Wahoo ELEMNT Bike Computers Add Native Respiratory and Hydration Sensor Support
Wahoo has added native support for two new categories of training sensor to its ELEMNT bike computers: Tymewear’s respiratory sensor for real-time breathing metrics, and hydration sensors from FLOWBIO and hDrop. Both connect directly to the ELEMNT app and head unit without third-party workarounds, bringing data that used to require a lab test onto your handlebars mid-ride.
What the New Sensors Track
- Tymewear — a chest-worn respiratory sensor that reports breathing rate and related metrics live, giving an earlier signal of rising effort than heart rate alone, which lags behind sudden changes in intensity.
- FLOWBIO and hDrop — hydration and sweat-loss sensors that estimate fluid and electrolyte loss during a ride, aimed at giving a real-time prompt to drink rather than relying on a fixed bottles-per-hour plan.
This Is a Wahoo-Only Integration
Worth being precise about: this integration is native to Wahoo’s own ELEMNT ecosystem — it pairs with ELEMNT head units and the Wahoo app. It is not a Garmin-compatible feature, and none of these three sensors is a Wahoo product itself; Wahoo has simply built first-party support for them into its computers. If you’re on a Garmin Edge, check each sensor brand’s own compatibility list separately rather than assuming crossover.
Why It’s Useful Mid-Ride
The pitch is pacing and fuelling decisions made with live physiological data instead of guesswork or a post-ride file review. A rising breathing rate at a steady power output can flag that you’re working harder than the numbers suggest — useful in heat or at altitude, where heart rate and power alone can be misleading. Hydration data aims to replace the generic “drink every 15 minutes” rule with something closer to your actual sweat rate on that specific ride.
Which Computers Support It
The update applies across Wahoo’s current ELEMNT lineup rather than being limited to a single model. If you’re shopping for a new head unit, we’ve reviewed the two most popular current models in detail:
Worth It?
None of these sensors is cheap, and the data is genuinely useful mainly if you already train by feel-plus-numbers and want another input, rather than a replacement for structured power- or pace-based training. For most triathletes, heart rate and power still cover the fundamentals — this integration is worth investigating if you race in heat, at altitude, or over long-course distances where pacing and hydration errors are most costly.
Further detail: Bicycle Retailer’s coverage of the announcement and BikeRadar’s write-up of the update.
