Wahoo Bolt v2 - now that they've had some problems

rick_chasey

I was thinking about getting a Wahoo Bolt v2 for a while, and came to the conclusion not so long ago to get one.

Alas, since then they've gone bust.

What's the forum view on whether that will impact the value and user experience of having a bolt v2?

super_davo

rick_chasey said:

I was thinking about getting a Wahoo Bolt v2 for a while, and came to the conclusion not so long ago to get one.

Alas, since then they've gone bust.

What's the forum view on whether that will impact the value and user experience of having a bolt v2?

Wahoo haven't gone bust yet. There were stories in January about their long term financial viability after some lawsuits, but that's a long way from actually going bust.

If you think they are likely to, and you think that will impact the experience running a Bolt, then an Edge 530 is the obvious alternative. I am delighted with mine, massive improvement on Garmin's of yore, whereas people who've upgraded from V1 to 2 on the Bolt have been nowhere near as positive.

However I would have no qualms with buying one myself.

daniel_b

I picked up a 1030 for £299 recently before cashback.

Personally I'd be changing the thread title, as @super_davo says, they have not gone bust.

redvision

As above, they've not gone bust just had their credit rating downgraded (more stock than cash reserves).

Can't see them going bust though. They have a good brand and I would imagine they would get investment if needed.

For the cycling industry and every cyclist I hope and pray they do survive. If they go bust then garmin have pretty much got a monopoly and that's never a good thing!

il_principe

redvision said:

As above, they've not gone bust just had their credit rating downgraded (more stock than cash reserves).

Can't see them going bust though. They have a good brand and I would imagine they would get investment if needed.

For the cycling industry and every cyclist I hope and pray they do survive. If they go bust then garmin have pretty much got a monopoly and that's never a good thing!

You could always get a Hammerhead. Far better than Garmin IME

redvision

il_principe said:

redvision said:

As above, they've not gone bust just had their credit rating downgraded (more stock than cash reserves).

Can't see them going bust though. They have a good brand and I would imagine they would get investment if needed.

For the cycling industry and every cyclist I hope and pray they do survive. If they go bust then garmin have pretty much got a monopoly and that's never a good thing!

You could always get a Hammerhead. Far better than Garmin IME

Even though they are now owned by sram they still can't compete with garmin. The only one which arguably can is wahoo.

davebradswmb

Garmin used to have a virtual monopoly on GPS devices and it was a disaster, they deliberately hobbled their offerings to maintain an upgrade path and keep the money rolling in, the software was buggy and they didn't communicate with users. The Wahoo Bolt V1 changed all this and Garmin had to react and make decent devices, and to their credit they succeeded. I am concerned about the future of Wahoo, if they go there is nobody strong enough in the market to prevent Garmin slipping back into their bad old ways, though to be honest I think it is unlikely because there are enough small manufacturers on the fringes (such as Hammerhead and Lezyne) that would be well placed to take advantage.

thegreatdivide

Negative comments from Wahoo owners who're starting to sweat.

feelgoodlost

I think Wahoo was a bit of a game-changer regarding GPS head units. I can still recall the days of using an external mini SD card on my Garmin Edge to use maps!!! Breadcrumb navigation on a Garmin was absolutely terrible. I'd be amazed if Wahoo folded.

mudsucker

I have the V2 after my V1 suffered water ingress. Wahoo swapped it over no questions asked.
The V2 is has some nice features added over the V1 and it is a pleasure to use.
I very much doubt Wahoo will go under.

joeyhalloran

I hope Wahoo survive, they have good quality products; I replaced a Tacx Neo with a kickr and am running the Wahoo speedplay pedals. If I was looking around for a new head unit I would strongly consider one too. I suspect their development of the power pedal was a mistake, it cost a lot and people who want to run power pedals AND speedplay pedals are probably a pretty small market.

hpaul

I've a v1 bolt. Zero regrets, I was using a fenix 3 sapphire hr which wasn't bad. I've since bought a kickr core, and few tickr's. Most recently bought a rival, probably better not to go there to be honest. I'm hoping it comes good eventually. My wife has a v1 bolt and tickr also.

Wahoo customer service is unbelievably good. Not even comparable to garmins. I honestly don't want to have to go back to garmin. Its not their products its their product support team that I've issue with. I'm sure it's not the individuals but company policy. The hoops and unbelievably stupid questions they ask you, it's infuriating.

I hold hope I won't need to sell the rival for a fenix 6 or 7.

rick_chasey

So consensus is go for it?

Anyone with a view on the heart rate monitor?

super_davo

I have a TIckr which I've paired with my Garmin and its OK. I'd switched from my Garmin because I've had too many strap failures, and the Tickr seems to avoid that, but its not perfect. It seems to stay on until completely dry, draining the battery, and I'm not always convinced by the readings, especially on the turbo.

But the fact it hasn't failed in a couple of years use immediately elevates it over Garmins.

daniel_b

I have garmin head units, an old school garmin hr strap that will not die that I use on the turbo, and a wahoo tickr that I use for outside rides - it's very comfy, pairs everytime, seems to be accurate and gives me no issues at all.

I run mine Ant+ though fairly sure it has the ble option as well.

redvision

rick_chasey said:

So consensus is go for it?

Anyone with a view on the heart rate monitor?

Tbh Rick I wouldn't go for the bolt v2. I had an absolute nightmare with mine. It was slow to connect to gps, and regularly suffered signal drops and rapid battery drain. I ended up getting a refund and went back to using my bolt 1 (after trying a karoo and bryton in between).

Looking online it seems some of these issues haven't been solved, although very hit and miss - some people don't seem to have any such problems.

Wahoo have great customer service but I've said for a long time they have gone down garmins route of releasing products which just aren't ready (and by time they have sorted the issues the newer model is out).

feelgoodlost

Speaking as someone who's just made the switch from a v1 to a v2, I would say the latter has been absolutely fine. No dropouts etc. I did query the battery drain issue with Wahoo as it does appear that the unit goes drops from 100% to 90% within a matter of minutes, but then it does stabilise. Wahoo explained that the drain isn't linear and therefore you'll find that once it drops to a certain % (around 70 in my experience) it will then stay there for much longer. I do think this is a software issue and not hardware, so it may be that it gets fixed in a future update but I've definitely not experienced battery drain that causes the unit to die on me on a ride over 5 hours.

I've never had anything but absolutely stellar customer service from Wahoo. They replace faulty HRs without question, discount new units when you've had faults with one out of warranty and they're super responsive to emails. I had issues with the 1st gen Kickr Core and they replaced around 3 units until it was sorted (arranged a courier to collect each time and free of charge, as you'd expect but sometimes isn't the case - looking at you, Cycle Division). So, while they might have issues with their products, unlike Garmin, they've got far superior customer service and that's a massive tick in the box these days.

joeyhalloran

I've needed to contact Garmin about my watch over the past few days and it's so infuriating. They're technique just seems to be to ask you to get more and more obscure things until you give up.

Today I was asked, with no explanation to "provide us with the device Sensorhub version and Garmin folder." for my watch. I have absolutely no idea and I'm gonna give up as they'll just ask for more random things rather than actually trying to help.

hpaul

I've been using tickr since early 2020, I really like. Not dying about the straps tho. I got a replacement from the lbs I purchased it from 12 months later. I then had another fail 14 months later, so rather than go back to lbs I went to wahoo direct. Explained and said I new it was out of warranty. They said its fine. When the package arrived they sent me a tickr x, I couldn't believe it.

I actually only started using the tickr x at end of last year, after a few months it stopped working. All corroded inside the battery area. So guess what they sent out yet a other tickr x, no questions asked.

If this one fails I was considering a garmin but possibly not after one of the reviews here. If sorted strap they would be perfect(I've to tighten mine every few weeks). I've an old garmin hrm(red) were they attached at side, I think that was a better system. The buttons are to close to the battery to let moisturise in for my liking.

yellowv2

Since 2014 I have had two Garmin heart rate monitors the original came with a 500 unit and the second with a 1000 unit at the beginning of 2018. Both still work faultlessly, all I’ve done is replace the battery when required.
From what I can gather reading posts is that the Wahoo customer service is very good but it needs to be, it seems as though their products often suffer problems. I’m Not suggesting Garmin don’t have problems but I’ve not had any trouble with either unit.

rick_chasey

Yeah. I always carry my phone with me and use the strava on that, so the prospect of the wahoo is quite attractive.

But the edge 830 is what, £100 more than the wahoo, so it would need to be substantially better.

super_davo

rick_chasey said:

Yeah. I always carry my phone with me and use the strava on that, so the prospect of the wahoo is quite attractive.

But the edge 830 is what, £100 more than the wahoo, so it would need to be substantially better.

The compatible Garmin is the Edge 530 which generally come in a bit under the price of Bolts. Main difference with the 830 is the touchscreen which Bolts do not have; there are pros and cons of that anyway.

pblakeney

FWIW, I prefer the buttons on the 530 to touchscreen. Each to their own.

bobones

The buttons can break eventually. Happened on my old 500s so when I the 510 came with a touchscreen, I was a convert.

Since then, I've had an 820 (utter garbage due to underpowered CPU) and an 830, which has been perfect.

Actually, that's not true, the 830 was perfect for 4 years until one day it kept rebooting as soon as it was powered on, but to their credit, Garmin UK sent me a new 830 free of charge to replace the faulty one even though it was long out of warranty. This is typical of the service I have had from Garmin UK support, so it surprises me that people are slating them here.

BTW, the 830 has more advanced navigation and fitness features than the 520, so it isn't just the touchscreen, which is great as long as you don't use a protection film over it.

It's been the perfect bike computer for me as someone who rides almost every day, sometimes for 8 hours or more, trains with a power meter, has loads of sensors including Varia radar and lights, and likes to plan new routes to try. Features like the ConnectIQ API, which allows for 3rd party developed apps, widgets and data fields (needed for Xert) have no parallel on Wahoos. I might have been tempted by the Android-based Karoo 2, but the battery life isn't great and the screen is hard to see in bright sunlight, so I've read. It also needs Wi-Fi to sync, and I like how my rides are up on Strava and Xert within seconds of me pressing stop with the Edge.

One of the main criticism of Edges is the antiquated UI, which is valid to a point. Yes, setting them up initially is cumbersome, but once that's done, you rarely need to use the menus at all.

Anyway, I fully recommend the 830, and I won't be rushing out to get the 840 because it does everything I need well. There should be some decent bargains just around the corner as the new ones should be out soon.

Munsford0

pblakeney said:

FWIW, I prefer the buttons on the 530 to touchscreen. Each to their own.

I've gone from a demented Touring Plus with touchscreen to a 530 with buttons. The gadget itself is a revelation compared to the t.urd it replaced, but I'm still occasionally clicking the wrong button or prodding the screen expecting something to happen

photonic69

pblakeney said:

FWIW, I prefer the buttons on the 530 to touchscreen. Each to their own.

I'll most likely get a Garmin 530/540/550 whatever when my 820 dies. I find the touch screen super annoying and unresponsive. Or too responsive and a drop of rain activates it. Or it doesn't work when its wet.

I've lost count the number of times I've had to use my nose to save and upload the ride when my gloved finger won't work.

shirley_basso

My 500 was flawless and Garmin even replaced it, even though I was the second owner and it wasn't under warranty, when it broke. Now the battery has died I've been gifted a 520 with a damaged screen. I replaced the screen but it doesn't work properly (very low brightness, backlight doesn't work).

Found a 520 on ebay for 45 quid virtually unused. Let's see how I get on!

Ideally I want a 530 (or equivalent) so it ties in with my running watch to keep track of training readiness etc.

thegreatdivide

photonic69 said:

pblakeney said:

FWIW, I prefer the buttons on the 530 to touchscreen. Each to their own.

I'll most likely get a Garmin 530/540/550 whatever when my 820 dies. I find the touch screen super annoying and unresponsive. Or too responsive and a drop of rain activates it. Or it doesn't work when its wet.

I've lost count the number of times I've had to use my nose to save and upload the ride when my gloved finger won't work.

Touch screens after the 820 are IMO faultless. Zero issues in rain or snow for my 1030 plus. Even with winter gloves on and a screen covered in gritty water.

hpaul

Individual preference I suppose, 820 is meant to be dirt. I've a friend who raves about 530, plus can be got on sale for around £150.

If you ride in wet I'd imagine a touchscreen would be a complete disaster. I refuse to use a touchscreen watch because of pool. I returned a garmin vivoactive 2(I think) because of this.

I'm a wahoo convert but my fenix 3 was and probably still is an unbelievable bit of kit. My rival watch is an embarrassment in comparison tbh. Despite the technology being at least 5 years older on garmin.

thegreatdivide

hpaul said:

If you ride in wet I'd imagine a touchscreen would be a complete disaster. I refuse to use a touchscreen watch because of pool. I returned a garmin vivoactive 2(I think) because of this.

A touch screen bike computer in the wet is not an issue now - and WTF has swimming got to do with bike computers?

hpaul

thegreatdivide said:

hpaul said:

If you ride in wet I'd imagine a touchscreen would be a complete disaster. I refuse to use a touchscreen watch because of pool. I returned a garmin vivoactive 2(I think) because of this.

A touch screen bike computer in the wet is not an issue now - and WTF has swimming got to do with bike computers?

I was highlighting the water and touch screen issues. Not just garmin, any touch screen. Then you put gloves in the mix. Personal preference I suppose, but I wouldn't touch.