CHU RECOMMENDS – Wahoo ACE Computer & Radar Detector Light, Noxgear Personal Speaker Bike Technology
Last weekend, while cycling the Newburyport, Massachusetts Bikes & Beers ride, I had the opportunity to try out two new Wahoo products – the larger Element Ace bike computer and the companion rear light/ radar detector device. I was highly skeptical about both devices, but quickly fell in love with them and was ready to give them a highly recommended rating by the end of the beautiful ride.
Wahoo Elemnt Ace Bike Computer
I was skeptical about the Ace for two reasons. The first was its cost, with a list price of $624.99 – considerably more than the next-in-line Elemnt Roam. The second was its size, measuring 4.9 inches long and 2.75 inches wide. The price concern was partially alleviated by the Amazon sale price of $499.99, less than $100 more than the $424.99 Roam, which I needed to replace. The significantly larger size turned out to be a “pro” throughout my ride, enabling highly readable multiple data fields during the ride. The dual touchscreen and bottom buttons were also a plus during its test ride. More importantly, the larger screen worked extremely well with the radar detector as you will read below.
Wahoo Fitness TRACKR Radar Tail Light
I was super skeptical about the radar taillight, which I knew was supposed to “alert” the rider when a car was approaching from behind. I first heard of the Garmin version of this a few years ago when a friend bought the device. Although I do not know how the Garmin device works, I envisioned it (and the newer Wahoo device as well) lighting up, flashing, or making a sound when a car was approaching from behind. My first thought was “Why in the world would I need something like this? That’s what my ears are for!” Priced at almost $250, this seemed like an unnecessary expense, not at all worth the price. Once again, AI changed my mind and convinced me to try out the TRACKER Radar light. When I was researching the ACE computer, Chat recommended the radar taillight, writing, “In my view, that’s the single biggest safety upgrade you can add to your bike, and it integrates seamlessly with the Wahoo display.” Amazon returns are easy for me as I live only a mile from a UPS Store, so I decided to give it a try.
Boy, was my skepticism unfounded. When I evaluated the ACE – TRACKR combination on my ride last weekend, I was wowed. The first thing that impressed me was the way the radar lets you know of cars approaching from behind on the ACE screen. On the left-hand side, a thin but completely visible line is present at all times when the radar is on. With no cars approaching, it is green. When a car approaches, the computer makes a distinct sound, and the bar turns yellow (approaching at moderate speed) or red (approaching faster). With the ACE’s larger screen, this was easy to see out of my peripheral vision, even when I wasn’t looking directly down at the computer. Even more impressive was a small rectangle or car icon that appears and moves inside the bar, showing you the distance between the car and your bike. The radar reads cars behind you starting at 150 yards (unless they are out of sight in a curve on the road). I was surprised to realize that I can’t actually hear a car behind me until it is pretty close to my tail – even without headphones or music playing from an external speaker. Before testing this setup, I never realized how close cars were to me before I was aware of the approaching danger. Even more impressive was the radar’s ability to record and alert the rider to multiple oncoming vehicles. Each vehicle has its own icon. I am sure there have been times riding on a narrow street when I hugged the outside edge of the road after realizing a car was approaching or passing, then moved more to the center once I thought the danger had passed – oblivious to another car behind the one I was aware of. At the risk of sounding hyperbolic, I truly believe this device could be life-saving. Once again, AI was right to doubt my initial skepticism.
The radar light has other cool features as well, including a self-dimming function that saves battery life when no cars are behind you and a “brake light“ feature that increases brightness when you slow down. Not surprisingly, it pairs easily with the ACE computer. $247 well spent, IMHO.
The Noxgear 39g Wearable Bluetooth Speaker
At $59, this is my least expensive recommendation. I can’t recall how I stumbled upon this personal speaker a few years ago, but I truly love it. The speaker is small and lightweight, and can either clip onto your bike jersey or be attached to your clothing with an integrated magnetic clasp. I don’t “feel” it on my shirt when riding. The sound is excellent considering the speaker’s size and price, and loud enough that you can still hear your favorite jams even when going downhill at 35+ MPH. Friends have also reported that when used as a speakerphone, they can hear me relatively clearly, and I can definitely hear them well. If you are like me and get energized by the requisite class rock playlist (or Rocky soundtrack) when pushing up hills, I believe this is a no-brainer. At least it is worth a test ride!
I hope these recommendations have been of value to others who follow the Velominati! Please share your most-loved bike technology purchases.
