While training for my ride up Haleakala, I quickly found that endurance hill climb success for me hinged on keeping an eye on my heart rate, ensuring it does not stay above a certain level for too long, lest I blow up early. With my iPhone shoved in my back jersey pocket, the Wahoo RFLKT bike computer enabled me to monitor all my performance stats, showing when to push myself harder and giving me a vehicle to better understand my own capabilities.
The Wahoo RFLKT bike computer basically mirrors the data being captured by your iPhone. Via Bluetooth 4.0, the weatherproof RFLKT receives data and images from your phone that is safely stored in your jersey pocket or saddlebag. Using the buttons on the side of the RFLKT, you can control the App on your phone, change data screens, start and stop the timer, and even control your music playback.
You pair the RFLKT bike computer with your chosen iPhone app just as you would any other Bluetooth sensor. Sadly, the Wahoo RFLKT is not yet recognized by Strava, but you can easily export your Wahoo Fitness App data into Strava for roughly the same outcome. I am hoping Strava gets on board soon, just as they have done with all the other Wahoo devices.
I am now a full Wahoo Bluetooth sensor user on my bike, so have my Heart Rate Monitor, Blue SC, and RFLKT all paired with the Wahoo Fitness app to capture and display my ride performance data such as cadence, distance, speed, and heart rate. The two stats I was most interested in for training for Haleakala were speed and heart rate.
After all my training rides up and down the North Bay hills, I gained a pretty good idea of my average climbing speed and could therefore guess how long it would take me to ride up Haleakala (I was pretty close). I knew I wasn't going to be fast, but I also knew that I could comfortably climb for long periods of time as long as I kept my heart rate in the 160s range or lower.
I would love to see the Wahoo RFLKT get a glare-proof screen. When you are cycling with the sun overhead, you are constantly blinded when looking down at the bike computer and can't actually see your stats. I am hoping this is something Wahoo Fitness can easily fix in future models.
An invaluable training tool for me, the Wahoo RFLKT bike computer retails for $129.99 and is available now.