Great, honest, accurate review! I wish I had found it before making the leap to the Dash. "We're working on it" is what I've heard a lot from Stages. That doesn't cut it in the real world. Promising something that doesn't exist is one of the major annoyances I've found. I spent an obscene amount of time trying to figure out how to configure the Dash pages and fields via the app, as that is an advertised feature and is even in the instruction manual! When I spoke with a Stages tech, he said it was coming soon. WTF? Auto power down, auto laps, battery duration, GPS accuracy have all been additional annoyances for me. My first ride with the Dash seemed ok, but when I uploaded it to Sync and Strava, it showed a total distance of over 49000 km. Yes, that right, over 49 thousand km in one ride. WTF again? Seems that the Dash is having issues with Ant+ and BLE speed cadence sensors, which end up with the slightly (!!!) inaccurate distance. Temp fix is to disable the sensors and just use GPS as data source. It would be fine if the device supported better GPS technology like Galileo or Glonass, but nope, it doesn't. Needless to say I'm quite annoyed at the product. Bad marketing is one thing, but lying to potential customers to make sales? That should not be legal...
Hi Richard, are you still having issues with the product? I’m very tempted (hopeful) it will improve as I really like the specifications it ‘should’ have. I’ve seen some positives reviews on the US Amazon site, could be paid reviews .... who knows. I just wonder if I should get the Elemnt Bolt but it’s now getting old in tech terms but has the features I need .... also the Lezyne units look decent. Anyway, hopefully you’ll come back and say the M50 is now awesome 😎 although I’m not hopeful of that 🤦♂️
I’d be interested if they have made any updates to the firmware. Seems like it has real potential, but right now I’m leaning towards the reliable Elemnt Bolt despite its age. Has anyone had recent experience with this device?
Those Stages units look pretty good to me, I have to admit that. I'd certainly consider them If I was after new bike computer. Hopefully they will develop the software and bring new features and functionalities as the keep promising. Also thumbs up for unplanned crash test 😅👍
"We're working on that" - been there ,done that with the Wahoo RFLKT. Honestly Garmin and Wahoo both have been there at some point or still are with some devices - Lezyne and Sigma definitely are still there. Garmins are known to brick with updates (happen to my Etrex) and you are basically forced to buy newer generation devices just to get basic software implemented features. I'm genuinely surprised that with all the short comings of Garmin devices they are still leading the market at price points where you can get fully equipped mid-level smartphones. Seems like Strava live segments and Training Peaks connectivity are killer criteria for any decent cycling computer.
hi, about das m50 I have problems because the conection with the gps is late an I foget dstance and also time whe I am training, do you know which is the reason. maybe is the ew firmware? thanks
Hi Tariq. Based upon your own experiences so far in reviewing both Stages Dash and Wahoo Roam units, which one do you think wins out and would likely find a permanent home on your own bike? I'm trying to take everything into account (stability, ease of use, features, battery life, readability) before making a buy decision. BTW, I really like the thought process and presentation of your reviews!
+Chuck B really appreciate your comment and glad you are enjoying the reviews! Based on everything you mentioned, I think you will find the Elemnt Roam the best and easiest to use. It’s what I have on my road bike now. Excellent screen, easy to setup and the navigation is well done on the device.
Stages Dash bike computer seems to lack some basic features such as auto power down, auto lap and smart trainer control. However, their Stages Dash web app is easy to use and makes customizing the Dash quick and simple. If you are in the market for a new bike computer, what would you look for?
Tariq - great critical review! * Great web interface aside, requiring USB attachment to sync is very "old school" vs. competition. * Speaking of USB, your comment about their USB cable being "special" is quite alarming. Why? * So glad you point out clock skipping seconds. Makes me worry that there could be software stability problems and/or an under-powered processor in it that will (re)surface in future updates. * Do you know what the screen resolution (Horiz/ Vert) is for the L50? * In your view, what are the implications of missing Wi-Fi support? Does this mean that the phone app is always needed as a bridge when downloading new routes (from Ride with GPS, etc)? Thanks!
Most USB cables that you probably have laying around are charge only cables. You need a data USB cable to use with the Dash desktop app. As for the Wi-Fi, yes, it needs the phone as a bridge to sync and upload workouts. I personally don’t think it’s that big of an issue because my phone is always with me but Wi-Fi is supported on other units at this price range.
Thanks -- 400x240 is the exact same resolution as (dimmer) Wahoo Elemnt and Roam units Re: USB cable -- good to know that a standard USB cable works. I was worried that there was something sinister going on there ;-). Lack of Wi-Fi is tolerable, as long as it can be done with Bluetooth in a consistent and reliable way.
There is no reason these days to create an incomplete product, Control an smart trainer, synchronize workouts and other features have already been implemented and established successfully. In my opinion they are very reshaped, if they are going to put a new product on the market they should always be one foot ahead!
