Wahoo Elemnt BOLT

I have used Garmin devices for a number of years or should I say had. About a year ago I saw the light as it were and converted to Wahoo. Since doing this I haven't looked back.

For me they were excellent at recording a ride and providing data to peruse over but that was about it. For me at least, I found navigating on them more or less impossible. The 820, which I had for about a year, was actually the best of all of the Garmin devices I used but I remember trying to use it to navigate from Liverpool Street Station to Euston and it was a total joke. It was rubbish. It took ages to load and when it did it crashed and crashed again.

Trying to be more independent in terms of navigation I started to used my iPhone and either google maps or RidewithGPS but it wasn't a long term solution.

I was invited to go on an overnight ride to the south coast over a year ago by a group of people really into 'Specilaized AWOL' bikes that were kitted out in front racks, rear panniers, dynamo lights, UBS chargers...the list goes on. They were doing training runs to test out various items of equipment which they planned to use on various biking expeditions. They used the BOLT and its bigger screened sibling the ELEMNT simply as a way of navigating. I was amazed at how quick and simple it all was.  Afterwards I took the plunge.

This is about the BOLT which is slightly smaller than the ELEMNT but they both function  identically. The BOLT is abbot the size of a Garmin 820. The big difference is that it has a greyscale screen - unlike the colour one the Garmin has.  The other big difference is that it has no touchscreen. As you will read later, neither of these omissions is a problem.

The BOLT has three buttons on the front of the device, one on the left had side to power on and two on the right side for scrolling up and down and changing the size view of the screen.

It is quite a simple and just works. That near-phrase will be used again, possibly more than once.

The BOLT is mounted on something similar to Garmin but specific to Wahoo. You get an out front mount and a smaller one that you can attach with cable ties (also included). I have the out-front mount on my road bike and the smaller one on my Brompton. You also get an additional mount which can be used on aero bars.

Charding is via a micro-USB cable (supplied) and the good news is that it doesn't take and age to charge.

Much is made of the BOLT's aerodynamic shape. I am sure it it but this is wasted on me I have to say. Still, marginal gains and all that.

The BOLT works hand in hand with the companion app and it would be foolish not to do so. They work really, really well together! 

If for example you want to navigate somewhere, you can use the companion app to take you anywhere you like. Just type in to your phone and a route is shown as below. These are full turn by turn directions.

You then send to your BOLT - and I kid you not within a 10th of a second - it is there on the BOLT ready to be used. No waiting around, no having to repeat yourself over and over again. It just works...and quickly!

On the BOLT you can set up multiple custom pages and if you want data believe me the BOLT can tell you just about everything and certainly as much as I remember from the Garmin 820.

Setting this up via the app on your phone is easier and when on the phone, using the up/down buttons on the side you can make the number of fields showing on the bolt increase or decrease.

The map screen that you use to navigate has a black and white chevron line that you follow. You can zoom the map screen in or out to make bigger or smaller. You would think that it might be hard to follow not being in colour, but it is very easy to see, clearer and less prone to glare in the sun. I would go as far as saying that it works faultlessly. 

I am not a confident person as far as navigating goes on the bike and have found it very difficult. With the BOLT I have used it to navigate:

• Kew Gardens to Box Hill and back

• London to Cambridge

• West London RideIt Sportive

• CobbleMonster (with lots of complicated turns)

In addition to this I have found myself at various main line train stations and used it to get back to where I know. It is utterly, utterly brilliant for this. I feel much more confident using it.

The one caveat - at least for the moment - is that if you go off course the BOLT cannot re-route you back to the route or calculate an alternative on the fly. It isn't all bad however as loud bleeps and a set of red LEDs along the top of the BOLT let you know very quickly and it is quite easy to retrace your steps. To be honest I found the Garmin so terrible at dong this, I set it so it didn't re-reoute you anyway.

The other thing I have found is that the route seems to refresh very quickly. This means if you have lots of turns on a route, the BOLT can keep up.

The greyscale screen is actually very good and clear to see and read all the data thereon and I the colour screen of the Garmin devices is not something I miss as a result. In addition, as the BOLT works in conduction with a iPhone the need the for a touchscreen is again not missed.

Once a ride has been completed and you hit end the ride the BOLT does a few things almost instantaneously. A map fo the route and ride data is ready and waiting on the ELENMT app on your phone. If you use STRAVA the ride data is already there as soon as you open the app to have a look. It's the same story if you use the excellent 'RideWithGPS' or any of the other apps that link with Wahoo. Again it just works and there is little fuss or drama in getting it to do whatever you want it to.

Another feature I have found useful for pre-planned rides is that you have a page for evaluation. This provides a side on profile of elevation as you are riding which allows you to check your progress on a particularly steep incline. This was put to good use when I recently did a nocturnal re-run of the CobbleMonster. 

I am really glad a ditched the Garmin and went the Wahoo route and cannot sing its praises highly enough. In fact the group of Specilized AWOL riders I cycled with last year told me that they deliberately tried various cunning ways of making the BOLT fail in terms of navigation and its ability to record all sorts of data with every sensor know to humanity but you've probably already guess...it just worked.

London to Whitstable Overnight

Those of you of a certain age who liked watching rugby, on the BBC a few years ago before things got all professional might remember seeing footage of how England, Irish, Scottish, Welsh and French rugby players got ready for one of the Five Nations matches. You might recall seeing short montage-films of players in the week before the big match in their normal 9 to 5 job. The jobs were varied - doctor, solicitor, builder, gas worker, bank clerk - but they all showed people fitting in their weekend activity together with a busy job. Thoughts of the weekend did naturally dominate. In many ways, a Friday night ride to the coast is a little like this!

After prepping the bike - again my new Orange Brompton - I headed off from my base location in Maida Vale - far too early if anything. This meant that I got to the meeting point near the National Theatre early. I then decided to amble along the Thames, Cross the Thames at The Millennium Bridge and then amble back to where I started.

A modern masterpiece  

At the back of the Tata Modern I took a few photos of my bike and you will be please to know that I have only included two of the ridiculously large amount I took during this time wasting exercise.

When cycling back along the Southbank from the Tate Modern to the Royal Festival Hall, there was the usual sight (and sound) of couples have arguments and/or breaking up. Friday night and that stretch of there Thames must be the place to do it!

When I returned to the National Theatre I saw that Geoff was there (again on big wheels) but sadly Dr John couldn't make it being under the weather. Charlie (who I will come back to later on) was also there, this time on his road bike and was to do a fine job of organising way markers.

After our safety talk by ride leader, Rob we were told to check over our bikes and get ourselves ready as we would be going in five minutes.

Geoff looking to see what was going on north of the river

Considering the recent weather we were very lucky. It was a mild night and the rain - a constant companion it seems for the last few days - stayed away for much of the ride.

The pace was good and with very few stops for mechanical or punctures we arrived at Greenwich quite quickly - or at least it felt like that.

Further on in our nocturnal adventure we arrived at an underpass. This was a place where one could powder ones nose as it were. We get to see the nicest of locations.

The...ahem...powdering ones nose facilities 

The ride was proceeding very well with Rob leading the way, Charlie instructing people to mark corners up front with Rob and a team of Tail End Charlies who brought up the rear. A special mention to Stuart who seemed to mark loads of junctions, wait for the tail to catch up and then be seen near the front again.

Near Gravesend we stopped at a bus stop with lots of seats to wait for the tail to catch up. Naturally seeing the tin man opposite was a photo opportunity not to be missed - my excuse having a new bicycle to photo!

Any opportunity for a photo of an Orange Brompton has to be taken

Another short stop at a location we always seem to stop at (including in the days when the gentleman that is Simon ran these rides) was a pub once called 'The Call Boy.' It is no longer called that however the sign still remains.

With the halfway stop not too far away the pace at the front seemed to quicken ever so slightly. It was still a mild night/morning but every so often the temperature seemed to drop dramatically only to recover a few hundred metres on.

It was a joyous moment when we arrived at the Church of the English Martyrs in Strood. For the bargain price of £5 you could partake in a couple of tasty rolls and a slice of even tastier homemade cakes!

Sanctuary

Getting up to make this all happen was Tim (ride leader on a number of other Fridays rides) and his wife. The funds raised for this went to a charity that is run within the church called 'Step and Learn.' https://www.stepandlearn.org Click on the link to find out more and perhaps if you have a spare £, $ or € you might consider donating. We were told later that we raised over £300 which is very good.

Not a great deal of talking was done as I have to confess to almost nodding off on several occasions!
We left the comfort of the Church and stepped out into what is nearly always a little chiller conditions. As such I put on a light layer and headed off. After a few minutes I was fine again and wanting the opportunity to take that layer off.

With dawn approaching the sun starting to rise and before you knew it the semi-darkness had given way to morning. It started to rain but it was very light and didn't materialise into anything more concerning.

Dawn

Faversham

Arriving at Faversham we were told of the last turn. At this point those who wished could travel at whatever speed they could muster towards the finish at the 'Waterfront' where breakfast awaited.

The new boss, a better than the old boss?!

At the turn there was at times quite a headwind but thankfully nothing too bad and certainly not as bad as experienced on previous incarnations of this ride. I managed to pass a few people and then stuck behind two others and was to do this - getting a little tow - all the way to the end. 

I completed the Graveney to Whitstable 4.3 mile STRAVA segment in 17 minutes 10 seconds at an average of 15.2 mph. Not too bad but certainly not my best.  As I arrived I saw Geoff who was locking up his bike. I folded mine and headed inside. 

The last turn

When the lady at the counter asked my name for the purposes of my order (which someone would bring out and shout out your name) I said, 'Orange.' She questioned this and I repeated. Not long after my breakfast arrived and the penny dropped when it was brought over to me and they saw an Orange Brompton.

Breakfast

Saying our goodbyes we headed for Whitstable station but before that I had to take a photo of my new steed by the seaside!

I made it

Geoff was going to try clock up another 100 miles by cycling part of the way home but decided to take the train as far as Gravesend. Our train arrived in good time and what a journey it proved to be!

A few stations in the train was becoming packed. When Geoff got off at Gravesend, saying goodbye I also asked him to wish me luck! At the next stop it was as if every person trying to get on was carrying a large suitcase! I was so glad I brought my Brompton! If I had of been on my Condor road bike I suspect I may have suffered some sort of seizure by the time we reached St Pancras!

The journey - we should not have got on the front carriage at Whitstable - was horrid and like the late Pope John Paul II I almost kissed the platform floor, so glad was I to have arrived. The tube station I was going to use was packed so I decided to simply cycle home.

The dreaded Whitstable Station

When taking into account the cycling to the meet up point on Friday, the ride to Whitstable itself, ride to Whitstable Station and then the ride home I actually clocked up just over 102 miles!

The route

Ride profile

This was another great ride. Again riding through the night is quite addictive and hopefully I will be able to go on many more of the others planned for 2018. Many thanks to Geoff for his company (and support on the train home), Rob for leading the ride, Charlie for acting as Waypoint Administrator and the team of TECs. Until next time...

My new Orange Brompton

As you perhaps already know I have a new Brompton. Despite me saying that I would never spend another Orange pound on a Brompton...here I go eating my words. I won't bore you with why  I changed my mind but all I can say is that the decision was made pretty quickly and I simply went with the flow.

The bike is a 2018 All Black Special Edition in Orange. It reminds me in many ways of my first Orange Brompton which was orange with black extremities. I do like this a great deal better and black and orange are a killer combination for me. (You may recall me adding lots of black parts to my titanium Brompton I suppose to make my own special edition. I ended up hating the grey of the titanium spoiling the general look. This is definitely miles better).

I chose a 6 x speed, standard 50t chainring (for the moment at least), extended seat post and would have chosen a firm suspension but there is only one option now - firm. More on this later.

Already I have added a few optional extras. I do quite a bit of night riding and despite having some excellent battery lights I have always enjoyed the unlimited run time of dynamo lighting. It really is forget and go.

I had originally got a Supernova front light but didn't like it. The beam was bright but narrow and I actually preferred the beam from the Edulux II. I decided to keep the orange and black theme going and got a version in just that. (I have to say the colour seems to be a lot better than the one I bought and returned a few years ago.

To go with the front light I decided to go for the SON rear light which I have to say is excellent. It works well with the optional rear reflector. The red light is very bright and can be seen from a wide angle.

To power it all I opted for a SON XS in black with black spoke and rim. I have one of these on my P-type and it has been faultless. This one is a little lighter but apart from that and the different style it does the same job as efficiently.

Having been on two night rides to the coast recently you could quite happily travel dark country lanes and be perfectly happy using just these lights. The only thing I would add for urban cycling would be a additional light that has a flashing mode - just to be seen.


The 2018 Brompton bikes have the updated brake callipers. I have to report that these are pretty good and allow for confident braking.

The Brompton saddle was taken off immediately and a Brooks B17 in black put on. It certainly let me know it was new on the London to Southend run but a few adjustments to its position resulted in a very comfortable saddle for 102 miles from last Friday night to early Saturday afternoon.

I do have a black Brooks Swallow but I recently put this on my Condor road bike and it looks rather good on it so it will almost certainly stay put.

I had put on a Rixen and Kaul bottle mount to the front stem but this worked its way lose on the Southend run. I decided to try out a Monk Clip mount specifically for Brompton bikes which actually worked a great deal better.

I am normally a Marathon user but as the Marathon Plus has been updated recently to allow 110 psi I decided to give them a go. No worries from me with regards rolling resistance or them feeling sluggish. (I did have these issues with the older version when I tried them a few years ago). They run well and being slightly wider allow for a more comfortable ride.

The bike came with Marathon Racers and these look good for being a summer tyre and a wiser alternative to the Kojak.

The suspension block is now smooth with no ridges. There is no firm or normal just this. It is good. Definitely as firm as the firm suspension and if anything more so. I like it.

The Brompton pedals also came off straight away to be replaced by some Shimano SDPs that I have got on well in the past with.

The new lock on Brompton grips are actually really good and a massive improvement over the foam that was on bikes previously. The only reason they came off was I had a set of Ergon grips - in orange. These are same as those found on the pretty fine CHPT3 but in orange of course.

The space on the S-type bar is pretty good and made better by the new shifters. I have a Wahoo mount placed in the dead centre of the bars and a mount for my Exposure Toro front light.

There you have it. My new Orange Brompton. I am very please with it and having done a few distance rides on it I am pleased to be back with an S-type.