Wahoo ELEMNT Ace (on Specialized E-Bikes)

[Stefan Mikes]

Guessing that some of the bike sensors are connecting properly, but not the battery sensor.

It's bad... I must do an independent test of the Mastermind/ACE after I return from London in January. I'm really sorry for your bad experience, Jeremy!
What about the LEV Travel Range data?

On my Garmin 103,0 it can display the ETA when navigating, but I cannot find something similar in the ACE.

ETA has never been a Wahoo feature, sorry.

There's something related to the tyre size that you might find interesting. While Wahoo (similarly to Garmin) can do Auto Wheel Circumference (based on GPS data), Wahoo requires giving the Wheel Circumference value when the device is connected to the e-bike's Speed/Cadence sensor. I just had to swap my 42 mm tyres for 35 mm studded ones. What would the Wheel Circumference be? (It was 2,180 mm for the 42 mm Rhombus Pro). Fortunately, I could recollect what I was using in the past: 2,155 mm Turned out, the figure was only 1 mm off when checked against Strava map!

However, I have to use pretty high pressure on these wired bead skinny tyres. It is 4.1 bar (60 psi) for the front and 4.4 bar (64 psi) for the rear. I could safely use only 38 psi on the 42 mm foldable gravel tyres! A huge difference!

 

[Aushiker]

ETA has never been a Wahoo feature, sorry.

That is frustrating. Even the Bosch Nyon can provide this data. I cannot imagine it being a difficult calculation.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

That is frustrating. Even the Bosch Nyon can provide this data. I cannot imagine it being a difficult calculation.

I'd say it is more frustrating Bosch has not and will not provide ANT+

 

[stompandgo]

Stefan, my Garmin 840 shows the e-bike sensor similarly as the Wahoo. I don't think that setup is unique to Wahoo, but it's been a while since I had my Elemnt. When you add the e-bike sensor, do you then have to add the data fields to your screen? With the Garmin, you do. Power, cadence, and battery. There may be more.

Jeremy, when you put the Wahoo into sensor search mode, was the bike on, and were you turning the pedals? The Wahoo may need a data stream from cadence and power to send the e-bike sensor data, at least enough to set up the screens. Worth a try.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

Jeremy, when you put the Wahoo into sensor search mode, was the bike on, and were you turning the pedals? The Wahoo may need a data stream from cadence and power to send the e-bike sensor data, at least enough to set up the screens. Worth a try.

Bike was on every time. I'll try turning the pedals, but the ACE is already showing and recording cadence and rider power. It's also showing real-time assist mode but not recording it. And it never shows or records battery level.

 

[Jeremy McCreary]

As I think about it, now that my phone can no longer be on my bar, all I really need from the ACE is the real-time GPS stuff — mapping, speed, etc. The SL shows me everything else I want to see in real time on its top tube display (TCU), and the Specialized app (SA) records and presents everything I want recorded in a format I much prefer.

So next ride, I'm (a) disconnecting the Wahoo from the bike, my HRM, and the SA, (b) reconnecting the HRM to the SA, and (c) recording with the SA running on my phone in a pocket while the disconnected ACE runs on my bar.

If that gets me what I need from the ACE (now that my phone can no longer be on my bar) , I'll be reasonably happy

Yes, I'll no longer see rides in the Wahoo app and website. But I don't like either one and have never been intetested in a premium Wahoo account.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Chris, as I own both a Garmin Edge and have owned four different Wahoo ELEMNT computers, I can give you all the answers.

Stefan, my Garmin 840 shows the e-bike sensor similarly as the Wahoo.

Not really. Your Garmin shows three sensors: Power, Speed/Cadence and E-Bike. Wahoo detects all three of them but immediately combines them all into a single apparent sensor named E-BIKE. It has been the same since Wahoo Roam 1, only you could rename the sensor before ELEMNT Gen 3.

I don't think that setup is unique to Wahoo, but it's been a while since I had my Elemnt. When you add the e-bike sensor, do you then have to add the data fields to your screen? With the Garmin, you do. Power, cadence, and battery. There may be more.

First of all, new Garmin Edge (x40, x50) and all Wahoo ELEMTN since Roam 1 have the e-bike data fields native to the device. No need to add anything such as the E-Bike Field for older Garmin computers. That is, Cadence, Speed and Power data fields are treated as if physical sensors were added to a pedal bike. Now, the E-Bike (LEV) specific data fields are:

• LEV Battery % (only Wahoo can see a dual battery)
• LEV Travel Mode (Wahoo extracts the e-bike specific assistance mode names such as OFF, ECO, SPORT/TRAIL, TURBO, SMART, and MICRO automatically; Garmin can only extract the Mode Number: you need the E-Bike Field to map the numbers to Mode Names for Garmin. Wahoo knows what the Mode Names are for any compatible manufacturer)
• LEV Travel Range (Wahoo reads it from a compatible e-bike, such as a Giant or Specialized/Mastermind, Garmin does the same but also has the Smart Range data field, which I don't trust).

Now, if you happen to own a Shimano STEPS e-bike then Garmin provides an impressive set of e-bike data fields. Pity so few of us own a Shimano STEPS e-bike...

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Yes, I'll no longer see rides in the Wahoo app and website. But I don't like either one and have never been intetested in a premium Wahoo account.

Strange. You never pay Wahoo for the membership. You have paid it by buying the device. Everything works for me! Are you sure your ELEMNT has the proper WiFi connection data to your home network?

You see Jeremy. The only difference between your and my situation is your Mastermind e-bike does not show the LEV Battery Level. Everything else should work perfectly!

 

[stompandgo]

Chris, as I own both a Garmin Edge and have owned four different Wahoo ELEMNT computers, I can give you all the answers.

Not really. Your Garmin shows three sensors: Power, Speed/Cadence and E-Bike. Wahoo detects all three of them but immediately combines them all into a single apparent sensor named E-BIKE. It has been the same since Wahoo Roam 1, only you could rename the sensor before ELEMNT Gen 3.

That is correct. Power, Speed/Cadence. and E-Bike.

First of all, new Garmin Edge (x40, x50) and all Wahoo ELEMTN since Roam 1 have the e-bike data fields native to the device. No need to add anything such as the E-Bike Field for older Garmin computers. That is, Cadence, Speed and Power data fields are treated as if physical sensors were added to a pedal bike. Now, the E-Bike (LEV) specific data fields are:

• LEV Battery % (only Wahoo can see a dual battery)

The TQ reports total battery percentage when I have the range extender connected. On my Pinarello, that adds up to 150%. The Pinarello controller depletes the range extender first, so that another one can be swapped out before depleting the main battery.

• LEV Travel Mode (Wahoo extracts the e-bike specific assistance mode names such as OFF, ECO, SPORT/TRAIL, TURBO, SMART, and MICRO automatically; Garmin can only extract the Mode Number: you need the E-Bike Field to map the numbers to Mode Names for Garmin. Wahoo knows what the Mode Names are for any compatible manufacturer)
• LEV Travel Range (Wahoo reads it from a compatible e-bike, such as a Giant or Specialized/Mastermind, Garmin does the same but also has the Smart Range data field, which I don't trust)

Also true. No names, just numbers. I think it's 0/2/4/8. Been a while.
I don't use or trust the Garmin Smart Range. However, I do use the LEV range, which comes from the TQ controller. It's just nice to have it on the computer as a data field.

I still think that something is not 100% configured on Jeremy's Wahoo. My data fields on screen #1 are:

Speed
Distance
Elapsed Time
TOD
Battery%
Range
Heading
HR
Cadence
3S Power

He should be able to get all of that from his bike and not need it from another display.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

The TQ reports total battery percentage when I have the range extender connected. On my Pinarello, that adds up to 150%. The Pinarello controller depletes the range extender first, so that another one can be swapped out before depleting the main battery.

Specialized adds to 150% but Garmin can only see the main battery. Wahoo reports Main/Extender as 100/100.

He should be able to get all of that from his bike and not need it from another display.

It might be a glitch or a bug related to Mastermind. I'm gonna test it in January.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Here are my data fields for Workout (Vado SL Gen 1, ACE)

 

[Aushiker]

Regarding the Ace, has anyone been able to set it up to pipe alerts/navigation instructions through their phone to headphones?

According to DuckDuckGo search assistance (AI) it is possible:

Audio Alerts: The ELEMNT can send notifications to your phone, which can be heard through your connected headphones. Ensure your phone is paired with your headphones for this feature.

Is this, in fact, correct? If so, any guidance on how to set this up would be appreciated. My searching is not proving fruitful.

 

[DaveMatthews]

Regarding the Ace, has anyone been able to set it up to pipe alerts/navigation instructions through their phone to headphones?

According to DuckDuckGo search assistance (AI) it is possible:



Is this, in fact, correct? If so, any guidance on how to set this up would be appreciated. My searching is not proving fruitful.

Not all Bluetooth devices can support actual audio (music, voice, etc.). So, it may be that the Ace can support the notification aspect but not traditional audio.

 

[Aushiker]

Not all Bluetooth devices can support actual audio (music, voice, etc.). So, it may be that the Ace can support the notification aspect but not traditional audio.

Possibly. The ACE controls music streaming, e.g., spotify but the music comes from the phone.