Life In The Saddle

Last year, I reviewed the Wahoo ELEMNT, and it quickly won me over. The unit became my go-to cycle computer for everything for daily commuting, to guiding me across Europe on the 'Coasts and Cols' tour, and then this year on the #7Countries7Passes. The Wahoo ELEMNT has a little brother though. The ELEMNT BOLT is a smaller, lighter, and sleeker version of the original ELEMNT. Yet, it retains the majority of the great easy-to-use functionality of the original unit. I decided to down-size, to see if it was an upgrade... The Aero Advantage On my daily commute, and when trekking across Europe on a fully-laden touring bike, I am not sure I have too many concerns about how aerodynamic my profile is. That said, I do like things to look sleek and well-profiled; the Wahoo BOLT does that. Wahoo market the ELEMNT BOLT as the most aerodynamic cycle computer out there. It has a unique design that means on its out-front mount the computer and mount lock together to create a smooth and s...

Last year, I reviewed the Tate Labs Bar Fly SLi Garmin Mounts ; they had an innovative dual-purpose design, which could accommodate both a Garmin and a light or GoPro. Tate Labs have now released the upgraded Bar Fly 4.0 computer mounts though, and I was keen to see the difference… Greater computer compatibility With previous Bar Fly mounts, you were restricted to buying either a Garmin, CatEye or Polar option. With the new Bar Fly 4 mounts, you are able to accommodate any of the above, as well as the Wahoo ELEMNT, Mio, Powertap Joule, GoPro, or a light - all in one package. The Bar Fly 4 computer mounts allow greater compatibility, because they have an interchangeable computer head. This means that even if you are upgrading your computer to a different brand, your mount will still be usable. Dual-purpose mounting - for light/GoPro and computer  Similar to the Bar Fly SLi mounts, selected models in the new Bar Fly 4 range also allow you to mount a GoPro or a light on t...

The cycle GPS market has long been collared by the big G…; to the extent that you'll probably say "did you track that on your Garmin?" a bit like "can you do the Hoovering" - the brand name has become synonymous with the sports GPS computer. It's about time that changed though, and Wahoo reckon they've brought out a Garmin-buster, with the new Wahoo ELEMNT. The ELEMNT has a number of unique design features and functions, which give it unique selling points over other GPS cycle computers; namely, it is easier to set-up, easier to upload activities, and easier to connect with other devices and sensors. In a world of time-constraints and social media sharing of sports activities, those are some real plus points! I've been testing a unit out over the last couple of months, to see if the claims hold true… Ease of set-up Wahoo like to keep things simple; which is nice, because life is pretty complicated as it is. Out of the box, the ELEMNT has th...

Back at the start of 2014, I reviewed the original Tate Labs Bar Fly Garmin Mounts  on the blog; they proved to be very well made and very secure. They were so good in fact, that I've been using them ever since, on a variety of bikes. Earlier in 2015, Tate Labs announced their latest range of mounts, the SLi series. These mounts are made of similar high-strength plastic composites, and they are usable across all of the latest Garmin range. The critical new development though, is that you can now bundle the computer mounts with different add-ons, to make them extra versatile and useful. In this post, I take a look at the Tate Labs Bar Fly SLi BAM Garmin Road Mount and the Bar Fly SLi-D Mountain Bike Garmin Mount. For the SLi Road Mount, I've trialled two of the additional add-ons, which allow you to mount a GoPro and a light, underneath the out-front mount. Tate Labs Bar Fly Sli BAM Road Mount - GoPro and Light Bundles Tate Labs have taken their award winning Bar ...

The Garmin Edge 810 has been classified by many to be the ultimate GPS computer. It is a compact unit, which has mapping capabilities, as well as full training software, and the ability to connect it to any ANT+ measurement unit. However, for many touring cyclists, the need for training software is limited, and the importance of mapping capabilities is the highest priority... enter the Garmin Edge Touring. The Edge Touring comes in at a significantly lower price than the Edge 810. It is a stripped back, mapping specific cycle computer, which focusses its devoted attention on guiding its user, rather than providing in-depth training data. The Edge Touring is the same size as the 810. It also similarly has a colour touch screen display, two easy-to-press buttons for start/stop/pause and lap, and a waterproofed port on the back to insert a mapping micro-SD card and a USB connection cable. Unlike the Edge 810 though, the Touring is able to meet a price point, by stripping back the u...

This week,  Wahoo Fitness  announced that they will soon be releasing a new GPS cycle computer - the ELEMNT. A unit, which they feel will rival products like the market leading Garmin Edge range. My experience of Wahoo products has certainly been promising. In the past, I've tested their Bluetooth enabled  TICKR heart rate sensor , as well as their neat RPM Cadence Sensor and Blue SC Sensor . I have also tested their RFLKT+ computer , which is the only other cycle computer to come from the American brand, and used a neat "reflection" of the Wahoo GPS app on your smartphone, to save the cost of housing a GPS within the unit itself. All the sensors and RFLKT+ unit proved to be great quality, and had neat intuitive designs; this trait is something that Wahoo is really pushing with the new ELEMNT computer. Whilst the RFLKT+ required you to use your phone in tandem with the display unit, to provide a GPS position, the new ELEMNT will be a fully independent GPS unit and...

Measuring cadence can be a great way to check efficiency and notice when you need to be changing down a gear to keep your legs spinning optimally. In the past, measuring cadence has required a two part sensor, with one part on the chainstay and a magnet on the crank. That was the case at least, until the new Wahoo RPM sensor was released a few weeks ago. The RPM sensor is just a little bigger than a C2032 coin battery, and mounts to the surface of the crank. It provides a cadence measure through inertia readings, and transmits it via Bluetooth or ANT+ to your phone or GPS unit. Neat! Having to mount one less sensor/magnet is certainly a benefit, and makes this easier to change between bike and even mount to a spin bike in the gym. There is no faffing around with magnet alignment, you just strap it on in the zip-tie silicon case, or with the double-sided tape provided. The sensor seems to work very well: I mounted it up running parallel to a second bike computer using ...

Last week I reviewed the Wahoo Blue SC Speed/Cadence Sensor (Link) ; now it's time to complete the package with the rather clever RFLKT+ handlebar display unit. It's all well and good having your iPhone as your GPS computer, and you can get a huge amount of data when you upload your rides online; but mounting an iPhone on your handlebars is both a bit unsightly and precarious. This is where the Wahoo RFLKT+ comes in; it "reflects" the display on the Wahoo iPhone app onto your handlebars, in a simple and neat display unit. The RFLKT+ is even more than just a reflection though, it also allows you to customise your display, link in ANT+ sensors with your Wahoo iPhone App through the ANT bridge, and even control your music and workout data through the sleek compact unit. In addition, you also get barometric altimeter readings that are far more accurate than the GPS generated ones used on most iPhone apps, and this is clearly a more weatherproof solution that having ...

For most, there is one thing that goes with you on almost every ride... your mobile. That GPS equipped phone could be the best cycling computer that you've ever had; with a good app, be it Wahoo Fitness, Strava or another recording app, you can use your mobile to record a huge amount of data about your rides. One thing though, that you can't normally record with a phone cycle computer is your cadence; or your speed if you are on an indoor trainer. This is where the new Blue SC Speed/Cadence sensor from Wahoo Fitness comes in... The Blue SC easily pairs with your phone, with it's own unique bluetooth sync. It's unique because previously if you wanted speed/cadence data on your phone, you needed an ANT+ sensor and then an ANT+ dongle as well. There's no dongle needed here though; the Wahoo App will receive it straight from the sensor through Bluetooth, you can then record your cadence and speed on your iPhone, either for live viewing (the Wahoo Rflkt is awe...

My main cycling computer is the Garmin Edge 510 , it's a great bit of kit and has a huge amount of functionality. However, I recently tested a Cycleops Joule computer in a PowerTap package and was impressed by the Bar Fly out-front mount that came supplied with the computer (something that is not supplied with the Garmin). By placing the unit further out you reduce the amount you need to bend your neck to see the screen, whilst also reducing the likelihood of knocking the unit when you are out of the saddle. Those are two notable benefits, so having been pleased with the Bar Fly mount for the CycleOps Joule, it seemed a good bet for a Garmin out-front mount too; I opted for the Bar Fly 2.0 and the Bar Fly Mtb... The Bar Fly 2.0 Mount Starting with the build quality of the mounts... The Bar Fly mounts are made of a strong composite material, they weigh very little, but they are solid enough to last well. There are metal mounts on the market, but experience s...