rbk_3

This setup has been amazing. The best part is in over 5000km, I have never had to change the battery in my RFLEKT.
That is the biggest con to a dedicated GPS, I have to worry about charging it all the time. I am carrying my phone with me anyway, and it is always charged, so this is a perfect setup.


I wouldn't mind a little larger unit though that can display maps for example, but it looks like Wahoo isn't going to be releasing any more of these solutions since they now delved into the GPS Bike Computer market. I wish there were more options like this available.

chaadster

It would seem the new Wahoo ELEMNT Mini is the evolution of REFLKT in that it relies on the user's phone for particular services and features.

To answer your question more directly, I think phone "mirroring" as the REFLKT does, is too restrictive to produce the clean user interface most people prefer, and that, from a feature-set perspective, there is simply a wider array of features possible using a cyclometer with on-board brains and GPS, compared to phone syncing.

Danny01

RFLKT did not work for me. Resuming after a lunch break, it would not show any data from the phone. I had 3 different units. All behaved the same way. I had to suck it up and shell out for a clunky under developed Garmin.

Beach Bob

You like a RFLKT? Great...got one sitting on my shelf that I won't even try to resell....maybe it works better with iPhones, but horrible with Android...pretty poor support.. etc. Went to a Garmin and not looking back...

rbk_3

Interesting, I didn't know about the Element Mini. It looks like it is a step back in some ways. You must have Wahoo sensors and HR strap. That wasn't the case with the RFLKT.

rbk_3

Hmmm, I have never had any connectivity problems in over 5000km. I have an iphone 6+.
When I stop for a while, all I have to do is hit one of the buttons on the RFLKT and all my data returns and as soon as I start to pedal it auto resumes recording.

memebag

I don't like using a phone for GPS. Long rides exhaust the batteries and you're left without a phone at the end.

rbk_3

That depends on the phone. My near 3 year old iPhone 6+ loses less than 10% per hour while using GPS and listening to podcasts/Spotify.

memebag

That's amazing. I've never had a opine come close to that. Mine have been lucky to last 6 hours just doing GPS.

chaadster

I think yours is a minority perspective. Probably most riders in the performance category-- which I'd consider anyone who'd even consider spending >$100 on a cycle computer-- are looking for enhanced features, versatility, and ease-of-use (particularly during a ride). RFLKT far underperforms by those measures, and I'd bet money that's why its operating paradigm has not only not been copied, but killed by Wahoo.

I certainly understand the battery life issue you raise, and I think it would be great if ELEMNT power durations were as long as RFLKT, but that's the tradeoff which everyone, except holdout users of the discontinued RFLKT, have chosen to make.

If you're happy with RFLKT, there is no reason to change it out, of course, but the reasons no one makes a unit like it and why Wahoo don't make it anymore, are manifold.

Danny01

When using GPS, it is mostly the screen that is consuming the battery reserve. With the RFLKT, the phones screen is off, so it lasts a couple time longer than torching the screen with GPS on.

memebag

Not on my phones. I kept them dark in my pocket. The GPS alone (and the Strava app recording it) would kill the battery.

cdnredraider

I'm now two years into using my RFLKT. Initially I had some issues with the connectivity, but now that I'm using Cyclemeter as my primary app, those issues have all but disappeared. My longest ride with it so far is ~60 miles with no battery life problems. As a bonus, Cyclemeter has far better customization on the available screens.

The only gripe I have at this point is that the signal seems to drop if I have the phone in my back center pocket. This seems to be a known problem regarding signal strength. With the phone in my side pocket, I have no difficulty.

leicanthrope

IMHO it falls into a weird area. It's too expensive for the "I just want a basic speedometer" crowd that ideally wants to spend 1/3 to 1/2 as much, but it's too basic and limited for the crowd shopping for a more standard GPS.

atwl77

I think the main issue with such "bridge" style tethering is the uncertainty issue, because its reliability completely depends on your phone model and current state of the software. I mean, you could have perfect connection and functionality while the person next to you suffers all kinds of problems like dropouts. And then it could take just a simple phone OS update to screw up that perfect ecosystem... or if you switch phones in the future you are not guaranteed to get the same consistent functionality.


Whereas with independent devices, as long as you are prudent with firmware updates, your device is going to behave the same way today as well as tomorrow.

chaadster

Well it doesn't completely depend on your phone model and software; Bluetooth is a device communication protocol, so how it works is prescribed, though there are different versions.

Your point regarding reliability and interoperability of connected devices versus a stand-alone system is taken, though. Wireless connectivity isn't going away, though, nor is it getting worse, so I don't think that's much of a factor, if any, in why the mirroring model isn't used anymore. I mean, we still rely on Bluetooth and ANT wireless systems to send sensor data to GPS headunits, many of which also use the same tech to connect to riders' phones for call and text alerts, Strava Live segments, and other features, so shifting data between devices isn't the problem.

The type of info sent, between which apps, and at what speed, are more troublesome and limiting factors to the RFLKT tech.

San Pedro

I do think Cateye has a cycling computer which relies on a phone GPS. It's probably affordable too.

My GPS unit has way better battery life than any smartphone.

Symtex

I can do probably close to 13 hours with the Garmin vivoactive HR. I dont' think I could come close to that with my iphone. My edge 1000 could probably last at least 8 hours if not more if I don't use the navigation. I still have a phone I can use. Not only that, it's more precise

Seattle Forrest

I love my Garmin watch. It gets 20 – 24 hours of GPS runtime, has maps in the unit that work outside of cell coverage areas, and it’s as great a skiing partner as it is as a cycling computer. Works with a power meter, does running dynamics on the trail, completely waterproof so no worries about using it in a kayak or canoe, has the best barometer I’ve ever used, and it looks pretty good. I don’t know why anybody would want to be tethered to their phone. And while the big screen in a bike computer is nice, those are just too limited.