Long gone are the days when your bike computer only showed how long, far and fast you rode. These days it’s all about bells and whistles (or maybe beeps and flashes).
In recent months, Wahoo has once again taken a lead in the field with a number of updates that allow riders to control their bike lights, music and GoPro from Elemnt (frustratingly, the brand’s attack on vowels remains) Bolt and Roam head units. The company has worked closely with SRAM, which means you can use the extra buttons on the new Red AXS to control your Elemnt without leaving the safety of your levers.
The final part of the update, the GoPro integration, goes live today. We weren’t able to use all the features to test them, but the ones we did try were pleasant and reliable.
Smart lighting control
If you have ANT+ compatible lights, you can now connect and control them from your Elemnt.
That includes switching between different settings and automatically starting and stopping at the end of your ride. If you’re someone who keeps your lights on at the start of the ride and turns them off at the end, this integration is unlikely to excite you much. However, if you do a lot of off-road driving and tend to switch between modes to optimize seeing/being seen and ensuring you have enough lighting power to get home, this feature will make your life a lot easier than searching for switches in the dark. .
Wahoo Elemnt lighting control
(Image credit: Future)
Music control
Tired of having to stop and pull out your phone to skip that annoying song? Stop being frustrated; The music controls screen displays what’s playing on your phone (whether it’s through a music app, YouTube, or a podcast) and gives you all the basic functions you need: volume, skip, rewind, and play/pause. It’s beautiful in its simplicity and I’ve found it to be both quicker and more responsive to operate than directly through my phone, even while sitting at home, let alone while driving.
GoPro controls
The star guest of Wahoo’s integration developments was fashionably late to his own party; GoPro control has now arrived.
By connecting your GoPro to the Elemnt as another sensor, you can now instantly stop/start, take photos and switch modes, all right from your main unit; all much easier and more reliable than pulling out your phone or looking for a button somewhere on your helmet/chest/elsewhere on your handlebars.
Probably the most useful factor here is that you can see the setting on your Elemnt to know if the camera is in the correct mode. This will prevent you from filming parts after you planned to stop your camera and accidentally missing the main action. turning off the camera.
There may not be many riders who use both an Elemnt and a GoPro, but for those who do, this is a really valuable integration.
Wahoo Elemnt GoPro controls
(Image credit: Future)
This feature uses GoPro’s public API, so it’s only available if your camera is Hero 9/10/11/12 (not Mini). Cory Pittman, Senior Product Manager at Wahoo, explained to us that this is because each camera works in a slightly different way, meaning the software is tailor-made for each model. Users should pay attention to the specific settings for their model. Wahoo has promised compatibility with future GoPro models and is also aiming to develop software that can integrate with older GoPro models, as well as cameras from other companies.
We weren’t able to test this feature before today’s launch (we’re behind on our GoPro models), so we’ll update as soon as we get a feel for it and can report on its reliability.
Integration of training programs
Unless you’re using Wahoo Wahoo has improved its API functionality to make it easier for third-party apps to integrate with its system.
Humango, FinalSurge and others have already been added and several more platforms are expected to be added in the near future.
