Wahoo

Wahoo is a fitness technology company based in Atlanta, USA. Wahoo produces a range of cycling technology products, from cycling computers and smart watches to indoor trainers, pedals and other accessories.

History

The company was founded in 2009 by Chip Hawkins. Wahoo’s first product was the ANT+ Key, it helped to track, measure and share training data from fitness sensors.

Continuing to focus on tracking fitness data via mobile phones, Wahoo moved towards bluetooth technology in 2012 with the introduction of its Blue HR and SC sensors. A year later and it launched the Wahoo Kickr, an indoor trainer with an integrated power meter.

The following years saw Wahoo launch the Tickr, a dual-band heart rate monitor, and the Kickr Snap, a wheel-on smart trainer. In the latter part of the decade it introduced a range of on-bike cycling computers, beginning with the Elemnt, before launching the Elemnt Bolt and Roam in consecutive years to meet the demands of any rider.

Wahoo looked to strengthen their grasp on the cycling industry in 2019 when it acquired training platform company The Sufferfest and pedal manufacturer Speedplay. It also went one step beyond producing just an indoor trainer, when the company released the Wahoo Kickr Bike, which fully replicated both an outdoor ride and bike setup indoors.

Currently, Wahoo has around 250 employees working out of its Atlanta headquarters and  offices in London, Berlin, Tokyo, Boulder and Brisbane.

Key Moments

2009 - Wahoo launch the ANT+ Key

Designed to be plugged into an iPhone, Wahoo’s ANT+ Key was the first product launched by the company. It marked the beginning of its journey in the fitness technology industry.

2016 - The Elemnt marks Wahoo’s entrance into cycling computers

After developing a number of fitness and indoor training products, Wahoo moved outside with the launch of its first cycling computer - a GPS and fitness tracker combined, all linked to a mobile companion app.

2019 - Wahoo acquires Speedplay pedals

Pedal company Speedplay was bought out by Wahoo at the end of the decade as Hawkins looked to offer a more-straightforward competitor to SPD-SL pedal products.

Wahoo's products

© Wahoo

Indoor cycling: Wahoo has developed an indoor cycling ecosystem that offers cyclists of all abilities the tools they need to train at home. The Kickr bike provides the complete indoor training experience whilst the Kickr smart trainers combine with your bike.

Bike computers: Wahoo’s head unit range is made up of two models, the Elemnt Roam which is built for exploration and adventure thanks to its larger screen to display turn-by-turn directions, and the Elemnt Bolt, a smaller, sleeker model that is more suited for performance-focused cyclists. Both bike computers connect with the Wahoo Elemnt app.

Sensors: Alongside the Wahoo Tickr, a heart rate sensor, the company also offers speed and cadence sensors that can be fitted to your bike or shoe.

Pedals: Since its acquisition of Speedplay, Wahoo has continued to produce its range of pedal models as well as the power pedals, known as Powerlink.

Did you know?

Pro cycling

© Velo Collection / Getty Images

Current sponsorships

Men's teams: AG2R Citroën, Alpecin-Deceuninck, Team Arkéa Samsic, Bora-hansgrohe, Cofidis, Team dsm-firmenich, EF Education-EasyPost, Lidl-Trek, UAE Team Emirates.

Women's teams: Ceratizit-WNT, EF Education Tibco SVB, FDJ-Suez, Human Powered Health, UAE Team ADQ.

Athletes: Sarah Sturm, Ian Boswell, Heather Jackson, Alistair Brownlee, Jonny Brownlee