Wahoo ELEMNT vs. Garmin EDGE (as E-Bike GPS Displays)

[Aushiker]

You said Garmin reflected the perceived temperature. How can a thermometer that is fundamentally inaccurate reflect anything? Pity you don't get frost in AUS because I would like to know your opinion on how Garmin would "reflect actual road conditions" Would it report -5 C with the actual temperature of zero? Or, +5 C?

Please do not make up what I said. My words are here in black and white.

What I actually said:

In my experience, my Garmin one has, at least in the past ( I do not bother with temperature nowadays), reflected the temperature on the bike, that is the heat radiating from the road as opposed to reported or ambient temperature. I actually found this more useful, e.g., 50 C on the bike in the summer versus 40 C reported by the BOM.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I cannot understand your irritation, Andrew.
I expect quality instruments from expensive brands, market leaders, that's it.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Please do not make up what I said. My words are here in black and white.

What I actually said:

I need to repeat myself. An instrument that does not work simply does not work. It does not reflect the heat radiated from the road. It is five centigrade off.
Wahoo is - 3 C off in the winter. It is -4 C but the reading is -7. I do not say Wahoo reflects the perceived temperature. It is inaccurate.

 

[jabberwocky]

Personally the only time weather info is really useful is before I ride, so I know what to wear and whether to bring extra layers. Once I'm on the bike, eh, I'm experiencing the weather and knowing the exact air temp isn't useful info anymore. I don't need the computer to tell me if if its cold or hot.

I guess if you're super into data and training it can be nice to have the air temp recorded in the fit file so you can, like, go back and check temps on previous rides?

 

[Stefan Mikes]

Personally the only time weather info is really useful is before I ride, so I know what to wear and whether to bring extra layers. Once I'm on the bike, eh, I'm experiencing the weather and knowing the exact air temp isn't useful info anymore. I don't need the computer to tell me if if its cold or hot.

What if the weather forecast told you it would be 7 C but then you are on the race and it is between 2 and 5? There were cases of hypothermia on the race. Not sure how long do you stay on the ride during inclement weather but my last race was five and half hour.

I guess if you're super into data and training it can be nice to have the air temp recorded in the fit file so you can, like, go back and check temps on previous rides?

I was even not looking at my Workout screen where the thermometer is but well, you can see it post-ride, too.

RideWithGPS has extracted those data. Strava only tells the subscriber the starting and ending temperature by weather data.

 

[jabberwocky]

What if the weather forecast told you it would be 7 C but then you are on the race and it is between 2 and 5? There were cases of hypothermia on the race. Not sure how long do you stay on the ride during inclement weather but my last race was five and half hour.

If I brought extra layers I'm putting them on when I feel cold, not when the computer says the temp has dropped. If I didn't bring extra layers I'm SOL no matter what the computer is saying.

 

[Aushiker]

If I brought extra layers I'm putting them on when I feel cold, not when the computer says the temp has dropped. If I didn't bring extra layers I'm SOL no matter what the computer is saying.

As someone who does (or has done) long-distance touring and Audax rides, the temperature on the bike computer is something of interest at the end of the ride if I can be bothered to look, just to know how hot or cold it got. If it was freezing during the night on the ride, it was freezing. The number is not going to change that.

Personally, I have learnt to simply plan to be prepared.

On multi-day rides, even during the dry season, I still take rain gear and layers because if I do not, it will rain/be damn cold overnight for sure .

As an aside, I learnt that lesson once, and once only on an overnight bushwalk when the forecast in the area was for zero rain. It bucketed down the next day, and of course, I had gone ultralight ... early signs of hypothermia were my reward when I eventually reached the car.

 

[jabberwocky]

As an aside, I learnt that lesson once, and once only on an overnight bushwalk when the forecast in the area was for zero rain. It bucketed down the next day, and of course, I had gone ultralight ... early signs of hypothermia were my reward when I eventually reached the car.

The most miserable ride I ever did was a 50ish mile road ride with a bunch of friends. Weather was forecasted to be relatively warm and sunny, but we got to the 25 mile point and a sudden cold front and storm rolled in. Temps dropped like 20 degrees and it absolutely poured on us. I barely remember the last 10 miles or so; I was so cold that I was having trouble clipping in because my feet were numb. Apparently I fell so far off the back that everyone stopped to wait for me and I rode right by them like a zombie. I vaguely remember thinking that if I stopped pedaling I probably wouldn't be able to start again.

Second worst was BikeDC in the late 2000s when they held it in the fall. Was in the 30s and raining all day and I decided to ride the ~40mile round trip to the start and back. I knew the weather was gonna suck but just didn't count on my rain gear not working for a full 70 miles, and also didn't anticipate standing around waiting for the ride to start for 45 minutes in the rain (after riding 20 miles to get there). After the ride I had to hit a starbucks in Crystal City and just hold a hot chocolate in my hands for 10 minutes to warm my hands up for the ride home.

In any case, all a bike computer temperature reading would have done on either ride is put a number to the suffering I could do nothing about.

 

[Stefan Mikes]

I wonder why people install the thermometers outside their home windows at all. They have the forecast and generally cannot help the weather at all, right?

My whole point was: if Garmin (or Wahoo) decides to install the thermometer in the bike computer, let it be reasonably accurate. The readouts are interpreted digitally. Should be no problem to put 20 devices into the thermostat, do a curve, then apply the calibration curve in the firmware, that's it. They don't care and it only means how much they care about their customers.

 

[stompandgo]

Jeez, guys. All he wants is to have his temperature gauge read accurately in his (not cheap) bike computer. That's a very reasonable expectation. I had a Wahoo Elemnt. The temperature gauge was accurate to within 1 degree F. I have a Garmin 830 now, because I prefer how the Varia works with it, and color navigation is better for me. It is within 1 degree F in the shade, but on the road in varying sunlight, it's wildly inaccurate.

I know the accuracy because I have a reference. My home weather station has a calibrated thermometer, calibrated at the factory. I also own a handheld electronic scientific reference thermometer that is accurate to 0.01 degrees F. The two match within 0.1F, which is in spec for the weather station.

 

[DaveMatthews]

From the Garmin manual for my 530...

Temperature Readings​

The device may display temperature readings that are higher than the actual air temperature if the device is placed in direct sunlight, held in your hand, or is charging with an external battery pack. Also, the device will take some time to adjust to significant changes in temperature.