- What's up? This is Tariq here from SMARTBikeTrainers.com
If you are in the market for a new
ELEMNT bike computer from Wahoo,
you're probably wondering if you should go
with the ELEMNT ROAM
or the new ELEMNT BOLT.
Other than the obvious price and size difference,
how is the new BOLT, that was just released last week,
different than the ROAM and which one is best for you?
In this video talk about the differences
between the two GPS bike computers.
And hopefully I can help you decide which one to go with
and help you make a decision.
And if you decide to pick one up, I'll have links
in the description.
Those are affiliate links that do help support my channel
but they cost you nothing extra.
And if you find this video helpful, take a second to
hit the like button down below.
It helps the channel and also consider subscribing
so you do not miss any videos from me in the future.
(suspenseful techno music)
Let's start with the design.
The ELEMNT BOLT is clearly the smaller one here.
It is 3.05 inches by 1.86 inches,
where the ELEMNT ROAM measures
three and a half by 2.3 inches.
Also, the ELEMNT ROAM is a little heavier
but the ELEMNT BOLT is slightly beefier than the ROAM.
The BOLT measured 21.4 millimeter in thickness
where the ROAM measure 20.8 millimeter.
Barely noticeable, but worth mentioning.
With the bigger size, you also get a bigger battery.
The ROAM has 17 hours of battery life
where the BOLT has 15 hours,
plenty enough to last you all day of bike-riding.
Wahoo updated the charging port on the BOLT.
And now we have a USB-C port for
quicker charging where the ROAM has a regular
micro USB port.
Definitely there are advantages and disadvantages to both.
I think we all have some micro USB cable somewhere.
Where a USB-C is a better port,
but because it's newer,
cords might not be as widely available.
So, if you are traveling and you forget your charging cord,
there is a much higher chance
that you will find a micro USB cord somewhere
than a USB-C cord.
So, something to consider
but definitely a USB-C port is an upgrade.
The buttons layout is the same-
three on top, two on the right side
and the power button on the left side.
The top three buttons are convex or curved outward
where the ROAM's buttons are curved inward.
I don't know if one is better than the other.
Personally, I do not have an issue with either one.
Some people prefer the inward curve on the ELEMNT ROAM.
However, if you don't get your finger in just right
they can be harder to press.
Also the buttons on the BOLT have a flatter surface
where the buttons on the ROAM are more curved overall.
Personally, I think the buttons on the BOLT
are easier to press than the ROAM.
It would be interesting to see if Wahoo ends up
changing the buttons on the ROAM to match
the BOLT in the future.
Both have an aero design and come with Wahoos aero mount.
That gives them a sleeker and aero look.
Also, the ROAM has a matte black finish
where the BOLT is mostly glossy
with matte finish around the buttons.
Personally, I think Wahoo should just go with
all matte black finish.
(techno music)
The BOLT has an updated 64 colors screen
with an ambient light sensor to make it easier to see
in all condition and automatically adjust brightness,
where the ROAM has eight colors.
But in all honesty, the number of colors
for me just did not sell the BOLT as a better screen
but the BOLT does have a more vibrant screen.
The blacks are blacker on the BOLT
and colors are just a little more vibrant.
The BOLT has a 2.2 inches diagonal,
240 by 320 pixel screen, giving it a 182 pixel density,
where the ROAM is 2.7 inches diagonal
and 240 by 400 pixels which gives it
a much lower pixel density
than the BOLT.
This gives color more density and makes texts sharper
on the BOLT than the ROAM.
Wahoo claims the BOLT has a faster internal CPU
startup time and both devices still take a long time.
The BOLT consistently took about 40 seconds to start
and the ROAM was just two to three seconds behind it.
Maps seems to render at the same speed on both devices.
I personally did not notice a difference between the two.
Even though maps seems to have more color
details on the BOLT for navigation,
I like the ROAM just because of the screen size.
But, as far as everything else,
both devices have the same smart navigation
and rerouting features.
The BOLT can display up to nine fields
which you can customize within the ELEMNT app.
On the ROAM you can have up to 11 fields.
The BOLT allows you to have color highlighted fields.
These are zone driven fields based on heart rate or power.
On both devices
you can customize different pages with different fields.
Both have the multi-sport feature and the hand off feature
if you own a Wahoo RIVAL smartwatch.
Both have LED lights that provide a quick way to see
if you are on pace with metrics like speed, heart rate
and power set up in the ELEMNT app.
They also work for alerts and navigation.
The ROAM also has vertical LED lights
that can be set to indicate speed, power or heart rate.
Also, they can be set up with the Garmin Varia
rear view radar to signal
for cars coming behind you.
The new BOLT retails for $280 US dollars.
and the ELEMNT ROAM retails for $380 dollars.
So, basically you got to decide
if the bigger screen, more battery life is worth the price.
For me personally, I like the bigger screen
and use the ROAM primarily on my road bike
but for my tri bike, I like the smaller BOLT for sure
because it just fits better on the aero bar.
So, before the new BOLT came out,
it was much easier to pick one over the other,
mainly because of all the navigation features on the
ELEMNT ROAM.
But now it mainly comes down to size and price.
But if I'm looking for something to use
mainly for navigation, I would definitely go with the ROAM,
just because of the screen size.
The map, the turn notification, are much better
and easier to see on the bigger screen.
For me if I had to choose one,
I'd probably go with the ELEMNT BOLT
just because I like the small form factor
for my tri bike,
but, something keeps me going back to the ROAM.
I can't pinpoint what it is.
Maybe it's the matte black?
The display on the BOLT too
on paper is a better display,
but it's not that much better in my opinion
and enough for me to recommend the BOLT too over the ROAM,
just based on the display alone.
I liked the ROAM display just as much, if not, even more
in certain situation, particularly navigation
and indoor workouts.
Anyway, hopefully this video helped you understand
the differences between the two bike computers
and help you make a decision.
And if you decide to pick one up, let me know which one.
Also, before you pick one up, check out the links
in the description.
These are affiliate links that do help support my channel.
That's pretty much it.
If you find this video helpful, please take a second to
hit the like button.
Also subscribe if you've made it this far in this video
and have not subscribed yet.
Thank you for watching and see you in the next video.
(zapping)