This article is part of the “A Love Letter to…” series, in which Bicycle Weekly writers offer praise or criticism for their favorite or least favorite aspects of cycling. The content below is unfiltered, authentic and unpaid.
I used to work in a branch of EE, selling mobile phones and dealing with upgrades. I’m not a very good salesman because I’m so honest that it’s hard to even try to get people to buy something they don’t need.
At the time, 2014/2015, phones seemed to be getting bigger and bigger. The iPhone 6 was the first “Plus” size, measuring 16cm x 8cm, which was almost impossible to hold, while the Samsung Galaxy Note 4, at 15cm x 8cm with a stylus, was about its size. Thankfully, huge phones haven’t really caught on in terms of the size of our wallets and pockets – while phones are still big, most of us want to be able to hold them in one hand and put them Keep it in your pocket.
Ten years on, the cycling computer world seems equally obsessed with the idea that bigger is better. As so often happens in bike tech, it started with Garmin, who launched Edge 1000 About a decade ago, but in the years since, other brands have jumped on the bandwagon. Hammerhead and its Karoo series Cycling computers are essentially phones, they even run Android, such is the high-tech nature of them. Garmin is now in 1050measuring 12 cm x 6 cm, closer to a mobile phone.
The latest mainframe computers are Wahoo Elements AceMeasuring 12.5 cm x 7 cm and weighing over 200 grams, it is the largest device the brand has ever produced. it’s three times bigger than mine element storeit does everything I need in a bike computer and more.
In short, I really don’t see why I need a huge bike computer. For directions, my Bolt – 5cm x 8cm – is large enough to see where I’m going and all the data fields are clearly visible. Battery life is as good as it needs to be, and the added weight is negligible. If you need a bigger screen – maybe more of a trail rider with more precise plotting of routes in messy areas – Medium Elemental roaming Already there, ready to buy. Anyway, to me the Ace seems like a new device that I’ll never need, I think the 1050 and Karoo 2also.
I understand that for some people a larger screen may be required for vision reasons, but the line between a large bike computer and a small phone is blurring these days. What stops people from buying second hand Cell phones are only used for mapping, Rather than a potentially more expensive computer with limited capabilities? It’ll almost certainly be cheaper than the Ace’s £549.99, and you’ll also be able to play Candy Crush on it.
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The Ace has a touchscreen, as do the Hammerhead Karoo and Garmin 1050, but I feel like a touchscreen is unnecessary when the buttons are well made, especially if you’re wearing gloves. The wind sensor on the Ace might appeal to some, but I’m not sure the average cyclist will do it real Think about the aerodynamics of club running.
People love Wahoo’s Roam and Bolt for their simplicity, and the move to complex and large-scale strategies feels like an odd move for the American company.
All I want from my computer are standard metrics from speed to distance traveled, a decent map, preferably in color but I can really handle without, and solid battery life. Any other feeling is superfluous. I like that my Bolt feels small, sturdy, bulletproof, and doesn’t feel like a target for thieves without being the size of a phone.
If I had to try to get customers to buy an Ace, Karoo or 1050 back in my phone store days, I think I would probably fail.
