TESTED: Wahoo ELEMNT Roam V2

The new ELEMNT Roam V2 came out in spring 2022, and it brings many updates compared to the original ELEMNT Roam.

Mike Blewitt 06.04.2023

Words and photos: Mike Blewitt

In the world of bike GPS units, different riders have different needs. From fitness tracking, ride guidance, delivering workouts, monitoring conditions, or even monitoring yourself. For some, it's just the best way to track performance for third party websites – specifically going for PRs and KOMs/QOMs. Wahoo are one of the biggest players in the bike GPS space, sharing the limelight with Garmin, and to a lesser extent Bryton and Hammerhead.

Wahoo released an updated ELEMNT Bolt V2 in 2021 that I tested and was really impressed with. The new ELEMNT Roam V2 came out in spring 2022, and it brings many updates compared to the original ELEMNT Roam I reviewed in late 2019, with a mix of hardware updates similar to those on the Bolt V2, and some software updates. Most Wahoo users will be able to access those same software updates, depending on what unit you have. So check the Wahoo companion app!

The new unit sells for $599.95 for the head unit only, with an out-front mount, bar mount and USB-C charging cable. There are bundle kits available as well, for $729.95. Get more details via FEsports.com.au.

What's new on the Wahoo ELEMNT ROAM V2?

A few changes make an immediate difference, and are carried over from the Bolt V2. So there's a full 64-colour screen which is way sharper, with buttons that are raise, to make them easy to use with gloves. There's no touchscreen which suits me fine, given I almost always ride with gloves, and have had a terrible time with touchscreens in rain and sweaty conditions. Wahoo also have changed to the USB-C charging port, which hopefully is the future for most electronics.

Less obvious by looking at it, the unit now has 32Gb of storage, and dual band GPS for better accuracy. There's also greater connectivity for Bluetooth/ANT+ devices, and new software like Summit Segments (a climb tracker for loaded routes) a workout sync and easy route sharing from your device at the trailhead. There's also integration with some eMTB systems to track things like battery life. Handy features like notifications from WhatsApp, texts and more still carryover, although if you ride to escape you can leave this switched off.

When I tested the original Wahoo ELEMNT Roam, I liked the colour screen, but was frustrated by the storage size, and did question how useful the navigation was if you wanted to ride trails and keep pushing – as in those conditions looking at a screen isn't ideal. Of note, most of that test took place in the Swiss Alps, navigating ancient singletrack networks in vertiginous valleys. It was an ideal time to have some help in navigation, but also a situation where taking your eyes off the trail was quickly punished.

Wahoo announced Trailforks integration early in 2023, to enable it you will need an active Trailforks account (a Trailforks PRO account is NOT required), then update your device firmware to the latest version. And then you just need to authorise pairing within the ELEMNT app. The feature is available only for Wahoo ELEMNT computers with routing capability, namely BOLT v2 (WFCC5), ROAM v1 (WFCC4) + ROAM v2 (WFCC6).

Setup of the Wahoo ELEMNT ROAM V2

I see Garmin vs Wahoo as Windows vs Mac in a way. You either like one interface or the other. I started with Garmin units over a decade ago, but after using the original Wahoo ELEMNT in 2016, I have stuck with their units. They have a simple interface that is primarily setup via the companion app, along with quite rugged reliability for both the unit and the software.

As such, syncing the new unit was a piece of cake. To make it even easier, Wahoo have added a backup feature, which means I could sync the setup from the usual Bolt V2 I normally use. If you're upgrading from another Wahoo device this is a handy feature, but the customisation on what you have on each screen is near limitless via the app, which means you can do it all with the assistance of your phone's touch screen. I found the unit fast to pick up the different power meters I use on a couple of bikes, and my finicky Wahoo Tickr heat rate monitor.

Wahoo now have the world's maps uploaded as the 4Gb storage has changed to 32Gb. The upshot is that more data is stored with the maps, although for full ride exploration I haven't found a better resource than AllTrails.com – not that it will tell you if something is rideable or not.

On the trail

For the most part, swapping out my Bolt V2 for the ELEMNT Roam V2 made little difference, save for having a bigger screen in front of me. You can look at the ELEMNT Roam V2 as being a bigger Bolt V2, but the Roam has slightly more battery life (17hrs compared to 15hrs) and the dual band GPS for better accuracy. I wanted to test out the Summit Segments (like Garmin's Climb Tracker) and the accuracy, so I loaded a hilly backcountry route that I knew troubled previous GPS units I had tested.

The Summit Segments only works for loaded routes, and I could pull the route from a saved Strava file. Thanks to the public route sharing software update, I could easily share this with anyone else I was embarking on the ride with – which is a handy feature for big group rides where you know the group is going to splinter at the first climb or descent. Alas, this was a solo form finder, so I rolled out with the unit telling me I had 6 climbs ahead. Climbs have to be 500m or longer, and have an average gradient over 3%.

You do get a cue to 'CLIMB!' and then the data of the climb on the screen, with time so far, time and distance to go, and the gradients broken down via colour coding. It can be like staring death in the face, but if you like to climb it may help you pace your effort. In this way, it's a really useful addition for anyone tackling marathons or stage races where the course is made available for download ahead of time. I used the original Wahoo ELEMNT Roam for a stage race in Jordan, and while the Summit Segments feature would have been handy on the never ending climb to Mt Nebo (real) the route guidance made the biggest difference.

On the navigation front, this is still really good. You get alerts ahead of the turns, which are both audible and visual on the screen and via the LEDs beside the screen. If you miss a turn, the LEDs come up red, and the device will work to reroute you. Again, for an event this is really handy as you'll likely be stressed about getting back on course – but do bear in mind you should re-enter a course where you left it, or risk a disqualification.

There's a major climb on my test route that is steep, unrelenting, and pretty isolated for being a wide motorway fire trail close to Brisbane. There's very little to no phone reception, and GPS devices struggle to record accurately there, timing out, and never really figuring out where you are. The dual-band GPS on the Wahoo ELEMNT Roam V2 is better than on the Bolt V2, but it still lost its way at points. Functionally, it made little difference to me on the ground. I was slogging it out on a steep climb in the December sun, with zero options to turn off anywhere. But the unit did drop in and out, and occasionally suggest reroutes to get back on track. Importantly, it really only struggled on one steep switchback section, not on the steep climb out of the gully earlier like other units.

In terms of navigation, having the larger screen (about 13mm across larger than the Bolt V2) is useful on the Roam. A handy update is the ability to pan on the maps. I think this made a huge difference for mountain bike use. As if you had overshot a turnoff by a long way previously, you could only zoom out to see it, when you would lose map detail. Paired with the larger screen on the Roam, greater colour range and better GPS accuracy, it adds up to an important update for those who like long adventure rides, and those using the navigation functions.

Verdict

The updates to the Wahoo ELEMNT Roam should be well-received. I like the climb tracking, but that's a feature my wife has had on her Garmin 530 for years. When I tested the ELEMNT Bolt V2, I did wonder why anyone would get the Roam at the time. Having now used the new Roam V2, I can appreciate that the larger screen and greater GPS accuracy (along with other hardware and software updates shared with the Bolt V2) make it a very good computer, especially for those who prefer the Wahoo system. For my general use, the Bolt V2 is perfect. If I was tackling more routes where having a bigger screen to see more guidance data and map detail was important, then I would be looking to the Wahoo ELEMNT Roam V2. Similarly, if I had the original Wahoo ELEMNT, or previous Roam, the latest iteration would be a common sense upgrade to get more memory, better detail via the updated colour screen, and of course the dual-band GPS. But it comes down to what you want to use your GPS for. If it's for adventure, I think this is a great system that steers clear of a touchscreen, making it useable in the wet and cold. But if it's just for fitness tracking and ride recording, I'd stick with the ELEMNT Bolt V2.

RRP: From $599.95

From: Fesports.com.au

Hits:

  • Increased storage
  • Better screen
  • No touchscreen for all conditions use
  • Better GPS accuracy

Misses:

  • No touchscreen
  • Many features feel like a catchup