Wahoo Elemnt // Elemnt BOLT Data Field List

Uploaded as a reference - All the available data fields you can configure on the Wahoo Elemnt / Elemnt BOLT Cycling GPS as at 13th August 2018.

- Shane

Wahoo ELEMNT / ELEMNT BOLT GPS Navigation - The Details You Need to Know!

Wahoo ELEMNT / ELEMNT BOLT GPS Route Navigation - The Details You Need to Know! Subscribe to Shane Miller - GPLama on YouTube

I've owned my Wahoo ELEMNT GPS for a year now, using it on and off as new features are released and as I've needed for data collection from trainers/power meters/etc. The Elemnt BOLT was released a few months ago, and I've been using that more and more as my primary 'cycling computer'. Given both these units run the same operating system and have the same features, I'll refer to them both hereon in as the 'Elemnt'.

I've used the basic mapping features on the Elemnt: Map display while riding, follow the 'breadcrumb' trail for routing back home, and I've tinkered with the Turn by Turn navigation using the "TAKE ME TO..." function on the iPhone companion app. All which were pretty straight forward, although I wasn't able to select any alternate routes with the "TAKE ME TO..." routing, it decided on a route and that was that.

Yesterday I set out to ride a familiar loop here in Melbourne called the "Tour de Burbs", aka the 'Burbs Loop. A 28km hilly loop that's a regular weekly hit-out for riders who want something other than the flat Beach Rd rides. The aim of my exercise yesterday was to try out the features of turn-by-turn (TbT) navigation on the Elemnt. The 'Burbs loop isn't all that complex, containing only 14 or 15 turns.

The process I followed yesterday resulted in two things - Firstly, confusion as to where I'd gone wrong in setting up the navigation/route, and secondly, around 4-5 hours of research trying to get my head around navigation and turn-by-turn functionality on the Elemnt. That research consisted of reading Ray Maker's post on Turn-by-Turn on the Elemnt, going over the Wahoo official site/help pages, and trawling though many forums where people have posted similar questions.

So. After all that. Here it is. The details. This is what you'll need to know to understand routing, navigation, and how to setup turn-by-turn on the Wahoo Elemnt as it stands right now (August 2017).

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Isn't all course routing the same? Just make a route, sync, and go? No. 

"Route Navigation" and "Turn By Turn Navigation" are two different things. 

"Route Navigation" - Visual breadcrumb/chevron/ant trails overlaid onto the existing maps. No cues, just 'distance to go' shown based on you current location and end point location based on the selected route. You'll also get an elevation profile on screen of what's coming up hill wise. 

Breadcrumb map overlay

Elevation - Past, Present, Future

"Turn By Turn Navigation" - All the features of Route Navigation but with Turn by Turn cues based on pre-defined cues generated by whatever service you've sync'ed with (ie RideWithGPS). This is what I expected all routes on the Elemnt to do, turn-by-turn like most GPS navigation units in cars, phones, etc. It isn't the case.

Turn-by-Turn navigation - With cues!

What? That's confusing. I know.

Here's the details..... 

The Elemnt ships with global maps on the units. Worldwide maps! That's pretty cool. Garmin Edge units on the other hand ship with regional maps. If you're travelling far and wide with a Garmin Edge you'll need to buy additional maps or download the compatible OpenSteetMaps (Thanks again DCRainmaker for the brilliant info here!). 

To cram an entire WORLD of maps onto the Element there's a tradeoff. The maps on the Elemnt appear to be stripped of all metadata that can be used to generate detailed navigational routes (think turn-by-turn). It has no ability itself to generate the required 'cue sheets' for the route you want. A 'cue' being information about the route such as "Right Turn at location X onto street Y" or similar. A 'cue sheet' being the list of cues that navigate the entire route. 

Without this map metadata on the Element, the task of creating these cue sheets is 'outsourced' so to speak to the Elemnt Companion App or to a third party such as RideWithGPS & Komoot. 

What about Strava? Well. That's what tripped me up yesterday. I'd created a route using the Strava Route Builder. I sync'ed that to the Element, and when I attempted to ride the route all I was presented with was a breadcrumb trail and 'Distance to go...'. So just basic navigation, not turn-by-turn. I rode the entire 28km just following the breadcrumbs. Once I'd passed the end point, it started counting up the 'Distance to go...' again. That wasn't what I wanted. It turns out that Strava does not export routes with cue sheets. Even when they're explicitly configured in the route. 

Theres's good news though! Strava does offer a GPX to Route service via StravaLabs: http://labs.strava.com/gpx-to-route This creates cue sheets from basic GPX routes (when it doesn't crash). Nice! But when syncing to the Elemnt it still has no cue sheets, breadcrumb mode only. Damn it. Throw us a damn bone here Strava... A lot of us pay for Strava Premium, just make this work please. 

OK - With Strava off the menu for creating turn-by-turn routes for the Element, I headed over to RouteWithGPS. Signed up, logged in, and created the 'Burbs Loop route by uploading the base GPX I had. With that created, I synced it over to the Elemnt and loaded the route. Wait. Same deal. Basic breadcrumb mode and no cue sheets. No turn-by-turn navigation. I was told that RideWithGPS would do it!?!? 

'Burbs Loop imported from GPX. Note: No cue sheet.... no turn-by-turn.

Again, there's more to it than just using RideWithGPS. I had to manually create the route in RideWithGPS to finally get the cue sheets! Many mouse clicks later I had recreated the 'Burbs Loop on RideWithGPS, saved it, and sync'ed that over to the Elemnt. BAM! I finally figured out how to get Turn-By-Turn navigation on the Elemnt! 

'Burbs Loop - Manually created... now with Turn-by-Turn cues! 

Turn-by-Turn success! 

Elevation profile showing for the route too. Nice.

From a technical standpoint, I get it. Lightweight maps on the unit + no cue sheets in route files means there's no way the Elemnt can work out what to do, so the best it can do is overlay breadcrumbs and smile back at you with it's palms facing upwards saying "That's the best I can do with what I've got!"... Which is fine for the majority of users.... I'd just assumed a GPS bike computer would do all the GPSey things without the need to line so many ducks up in a row.  

Side Notes: 

• On the fly re-routing isn't possible as the Elemnt can only reference the pre-defined cues. Once you're off-course you're on your own until you get back onto the predefined route.
• Komoot - I signed up and created the route on there too. One catch with Komoot is you also need to 'unlock' or activate your region to allow Komoot to sync. I didn't to this step.... I suspect once it's all set up it'll work the same as RideWithGPS. 

Garmin solve most of these issues by using detailed regional maps with all the data required to routing/re-routing on their head units. The trade off being these are non global maps due to space limitations. Route and re-route generation can be a little laggy on the head unit too. For interest's sake I dropped the base 'Burbs Loop GPX file (without cues) into the \NewFiles\ folder on the Garmin Edge 820 and it loaded it up ready for turn-by-turn navigation. Well, that was easier... I suspect it's only a matter of time before we see a ConnectIQ app that'll do route syncing from Strava/Garmin Connect/etc. 

So there we are - The details I wish I had of known yesterday. Is it a show stopper for Wahoo in the Elemnt vs Edge war? Not really. I think turn-by-turn is niche for bike computers and if you use it a lot you've likely done your homework and have figured this all out already. The functionality is there, it just takes a little work to unlock it.

Hopefully this helps people understand the operation of the Element unit(s) a little better before or after purchase. Let's hope Strava start syncing soon with cues included... and/or the Elemnt Companion App can take care of automatic cue generation and maybe also take care of re-routing on the fly to the head unit. 

tldr; To enable Turn-By-Turn route navigation on the Wahoo Elemnt/Bolt GPS cycling computer you need to sync routes that include cue sheets from a third party service that includes these pre-defined cue sheets when exporting/syncing. Currently only RideWithGPS and Komoot does this. The Elemnt has no ability to re-route on the fly. "Take Me To..." on the Elemnt phone app will give Turn-By-Turn on a route it chooses to your required destination. 

Wahoo Elemnt MINI Cycling Computer - Details / Unboxing / Install / First Ride

First look at the new Wahoo Elemnt MINI cycling computer. Weighing in at only 31g, with a HUGE battery life, and offering some of the features of the Elemnt and Elemnt BOLT. The devil is in the detail though, so if you're looking to pair non Wahoo sensors or want to pair a power meter, this won't be the bike computer to go with. Full specs, install, usage, etc all in this video. Enjoy! 

Wahoo Elemnt MINI Cycling Computer - Details / Unboxing / Install / First Ride

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Zwift New Zealand and Australian Tour 2017

This was the third year running Zwift have ventured 'Down Under' before the winter season really kicks in. This time Auckland was added to the itinerary. I was invited along to each of the events to talk tech, smart trainers, Zwift, and all things bike. Here's the wrap of each stop on the tour!

Auckland, NZ. May 22nd 2017 - Allpress

Sydney, Australia. May 24th 2017. Rapha CC

Melbourne, Australia. May 26th 2017. Rapha CC


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Wahoo ELEMNT BOLT - First Look

Just over 12 months down the track from the Wahoo ELEMNT hitting shelves comes the Wahoo ELEMNT BOLT.

Addressing the unique needs of the performance-driven rider, ELEMNT BOLT pairs the ELEMNT’s groundbreaking ease of use and powerful performance with a form factor designed to blend as seamlessly with your bike as it does with your training and racing.

In a nutshell, Wahoo have taken the consumer feedback from the original ELEMNT and packed it into smaller, lighter, and according to their press releases, a more aerodynamic package. 

I've been lucky enough to have some hands on with the ELEMNT BOLT just a few hours prior to the official announcement.... let's see how it stacks up: 

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Strava Insights: GPS Cycle Computers Used at Cadel Evans People's Ride (2017)

GPS cycling computer stats from the Cadel Evans People's Ride 2017

Sample Size: 1000

Head Units Listed: 981

YouTube Video:

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Figures:

    238 Strava iPhone App

    152 Garmin Edge 520

    119 Garmin Edge 510

     78 Strava Android App

     73 Garmin Edge 500

     67 Garmin Edge 1000

     63 Garmin Edge 810

     28 Garmin Edge 820

     24 Garmin Edge 800

     21 Garmin Forerunner 920XT

     16 Wahoo ELEMNT

     14 Garmin fenix 3

     12 Garmin Vívoactive

     11 Garmin Vívoactive HR

      9 Garmin Forerunner 910XT

      9 Garmin Forerunner 735

      7 Garmin Edge 25

      6 Garmin Edge 200

      5 Suunto

      3 Garmin Forerunner 620

      3 GPX

      3 Fitbit Surge

      2 Wahoo RFLKT+

      2 TomTom GPS Sport Watch

      2 Lezyne GPS

      2 Garmin Forerunner 610

      2 Garmin Forerunner 310XT

      2 Garmin Forerunner 230

      1 Polar V650

      1 Pioneer

      1 Garmin Forerunner 630

      1 Garmin Forerunner 405

      1 Garmin Forerunner 35

      1 Garmin Forerunner 235

      1 Garmin Forerunner 225

      1 Bryton Rider 310

Click to enlarge!

Ballarat IM Stats:

Wahoo Kickr16 / Kickr 2: Unboxing, Building, First Ride.

Wahoo Kickr16 / Kickr 2: Unboxing, Building, First Ride + data analysis.

Here's my review/overview of my new Kickr16/Kickr2. Unboxing, building, stress tests, data review, and some side-by-side comparisons with the original Kickr. If anyone's looking at upgrading or taking the leap to their first smart trainer, this will be worth a watch.

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Power Meters: The Basics

What exactly is a strain gauge? How does it work? What are the challenges faced by power meter manufacturers? And what are they doing about accuracy now a lot of people have more than one power meter?

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Links:
Strain Gauge Wiki: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Strain_gauge

Keywords: SRM, Quarq, Stages Cycling, PowerTap, 4iii, Wahoo Kickr, Tacx, Elite Cycling.
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Web: http://shanemiller.net
Instagram: http://instagram.com/gplama
Strava: https://www.strava.com/athletes/gplama
Twitter: https://twitter.com/gplama
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/gplama/

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Eurobike 2016

Here's a three day video wrap of my recent visit to Eurobike in Germany. I was primarily there to meet with the trainer manufacturers and discuss their upcoming products, here's the footage of things between meetings and throughout the day. Enjoy! 

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....As Seen on YouTube!

A side step over YouTube has proven to be more successful than I could have thought. I've been tapping away on the blog here for many years, hitting over a few thousand hits with every post. The numbers over on YouTube far exceed that reach - so - that's where a lot of my content will be uploaded.

Detailed reviews and tales will still appear on here, so keep dropping by!

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I'm almost on episode 30.... so head over and subscribe to the channel for updates of new videos.

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Winter is Coming - Upgrade Your Bike Cave!

Here's the rundown on the equipment used at the May 2016 Zwift Australian event nights, plus additional items I use in my own indoor bike cave. Hopefully there's one or two things here you'll spot that will make your indoor sessions more enjoyable.

Let me know if you'd like more info about any of the content below and I'll do my best to get back to you and update this post with the information.

Video:

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Flooring

Starting from the ground up. Wahoo Kickr Trainer Floormats were used on the hard flooring at Rapha CC in Sydney and at Bilia Volvo in Melbourne. The solution I use at home is custom cut rubber backed marine flooring from Clark Rubber. Thicker floor mats dampen vibration and trainer noise which is always a good thing in close quarters. Yoga mats are a cheaper alternative if you're looking for a cost effective solution.

Items:

Wahoo Kickr Trainer Floormats ~AU$100
Clark Rubber ~AU$35/m
Yoga Mats ~AU$5-$100+

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TV Screen Tripods

Having a large screen at the right height in front of you really helps with the immersion into whatever you're watching on the screen. The Allcam TR940 were the tripods of choice for screens ~40inches in size that we used. They're an expensive solution to by locally in Australia as they're shipped from the UK. Let me know in the comments section if there's something similar locally people have seen.

Item:

Allcam TR940

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Side Table

Somewhere for your keyboard, remote controls, additional drinks, food. I use a conductor stand from a music shop, along with a bar stool from Ikea for any extras.

Items:

On Stage SM7211 Conductor Stand AU$60
Ikea Stools AU$x

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Fans - Move that air!

Anything that moves air is good in this department. I've used a number of different fans over the years, my #1 is now the Sunair 30cm High Velocity Turbo Fan. These are brilliant for a number of reasons: They're cheap, small, quiet, and move a TON of air.

Item:

Sunair 30cm High Velocity Turbo Fan ~$AU30-40

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Computing

Dell Alienware Alpia i3 - These are mid-range computers with beefed up mobile components to keep the unit size down. I run one of these units at home with a few hardware modifications. They're compact Windows 10 machines so they're great for other everyday use, or multitasking while on the ergo for YouTube playlists, Spotify, etc.

Note: The i5 and i7 versions of these units will run Zwift at exactly the same frame rates as the i3, so the cheaper i3 model is the best choice.

Items:

Dell Alienware Alpha ~AU$799
i3 Alpha Custom Upgrade Guide (with GPU overclock info!)

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Keyboard/Mouse Combo

Logitech K400R, available at Officeworks. We've had 6 working in the same room with a lot of other wireless signals flying around.

Item:

Logitech K400R ~AU$39

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Headphones

Over-ear noise cancelling headphones are fine for indoor work as long as you've got enough air moving around. I use a wired Audio Technica set that I take everywhere with me. They're great for air travel too. They don't fill up with sweat, and they're wiped down with baby wipes (see below) after every use.

Item:

Audio Technica ATH-ANC9 ~AU$229

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USB ANT+ Sticks / USB extension cables.

Required kit for your computer to talk to your ANT devices (smart trainers, power meters, heart rate monitors, etc). As ANT is low power it is susceptible to interference. An extension cable is a really good idea to ensure 100% signal from your sensors to your computer. Cheaper USB extension cables can be hit and miss, stick with premium known brands for best performance.

All four in the photo do exactly the same job. All four are difference prices. If you want an in-depth review of these devices, I wrote this last year: Garmin USB2 ANT Stick In-Depth Review

Items: (only ANT stick one required per machine)

Garmin USB ANT+ Stick ~AU$59
Generic ANT+ Mobile Stick ~AU$42
ANSELF USB ANT+ Stick Cheap! (Watch this space. Shipping is slow. I've ordered a ton!)

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Internet

Good quality Internet in the bike cave is critical. ISP supplied modem/routers are usually sufficient, but if you're looking at getting the most out of your connection go for the best wifi modem/router your budget will allow. The Billion range are brilliant and allow for some back end tinkering if that's your thing.

If your bike cave is tucked away in your back shed, you might need to go with upgraded wifi antenna or wifi range extenders.

Tip: There have been reports of users encountering a Bermuda Triangle of dropped ANT signals if their wifi is using channels 9-12. If you're having issues, switch over to channels 1-6 and see if that resolves the issue.

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Misc (everything else)

QuadLock Phone mount - Quick and easy access to phone with waterproof case. My review of the iPhone6 Bike Kit. AU$70 (30% off with "zwiftlama" discount code!)

Baby Wipes - Great for keeping things like headphones, heart rate straps, and bikes clean after an ergo session. AU$2.50/pack

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Putting it all together

 

Zwift Racing - How real is it?

It's been 12 months since I first installed Zwift and started chasing friends and strangers around virtual roads in cyberspace. Back in the early beta on Jarvis Island, after only a few rides, I knew there was massive potential in the platform beyond just rolling around for fun and interval training.

ZTR Wednesday - Pre roll-out.

As the Zwift community grew and the group riding dynamics within the game were refined, organised events started popping up all over the place. While we're still on the edge of our seats (saddles?) waiting for the official Zwift event/race module, the Zwift community have already taken things to the next level. Training rides, tempo rides, races catering for all levels, automated results, race reports - It's all happening right now.


Where to find events/rules/details?

The best location at this point is at http://zwiftcalendar.com. It'll show upcoming events in your local timezone with all the rules/details of the specific events listed within each entry. Take note of the route your event will go so you know which one to select when logging in.

A great overview of the ZTR (Zwift Training Race) events and racing in general can be found here: http://www.virtualonlinecycling.com/2015/11/what-is-ztr.html


I've never raced before!

That's not a problem, this is a great way to start out. There's no entry fee, so there's nothing to lose. Just kit up, log in, and join in. Be prepared for some pre-race nerves. After all, you are up against real people who'll want to beat you. Don't let this be a hindrance, it'll prepare you for what you'll go through on race day outside.

Just how "real" is this racing?

Some cyclists will tell you unless you're on a fixed wheel, on the cobbles, in Belgium, in 1974, you're never really racing. Most of us ride indoors to maximize the time we have, and to replicate the efforts we'll be doing outside. From first hand experience, I can confirm the effort required to race in any category on Zwift is EXACTLY what you'll be doing out on the roads... in some cases it'll require more!

Stats from the ZTR-A race on February 3rd 2016 -

302W average for the 48km, NP of around 314. ~4.19w/kg. Depending on what level you're at, those numbers might not mean much.... the key is that I never hit the wind until 1.5km to go! Those numbers were me sitting in the bunch or on a wheel for the majority of the race, on a relatively flat course.

The final 1.5km -

After sitting in the bunch all race with 'fresh legs' (well, in reality, anything but!), the finish was hotly contested over the last two minutes. 541W for 1:53 after just over an hour racing. 7.5w/kg. And you could throw a blanket over the three or four of us at the line it was that close.

How real is the racing? The effort required is VERY REAL! It is the same across all categories, and even with those who get dropped and spend their time chasing back on. When you've got a virtual race number pinned on, the motivation to push yourself will be there.


What really makes "just an ergo session" feel like real racing?

The Effort - As outlined above, the physical effort is on par with real racing, across all categories.

Concentration - Like in a real race, you can never let your guard down. You're always working on your bunch positioning, responding to attacks/accelerations, and there's no time to check your Facebook feed (which I've been known to do the middle of standard ergo rides....) #holdthewheel! :)

The Randomness - No two races are ever the same. One race may have riders pulling Nabali like moves on descents and Froome style attacks up the KOMs... and the next race it might all stay together for a massive bunch kick.

The Racing Experience - Once you've got a few races under your belt, you'll be ready for anything people can throw down. If you want to mix things up, go to the front and dish out some pain! What's the worst that can happen? You drop off, roll in a few minutes down...  then check the calendar for the next race to do it all again! :)


Looking Ahead - The Potential 

Extending beyond just standard bunch races there could be hill climb TTs (on the proposed mountain pass climb), solo TTs, criterium / kermesse races on the newly opened Richmond flat course, multiple group handicap races (like the current Fox and Hound races), the possibilities are endless. If they open up some single-track on mountain bikes, there's a whole new world of opportunity there for dirt racing action!

Given what I've seen and experienced so far, I predict the next 'big thing' will be the race/event module. Automated event joining, neutral roll-out, and instant results will get a lot more people participating and competing against others around the world during their ergo sessions on a daily basis.

Details on exactly what it will include are sketchy, but from past updates we know the team at Zwift are on the ball with what the community wants.


For now. Kit up and #RideOn! Virtual racing is already here and it's going to get bigger!

Further Racing Info/Links:

http://zwiftblog.com/how-to-race-on-zwift-strategy-tips-etiquette-and-more/
http://zwiftnation.com