After a couple of months of hype, a bunch of leaks (having been on both sides of it, we know that’s tricky to avoid), and a bunch of connections on LinkedIn saying it was the most exciting marketing project they’d ever been part of, Wahoo’s newest–and some might say, long overdue–bike computer update arrived this week.

The Wahoo ELEMNT Ace is here. It’s big, bold, and bright. And pretty expensive. Here’s the full deal. Or at least most of the deal, until they send us a full review unit for long enough to do a deep dive.

Wahoo ELEMNT Ace size and weight

Let’s not beat around the bush: It’s big. It’s not ‘iPad on your handlebars big,’ but it’s big enough that wags on your club run will ardently claim that you do, in fact, have an iPad on your handlebars.

In 2024, that’s not as big an issue as it has been historically. Bike computers have trended larger in the last seven years or so, with Garmin and Hammerhead making the case that what ‘huge and heavy’ offers is greater than complying with cycling’s overriding rules about ‘small and light.’

So where does it compare? Its physical dimensions are 125 x 71 x 20 mm (4.9 x 2.75 x .78 inches if you’re old or in the US). That puts it a little larger than the Garmin Edge 1050 and Hammerhead Karoo 3, though it is thinner than the latter if that matters at all. These size comparisons are somewhat unnecessary, since if you’re committed to–or undeterred by–the size of the device, then a few milimeters either way won’t make a difference. But the Ace is the biggest of the big three, for the record. Give Wahoo a really big trophy for that.

At 208g (7.4 pilgrim bushels, for the Americans), it’s also heavier than both devices. That 40g is about the weight of your soul, so you can offset it with good dharma.

Wahoo ELEMNT Ace screen

All that size and weight goes right to making the Ace’s screen the biggest and best in the industry.

It’s 9.67 mm (3.8″) across – bigger than the 3.5″ of its two chunky boy rivals. At a 480×720 resolution, it’s below the Garmin and above the Hammerhead, but again, at this scale that doesn’t really matter too much.

What’s more important is that it’s readable while you ride. And it is. Profoundly so. Beautifully so. Readability has been the eternal struggle for head units as they drift toward smartphones, and the ELEMNT Ace nails it.

New features

Here’s what’s new for the Ace:

• 3.8 inch // 96.7 mm, 16 million color TFT touch screen – Offers a larger, clearer, updated interface with even more room for data, maps, and elevation profile details
• Updated Ready-To-Ride dashboard – Provides immediate access to workout profiles, routes, workouts, and paired/connected sensor data so you can select and confirm your ride plan, getting you riding faster.
• 64 GB of storage memory with 2 GB RAM
• Up to 30 hour battery life
• Wind (pressure) sensor – Provides innovative feedback about headwind/tailwind/drafting conditions with a live effective air speed data field and post-ride Wahoo Wind Dynamics metrics
• Voice turn-by-turn navigation – (Currently only available in English.)

That’s the top-level, ‘why this thing exists’ list, and the wind pressure is probably the most exciting. It even saves the wind data on your .FIT files.

That battery life is also exciting–we haven’t been able to ride with it enough to fully test battery longevity, but it appears to be accurate so far. That’s not a major win over the Garmin, but certainly puts it far above its over rivals.

Finally, the new navigation works well in first testing. We’re really at the point where it doesn’t matter which flagship head unit you buy for this use case, but it seems like Wahoo has got it right so far.

Full Wahoo ELEMNT Ace specifications

Physical Dimensions	4.9 x 2.75 x 0.78 in // 125 x 71 x 20 mm
Weight	7.4 oz // 208 g
Display	Type: TFT, touchscreen Size: 3.8 in // 9.67 mm Resolution: 480 x 720 px Colors: 16 million
Memory	Storage: 64 GB RAM: 2 GB
Battery	Type: USB rechargeable lithium-ion Life: Up to 30 hours Charger type: USB-C (24 in // 61 cm cable)
Hardware	Dual Band GPS Satellites: GPS, GLONASS, BEIDOU, Galileo, and QZSS Barometric altimeter Ambient light sensor Compass Gyroscope Accelerometer Wind (pressure) sensor
Connectivity	Bluetooth: LE 5.0 ANT+: ANT+, ANT+ FE-C Wi-Fi: dual band 2.4 and 5 GHz
Water Protection Rating	IPX7
Operating Temperature	-4°F to 122°F // -20°C to 50°C

What’s in the box?

• ELEMNT ACE GPS Bike Computer
• Premium Aluminum Alloy Out-Front Mount (for 31.8 mm round bars)
• USB-C > C charging cable
• Product Info Guide

Our verdict

It’s hard to say at this early stage. Wahoo is onto a winner, certainly, but we’re reaching the point where all the main players have closed the gap on each other, without too many standout features (or unique quirks) of their own.

We have long been Garmin users. But the Ace is pretty special so far, and there’s now a compelling reason to move to Wahoo’s (excellent) ecosystem. Between the Wahoo and the Garmin, it really comes down to which software you prefer, and which black rectangle you want on your handlebars.

We’ll stop sitting on the fence for our final review. But we think we’ll fall on the side of the Wahoo ELEMNT Ace.