(Finally, found a use for ChatGPT image generation that isn’t horrific!)
An ugly software bug reared its head over the weekend for owners of the Wahoo BOLT V1 & ROAM V1 cycling GPS units. Those units were first introduced in 2017 for the Wahoo BOLT V1, and 2019 for the Wahoo ROAM V1. The original ELMENT from 2016 is also affected, based on comments on Reddit.
In any case, the ‘problem’ here is relatively straightforward (albeit highly bad). The internal clock on these devices has reset to January 1st, 2006. Making matters worse, manually changing the time forward (via phone app), then is overwritten back to 2006 the moment the unit connects to GPS (because it gets/confirms time from GPS, and there appears to be a bug handling the time aspect there).
However, while you might think a bad-GPS date is only a minor problem, as always, when it rains it pours. The bad GPS date then in turn causes connection issues, resulting in wildly-random and impossible speed values, constant pausing/resuming, failure to follow courses, and generally speaking, failure to act like a GPS unit. And of course, if you do get that ride finished, you get salt in the wound of having the wrong date on your Strava upload, back to January 1st, 2006.
While you can fix the date/time offset on your completed activity by getting the original file and using FitFileTools to change the date, it’s obviously a bit cumbersome. If you need access to that file, you’ve got a few quick ways of getting it:
1) If uploaded to Strava, you can download the original file on the left-side of the desktop site
2) If on the Wahoo app, you can export the original file to your computer/phone
3) If connected via USB to your Wahoo unit, you can do the same.
Then, on FitFileTools, you can upload the file, and use the Time Adjuster option to correct it. Once that’s complete, you’ll re-upload the file to Strava/TrainingPeaks/MapMyRide.
So, what’s the cause of the issue?
Well, Wahoo hasn’t quite confirmed yet, but the assumption here is a bug related to 1024, and specifically the number of weeks the 10-bit counter holds. In this case, it reached the maximum amount of weeks it could hold over the weekend, since January 1st, 2006, and thus ‘reset’. And this past weekend (yesterday) is exactly 1,024 weeks since January 1st, 2006. Much like Garmin’s GPS-related issues this past January, there’s a substantial amount of interwoven threads between ‘date/time’ and ‘Will GPS work?’. And when those threads break, it all goes to crap.
And what about the fix?
Well, it’ll almost certainly require a firmware update to fix these three units. I’ve reached out to Wahoo, and they’ve already responded to confirm they’ve got my e-mail and CC’d a boatload of people. I’ll report back and update here, as soon as I have some more details on what a fix might look like in terms of timing.
Update #1 – Aug 18th @ 10:30AM Eastern:Wahoo’s cycling product manager says: “We have all hands on deck working towards a root cause analysis that will lead to a firmware update to resolve this issue. I don’t have more of an update at this time but will share as we progress on resolving this issue.”
Update #2 – Aug 19th @ 2:26PM Eastern: Wahoo has added a dedicated page for future updates, as well as provided this update:
“We deeply apologize to our valued customers for the inconvenience experienced over the past few days with the first generation ELEMNT, BOLT, and ROAM Bike Computers. We now fully understand the root cause of the issue relating to older first generation devices, which use a limited 10-bit system to track GPS time. We have been working around the clock on a fix so that users of these devices can continue enjoying riding with them again.
Given the age of these devices and the several upgrades to our product platform since, we are testing the firmware update to ensure it runs smoothly and hope to release it to users soon.
Thank you for your patience and understanding so far. Customers should keep an eye on this web page, which will be updated regularly.”
Update #3 – Aug 21st 1PM Eastern: Wahoo has re-confirmed that this is only impacting V1 models. Specifically saying:
“Wahoo have investigated the support tickets coming in for Wahoo Generation 2 bike computer devices, reporting similar issues to those reported on Generation 1 devices. So far they have ALL been misidentified and are actually a Generation 1 computers.”
They go on to say if you’re not sure which unit you have, you can use this page to double-check.
Update #4 – Aug 22nd 5:21PM Eastern: Wahoo says they have a fix for the issue, but they’ll continue testing it over the weekend privately, to ensure it works. They’re saying they hope to release it next week.
“Thank you for your continued patience as we work to resolve the GPS time issue on ELEMNT, BOLT 1, and ROAM 1 computers. We know how frustrating this has been, and we truly appreciate your understanding.
We have identified a firmware solution and will be testing it thoroughly this weekend to ensure it’s completely stable. We expect the testing to take at least three days.
We will release the fix via a standard firmware update as soon as we have confirmed the solution. Our team is working hard to get you back on the road.”
Update #5: Aug 23rd, 5:21PM Eastern: Wahoo has made available (earlier than expected) firmware updates for the BOLT1 & ROAM 1, to fix the issue. Full details also here, and links.
“We continue to apply all resources to resolve the GPS time issue for all first generation ELEMNT computers. We have now released the fix for BOLT 1 and ROAM 1 computers via firmware update that should resolve the issue going forward* for those models. A firmware update for original ELEMNT computers is currently in development.
The updated firmware versions for ROAM 1 and BOLT 1 are as follows:
ROAM 1 – WR24 – 17055
BOLT 1 – WB17 – 17055To receive the fix for future rides*, please ensure that your computer is connected to a viable Wi-Fi network and complete a standard firmware update. for more detail on these processes and basic troubleshooting, please review the articles below:
- Connect an ELEMNT computer to Wi-Fi
- Update firmware on an ELEMNT, BOLT 1, or ROAM 1
- Charge an ELEMNT GPS computer
* The firmware update will not change or recover any rides completed between August 17 and when it is updated. For information on recovering or changing ride dates, see Retrieve / change ride files from ELEMNT, BOLT 1, or ROAM 1 from August 2025″
In the meantime, may I suggest going old-school style (I mean, older-school than a 2016-2019-era device), and riding without a GPS unit? I know, that’s speaking sacrilege around these parts. In any case, thanks for reading!
FOUND THIS POST USEFUL? SUPPORT THE SITE!
Hopefully, you found this post useful. The website is really a labor of love, so please consider becoming a DC RAINMAKER Supporter. This gets you an ad-free experience, and access to our (mostly) bi-monthly behind-the-scenes video series of “Shed Talkin’”.
Support DCRainMaker - Shop on Amazon
Otherwise, perhaps consider using the below link if shopping on Amazon. As an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases. It doesn’t cost you anything extra, but your purchases help support this website a lot. It could simply be buying toilet paper, or this pizza oven we use and love.