I’ve been using a wahoo elemnt for a while now, and the Garmin 520 has Sat all forlorn on the shelf.
Today however saw it dusted off, and remounted after the elemnt mount broke. It’s a bit of a bad design. You can never have it just tight enough on the bar not to slip. Which meant I tightened it, only to pull the brass press fit screw thread out.
But going back to the garmin, made me realise that there is actually stuff I’d missed that the elemnt hasn’t got. And the opposite too. I missed some of the features of the Elemnt.
So, in no particular order here is what I miss when using the 520
- Screen and font size. The elemnt screen is huge compared to the garmin, and easier to glance at to get the information quickly
- Button location. The buttons on the garmin are awkward, and located oddly
- Maps. Maps are a hell of alot easier and clearer on the elemnt.
That’s just what comes from the top of my head. I’m sure there’s more.
Things I miss when using the Elemnt
- Recovery advisor, Vo2 and auto FTP. A small and insignificant feature set, but one I like to have.
- Varia light control. I’ve got a full set of Varia lights which obviously don’t work with the Elemnt. Yet. With See.Sense working on their Ace light set, it might get supported.
- Beeps and other bongs. The Elemnt is mute when compared to the 520, with a much smaller speaker.
- Not having to correct speed spikes after autopause. Seriously wahoo, that’s annoying
Again, just off the top of my head.
But weighing up the pros and cons of each unit, it’s clear to me that the elemnt is the first computer I reach for when getting ready.
Mikes Blog 