Wahoo adds live breathing zones to its latest bike computers

Wahoo has added live ventilation training zones to the ELEMNT ACE, BOLT 3 and ROAM 3. The new feature uses data from Tymewear’s VitalPro chest strap to show how hard a rider is working based on breathing rather than power or heart rate alone.

The two companies announced their partnership in June, and Wahoo’s first supporting firmware allowed its latest bike computers to display and record raw breathing data. The latest update finishes the job by turning those measurements into personalised zones that cyclists can follow during a ride.

Breathing zones are now live

Firmware build 302661 was released on July 28 for the ELEMNT ACE, BOLT 3 and ROAM 3. According to Wahoo’s official ELEMNT firmware notes, the update adds ventilation training zones for Tymewear VitalPro users.

Wahoo app version 6.89.0 has also arrived on iOS and Android, providing the controls needed to configure those zones. Riders first complete a threshold test through Tymewear and then enter the resulting values in the Wahoo app before assigning them to their preferred cycling profiles.

Once everything is set up, the bike computer can show the rider’s current ventilation zone with a colour-coded background. Other available fields include breathing rate, tidal volume, minute ventilation and the amount of time accumulated in each zone.

The post-ride summary on the ELEMNT includes a simple graph showing the proportion of the session spent in each zone. Wahoo’s detailed Tymewear setup guide confirms that the underlying respiration data is also written to the FIT file and can be sent to the Tymewear app for further analysis.

There is currently no equivalent ventilation summary inside the Wahoo app’s activity history. The information therefore appears on the ELEMNT immediately after a ride or inside Tymewear once the completed activity has synchronized.

Another way to judge effort

Most cyclists use heart rate, power or a combination of the two to control workout intensity. Ventilation zones offer a different view by looking at how the body’s breathing changes as effort increases through aerobic and anaerobic thresholds.

Wahoo says breathing responds more quickly to changes in effort than heart rate. It could therefore provide earlier feedback when a rider increases the pace, although the usefulness of that guidance will depend on the accuracy of the VitalPro sensor and the quality of the initial threshold test.

The new feature also shows how far Wahoo’s cycling platform has advanced. Current models are increasingly becoming hubs for specialised physiological sensors rather than simply recording speed, distance, power and heart rate.

There are some limits to keep in mind. Wahoo only lists the ACE, BOLT 3 and ROAM 3 as compatible, while the $299 VitalPro uses separate breathing and heart-rate sensors that must both be paired with the ELEMNT.

The hardware cost and extra setup will keep this fairly specialised for now. Still, cyclists already using Tymewear finally have the complete integration promised in June, with breathing data converted into something they can act on while riding.