problem but it really annoys me.

Faulty unit unless you ride under trees a lot in which case the same applies to any GPS unit.

bendertherobot

My Bolt seemed much more likely to drop under trees than any Garmin I've had but it wasn't significant and did sort out the data once you'd emerged, sometimes with some comedy speeds in the interim. But it all came out in the wash.

It's still the most stable of all of the GPS units and its interface with a smart phone is better. That said, mine meandered between auto uploading and requiring me to open the app. But that's more a billions of phones working difficult thing.

In the end I too went back to a 1000 for the Nav aspects. It's all doable on a Bolt but a little less easy to see and more difficult to do if you want quick on the fly routing.

The Bolt is still the most stable choice out there.

thegreatdivide

bendertherobot wrote:

The Bolt is still the most stable choice out there.

Unless you have one that needs to be sent back.

ricardito62

Machoman121 wrote:

With the impending edge 520 plus coming around the corner I'm shopping for a lightweight GPS to use. The choice boils down to the Edge 520 Plus or the Bolt. Would any of these be too small for a 54 year old cyclist eyes - especially for navigation.

I'm approaching 56 and wear prescription glasses, and find no problem seeing the map on the Bolt.

surfercyclist

I wearing glasses to read so when I cycle I wear bifocal sunglasses to read Bolt and find they are perfect.

kawaspresso

I had a Garmin Edge 810, sold it for a Elemnt Bolt, I'll never buy a Garmin again.
No bugs at all, easy to read and setup, I set the leds by power zones and it's great for tunnels and low light to still know your power.
I created some routes on strava, I find it very easy to follow.

StillGoing

Machoman121 wrote:

Adlopa wrote:

I didn't get on at all with maps on the Elemnt and its slightly bigger screen. I only really need the screen for navigation on long rides, but the B&W display and indistinct (to my 50-year old eyes) maps just didn't cut it. The inaudible beeper for TBT also didn't help. I loved everything else about it, but I returned it and grudgingly went back to my Garmin 810, before buying a discounted 1000 with its much-improved high-res display.

Bummer.....i thought the B/W would improve readibility - you are the first one i've read which have said that the monochrome screen was not an improvement over readibility - everyone's different i guess.

I have the Cyclo 505 (brilliant for navigation) but it's colored screen is hard to read in sunlight unless it's angled perfectly. Mostly i have to move my sight in order to get a clearer view.

I'm fast approaching 57 and have long sighted vision. The Garmin 820 was too small for me to see things on the screen and had a host of other faults that resulted in me selling it within a few months of ownership. The monochrome screen of the ELEMNT is much easier to see, even in bright or dull light and the TBT beeps are easy enough to hear in light traffic. The LED lights even give you a clue as to which way to turn.