Brand new head units may have been on show in the peloton for months
(Image credit: Getty: David Pintens)
Mads Pederson thundered to victory at Gent-Wevelgem on Sunday in a show of raw power and self-belief. The Danish ex-world road race champion spent over fifty kilometres off the front of the race, and we had plenty of time to watch him in full flight.
Whilst watching Pederson eat up the road on his way to victory, we noticed what appears to be a new Wahoo cycling computer on his handlebars, a unit that doesn't look the same as the current Bolt or Roam models to us, and that certainly isn't the larger Elemnt Ace which launched a few months back.
Once we were tuned into looking for a new unit, we realised riders like Pederson and Van der Poel have been using different-looking units at various races this season, from the recent E3 Saxo Classic to Milan San Remo and back to Paris-Nice. The new model has been hiding in plain sight.
The Ace was a new launch for Wahoo, but the Bolt and Roam models have been around for several years now in their current guises. Could an update, which seems most likely, or even a new model be on the way? The units, whilst very capable, possibly lag behind the best bike computers now in terms of display and features.
It makes sense for the pros to be testing computers out first, and we've seen images of multiple riders with what appear to be different computers. We got in touch with Wahoo to ask for information, but understandably, they remained fairly tight-lipped, saying:
"Wahoo and their pro teams will be testing new products and concepts at all times - to ensure the product development meets the needs of riders."
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Here is Mads Pederson at Paris-Nice, the more prominent white logo is a key different, and the front of the unit looks less angled (Image credit: Getty: Dario Belingheri / Staff)
The top of the bezel seems slightly deeper on this ubut, compared to the existing Bolt(Image credit: Getty: DAVID PINTENS / Contributor)
Is this new unit also darker in colour(Image credit: Getty:DAVID PINTENS / Contributor)
Has a new unit being hiding in plain sight?
Spotting a new bit of kit means going down the rabbit hole, and having dug through a number of recent race galleries, it appears pro riders may have been using this new unit for several races now. It looks like Mads Pederson was using it at Paris-Nice, and Van der Poel and Pogačar even looked to have different Wahoo units to each other at Milan-San Remo. The key standout is the more prominent white logo on the front of the unit, but there are some other differences.
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On the current Wahoo Roam, this logo is nowhere near as bright; it's closer to a dark grey, which rules out the existing Roam. The current Bolt has a similar logo to the new mystery computer, but the front of this new unit seems to be less angular.
Could this be a new Bolt? This makes sense since Wahoo-sponsored pro riders tend to prefer using it, possibly due to its smaller size and unfussy display and mapping.
From the images, the new unit looks like it could be slightly deeper, which perhaps points to a greater battery size and a bigger screen. Some of the profiles look to be more rounded, like the top of the unit's bezel.
The single left-hand side button also appears to be more square in profile than the current triangular-shaped one.
The differences seem to be quite fine, from what we can make out right now. Perhaps, visually at least, if this is a new Bolt it won't be a huge departure appearance-wise from the existing unit.
What is this small red protrusion on the front of the unit? (Image credit: Getty: DAVID PINTENS / Contributor)
We are only speculating right now, but if we are looking at a new Wahoo Bolt (and possibly Roam) what would be updated?
The Wahoo Elemnt Ace launched with a wind sensor, which was met with mixed reviews. We found the above picture of Mads Pederson from Paris Nice and noticed a protrusion on the front of his unit, could Wahoo be developing inbuilt sensor tech? The image baffled us, it could be nothing, road debris, a trick of the light, or something brand new, we thought we would include the image anyway for you to draw your own conclusions.
The latest Bolt v2 launched back in 2021, while the Roam v2 launched in 2022, so an update does seem to be due now. Wahoo models now possibly lag behind the top offerings from the likes of Karoo and Garmin in terms of screen resolution and quality, so Wahoo making things brighter and crisper seems a safe bet.
Bottom line, we don't know what to expect, surely any new unit will be faster, crisper, sharper, and more capable than ever. It just depends on what features Wahoo has decided to focus on.
Tom joined the Cyclingnews team in late 2022 as a tech writer. Despite having a degree in English Literature he has spent his entire working life in the cycling industry in one form or another. He has over 10 years of experience as a qualified mechanic, with the last five years before joining Cyclingnews being spent running an independent workshop. This means he is just as happy tinkering away in the garage as he is out on the road bike, and he isn’t afraid to pull a bike apart or get hands-on with it when testing to really see what it’s made of.
He has ridden and raced bikes from an early age up to a national level on the road and track, and has ridden and competed in most disciplines. He has a keen eye for pro-team tech and enjoys spotting new or interesting components in the wild. During his time at Cyclingnews, Tom has already interviewed some of the sport's biggest names including Mathieu van der Poel, Tadej Pogačar and Alberto Contador. He's also covered various launches from brands such as Pinarello, Ridley, Specialized and more, tackled the Roubaix Challenge sportive aboard his own rim-brake Cannondale SuperSix Evo, tested over 20 aero helmets in the wind tunnel, and has created helpful in-depth buying advice relating to countless categories from torque wrenches to winter clothing.
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