In The Know Cycling is ad-free, subscription-free, and reader-supported. But, I don’t see a reason for the regular road and gravel cycling enthusiasts to need more than that what the BOLT does or spend more to get it. While it’s smaller than the demand for BOLT and Edge 530 units, there’s a market for all of these devices and reasons to want some of them. There are bike computers sold by Wahoo like the ROAM and ELEMNT, by Garmin like the Edge 830 and Edge 1030, and by others like the Hammerhead Karoo that come with larger displays, touch screens and offer additional features beyond those on either the Wahoo BOLT or Garmin 530. Even if you are a Garmin owner that’s been thinking about upgrading or replacing your bike computer, the latest BOLT is so good that you might want to consider switching over to it if you don’t live by Garmin metrics.īeyond that, the only reasons I could see for buying a Garmin 530 would be that you are principally a mountain biker or you’re the cycling equivalent of a one-issue-voter, ie., you want a certain feature that only the Garmin has so much so that you will put up with all of its disadvantages. If you buying a bike computer for your road or gravel bike for the first time, the BOLT is the better choice for these and other reasons I’ll detail below. The BOLT continues to have a better screen and displays, works more intuitively, is easier to set up, has a simpler interface, a longer battery life, and a lower price than the 530. The latest BOLT adds both attractive and useful color and is the match for Garmin in navigation. Garmin battle weighs even more in Wahoo’s favor. Now that the second-generation Wahoo ELEMNT BOLT has come out, this Wahoo vs. Unless you preferred color maps, were already tied into the Garmin ecosystem, or really wanted on one of Garmin’s unique features, I couldn’t see a good argument to put up with the many everyday disadvantages of the Garmin 530 bike computer.ġ2:00 – Current Wahoo ELEMNT BOLT 3:00 – Garmin Edge 520 6:00 – Garmin Edge 530 9:00 original Wahoo ELEMNT BOLT Little did I know then that the Wahoo BOLT would become the one I would choose, replacing my Garmin Edge 520 when I ride with just one bike computer.Įven after the Garmin 530 was introduced, I compared it and found the original Wahoo BOLT still worked better as a road bike computer, was easier to use, and less expensive.
I bought the Wahoo ELEMNT BOLT when it first came out in 2017 to add to my collection of bike computers that help me test power meters side by side.
You can get it here and here for US and Canadian residents and here for those in the rest of the world from stores I recommend because of their competitive pricing and customer satisfaction ratings. It’s also simpler to both set up and use and it costs slightly less. Garmin, the Wahoo ELEMNT BOLT outperforms the Garmin Edge 530 from my comparative review of what’s most important in choosing a road bike computer.
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