Wahoo Fitness’ new $130 RFLKT is an iPhone mirror, like a Pebble for the bike. Its raison d’etre is simple: why spend $250 to $700 for a bike computer when much of that functionality exists in the phone in your jersey pocket? Let the phone do the heavy lifting while the RFLKT displays whatever text or images the phone sends.

So here’s the RFLKT, it’s got a forward mount or a stem/bar mount, no big whup. I wish the forward mount curved and centered the unit, and I wish the unit itself wasn’t so boxy, but still…no big whup. For the moment there’s only one app that’ll run the RFLKT, Wahoo’s own training app. Pair up the RFLKT and there’s not much else to do.

Once the RFLKT is mounted on the bike there’s little reason to remove it. Battery life is one year, and ride files are uploaded from the phone. Communication is two-way, the RFLKT can mark laps and select music tracks. Now let’s take a look at how much info you can track.

iPhone + RFLKT $130
You’ve got GPS data from the phone, which streams speed to the RFLKT. Kinda like having one of those old Cateye’s, but with GPS and you can play on Strava and hey that’s actually way better than those old Cateye’s.

iPhone + RFLKT + Wahoo Blue HR strap +$80
The Wahoo HR strap is also Bluetooth, so it communicates directly with the phone. Now you have speed, HR, and GPS, like the bad old days when buying a Polar was a big investment – you’re getting serious about your training! (Maybe that was the good old days. I agonized over that $75 purchase for days, that Polar was a big deal!)

iPhone + RFLKT + Wahoo Blue HR + Wahoo Blue Speed and Cadence Sensor +$60
Now you have speed measured from the wheel, which is more accurate than GPS. This probably only matters if you’re doing testing or messing with the Chung method. And you also have cadence.

BTW, the Wahoo SC (licensed from Bontrager) is really well made. I know it’s just a simple little sensor, but it has a couple of nice little touches, like the custom made rubber band with a pull tab to ease installation. The crank magnet is a slip on rubber band with a magnet molded in – death to zip ties! Minor details to be sure but it’s nice to see someone making an effort.

iPhone + RFLKT + Wahoo Key +$60
The Wahoo key is an ANT+ receiver that’ll communicate with all the sensors you probably already have – power meters, speed and cadence sensors, HR straps. With this you pretty much have the full functional potential of a Garmin 510 or 810.

The catch is that it’s a 30 pin connection, so iPhone 5 users will need a $30 Lightning adapter. For now Apple isn’t authorizing Lightning for accessories, so a Lightning ANT+ key isn’t in the near future. But now you’re at $220 and the RFLKT is less of a deal now.

iPhone + RFLKT + KICKR or Stages Power Meter
They’re not available yet, but Wahoo’s KICKR trainer and the Stages power meter will be both Bluetooth and ANT+. If you get them then you’re fully functional with all the data you could want with Bluetooth.

So…?
The undercurrent here is that there’s a struggle between Bluetooth and ANT+. Almost all phones are Bluetooth, almost all bike computers are ANT+. If I were a runner and had no gear to begin with, I’d buy Bluetooth HR straps and stride sensors that would work directly with the phone and keep things simple. If I were a cyclist I’d buy ANT+ stuff that works with my power meter. One of these standards might kill the other off, and there are a helluva lot more runners than cyclists. If you think Bluetooth will be the winner, then the RFLKT is your future-proof on-bike display.

Wahoo has always made their stuff open to developers. Cyclemeter is working on supporting the RFLKT, and hopefully others will follow suit. Given the capabilities of the iPhone, possibilities for future apps are endless. Turn by turn directions, friend locaters, live streaming telemetry, text and phone alerts…but this all depends on the RFLKT catching on and making it appealing to developers, or Wahoo themselves adding more functionality to their app. So for now you have a slick bike computer that can do a little or a lot, with the potential to do a ton more. 

Update 3/1:

There’s a Garmin adapter coming.