Wahoo Bolt 3 Review

Roam 3 from PowerMeterCity or direct £399.99 / $449.99

Bolt 3 from PowerMeterCity or direct £299.99 / $329.99

You rehearsed this segment—wind-exposed, leg-sapping false flats, and no margin for error. It’s the section where you glance down, not for encouragement, but for data. Numbers, gradients, cues. This isn’t about discovery. It’s about controlling performance.

The new Wahoo ELEMNT Bolt V3 gets that. It’s built not for sightseeing, but for precision—the kind racers and performance riders demand. The sharper, redesigned maps aren’t just easier to read; they’re faster to load and clearer at a glance. The battery? It is built to go longer, covering over a week’s worth of rides for most of us.

The whole experience feels familiar, perhaps better with a faster map zoom and smoother scrolling. It’s still a BOLT, but honed. The question is: in a world of marginal gains, has Wahoo found enough to justify an upgrade—or even a switch from Garmin?

TL;DR – Bolt 3 should be your first serious bike computer, but it’s not worth an upgrade unless your old ELEMNT’s battery has signalled its death knell.

If you find this content useful, please support the work here and buy one with the affiliated links.

OK, that’s the summary done with, all the more detailed sections follow, so skip to whichever interests you the most.

Form Factor

The ELEMNT Bolt 3 is compact, about the same size as the Edge 540 but stretched a little lengthwise. It omits a touchscreen in favour of six physical buttons. The three top ones feel excellent—they’re the ones you’ll rely on most. If you’re using newer Di2 shifters, the active functions of the left and right buttons mirror your top buttons.

On the left edge is the system/options button, which, by design, requires a firmer press. That’s fine, but the zoom and scroll buttons on the right edge could benefit from a more tactile, responsive feel.

The underside has a quarter-turn mount similar to Garmin’s. The old aero lip to the front of the base has been removed, and the base is now flat.

A new generic tether hole and USB-C port are welcome additions.

Usability

My first experience with a Wahoo was a slightly disorienting event about ten years ago. I mistook my unfamiliarity with the ELEMNT for a degree of oddness with the product. But once you unlearn the Garmin way of doing things, Wahoo’s design philosophy clicks perfectly into place. Whatever you’re trying to adjust or view generally takes fewer steps and less guesswork than navigating Garmin’s complex menus.

The Bolt 3 doesn’t have a touchscreen, unlike the Roam 3, which is a slight drawback. Still, compared to the touchscreen-less Garmin Edge 540, Wahoo comes out far ahead in terms of usability. The Garmin feels clunky, cumbersome and poorly designed, whereas the Bolt 3 flows smoothly and intuitively from one task to the next.

The interface gets a visual refresh for those familiar with Wahoo, but the core layout and logic remain unchanged, so no relearning is required. Two minor updates: The system/options menu spans three pages and can be toggled, whereas the new Ready to Ride Dashboard confirm your ride’s key settings.

Aesthetics

Wahoo includes an aero-style mount that probably shaves a fraction of a watt. It looks decent, but I’ll use standard mounts to switch the unit between bikes. However, note that Wahoo and Garmin mounts appear similar but aren’t strictly cross-compatible when rotated.

One design decision I appreciate: Wahoo doesn’t plaster its name across the device’s face. Other brands take a hint—we don’t need constant reminders of what we bought. We know what we bought.

That slightly elongated shape might seem strange initially, but its purpose is to be useful. It offers a stretched map view, letting you see more of the route ahead, which is handy during navigation.

As for the in-ride data fields, they’re more or less what you’d expect. The coloured metric boxes won’t win design awards, but they’re easy to read and entirely optional—customise them as you like.

The new system/option menus don’t look quite right to me. They’re Ok and seldom used but…

I’m a fan of Wahoo’s mapping style, though I’ve seen plenty of Garmin users defend theirs. I find Garmin’s colour scheme visually challenging compared to every iteration of Wahoo and Karoo, but tastes and preferences can be subjective.

The App & Ecosystem

Wahoo is migrating everyone from the old ELEMNT app to the new Wahoo app. They’re pretty similar to use. Sure, there are numerous nuanced changes, but the real purpose of the new app, indeed the entire ecosystem, is that Wahoo is rebuilding everything. A whole new infrastructure; the cloud, hardware and interface are new. It’s all changed, but it feels familiar.

I won’t dwell on the reasons for the changes. They allow the Wahoo ecosystem to play more nicely with 3rd party platforms. I also think it’s safe to assume that Wahoo has engineered things to enable 3rd party apps, widgets, and data fields to be incorporated down the line. [I asked but got no answer!]

Wahoo Bolt 3 vs Bolt 2 – What’s changed?

It’s probably not worth the upgrade for existing Bolt 2 owners, but if you need to convince your partner that these are all must-haves, then go for it 🙂

• Hardware Changes
  • In essence, this is entirely new hardware.
  • Battery life was 15 hours, now claimed as 20 hours
  • New dual-frequency GPS chipset with Galileo
  • Larger 2.3″ display (was 2.2″)
  • More display colours – was 64, now 16 million (probably enough!)
    • Youtube link showing backlit screen from all angles, all Wahoo models ever
  • Removed top status LEDs.
  • Heavier was 68g, now 84g
  • The base is flat
• Ecosystem Changes
  • In essence, this is an entirely new ecosystem.
  • New cloud infrastructure
  • New Wahoo app (was Elemnt app)
• On-device software changes (highlights)
  • In essence, this is entirely new but designed to feel the same as the older software, with many screens looking similar.
  • Redesigned ‘options’ screens now span three pages. I’m not so keen on the colour, sliders and other idiosyncrasies.
  • Ready to Ride Dashboard summarises settings for your ride (profile, route, workout and sensor status)
  • Custom Sport/Activity profiles added, eg Gravel (previously, indoor vs outdoor)
  • Revamped sensor pairing screen (watts are shown amongst other tweaks)
  • The top status bar is now on all screens, showing time, battery and other info.
• Maps
  • Added street names
  • Selectable map layers – Street Names, Summit (Hills), Strava Segments, POIs, and Custom Waypoints.

The Evolution of Wahoo ELEMNT: From RFLKT to BOLT 3

Over the past decade, Wahoo Fitness and Garmin have established themselves as cycling and fitness technology leaders, with Wahoo excelling with its KICKR smart trainers, sensors, and ELEMNT bike computers. The launch of the ELEMNT BOLT 3 and its siblings marks a next-generation evolution of its bike computer.

Wahoo initially gained traction with its KICKR smart trainer line, transforming indoor cycling. The company later expanded its ecosystem of heart rate monitors, speed/cadence sensors, and the ELEMNT series of bike computers. Each successive release of ELEMNT improved functionality and cemented Wahoo as a favourite among endurance athletes and data-driven cyclists. Its ethos appears to be advanced usability coupled with an open ecosystem.

• Wahoo RFLKT: January 2013 – mirrors phone app
• Wahoo RFLKT+: August 2013 – adds ANT+ direct connection
• Wahoo ELEMNT original: March 2016 – autonomous GPS bike computer
• Wahoo ELEMNT BOLT 1: March 2017 – compact version
• Wahoo ELEMNT MINI: June 2017 – connected-GPS via smartphone, support for novel sensors & accessories  – lights
• Wahoo ELEMNT ROAM 1: May 2019 – colour screen with TBT,  support for novel sensors & accessories  – Radar, CORE
• Wahoo ELEMNT RIVAL (Watch): November 2020 – touchless transitions
• Wahoo ELEMNT BOLT 2: May 2021 – next-gen components, support for novel sensors & accessories  – Supersapiens
• Wahoo ELEMNT ROAM 2: October 2022 – next-gen components, support for novel sensors & accessories  – Go Pro, Music control
• Wahoo ELEMNT ACE: December 2024 – next-gen components fully re-built, wind sensor, map layers, audio TBT
• Wahoo ELEMNT BOLT 3: May 2025 – next-gen components fully re-built
• Wahoo ELEMNT ROAM 3: May 2025 – next-gen components fully re-built

Bolt 3 – A Complete Hill Solution:  Summit Features

Bolt 3 offers many hill-related features, ranging from a simple colour-coded Grade data field to Summit Live Segments, which dynamically pop up profile info on the next hill as you approach and ride it. A simple colour-coded elevation profile of the entire ride may be your thing.

My favourite climb-related feature is “Climbs on Map”. I find Summit Live Segments too intrusive, too frequently, whereas Climbs on Map are a subtle addition on a screen I often use. I can tap my Di2 top button to go to the map screen and press and hold it again to zoom in on an unfamiliar hill as I approach it. The chevrons are colour-coded to show the severity of the grade ahead, and that’s good enough for me on hills – mountains would be different, that’s when I would use Summit to its fullest abilities with a dedicated page for the pain ahead!

Wahoo Bolt 3 – Mapping, Routing & Simulation

Bolt 3 offers a very good mapping and routing solution; you will struggle to find a niche angle it doesn’t cover.

Like me, you will probably link and sync to your favourite route platform, Strava, Trailforks, Ride with GPS (RwGPS), or Komoot. My cycling buddies prefer creating and sharing routes via RWGPS, but I also like Strava, although with Strava, you need to be a subscriber to draw a route before sharing.

Share or star the route. Within seconds, new routes should magically appear on your Bolt, but if you’ve forgotten your magic wand, perform a manual sync, and you’re good to go. Alternatively, you can choose your route in the Wahoo app, where searching and sorting through an extensive route collection is easier – tap it there to follow the route on Bolt. Alternatively, without a phone, you can sort routes on Bolt 3, but it’s more limited – you can’t search by text, for example.

TIP: On the Elemnt app, add your home and work as a saved location. Also add a saved location when you arrive at your holiday home or training camp. You can create an impromptu route ‘home’ at any point if lost.

TIP: Save the GPX from your upcoming race and use the ‘simulate indoors’ option. Great if you have KICKR CLIMB.

The app also has a mysteriously useless section called “Routes by Wahoo”. I found the last 10km of the London marathon route when looking to go for a ride today. Hmm.

Once a route is chosen on Bolt 3, you will see its elevation profile, distance, ascent, and thumbnail image with options to reverse the route and get directions to the start.

With two top data fields and an elevation profile to the bottom – all optional – you are only left with a 33mm square map display area. That’s pretty small. Rerouting notices and TBT cues appear at the bottom, nicely and temporarily covering the area shared by the elevation profile. The right edge buttons nicely zoom in and out on the map, and your route ahead has Black chevrons on the road. The chevrons change to Blue when rerouting and other colours when climbing a hill. Neat.

TIP: Wait for Map PAN to be added by Wahoo (Yikes). It’s not there at launch. Perhaps that’s deliberate?

The bottom left button on the face gives access to the cue sheet, map layer choices and the ability to change the elevation profile from total ride to ride-to-go. You can end a route here and select and start a new one within the same recording. One thing you can’t do here is access the cue sheet with Di2 top buttons; at some point, you need to press the centre button.

TIP: Share your route with nearby ELEMNT owners via your WAHOO app and anyone else closeby with a Wahoo app.

When performing simple navigations where you need onboard map intelligence but nothing fancy like contours or a large screen, Bolt 3 is more than good enough for the job. If your eyesight has seen better days or you follow more complex off-road routes, consider whether this map is big enough for your needs. Bolt 3 is perfect for 95% of my needs, and my eyesight is no longer as great as it used to be, but I’d probably opt for something like Roam 3 for trail navigation and more extended expeditions (Wahoo ACE is bigger still)

Wahoo’s route sharing in the app is reasonably good for more public-type events, but direct sharing via Bluetooth between Elemnt devices would be a helpful addition (Mr Wahoo: our group would use it).

Wahoo Bolt 3 – Indoor Training

With a subscription to a 3rd party platform like TrainingPeaks, Final Surge, Wahoo Systm, Xert or Best Bike Split, you can easily link and sync your plan and its workouts to Bolt 3. You can create and schedule free one-off TrainingPeaks and Final Surge workouts. Bolt can then control your smart indoor bike trainer.

Don’t get confused with Zwift, the free MyWhoosh or other training platforms. Those platforms will also want to control your smart trainer, and you have to choose whether Bolt or Zwift controls the workout.

Perhaps you would choose Zwift to control the workout, and get it from TrainingPeaks. Once completed, the final activity can sync back to TP and Strava with a picture of your digital route. Alternatively, you might also want to record the workout on Bolt 3 using the trainer as a non-controllable power meter, but would you like a duplicate copy of the completed workout sent to Strava? Probably not.

Some examples

Let’s assume you want Bolt to control a smart trainer. Get today’s workout synced from Training Peaks, which takes seconds over WiFi.

A dedicated workout page will be added when you follow a workout. Here you can skip or replace intervals and scale the difficulty up or down from the default of 100%.

Other workout-specific options include

• Play an alert for a new interval
• Create a lap in the recording for a new interval
• Show alerts on all pages
• interval count/length
• Plan targets for cadence, HR, power and Torque
• Remaining Time/distance for interval/workout

Kickr Options include

• Target ERG power
• Kickr Level
• Brake Resistance

A nice feature I regularly use is the Kickr Fan control – you can manually control the airflow on the Bolt with a Wahoo fan paired via your Kickr.

Indoor training with Bolt 3 is generally a breeze; however, access to the seldom-used scaling and skipping features is a tad awkward (always has been).

Wahoo Strava Live Segments

If you subscribe to Strava, your sync with that platform will bring all starred segments to Bolt 3, where you can compete against your best or the KOM/QOM with a special Live Segments screen.

This is a nice feature that I rarely use. Mostly, it pops up when I’m not actively seeking to best myself. I assume I share that with most cyclists. Still, Wahoo now lets us disable Strava Live Segments on the Bolt rather than needing to do it on the app – a welcome improvement which might mean I will periodically enable it during some rides when I remember it’s required.

Wahoo Bolt 3 and Radar/Smart Light Integration

Like Garmin Varia RTL515, Wahoo TRACKR RADAR is a smart light with radar. The radar detects closing vehicles and changes the light flash pattern to alert the drivers to you. Multiple detected cars are also displayed on a sidebar on the Bolt 3, and small icons mimic the position of vehicles on it. Cars are closer to you if the icon is near the top of the screen.

RADAR integration is a longstanding Wahoo feature, but the Wahoo TRACKR RADAR is new. Unlike many competitors to Garmin’s excellent Varia radar, Wahoo’s TRACKR RADAR is also good and can be recommended. I’ll review that separately.

This short video shows how Bolt 3 controls the four light flashing modes – having two alternately flashing LEDs is a standout safety feature of TRACKR RADAR. #VeryVisible.

This one shows the flash pattern changing as cars are detected, and icons for the cars appear on the left side of the Bolt 3.

Wahoo Bolt 3 Accuracy Review Test Results

At the time of writing, I’ve completed 30 hours of testing, riding on roads with Bolt 3 and Roam 3. My methodology for these tests covers my everyday riding, which is varied and covers many conditions like hills, urban areas, and open areas. So far I’ve not covered mountains or any off-road uses. Unusually, my testing has covered several TT bike rides, a triathlon and a duathlon! Racetastic! more importantly it’s perhaps TRUSTtastic, unlike a new Garmin I felt comfortably relying on Bolt not to crash mid-race.

Apart from battery data, the other test data was good. I had a few sensor dropouts with HR from a Garmin HRM-PRO+ but that was probably an issue with the sensor as it reported a low battery level.

GNSS / GPS accuracy test results

Bolt 3 uses a modern dual-frequency GNSS/GPS chipset. This tech is typically accurate on all competitor devices, even more so for road usage.

This ride had zero GPS issues in the Surrey hills covering suburban, rural, hilly and wooded areas.

There were no issues with this ride on a TT bike doing repeated short, fast laps in Richmond Park. You can see a slightly higher level of accuracy than Apple Watch 10, which lacks dual-frequency GNSS reception. For cycling, all is good here and the laps show repeatedly consistent and accurate results..

All was good on the TT bike over these roundabouts, close to some modest buildings and under some trees.

The hill elevation information is accurate, and the following chart shows promising results from a ride in the UK’s Surrey Hills. The Garmin FR965 used as a comparator has DEM elevation that typically gives highly accurate elevation results. Bolt might also have a DEM (I don’t think it does), but its results are accurate either way.

Wahoo Bolt 3 Battery Life Test Results

Claim: Up to 20 hours of battery life

Significant improvements to battery life due to under-the-hood fixes for CPU efficiency, tuning of the Auto backlight mode, tweaks to screen animations, and more. [Wahoo]

Methodology: I completed 10 rides of over an hour with the backlight set to either OFF or AUTO, with LOW brightness and LIGHT Display Mode.

Results: Results were in the 15-25 hour range, with the longer battery life when the backlight was disabled. Results vary due to the light sensor’s determination of ambient lighting conditions.

The dcranalyzer tool periodically showed odd results in Bolt’s FIT files, like a 300% charge. This indicated flaws with Bolt’s reporting or calibration of the battery status.

That said, Wahoo’s claim of up to 20 hours of battery life seems reasonable. I typically did not need backlight enabled, and with it turned off, I generally got more than 20 hours. Battery life will be further impacted by sensors, certain kinds of onscreen metrics and maps, poor GPS reception, smartphone pairings, and when following a route. You should only need a backlight at night and in specific daylight scenarios when the bike computer is in your shadow on a sunny day – the ‘automatic’ setting handles those ride conditions.

The battery capacity will degrade over time in line with the number of recharge cycles you have put it through – maximise longevity by keeping battery levels between 20% and 80%. Easier said than done.

Q: I don’t get the advertised 20-hour battery life. What should I do?

A: Make these changes – Strava segments: OFF, Phone Notifications: OFF, Music Control: OFF, Backlight setting: AUTO, Auto-pause: ON, Elevation charts: UNZOOM, Map page chart ON, summit Segments, alerts: OFF, Limit paired sensors to 4 eg Power, Speed, HR, Radar,

Q: How do  I get more battery life than advertised for daylight riding?

A: Also make these changes – backlight OFF, disconnect your smartphone, do not follow a route, disable LiveTrack, Elevation charts:  Map page chart OFF, Summit segments: OFF

Wahoo – backlight vs no backlight on EVERY ELEMNT ever

Wahoo Bolt 3 – Bugs

I used Wahoo’s beta software for several weeks when writing this review of the ELEMNT Bolt 3. There were a few poorly rendered screen transitions and several other minor bugs, like an action indicating Mute for the central button didn’t work. Bolt 3 never once crashed, though on two occasions it didn’t complete the booting up procedure (fix: press and hold the left and right side buttons). Contrast that to my two-year-old Garmin watch, which still crashed mid-workout in April 2025, two years after launch, with the blue triangle of death.

The map screen can initially load the relevant tiles over a few seconds. Once loaded, there is no lag when zooming in or out. Perhaps the only omission is the lack of panning on maps.

Wahoo Bolt 3 FAQs

Q: How do I set up my Wahoo ELEMNT BOLT V3 for the first time?

A: First-time setup requires the Wahoo smartphone app, and setup is quick and easy

Q: What sensors are compatible with the Wahoo ELEMNT BOLT V3?

A: All standard cycling sensors and some novel ones are compatible.

Q: Can I customise the Wahoo ELEMNT BOLT V3 screen data fields?

A: Yes, Bolt 3 is highly customisable

Q: How do I update my Wahoo ELEMNT BOLT V3 firmware?

A: Firmware is automatically updated, but a check can be forced on either the Bolt 3 or in the ELEMNT app

Q: What is the battery life of the Wahoo ELEMNT BOLT V3?

A: Battery usage will vary by use, but you can realistically get 20 hours with the backlight disabled.

Q: Does the Wahoo ELEMNT BOLT V3 support Strava Live Segments?

A: Yes, Bolt 3 supports Strava Live Segments, which can be toggled in the Bolt’s settings

Q: How do I pair the Wahoo ELEMNT BOLT V3 with my smartphone?

A: The only way to pair Bolt 3 is with the Wahoo app, which scans a QR code that appears on Bolt 3. You can attach the Bolt to a PC and manually download completed activities over a cable.

Q: Is the Wahoo ELEMNT BOLT V3 waterproof?

A: Yes

Q: Can I use the Wahoo ELEMNT BOLT V3 for indoor training?

A: Yes, Bolt 3 is designed for indoor and outdoor training; however, no bike computers are directly linked to gaming platforms like Zwift.

Q: How do I reset or restart my Wahoo ELEMNT BOLT V3?

A: Press and hold the left side button to force a shutdown. Simultaneously press and hold the top buttons on the left and right sides to clear boot or shutdown errors.

Q: What are the key differences between the Wahoo Bolt 3 and its predecessor?

A: The app, ecosystem and hardware are different. It is an entirely different product, but the ride experience and features are little changed

Q: How does the Wahoo Bolt 3 improve GPS accuracy and routing?

A: Previous Wahoo ELEMNT bike computers had acceptable GPS accuracy, but Bolt 3 is excellent; however, the improvement makes little difference.

Q: What is the battery life of the Wahoo Bolt 3, and how does it compare to other devices?

A: Battery life is a realistic 20 hours with no backlight, and that is better than previous generation bike computers, but not as good as a comparable Garmin Edge 540 on a like-for-like basis.

Q: Does the Wahoo Bolt 3 support advanced metrics like cycling dynamics and power analysis?

A: Yes, Bolt 3 supports many advanced metrics, including those.

Q: How user-friendly is the setup process for the Wahoo Bolt 3?

A: The setup process is excellent.

Q: What new connectivity features are available on the Wahoo Bolt 3?

A: There are no new connectivity features per se. However, the technical methods used behind the scenes are improved and different, for example, improving the reliability of syncs with 3rd party platforms

Q: Is the Wahoo Bolt 3 compatible with third-party sensors and apps?

A: All commonly used bike sensors and training platforms are supported.

Q: How does the Wahoo Bolt 3 perform in various weather conditions?

A: The display could be better in specific niche lighting scenarios, and the buttons could be bigger when pressing while wearing gloves in the cold. There’s no touchscreen, so the rain has no impact.

Q: What is the display quality and visibility like on the Wahoo Bolt 3?

A: The display colours are slightly muted in tone, I like that, but others don’t. I would say readability is excellent in all but niche lighting conditions

Q: How does the Wahoo Bolt 3 compare in terms of value and performance against competitors?

A: If you value every possible feature or an ecosystem supporting multiple sports and wellness, you would buy a similarly priced Garmin; if you value usability, you would buy a Wahoo.

Q: I don’t get the advertised 20-hour battery life. What should I do?

A: Make these changes – Strava segments: OFF, Phone Notifications: OFF, Music Control: OFF, Backlight setting: AUTO, Auto-pause: ON, Elevation charts: UNZOOM, Map page chart ON, summit Segments, alerts: OFF, Limit paired sensors to 4 eg Power, Speed, HR, Radar,

Q: How do  I get more battery life than advertised?

A: Make these changes – backlight OFF, disconnect your smartphone, do not follow a route, disable LiveTrack, Elevation charts:  Map page chart OFF, Summit segments: OFF

Further Resources

Official Support: Wahoo support page

Official Product Page: Wahoo Bolt 3

Unofficial support: Wahoo Fitness on Reddit

Wahoo Bolt 3 – What it lacks & Where it misses out – the implications to  you

We’ve seen Wahoo introduce key integrations with CORE (body temperature), FLOWBIO (hydration) and Supersapiens (Blood Glucose). Wahoo lacks a cohesive infrastructure for integrating novel 3rd party sensors. I assume that all the aforementioned integrations required close liaison with Wahoo. Contrast that to Garmin’s CIQ, where a new 3rd party company would need minimal interaction with Garmin to integrate its app or platform.

The impact on you and Wahoo is that it’s easier for new sensor makers to work within the more popular Garmin ecosystem. The openness of Garmin’s ecosystem creates a virtuous circle of innovation, attracting new tech and people who want to use new tech.

Many examples of omissions could be cited, the most recent one I tested would be a body position sensor from Darefore. Also, what about wind? Sure, Wahoo added a new airflow sensor on the ACE. Still, surely it’s more useful for larger numbers of riders to have accurate weather data, e.g., forecast wind direction and strength as a data field and ‘time until rain’. As of today (it may change), if you want that information on your bike computer, you’ll have to use Garmin or Karoo.

Wahoo does not offer physiology metrics like pre-ride readiness and in-ride stamina based on load/TSS/TRIMP/W‘ from either heart rate or power. The calculations are relatively simple, and Wahoo already has the data to make these calculations. If you want this information, use other apps or Garmin’s comprehensive physiology offerings. Wahoo’s omissions here cost them sales.

Wahoo could also record Perceived Effort and link to Apple Health for HRV response/readiness info from HRV4Training.

Wahoo could model this performative data (incl wind) and physiology data using a focused AI tool like Whoop (Whoop AI coach is good, unlike Garmin’s AI)

Hopefully, you’ve got the point that Wahoo lacks key supportive data that might be usefully added for cyclists. The Wahoo ecosystem has a long way to go – whether the company needs or wants to start that journey is another question. I hope the new platform architecture will allow some of this to happen soon – filling these feature gaps will bring Wahoo new customers. At the same time, I hope Wahoo keeps it all simple to use.

Wind? Stamina? Load? – Surely we all agree this is useful? AI…less so.

Wahoo Bolt 3 vs Wahoo Roam 3 (or ACE) – which ELEMNT is best for you?

The choice between the three new Wahoo ELEMNT is easy. The features are almost identical between models. The exceptions impacting your purchase decision are screen size, battery life, price and touchscreen.

Here is a high-level feature comparison chart. ROAM 3 gains a high-grade speaker and touchscreen update from the BOLT 3’s button-only interface. ACE matches ROAM 3 and has a unique airflow sensor. That’s it.

Unlike Garmin Edge 540, Wahoo’s button-only interface is awesomely efficient. There’s no need to get ROAM 3 for the extra £/$100 unless you want a larger screen size and a couple of hours more battery juice.

Wahoo ELEMNT ACE vs ROAM v3 vs BOLT v3: Display, Size & Weight Comparison

Here are some more detailed differences and shared features for those who need the details.

Sensors & Connectivity – you get all these.

• ANT+, Bluetooth, Wi-fi
• Heart Rate Monitors
• Power Meter Compatible
• ANT+ Smart Light Compatible, Radar Compatible
• Electronic gears: ANT+ Electronic Shifting, Shimano Di2 Synchro Shift Integration, SRAM AXS (Gear, Battery, Page Changing)
• Smart Trainer Control
• Speed and Cadence
• GoPro Control
• Dual-frequency, multi-constellation GNSS chipset, including Galileo
• Barometric Altimeter
• Accelerometer
• Ambient Light Sensor
• Compass
• Gyroscope
• Muscle Oxygen
• Core Temperature
• Music control
• IOS and Android apps with notifications

• Maps – routable with layers
• Routes & Courses
• Segments
• Hills
• Ride History and free companion app, no subscription (Garmin Connect+ has a subscription)
• Customizable Data Pages and Bike Profiles
• Auto Lap (whole numbers)
• Auto Pause
• Downloadable, calendarized Training Plans, complex structured workouts, interval training
• Alerts when you reach goals, including time, location, distance, heart rate or calories. Includes nutrition and hydration alerts

Wahoo ELEMNT Bolt 3 vs Garmin Edge 540/550

Garmin has a reliably better battery life and a superior ecosystem.

Wahoo Bolts have been my go-to devices for several years. I want something that isn’t going to crash and lose my ride. Plus I want something that does a great job at implementing key areas of rider safety, experience and performance. All the sections above, in this review, demonstrate that Wahoo does that exceptionally well.

But there are two final aces up Wahoo’s sleeve which still counter the improvements made by Garmin in recent years.

• Dependability – Garmin Edges tend to be buggier and crashier than Wahoo ELEMNTs. At least that’s my experience. We don’t know if that will be true of Bolt 3 in the future.
• Usability – This is the feature I use in every single ride! Wahoo ELEMNT devices are easier and quicker to use than Garmin Edges.

Finally, Wahoo’s transflective screen tech might be hard to read indoors without a backlight or in certain light conditions – I did NOT find that but others claim it happens.

Take Out: Wahoo Elemnt Bolt 3 Review

It’s all change with Wahoo as Bolt 3 and Roam 3 complete the lineup of its revamped bike computers.

There are big improvements under the hood, which existing Wahoo owners will experience as notably improved battery lives and superior displays. Many less noticeable changes exist on the cloud platforms and the head unit software.

Everything has changed with the new generation but it all feels and works the same.

Wahoo now matches its three bike computers against Garmin’s three and Karoo’s single offering.

• The button-only option sees Bolt 3 pitted against the Edge 540
• The touchscreen face-off has Roam 3 as a larger alternative to the Edge 840 and Karoo 3.
• And Ace is even larger than Edge 1050.

Except for the Edge 540, I could recommend any of those to you. If you want the smaller format, Bolt 3 is the clear go-to choice simply because of its superior usability.

The others all have strengths and weaknesses.

• Garmin Edges have a better battery, more native features, and a burgeoning app store that supports niche riding features like weather forecasts. Garmin also has comprehensive physiology and readiness metrics.
• Wahoo ELEMNTs win over Garmin on the usability stakes and are more reliable bike computers in my experience. The core features are expansive and awesome, but they still lag Garmin and fall further behind without an app store.
• Karoo already has a fledgling app store with a few goodies. It struggles with the battery claims but maxes out on prettiness and presentation, probably pipping Wahoo on usability.

Bolt 3 will be my go-to bike computer for 2025/26, covering races, weekday training indoors and out, and weekend rides with mates. For anything with trickier navigation, especially off-road, I have more choices than most people and would happily use Edge 1050, Karoo 3, Roam 3 or Ace for their bigger screens.

Second- and third-tier alternatives would include Magene, Coros, and some other Chinese brands, but there is always at least one significant compromise when choosing any of those; however, they tend to be cheaper and could be right for some of you.

Wahoo Bolt 3 – it’s the real deal

Buy Wahoo Bolt 3 – Prices and availability.

Wahoo Bolt 3 is available now.

You can sometimes get reasonable discounts by buying a bundle, and there are a few sales periods at the usual times each year. Otherwise, meaningful discounts on the Wahoo Bolt 3 will be hard or impossible to find. The following links are to the latest price, even though the MRSP/RRP pricing is shown.

• Roam 3 from powermetercity or direct from Wahoo: £399.99 / $449.99 / € 449.99 / AU$749.95
• Bolt 3 from powermetercity or direct from Wahoo: £299.99 / $329.99 / €329.99 / AU$549.99