Wahoo ELEMNT Minichat_bubble_outlineFrom real comments

The Mini lacks its own GPS chip and must borrow the phone's GPS via the ELEMNT app running during the ride, which many call a dealbreaker since it defeats the purpose of offloading GPS duty from the phone.

@sheintz7

Maybe I missed it but I’m curious as I’m getting one of these as backup to my Roam. Does the wahoo app need to be open while you ride for the unit to “use your phones gps”? Or does just location services need to be on and app can be closed?launch

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July 27, 2020

@peterliljebladh

So it's possible to log rides with the included speed sensor but you are not going to be able to see where you went without your phone turned on? Sort of like an outdoor Tacx ride?\n\nToday I'm using an old Garmin Edge 520 and like the simplicity of going out on the ride without having a device in Wi-Fi mode all the time.launch

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September 24, 2019

@StasYashka

This is one of the cheapest computers with GPS. But these functions are achieved only together with the phone. Question. I plan to keep my computer on the bike all the time, having the phone in my pocket and turning on wahoo to see if the pairing will occur automatically. or will i need to resort to the phone every time? And what about measurements without using a rear wheel sensor?launch

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May 17, 2019

@richardstephenson5489

I will be sticking with Garmin as unlike wahoo head units I don’t have to use a compatible smart phone to get the best out of them! Wahoo fail there and with this, who wants a head unit without gps?launch

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November 18, 2017

Multiple commenters call the requirement to use Wahoo-branded ANT+/dual-band sensors a serious dealbreaker, since it excludes third-party or already-owned sensors from Garmin, Tacx, and others.

@andrekropes

I have already wahoo speed sensor and I don't want one more)launch

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June 1, 2019

@johnnyboy4711

only compatible with own brand sensors,deal breaker.ok if your getting them for freelaunch

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August 29, 2017

@kkd-h2f

Wahoo only sensors is a deal breaker for me too. Happy to offload GPS to phone but would like to be able to push heart rate data (ant+) from my Garmin 235launch

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August 1, 2017

@chrishierons1615

Using phone GPS will kill my phone battery. Wahoo only sensor is not ideal.launch

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August 1, 2017

Because GPS tracking runs through the phone, several users report or fear significant phone battery drain on longer rides, with one calling the unit 'junk' for this reason.

@garychaundy146

Great video Shane. Thanks. I like the battery life of the mini, but, how much have you found it drains your phone battery?launch

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December 17, 2017

@martinhoelicker3273

Junk, when you go on long rides and you want to gps map your rides you kill your phone battery. Useless unitlaunch

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August 6, 2017

@chriswright9096

Good review. The fact that it has to piggy back off a smartphone is a major downer. Long battery life is not much consolation when your phone has just died. And what if you want to go for a ride without taking your phone?\nI have a Bryton Rider 100 which came out months ago. I think it beats this device in every respect except battery life. Plugging the Bryton into a USB port about once every two weeks is no great problem. It has built in GPS, up to five viewable fields, backlight, talks to generic cadence and heart rate sensors. No navigation or phone alerts (which I don't care about anyway). I think you can find it cheaper than both the Garmin 25 and this new Wahoo if you shop around.launch

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August 2, 2017

@chrishierons1615

Using phone GPS will kill my phone battery. Wahoo only sensor is not ideal.launch

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August 1, 2017

Several commenters find the roughly 80-90 dollar/pound price steep given it lacks built-in GPS and offers limited fields and sensor compatibility, especially compared to cheaper alternatives like the Lezyne Micro or a used Garmin 500.

@kkd-h2f

Expensive compared to cat eye or low end lezyne. Even worse when you factor in a decent out front mountlaunch

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January 12, 2019

@andrewhutchinson1400

£80 for a bike computer that doesn't have GPS itself, and can only do speed, distance and time ... is this a joke?launch

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August 8, 2017

@barefeg

Let's not fool ourselves. Yes maybe this competes with the current garmin 25 or whatever, but you can easily get a second hand Garmin 500 for less than the price of a new wahoo mini which has power and GPS.launch

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August 2, 2017

@Demon09-_-

Seems a little pricy at 90$ for a plain standard bike computer. There are many cheaper bike computers that get bundled with a speed and cadence sensor. For the market they are shooting for on this it may not be the easiest sale with the limited fields and sensors this can uselaunch

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August 1, 2017

Some commenters ask whether the Mini offers turn-by-turn directions with arrows, implying it either lacks this or they're unsure, with one explicitly wanting navigation without paying for the pricier Bolt.

@isoeteslacustris

Does it have a feature that shows you with arrows which direction you have to take at the intersection when wahoo is paired to a phone with uploaded planned route?launch

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August 10, 2019

@EditioCastigata

Does it have at least any kind of turn-by-turn navigation? Like, by displaying arrows and the such?launch

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August 2, 2017

@DreamClean

I want turn by turn directions without paying £200 for the BOLT.launch

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August 1, 2017

Some users report the unit not connecting properly on multiple occasions, or an Android app bug causing missing cadence data, leading to a negative overall experience for at least one buyer.

@rickvanduin11

Are you using the wahoo cadence sensor with this? I just bought the ELEMNT mini including speed + cadence sensors but am not seeing any cadence data in my results on the companion app. I’ve emailed Wahoo but was hoping you might now more about this issue? Thanks!launch

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April 8, 2019

@jackallen7239

I got it and got right rid of it was the worst thing ever and didn’t connect properly on many of occasionslaunch

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October 9, 2018

The unit lacks an altimeter, so elevation must be calculated via the phone's GPS, which one commenter calls inaccurate and a dealkiller, referencing known issues with iPhone elevation calculation.

@maikogoto7753

The mini doesn't have an altimeter which means that elevation climbed would be calculated by the GSP on your phone is the deal killer. we all know from Shane Miller's videos that the iPhone is crap for calculating elevation.launch

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August 2, 2017

The unit can't show a map of the route, only summary data like speed, time, and cadence, which one first-time buyer found disappointing after expecting a mapped ride like on Strava.

@markp353

Just bought a MIni, first bike computer. Have it linked to my phone. After my ride it auto uploaded the ride to Strava. When I went into Strava only the time, speed and cadence was showing. No map. Isn't the mini suppose to use the phone's GPS? Does it only use GPS for speed, and distance travelled and not location? Can you get it to record the map onto Strava showing where you went? It seems the Wahoo Fitness App on my phone did more than the Mini, makes me now think the Mini is not worth it apart from its size and my phone is not in the elementslaunch

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September 23, 2017

One commenter notes the lack of an outfront mount as a near dealbreaker, since extra viewing distance helps glance at the screen while riding.

@rasmuswi

I find the lack of an outfront mount to be a bit of a show stopper, I find that the extra distance that outfront mounts provide make it a lot easier to glance at the screen while cycling. But maybe the mount is a standard Wahoo so it can be solved with some third party mount like HideMyBell or K-edge. By the way, without knowing your mother I think I would get her the standard Element instead of the bolt. Chances are that she is of the age when people start to need reading glasses and in that case, a bigger screen makes things easier.launch

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October 10, 2018