Cyclingnews has seen images of a brand new cycling computer from Wahoo, named the Elemnt Ace, as leaked on the r/wahoofitness subreddit page of the popular forum site. Details are thin on the ground, with only images of the outer packaging being posted, but from that there is much we can glean about what is nominally a brand-new product, rather than an update to either the popular Bolt or Roam computer lines.
Inbuilt wind sensor
While the posted photos from user anotherwahooligan are somewhat blurry, it is possible from the rear of the box to make out the included feature list. There are the usual battery specs and the like, but the most curious of them is an inbuilt wind sensor.
There is a chance that there may be some as yet unknown metric to be rolled out like a headwind normalised velocity, whereby your speed is adjusted to take account of the head or tailwind, but what is perhaps more likely is some version of realtime aero measurement.
The Body Rocket real-time aerodynamic drag measurement system is clearly a more complex beast, but is proof that the concept is workable even if the hardware looks a little clunky. With an inbuilt wind sensor a bike computer could conceivably measure speed, power output, and wind speed to approximate some value for the coefficient of drag (the core metric for aerodynamic efficiency).
Curiously there is also the mention of an inbuilt audio speaker, which a Reddit user has commented may be an inbuilt substitute for the traditional bicycle bell.
Bigger size, bigger battery
As well as a novel wind sensor the new Elemnt Ace appears to just be bigger in many respects. The screen is larger than that of the Elemnt Roam from a visual assessment, but more than that the battery life is significantly greater than anything in the Wahoo lineup currently. The packaging states a battery life greater than 30 hours. The Elemnt Bolt claims half that at 15hrs, and the Roam slightly longer at 17hrs.
The larger screen also appears to be a touch-sensitive version, though buttons are still evident on the sides, in line with competitors like the Hammerhead Karoo and Garmin Edge 1050. There is no mention of solar charging, so it is safe to assume that it is a standard touch screen rather than those on offer from Garmin’s Solar range.
This increase in size has perhaps caused Wahoo to upgrade its mounting hardware, with the included mount being made of aluminium rather than the usual plastic mounts that come with the Bolt and Roam models.
There is no discussion of price, but we expect it to cost significantly more than the Roam, which has an RRP of £349.99/£399.99.
In a statement provided to Cyclingnews a Wahoo spokesperson stated 'Wahoo does not comment on product speculation other than we are committed to developing the best and most innovative solutions for athletes'.
