In the event you’re a Wahoo fan, you’ve surely observed the leaked pictures and hypothesis in their unreleased “peak secret” biking pc. The pc in query is the all-new Wahoo ELEMNT ACE, and this can be a company step outdoor the field for Wahoo. The massive head unit separates itself from the ELEMNT line with a marginally display screen (at the side of vintage buttons), wind sensor, up to date mapping, turn-by-turn voice instructions, and a lot more. So, if a brand new biking pc is to your reward checklist this season, stay studying for the reason that Wahoo ELEMNT ACE has exceeded our expectancies.
(All Pictures: Jordan Villella/BikeRumor.com)
What’s the Wahoo ELEMNT ACE?
The Wahoo ELEMNT ACE is the brand new flagship pc from Wahoo. It indicators Wahoo’s front into the touchscreen (cellular phone-size) head unit marketplace — becoming a member of gamers like Garmin, Hammerhead, Polar, and Bryton. However in contrast to that layout, the brand new ELEMNT ACE comes with a couple of class first, together with a wind sensor.
The ELEMNT ACE is a brand new design in a well-recognized package deal. For the ones aware of Wahoo, you’ll understand that the ELEMNT ACE “feels” like a Wahoo pc however is way higher. It comes with a sturdy aluminum mount and tether to verify it doesn’t take flight over bumps or off highway.
Larger and Brighter Display screen
Wahoo helps to keep its vintage three-button design however updates to a three.8-inch transflective contact display screen, the most important at school. The display screen is anti-glare and is helping with high-contrast visuals, and studying in direct daylight with a vast colour palette for easier clarity. Don’t concern in case you’re no longer a touchscreen fan. The unit additionally has conventional buttons at the backside and aspects for operation.
Lengthy Battery Existence
With the up to date display screen comes an up to date battery lifestyles, 30+ hours to be precise. The up to date battery lifestyles comes with dual-band GPS and real-time knowledge monitoring. Since Wahoo envisioned the ELEMNT ACE as a touring significant other, extra important battery lifestyles was once non-negotiable.
Is {That a} Wind Sensor?
Probably the most major “is that?” questions with the ELEMNT ACE is the brand new wind sensor. This selection isn’t new to biking, however it’s most often a stand-alone instrument and hasn’t ever graced a biking head unit. The brand new Wahoo Wind Dynamics™ (WWD) measures real-time air resistance. So riders can see if they’ve a headwind or tailwind or are in “impartial air.” The WWD will supply post-ride insights into wind results, drafting advantages, and aerodynamic potency. Extra in this later in my journey impressions.
Enhanced Navigation
Probably the most extra important updates the ELEMNT ACE tackles is navigation, which Brings Flip-by-Flip voice instructions for protection and comfort. The up to date mapping dashboard is made higher by means of the brand new contact display screen and up to date Wahoo person interface. Riders can use the contact display screen on my own or when exploring routes and the buttons en path.
Virtual Motorcycle Bell
The function we’ve all been looking forward to is the Virtual Bell. It kind of feels trivial, but it surely’s efficient, and while you don’t have a bell to your motorbike, infrequently you would like you had one. I exploit this option at the Garmin 1050, and it’s a pleasant bonus when at the rails-to-trails and within the town.
Wahoo ELEMNT ACE Specifications
Weight: 208g
Dimensions: 126mm x 71mm x 24mm; 4.9mm x 2.75in x .78in
Show Measurement: 96.7mm // 3.8in
Answer: 480 x 720
Battery Kind: Lithium-ion
Water Score: IPX7
Charging: USB-C
Experience Impressions and Characteristic Breakdown
I’ve had many rides on our demo unit Wahoo ELEMNT ACE pc, sufficient to provide my ideas. Alternatively, Wahoo additionally assures us that many updates are coming, so those impressions are restricted to the present firmware model. We do see just right issues at the horizon, particularly for the WWD options.
Unboxing
The Wahoo ELEMNT ACE is a huge unit—it’s just about cellphone length. Wahoo does make just right use of the entire house and doesn’t have a lot (if any) extra across the display screen. It’s relatively thicker than different ELEMNT devices, however I characteristic that to the bigger battery length.
ACE unit on my own
Wahoo Alloy Mount
Wahoo ACE unit and alloy mount
There may be little extra within the field. The unit arrives with an alloy pc mount and an elastic tie to protected it to the bars. The mount doesn’t arrive with shims or rubber grommets. Whilst you mount it, it’s alloy to carbon—relatively horrifying in case you price the carbon end to your bars.
Wahoo ELEMNT ACE Setup
I want there was once extra to elaborate on, however the setup is uneventful and simple. Like different Wahoo devices, you scan the QR code, which attracts up the Wahoo app. If in case you have the app, then your entire data is able to switch to the brand new unit. After dialing in a couple of preliminary setup questions, you’re just right to pair your sensors.
Pairing sensors for the ELEMNT ACE is completed from the unit, no longer the app. A house display screen lets in the person so as to add sensors by means of hitting the ‘+’ button. The ACE scans for the sensor after which reviews again with the findings. To this point, I’ve had 0 hassle pairing energy meters, running shoes (TACX and Wahoo), moving, and center price displays. The one piece I’ve had a slight factor with is the Trek Carback Radar, however I believe it is going to transparent up after the preliminary wave of updates.
First Experience
My first rides at the Wahoo ELEMNT ACE had been very delightful. When I’ve a brand new head unit, I most often have to transport issues round and upload/delete displays and outputs. The ACE was once plug-and-play. I’m most often a Garmin person, so this got here as a wonder to me as neatly. I’ve examined and ridden a lot of Wahoo equipment however by no means most well-liked their head devices till the ACE.
Experience Profiles
As of at the moment, there are two journey profiles to pick out from: Biking and Indoor Biking. It’s easy and simple, regardless that I do like the choice of getting a ‘mountain cycling’ environment on my Garmin, however I infrequently use it.
Knowledge Monitors
The information displays are laid out in a similar way to the opposite Wahoo head devices. There’s a zoom-in/out for the more than a few metrics you’d like to look. Whilst you upload a sensor, the Wahoo ACE asks you in case you’d like so as to add the knowledge to the display screen. Then, it provides the knowledge to the grid of outputs. In contrast to Garmin, it doesn’t commit a complete display screen to the brand new knowledge; it provides a small output at the grid, which I favor.
There are lots of knowledge outputs; you’ll customise what you’d like. Alternatively, the default ones are lovely intensive. If there’s an excessive amount of knowledge for you, merely zoom in, and also you’ll have much less to fret about.
Regardless that the coloured LED lighting fixtures at the aspect of the unit are long gone, they’re there in spirit. Whilst you’re in a selected zone, be it energy or center price, the field across the knowledge will seem in a corresponding colour. This colour corresponds to the zone you’re in, and this can be a nice approach to see in case your energy and center price are decoupling.
Lap Abstract
Whilst you hit the lap button (all buttons are categorised as neatly—tremendous useful), a display screen populates with the former lap output. This will provide you with a small breakdown of the knowledge, however no additional.
Indoor Driving
Driving indoors with the ELEMNT ACE is pleasant (or as stress-free as driving indoors will also be). I decided on “Indoor Biking” as my journey exercise profile, and aded the TACX NEO2 teacher and rancid I went. I used to be in a position to simply keep watch over my Wahoo KICKR Headwind Unit velocity and NEO2 resistance from the ACE, which is a pleasant added comfort.
App Integration: Getting my Coaching Peaks, Strava, and different apps all arrange was once simple sufficient. The checklist of Built-in Apps is brief at the moment, however it is going to most likely develop.
Strava Segments and Routes
In the event you’re searching for segments or need to in finding the closest path at the map, it’s lovely simple. I didn’t opt for any, but it surely didn’t take me lengthy to drag up some that had been within reach.
Wind and Aero Knowledge
I haven’t performed a deep dive into the wind knowledge, however it sort of feels promising. As of at the moment, you’ll see Airboost (tailwind) and Airdrag (headwind) after which a proportion of your journey’s quantity spent the place.
Similar to the colour trade energy and center price knowledge, the WWD will show a colour corresponding on your present standing within the wind.
Wahoo, tell us precisely what those colours imply:
Darkish Inexperienced: The Airspeed knowledge box will spotlight darkish inexperienced when you find yourself in a “Heavy Airboost” situation. This will likely happen when your flooring velocity is considerably more than your Airspeed, corresponding to in a heavy tailwind or if the rider is in an excellent drafting place.
Gentle Inexperienced: The Airspeed knowledge box will spotlight gentle inexperienced when you find yourself in a “Gentle Airboost” situation. This will likely happen when your flooring velocity is slightly extra important than your Airspeed. This happens in a mild tailwind or slightly just right drafting place.
Blue: The Airspeed knowledge box will spotlight blue when your flooring velocity and Airspeed are fairly the similar.
Orange: The Airspeed knowledge box will spotlight orange when you find yourself in a “Gentle Airdrag” situation. This will likely happen when your flooring velocity is slightly lower than your Airspeed. This most often happens in a mild headwind.
Pink: The Airspeed knowledge box will spotlight pink when you find yourself in a “Heavy Airdrag” situation. This will likely happen when your flooring velocity is considerably lower than your Airspeed. This most often happens in a heavy headwind.
Underneath is the output from a 2:00 hour gravel journey at the Montour Rail Path with output from the Wahoo App.
How does Wahoo validate its WWD claims? To verify their preliminary effects, Wahoo’s Sports activities and Knowledge Science group carried out comparability benchmark checking out as opposed to different equivalent units out there. As well as, they built a one-cubic-meter miniature wind tunnel at Wahoo HQ in a position to offering constant, laminar (clean and orderly) airflow. Finally, the Wahoo analytics groups carried out real-world checking out periods by means of renting a velodrome in Europe to check the sensor’s accuracy in a managed environment.
What about CdA and different aero-metrics? Wahoo says, “The {hardware} functions incorporated within the instrument will give a boost to a spread of larger capability within the future years.” Sooner or later, you’ll have a approach to measure which helmet is quicker and which skinsuit is in reality value $1K, and many others., however till then, you’ll need to accept how a lot time you’re within the draft and what sort of time you’re within the wind.
Navigation
The navigation and mapping displays are easy to learn. It’s very similar to the ELEMNT ROAM and makes use of routes and the “take me to” taste navigation. The display screen is tremendous delicate, and while you’re looking to see extra of the map, there’s a possibility you’re going to another web page. The pinching to zoom out is relatively difficult and will make short of to navigate much less interesting. As of at the moment, I haven’t absolutely taken good thing about the navigation options and handiest used the path introduction. It’s pretty for following routes, regardless that it might be great to have in-ride routing.
Battery Existence
The ACE’s battery lifestyles is superb up to now. I haven’t wanted a recharge. Wahoo claims 30+ hours, regardless that I will’t absolutely attest to that. I will say it’s ticking down battery lifestyles slowly.
Bell-Yeah!
Did I point out there’s a bell? It’s a pleasant contact, regardless that I’m no longer certain if customers will know that it’s a function till they by accident occur upon it. In contrast to the more recent Garmin devices, the bell isn’t simply referred to as out. Alternatively, while you in finding it (a double faucet at the display screen), you’ll feel free you probably did.
Ultimate Impressions
My enjoy with the Wahoo ELEMNT ACE has been very stress-free up to now. The ACE will want quite a lot of updates to reside as much as its billed possible, however that turns out increasingly more not unusual industry-wide as over-the-air updates become common. It’s a heavy piece of substances, and I don’t see it flying off the cabinets as an XC race pc. Alternatively, I do see many riders discovering it to be a top-notch coaching spouse and race significant other.
Search for a long-term overview as now we have extra time at the Wahoo ELEMNT ACE.
Pricing and Availability
US: $599.99, CA: $849.99, EU: €599.99, UK: £549.99, AU: $999.
For more info, seek advice from WahooFitness.com.
