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- Hey, what's up guys?
This is Tariq Ali here from smartbiketrainers.com.
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So this is the Wahoo ELEMNT Roam.
This is Wahoo's latest GPS bike computer
and you can get yours for $380.
So for the past few years
since Wahoo entered the bike computer market,
they had the Wahoo ELEMNT, ELEMNT Bolt, and ELEMNT Mini,
but they had this little gap in their product line
no computer with a color screen
and they lagged behind in navigation.
And that's where the Roam comes in.
So, why don't we first start with the technical specs.
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The ELEMNT Roam is a GPS bike computer.
It does GPS bike computer things like
calculating your speed, mapping your ride,
it connects to a bunch of different ANT+
and Bluetooth sensors
like a speed and cadence sensor, heart monitors,
and power meters.
It has seventeen hours of battery life,
IPX7 waterproofing so if you get caught in the rain
while you're riding, you should be in good shape.
It still uses a mini USB charger
and we all have plenty of those.
It has Smart Trainers support.
The ELEMNT Roam and other ELEMNT bike computers from Wahoo
are all compatible with the Wahoo KICKR
and other ANT+ FE-C bike trainers
so you can use it indoor and control your smart trainer
using slope mode, resistance mode, or level mode,
or you can also add a custom workout from Training Peaks
or Today's Plan onto your ELEMNT and ride it in ERG mode.
And hopefully, we'll start to see more apps
auto syncing workouts to the ELEMNT soon
like TrainerRoad and Xert, for example.
They've been talking about this for a while
so hopefully we'll see that implemented soon.
The bike computer is huge
and the display itself measure 2.7 inches diagonal
and has a huge bezel around it.
It's the same size as the original ELEMNT
and the screen resolution is 240 by 400 pixels.
Wahoo is using an anti-glare Gorilla Glass here
for the screen, supposedly a much tougher glass.
I didn't put it through a drop test
intentional or unintentional.
This is a loaner unit so I am not sure Wahoo
would have liked it if I intentionally try to break it.
Speaking of the original ELEMNT,
what makes a Roam different?
Basically, three main things.
The color screen and just a better overall screen
with ambient light sensor,
better navigation feature, and a different design.
The Roam has a new form factor
and a tiny bit smaller Perspex than the ELEMNT.
Both have the same seventeen hours battery life.
Other than the large screen,
the Roam looks a lot like the ELEMNT Bolt.
Similar form factor, same button layout, similar bike mount.
And it does not feel as plastic-y as the Bolt.
It's still made out of hard plastic,
but actually feels a little bit more solid.
Or maybe because of it's matte gray finish
and everything in matte finish is better.
Everything.
It comes with two different mount option,
a stem mount or this aero sweet looking mount.
And, by the way, this is their latest mount.
The redesigned and, supposedly, stronger mount.
As you probably know if you've been following
the ELEMNT Roam, immediately after the initial release,
they noticed an issue with the original mount
and they immediately stopped selling it
and pulled it off the market
and tried to see what's the issue with the mount
and redesigned it.
I actually just got this mount just last week
and I only took it for one ride so far
so I don't know.
We'll see how it holds up and with time,
but I am sure it is fine.
But it does look sweet when attached
so if you are into clean aero design,
this mount is really sweet.
The screen is flush on top.
It looks modern and not recessed
like you see on previous devices
making it brighter and much easier to look at,
very easy to see in the dark or bright sunlight,
no glare, and the font and text are very clear
and easy to read.
It's an LCD screen, but it reminds me a lot
with an e-ink display you see on a Kindle,
very comfortable on the eyes and easy to read
especially under bright sunlight.
You will see some pixilation in numbers and letters
and that's because these devices tend to have
low pixel density.
So the Roam has 96,000 pixels or 173 ppi or pixel per inch
and if you are wondering, the Garmin Edge 530 and 830
both have 156 ppi so it does have a better pixel density
than the new Garmin.
So the Roam has an ambient light sensor
so the screen backlight and LED light
will automatically adjust brightness
based on the light condition around you
so whether you are outside
or training indoor in a dark room,
I find it to be just bright enough and easy to read.
Now, the Roam has the new color screen.
The colors are very subtle
and they only use seven or eight colors.
You're not going to see them everywhere
and they're not bright colors
like you would see on a phone or a tablet, for example.
They are used in places where
it's nice to see different colors
like in maps, charts, powers ons, and alerts.
Okay, so let's talk about navigation.
Most likely, if you are buying this bike computer,
you're buying it for it's navigation features.
That's what the Roam was mainly designed for.
The ELEMNT Bolt and original ELEMNT
all have navigation features,
but the Roam has a set of features
that are only available on the Roam.
And these features are, Get Me Started,
so if your friends sent you a route
for a Wednesday night group ride and you are at your hotel
two miles away from the start location,
you can load that route onto the ELEMNT
and the Roam will ask you if you want to generate
a turn by turn navigation to the start of that location.
Back on Track, if you miss a turn,
run into construction while you're navigating,
the Roam will reroute you and put you back on your route.
I was actually very impressed on how fast it rerouted me.
Take Me To, you get turn by turn directions
by selecting a location directly on the ELEMNT Roam
using the new pan and zoom feature
or type in an address or location in the ELEMNT app.
So in the app, you can just type in "coffee shop",
for example, in the search box and it will display
coffee shops close by.
Or you can just type in a business name
or a specific address
and you will get turn by turn navigation
of the safest route or bike friendly route.
Now, generally, I find it to select decent routes,
but not necessarily the safest or popular routes
that are frequently used by cyclists.
They are still rideable, but wouldn't be my pick
so if you are new in the area
and trying to navigate somewhere,
just make sure to double check these routes.
Saved Location, you can save a favorite location
like your home or your AirBnB or hotel if you are traveling
and you will always have a quick access to it
and it will generate routes
and turn by turn navigation on the fly.
Route to Start, this one will find the shortest route
for you to where you started from.
So if you started from location A, went to B, then C,
it will take you back to A, or where you started from,
using the shortest route.
And finally Retrace Route.
Retrace Route basically will navigate you back
using the same route you just did.
So using our ABC route example,
it will navigate you back to B, then finally A.
You can also create courses
and get turn by turn navigation on courses you created
from a number of providers such as Strava and RideWithGPS
or load a previous route you did from your history.
So you can fully control the ELEMNT and customize it
using the ELEMNT companion app
and that's what made the ELEMNT so popular
and people love about the ELEMNT.
You can update the firmware, pair it to devices,
rename devices, customize all your field and pages,
set alerts, auto lapse, even the LED lights
and how they function.
They're all customizable in the companion app.
And there is no disconnect between the app and the device.
Everything in the app works on the device and vice versa.
Actually, there is no need to connect it to a computer.
Actually, there isn't even an option
to connect it to a computer
to update the firmware for example.
It's simple and easy to use
and come with a handful of feature that just work.
Now, as far as everything else,
GPS accuracy, elevation, pairing, everything just worked.
I really didn't have any issues with the device
in the period that I've been using it
and I've been using it for about a month or even more.
So, yeah, different look, better screen,
and a color screen, and better navigation.
However, still have the same size, same battery life,
and that's about it.
Still no support for third party ANT+ devices
like the Garmin Varia for example.
Not a big deal for me personally.
I do not use a Garmin Varia or any other top up device
that I can control from the bike computer, so.
But people do ask about this.
Also, cycling dynamic.
Other than the Pioneer partnership
they announced last year at Interbike,
there hasn't been support for other power meters.
And all these power meters, they use open ANT+ standards
so Wahoo, all they need to do is just program for them.
So, yeah, that's everything about the Roam
and I'm kind of curious if you currently own a bike computer
or are shopping for a new one,
what would make you buy this one or something else?
Let me know down in the comments section.
And that's it.
Thanks for watching and see you next time!