Wahoo Elemnt Ace review: unique wind sensor helps make it Wahoo's best bike computer yet

The Wahoo Elemnt Ace is the best bike computer Wahoo has ever made.

It’s easy to use, has a great screen and does everything a bike computer should as well as its competitors.

It also has a truly unique selling point in its integrated wind sensor. While it won’t be a relevant (or desired) feature for everyone, and it’s hard to prove its accuracy on the road, I found myself warming to it in testing and can see some relevant applications.

The downsides are its sheer size and weight, and a clear knock-on effect for mounting options. Like its latest rivals, Wahoo has also missed the timely opportunity to incorporate an edge-to-edge display.

The Elemnt Ace stops short of making a compelling case to switch ecosystems if you’re happy as you are – but it’s the most polished bike computer in the Wahoo stable, and therefore worth considering as an upgrade if you want one.

Wahoo Elemnt Ace specifications

The Wahoo Elemnt Ace is the brand’s new flagship bike computer, superseding the Elemnt Roam in the pecking order.

It’s a natural rival to the Garmin Edge 1050, for which I’ve written a dedicated head-to-head comparison, while the Hammerhead Karoo 3 is also an alternative.

Topping the crib sheet is a new form factor, housing the largest screen seen on any bike computer.

At 126(h)x71(w)x24mm(d), the unit is nearly the same size as my iPhone 13 Mini, and notably wider and thicker than the Garmin Edge 1050 (and much bigger in every way than the Hammerhead Karoo 3).

Part of this is down to Wahoo’s decision to keep the three-button layout at the top-facing bottom edge of the device, plus toggle and power buttons on the sides. Touchscreen technology has also been incorporated into the display. The brand says this gives riders the “best of both worlds”.

That said, to start and pause a ride, you must use the physical buttons – the unit never offers these options on the screen.

The thickness and hefty 209g measured weight (49g more than the Garmin Edge 1050) can also be attributed to Wahoo’s decision to fit a battery with “twice the capacity” of the Elemnt Roam – citing customer requests for longer battery life. A new wind sensor and an audio speaker for voiced turn-by-turn navigation have also had an effect.

The Elemnt Ace is claimed to deliver “up to 30” hours' battery life without resorting to a functionality-reducing battery save mode.

The screen itself measures 3.8in (96.7mm) from corner to corner and is notably wide. Wahoo says this makes it easier to read when using the map function.

It uses a transflective display, which features a matt surface to reduce reflections, and allows sunlight to reflect back off the interior face to help light it (in addition to a backlight). It can produce 16 million colours through a resolution of 480x720 pixels.

That said, there are significant bezels around the screen, in addition to the real estate given over to the buttons – in short, this is a far cry from an edge-to-edge display.

The size also has a knock-on effect for the mount. Wahoo supplies an aluminium out-front mount for 31.8mm handlebars, but it’s worth noting that compatibility with dedicated bike-brand mounts is limited.

The device doesn’t fit on Canyon Forward AM or ENVE X K-Edge Aero Stem out-front mounts, for example, because there isn’t enough clearance between the bottom of the computer and the handlebar (or stem faceplate).

Wahoo says some third-party mounts, such as the K-Edge IHS and KOM Cycling CM06, will work. More are set to come onto the market in 2025. Further GoPro-integrating mounts should also appear in time.

Other hardware-based features and sensors include:

• USB-C charging (a USB-C to USB-C cable is provided)
• 64GB of memory
• 2GB of RAM
• Wireless connectivity via Bluetooth, ANT+ and WiFi
• Dual-band GPS, GLONASS and Galileo sensors
• A barometric altimeter
• An accelerometer
• An ambient light sensor
• A compass
• A gyroscope

Dynamic Wind Pressure Sensor

The wind sensor was first spotted when the Wahoo Elemnt Ace leaked. At the time, we speculated it might be a form of aero efficiency sensor – this has proven half-true.

Instead of a drag sensor to rival the likes of Body Rocket and The Aerosensor Aerodynamic Cycling System, the Elemnt Ace’s sensor simply measures the wind speed impacting upon it.

Wahoo says there are development ideas in the pipeline, including how to best present a calculation of CdA (aerodynamic drag coefficient), and wind heat maps, although hasn’t committed to a timeline for either.

As things stand, wind speed is compared to groundspeed (which is taken from GPS data or via a wheel speed sensor, if you want greater accuracy) to offer a comparison between the two. Wahoo has coined its analysis ‘Wahoo Wind Dynamics’.

In short, if you’re encountering wind at a slower rate compared to your groundspeed, you’re in a tailwind scenario. If the wind is impacting faster than your speed, this is a headwind.

Assuming you have it activated in the Wahoo app, you’re shown a live data field with this on your chosen data screen, and on the map if you happen to be viewing it. Handily, it’s colour-coded based on Wahoo-defined zones, giving a snapshot indication of what situation you’re in.

Wahoo defines these as:

• Heavy Airboost – dark green, indicating when “groundspeed is significantly greater than airspeed” (big tailwind)
• Light Airboost – light green, when “groundspeed is moderately greater than airspeed” (moderate tailwind)
• Neutral air – blue, when “groundspeed and airspeed are relatively the same” (no wind)
• Light Airdrag – orange, when “groundspeed is moderately less than airspeed” (moderate headwind)
• Heavy Airdrag – red, when “groundspeed is significantly less than airspeed” (big headwind)

After a ride, the data is imported into the Wahoo app, offering a breakdown of time spent in each scenario over the course of your ride. The brand says this helps to quantify a “lesser understood” part of riding a bike, and can help riders improve their tactics.

In testing, I’ve found it to offer a fairly representative measure of what I can feel and I can certainly see the potential benefits. That said, the sensor is (currently) limited. 

Software features

The Elemnt Ace is set up and customised through the Wahoo app, which serves as a one-stop shop for all of Wahoo’s latest devices (similar to Garmin Connect). This represents a departure from the Elemnt Roam and Bolt, which both used the older Elemnt app. 

Wahoo says it plans to retire the Elemnt app in due course, migrating “every device” in its ecosystem to the Wahoo app – but the Ace won’t work with it from the get-go.

The Wahoo app offers a single home for ride analysis too – given Wahoo Wind Dynamics can’t be exported to third-party platforms, such as Strava, this is where you’ll need to analyse that data.

Wahoo says it's open to allowing third parties to display this data in the future, although it doesn’t plan to roll out analysis to wahooligan.com.

The Elemnt Ace can receive notifications from your smartphone, has customisable data pages (in a priority format) and can integrate with Wahoo’s range of smart trainers, offering workout suggestions.

Summit Freeride is also present (like Garmin’s Climb Pro feature, offering live data when you encounter a climb), as is radar compatibility. It also syncs with Strava Routes, but Strava Live Segments and live tracking aren’t expected to be ready until the end of 2024.

The brand also says it has worked on its mapping presentation, improving detail and representing roads and trails with corresponding-width lines. It features layers that can be switched on or off, for road names, points of interest, Summit segments and the wind sensor.

As you might expect, the device can pair with all major electronic systems, including Shimano Di2 and SRAM AXS groupsets, in addition to a GoPro, the Core body temperature sensor and muscle oxygen sensors. It can also control the music on your connected phone and enable control from your Di2 buttons. 

That said, Wahoo is refreshingly candid about what features the Elemnt Ace doesn’t have (relative, it would seem, to the Garmin Edge 1050).

These include a recovery-time advisor, virtual partner function, device-to-device route sharing, weather alerts, rider-to-rider messaging, incident detection and group-sourced hazard data. It also notes specifically that it doesn’t work with Specialized’s ANGi crash sensor.

All of this comes at a price of £549.99 / $599.99 / €599.99 / AU$999.99. This is by no means cheap, but it compares favourably with the Garmin Edge 1050 at £650 / $700 / €700 / AU$1,170. 

The Hammerhead Karoo 3 is cheaper, though, at £449.99 / $474.99 / €499.99 / AU$749.99.

Wahoo Elemnt Ace ride impressions

User interface and general experience

The Wahoo Elemnt Ace delivers the most polished bike computer experience I’ve had from a Wahoo computer to date.

Setup is easy. I was able to download the Wahoo app, connect to the device via Bluetooth, take a picture of the QR code (which pairs the device to the app) and then run through the setup prompts without issue.

It’s worth pointing out that I’m most used to Garmin’s system and have a Hammerhead Karoo 3 – but this is equally intuitive to use as either of those systems. 

Once set up, you’re faced with the overhauled operating system, which offers a simple selection of your workout profile, routes, workouts and a display of connected sensors.

The app is used to control the main settings (such as data fields, pages and so on), and upload routes and workouts, while the Elemnt Ace computer is geared towards getting riding. As such, you can’t access these settings from the computer itself.

However, you can connect to a peripheral device, such as a heart rate monitor, from the unit, plus route to a location on the map (either by pinpointing it on the map or selecting a previously saved location).

The app is easy to use and, after a little familiarisation, I quickly worked out how to switch the features on or off.

It’s not without flaws, though. Instead of customising data screens by simply selecting fields and putting them where you want, you need to set up a priority order of fields in the app. The computer then displays a number of them depending on what level of ‘zoom’ you’ve selected using the toggle buttons on the side of the device.

You can add your own screens with different data field priorities, but even with time I still find Garmin’s select-and-replace system a little easier to work with.

The Summit Freeride feature works as expected, although I experienced two screen lock-ups in testing when following an uploaded GPX route once I’d crested the final climb.

The Elemnt Ace reset itself both times (leading to a brief gap in data), but the ride data recorded before was recovered, and the data to the end of the ride was also recorded.

Wahoo warned me firmware updates would be coming through my pre-launch testing phase, which should address this in time for its release.

I’m also assured that the relatively slow start-up (compared to its Garmin and Hammerhead rivals) should be solved by a software update by the time the device has launched.

Mapping and navigation

The familiar Wahoo beeps are ear-piercingly loud by default. Thankfully, you can reduce the volume or switch these off entirely in the app.

Wahoo has also introduced voice guidance. A semi-robotic male voice is used, delivering warnings as you approach a junction and when it’s time to turn. 

I like the addition of this feature. It works well in favourable conditions, but the Elemnt Ace’s speaker is very basic, meaning the clarity of the voice isn’t as good as it could be. 

It’s easily drowned out by busy traffic, even at the highest volume. Notably, the ‘T’ for 'turn now' is delivered very abruptly – I mistook it for a stone flicking up against my bike’s mudguards or frame before realising it was the computer delivering a message.

You can’t connect earphones to the device to improve audibility, although I would argue that wearing earphones while riding isn’t a good idea on safety grounds, anyway.

The map is very clear and detailed – the best of the major players’ flagship devices. While I don’t like Wahoo’s chevron breadcrumb trail compared to Garmin’s purple route line (it overwhelms the excellent clarity of the map), following a route is simple. 

The pop-up instructions are also clear, while the road-size detail is intuitive to interpret (even if you don’t get a road-map style colour key for A roads, B roads and smaller lanes).

This is all helped by the screen – the matt display almost eliminates distracting reflections, even if contrast and colour saturation aren't quite as impressive.

I never lost GPS signal, even under a heavy canopy, although I was guided down unpassable footpaths on one occasion when challenging the computer to reroute me on the fly (having left the planned route). 

Given the map uses OpenStreetMap for its underpinning data, with Wahoo’s presentation a ‘skin’, Wahoo says it’s possible that this can occur when certain paths are mis-marked. 

When I followed a route, but then took a shortcut or doubled back on myself, the Elemnt Ace adapted quickly and rerouted me to the next logical point on the route, rather than obstinately insisting I double back again.

Selecting a location to route to also proved easy, while it didn’t spring up any unwanted surprises, such as routing me onto a dual carriageway. 

Wahoo Wind Dynamics and wind sensor

Wahoo Wind Dynamics offers hitherto unrealised insight into the impact of wind resistance during a ride – I applaud the brand for offering something no other bike computer has to date.

It appears to function broadly as intended. In my testing, riding behind or in a group showed wind speed dropping relative to groundspeed, while riding on the front or solo produced higher numbers in comparable conditions.

On my control test loop, with a cold northerly wind, I saw higher wind-speed numbers and more corresponding orange and red fields, denoting an ‘Airdrag’ scenario when riding north, and lower numbers and more green fields heading south.

Initially sceptical, I found myself warming to having the data available, although it didn’t tell me much more than I could already feel in the moment. Reviewing it at the end of the ride – when the data is grouped into time spent in each zone (you can also view it overlaid on a map) – I found it an interesting point of reference.

That said, I found numbers jumped around quite wildly (wind, of course, is never constant), but this means that when riding, it’s difficult to know with much certainty what benefit you’re drawing. Aside from, of course, what your effort level is already telling you.

I found I could glance down safely, but given the displayed number kept jumping around (and the field colour frequently changing) I knew it would be different the moment I looked up.

Wahoo says the sensor takes a new reading every second, but the display can’t currently be tweaked to smooth this data out (e.g. by displaying a five-second average, as you can have with power data). 

The orientation of the sensor is also limiting, given it’s forward-facing – it can’t, for example, measure the wind coming at you from the side, nor the destabilising effect this can have. Similarly, it doesn’t offer a wind-direction calculation.

Without specialist equipment to hand to corroborate the data, most users (me included) are going to be left having to trust the figures it gives, rather than knowing how accurate they are. 

Wahoo hasn’t published any comparative test results on the subject, but says it has done comparative testing in the sensor’s development. This includes using a small wind tunnel at its headquarters with a dedicated anemometer, and gathering validation data at a velodrome.

However, there’s plenty of potential here. Wahoo could choose to build on the concept and offer a multi-angled wind sensor in future models, for example.

It may also prove useful to pro athletes and their coaches – assuming they have a fleet of Elemnt Aces, they could compare the data to help inform their riders of better tactical team riding, more accurately ascribe workload to certain riders while protecting others, and advise individuals how much time they spent drafting versus working in a race (during a breakaway, for example).

For an individual rider on a given ride, it could help inform how you position yourself to save energy, and offers you greater insight into how and why a given ride might have felt particularly hard or easy.

But, of course, given you can generally feel the wind on any ride (if you’re paying attention), you’d probably have a good idea why already.

Wahoo Elemnt Ace bottom line

The Wahoo Elemnt Ace is a very good flagship bike computer, and one worth considering if you’re in the market for a Wahoo ecosystem upgrade.

The new wind sensor feature is intriguing, but I’m unsure if everyday riders will find the information insightful beyond what they already know. The application for pro teams, racers and their coaches may become clearer in time, though.

All the constituent parts – from the screen to the user interface, setup to compatibility – work reliably, while a special mention goes to the mapping and matt screen. It’s the best I’ve come across, niggles with rerouting aside.

That said, the computer is enormous (with knock-on effects for integrated mount compatibility), while I’m disappointed another flagship unit has launched without anything approaching an edge-to-edge display (commonplace in smartphones today). 

Is it enough to drag the Garmin faithful away, or to stem the growing popularity of the Hammerhead Karoo? Possibly – but either way, the Wahoo Elemnt Ace is certainly one of the very best bike computers available today.