Wahoo Elemnt ROAM V2 Cycling GPS: What's New // Details // Road Tested! 

Wahoo has finally achieved Crayola levels of colors. Although I have a 240 count tub so Wahoo still has a way to go in the color department.

Been waiting for this! Though I do wish that they would have put an even larger screen in it - 62 year old eyes can use all the help they can get!

Great review Shane. That’s what I wanted.needed to know, particularly coming from a Bolt V1.

Hi Shane! Thank you for this brilliant video. There seems to be a bit of confusion regarding the terminology with GPS/GNSS/Dual Frequency and so on. To put it in a nutshell: GNSS (Global Navigation Satellite System) means all the different navigation satellite systems that are surrounding our planet. The most popular among them are: GPS (Global Positioning System) - run by the US GLONASS (Globalnaja nawigazionnaja sputnikowaja sistema) - run by Russia Gallileo - run by the European Union Beidou - run by China QZSS - run by Japan When they talk about Multi-Frequency usage, this means not multiple satellite systems! All the naviagtion satellites emit multiple frequencies. To avoid getting too complicated, you can say, that the more frequencies from one navigation satellite system can be received the better the accuracy of the calculated position will be. There is a wrong information when you write on 14:21 min that the Bolt2 does only receive GPS satellites. You can check it out on the Wahoo website: de-eu.wahoofitness.com/devices/bike-computers#comp-sec Hope you can use the information to correct this little fuss 🙂 Thank you very much for your great work with this channel and keep on going!

My go-to channel to learn any new Wahoo updates. Thank you GPLama.

Thank you for great review, especially appreciated all the comparisons to Bolt v2. Cheers!

Thank you sir, great review. I ordered the Roam v2 earlier today. I am upgrading from the original Elemnt and have been waiting on the Roam to be updated. I hope this was a wise upgrade.

One thing that ROAM2’s increased storage brings: on-device elevation data (like BOLT2) allowing for gradient profile for routes computed on device.

Great video and I was waiting on the update for the Roam, but completely UNDERWHELMED by Roam V2. I will stick with my v1 until there is something more substantial on offer.

Been waiting for this. And the cloud config sync. So much happy - so little time! :) Edit to add: boo ...hiss - still no Tether in the box? So dumb....

More high-quality content as always! Great work.

Awesome! I'm quite happy with my Bolt v2 so I won't be looking to upgrade it, but if it dies in the future I'll replace it with the ROAM v2 for sure. Key feature for me is the slightly larger display.

Great review as always. Was hoping they would get rid of the massive screen bezels, but certainly lots about this unit to make up for that.

Great reviews tech wise mate. Cheers

On a new bike computer in 2022 for that price you would expect smaller bezels and a bigger screen. I use a bolt1 since some years, but next one will be a garmin i guess.

Aside from ambient sensor size, are there any changes in backlight level or range? The ROAM V1 backlight is a bit dim...

How readable is the color screen in direct sunlight? I switched years ago to the ELEMNT with the monochrome screen. This was an improvement for me after using a Garmin Edge 810. I love the readability of the monochrome screen.

Thank You GPLAMA

I'm getting older, and I cannot always read the text on my Bolt... so I'd probably get the ROAM v2 ;-). Waiting for the Garmin Edge 840 to be released next year though...

Thanks for showing out front mount compatibility between V1 and V2! Nowhere on the webernet it says that they are identical..

Thank you for a great video, as usual :-) Regarding Roam v2, it's somewhat underwhelming from the perspective of Roam v1 user. If I may say so, I would advice to... compare it more against Roam v1 than Bolt v2. Then again, potential customers would not see enough reasons to upgrade - at least this is what I think.

Pretty great review.

I can always tell when a publication embargo ends, my youtube feed is 20 Roam2 video's this morning 🤣

I continue to be perplexed why Wahoo can't/won't add street names on the maps, particularly the larger Roam. I made the switch to Wahoo Bolt 2 a year ago, but street names is one of the little things I miss about my Garmin. Thanks for the great review, Shane.

A Hammerhead advert played in the middle of the unboxing - 😂

Are these advanced mapping details coming to the Bolt V2, too? This is one thing I find very annoying and hope to get an Update on it.

Thanks for the thorough review! Could you at some point test the effect of interference action cams have on the GPS accuracy of various cycling computers? I occasionally use a Insta360 one X2 and my bolt v2’s gps accuracy just goes completely to pieces (e.g. from ~3m to 20+) as soon as the camera is turned on.

5:23 It's a screw, bolts aren't usually threaded all the way along the shank 😜

Simply wow... All the content you make GP... Thank you for that. Just wondering. How do you capture the screen on the units in this video? Keep positive en make good videos. Greetings from the Netherlands...

Can u advice me, I’m looking at the roam 2 vs edge explore 2. Mainly for navigation

Does anyone know if the original Bolt can be sent in for a new battery when it starts to loose too much endurance?

You seem to have the inside track with Wahoo... just wondering how they are coming with fixing the gear data recording that somehow got removed in a firmware update. Favorite gears are no longer in my workouts to review... but it's still connected to di2 and sees current gear....I've had a ticket open with Wahoo since last fall and they keep saying it's in the works.

Shane my Boltv1 is long in the tooth and seems to drift more than it used to. Don't want to go back to the big 'G' (radar or not). Is the Roam v2 worth 100US more than the Roam v1? Boltv2 may also be an option i'll have to chew on. that radar integ deal u spoke of last wk was sure interesting (granted it was G only). Take care. -U10

Can you make a test of battery life during navigation ? I noticed that battery that battery is really reduced during navigation on my current elmnt roam (max 9h 10h)

My Roam 1 really disappointed me when I traveled from US to UK and it struggled with getting GPS lock and with only hotel Wi-Fi the unit couldn’t get any internet data. I went to the Garmin 1040 and I’ve been super happy.

2012 just rang up they want their bezel back. Absolutely atrocious that they could allow something this wide to go into production

Are you able to side scroll the map view?

That boot up time! 😮😮😮😮. Yikes!

Shane, Have you looked at or used/reviewed the Wahoo Systm outdoor riding plans that are now available with in the Wahoo Systm training plans. Are they accurate to what the indoor version indicates for the workout to the outdoor version?? Thanks

I hope they fixed the issue I have with the “old” Roam… Maps disappearing as soon as you enter a busy area

wat expecting more, have a original element and looking for an update next year. The karoo 2 looks to have more for the same price. Maybe compare the 2 in a video?

Bottom line would you buy the R2 or a Garmin product?

Whatever head unit you may have I just wish they kept the total odometer on the the companion app

Is the USB-C charging supporting USB-C to USB-C charging? Was a bit disappointed with my bolt2 only supports USB-A to USB-C charging (and specifically say they don’t support Apple charging bricks for some reason). It seems they are incompatible with USB-C PD protocol. It kind of defeat the convenience of USB-C. would be interested to see if they fixed that. Thanks!

Nice review as ever Shane , have you had any luck getting your Kickr2 bike in for review yet?

Now they just need to include ANT+ Light support!

Hi Shane! With regards to the GPS accuracy... I have the Roam 1, and use an outfront mount. On the other side of the mount is a Fly12 camera. Generally (~70%) of the time, the Fly12 causes interference such that the accuracy of the GPS is thrown off (e.g., it constantly beeps at me, because it say's I'm ~5 or 10m off course). This makes following a route extremely difficult if i'm also filming my ride. Do you know if the Roam 2 with it's dual band GPS would solve this issue? Thanks

Finally!!

The GPS Accuracy metric displayed is referred technically as "Dilution of Precision" (DOP), it doesn't have a tangible metric since it is a combine accuracy metric of (X,Y,Z) coordinates + Time. Higher number means the accuracy is bad.

Ackward release time for us in the northern hemisphere who are headed into fall & winter. I just upgraded to the fancy edge 1040 from the O.G. bolt.

I like the backup feature added to the existing units, but somehow have managed to make this completely unintuitive. I see the restore from backup unders settings, but how do you actually backup? Simply syncing does nothing and I expectred to see a Backup Now option. *shrugs*

Hi Shane . Jo here in the UK. Any idea what the removable clip panel on the underside of the New Roam 2 mount is for?

The SYSTM outdoor workouts looks an incredible feature - I had noticed the outdoor versions on the app yesterday so was thinking there must be a new head unit launching. If there’s no grade lag, I’m sold. Sick of the 10-15 second grade lag on my Edge 830 as well as its 8 second power lag. Can’t wait to never have to use it again!

Slightly annoyed that roam v2 along with bolt v2 get highlighted HR zones depending on your heart rate at the time but roam does not, even though it has the capability of it shown in the summit update with gradient zones. Shame as roam v2 'for most people' is not worth the price if you have a roam and you only need a few maps . Still a good product but nothing revolutionary. Cracking review as always though!

Thought they would make the screen bigger by pushing the bezels out more on the new v2 not a fan of the side lights and top lights you can see what zones you are in on a page you can set up so thought they would push the screen out more and do away with them , bigger screen and same size body would of been good,if Garmin did a similar phone app for set up etc I think they would be hard to beat, Garmin nudge nudge 😄

Will the extra memory mean that the ride does not freeze after 12-14 hours as the Roam1 constantly does?

Were you buying a new unit, price aside would you get this or the 1040 Solar?

Do you think upgrading from a Roam v1 to a Roam v2 is still a safe buy this summer or is Wahoo likely to drop a v3 in October?

Hi Shane, Bought the new Roam some days ago and can’t find the option to highlight data field with colours. I saw that file users had the same problem by the past when upgraded from the Bolt V1 to the V2. The companion app thought they were still using the old version. A quick fix was to erase the app and forget the phone. I tried to do that several times with my new Elment Roam but without progress. Can’t highlight date field in colours. Can you tell me if I get something wrong? Where do we personnalise the data in the companion app and is it able to colour customise all date field? Have you heard about such problem? Thanks.

7:06 Nice….

Well, I was hoping for much more: 1. Some kind of app store so people could add own widgets 2. Some kind of security alarm (accelerometer input plus loud sound output when someone moves my bike when I’m in the shop/cafe) 3. Something like knog scout where Apple’s AirTag tech brings new features Other than that device looks like a good update for my bolt v1 🎉

Underwhelmed. While you have better user experience reviews, I find it still still lacking. How about brightness levels of units actually compared? How fast does the ambient light sensor change? How loud and and at what frequencies does the varia radar alerts occur? How often are GPS coordinates updated? Referring to the last question, I noticed that the TBT notifications are around 40 ft or so late. This about the same as my original Bolt and he Bolt V2 I tried. At 15mph that is around 22 ft per second. If the GPS update is 2-3 seconds then accuratel TBT is impossible, yet I have never seen this measured before. Any idea if it can/cannot be improved? Thanks

Does the USB-C actually allow fast charging now? On Bolt V2 there's no fast charging.

anybody knows how I can get the roam v2 maps onto the bolt v2, I hardly use any of the storage and would like the better maps.

the bolt 2 has real time gradient? that means i don't have to load a map?

69g, nice.

One thing I noticed when looking at the specs on the Wahoo site is that the Roam2 no longer has a Gorilla glass screen like the original Roam did. Not that big of a deal probably, but was a bit disappointed to see the slight cheapening of the product.

good gps but no ad on application like garmin

FYI GPS is the American satellite constellation, it was the first one which is why everyone calls navigation devices 'GPS' when infact they are GNSS receivers that is GPS compatible. Dual GPS is incorrect terminology (though this is what they have on their website 🤷🏼‍♂️)

I struggle to see why anyone would buy this when the Garmin 530, 830 and 1030 are miles better… but even the hammerhead Karoo 2 is light years better. I always regretted my original roam purchase and sold it pretty quickly

My Roam installed WR20-15323 yesterday and I am not a Beta user.

How would this compare to the 1040? Also are the LEDs customizable to power, HR, etc?

Recently bought me the Roam V1, with a great discount. Mostly for using it as a navigation device. Garmin wasn’t an option, considering the reviews on this. However, the biggest let down on the Wahoo was; NO ODOMETER on the device! Man, come on! Still can’t comprehend. Is this issue sorted out on the V2, anyone?

Still up to eleven data poles for screen?

Embargo lifted & sight uploaded. What I want to know is have they fixed the crashing issue navigating? Tokyo routing on the fly seemed to overload the old ROAM & would restart.

I’ve been waiting for this video. Garmin have become the Liz Truss of cycling computers so I’m looking for alternatives.

A little disappointed that Di2 and Varia battery is not a data field. Instead you have to do multiple steps to show. Also only pedalling dynamics support for Pioneer power meters. Thought these were promised upgrades for the roam 1.

I knew it! The ROAM was on sale too long. I thought they may have a new computer coming out but hey a new version of the ROAM... I'll say that I called it. 😁 #PelotonSux

Bloody hell a lot of plastic used in packaging compared to the Garmin Edge 1040 pakagaging.

USB C. Thank the Gods. But 600 Beer tickets? Hmmm. Think I'll save a little more for that Solar charging number from the big G..

Surprised to see this device released so late in the cycling season (though I know the lower hemisphere is just hitting spring now)

Still no street names on the map! Bit disappointed

I have the Boltv2 and it's been great. I may upgrade to the Roamv2 just for the larger screen. I'm still not happy with the false advertising from Wahoo about the vibrant photoshop screen on the box compared to REAL LIFE. There should be laws about that.

Still no street names. I was really hoping for that

Is it worth upgrading from the Bolt V2? Anyone

That ridiculous body-screen-ratio 🙈😂

Where. does that put the Karoo and Garmin lines? And what are the functions that you really need? Fine tuning minor functions for a few doesn't get me excited. Just adds complexity. A big bright clear screen, sensor stability, and a decent price shouldn't be just for the high end folks that find their 3 min cadence meaningful. Good on them, but what do the other 90% use this for? Distance, speed and not getting lost? HR and Saving some data to look at later? Ease of use, solid core functionality. We are a long way from a phone like Personal Area Network or car system like easy connectivity. Is this just about ANT+ and not putting a $1000 phone on your bars? I never have yet gotten off my bike and said," Wow , look how smooth the GPS track is!". But I have thought my mapping program wandered like it had Alzheimer's. And $1000 worth of electronics and a phone that work together about as well as the Republicans.

Story no one is covering - can a rider quickly and with a high degree of confidence program a route of varying complexity routine on a multinational trip. Evaluation metrics 1 - 50 reveal if that device is a real word navigator. Any use of a digital scale immediately disqualified from the evaluation. Nobody I know uses their Garmin for navigation, “just to record the track?

This is a very very disappointing release. Increased price and just a new usb connection and the cable included is not even a C to C cable - it’s the out of date A-C cable. Essentially, this is only for people who damage their old roam, don’t have warranty again and want a new one - cos I have a Roam and I am not even interested in this. Cycling tech is still weird and oddly priced to me.

Oh snap, I was confident Roam2 will atleast comes with solar panel and bezeless screen to compete with the Garmin 1040. Such a killjoy, what a let down. Now, Garmin 1040 can proudly claim the first headunit with multiband GNSS and solar panels.

just recently took the new Wahoo Bolt v2 for a 550km ride and I was very disappointed to see that it lost it's turn by turn navigation at that distance already. Fortunately I still had my Garmin as backup, which notified without problems. It's pretty ridiculous that they keep releasing new hardware, but don't fix the main complaint in software - ie. unable to deal with more complex / bigger GPX routes still. Frankly I don't expect the roam fixes anything in that regard so still useless for any serious long distance riders... It didn't work properly at 500km I wonder how badly it copes with people doing Tour Divide or some other Trans Continental epics...

Bit of a disappointment to be honest. Especially given the price increase. Looks as if it's more focused on future functionality rather being ready for prime time now. No longer the category killer it once was. Might be time to even consider switching back to Garmin or heading over to Hammerhead and the Karoo 2..

I was really looking forward to this Wahoo version but, It's 2022 and the map is still not fluid, looks the same pixelated as the older model ...Why Wahoo?. Smart phones from 2020 had better map navigation. Secondly screen is still very small for a cyclist to read while riding bike. More memory is not what most cyclist need, it's the smooth navigation and larger screen. Great review though Shane.

I am back here again because I am so angry at this wahoo release- there were so many features that could have been included, quick text replies like I hear Garmin has, music control , so many things - its rather disappointing , also considering the fact most users of the people using these devices are used by regular people not the pros.

Once again no tether😢

Looks like a good product. But a GPS without raod names. What is the point. Garmin 840 is much better in this regards than wahoo v2. And 840 has touchscreen with buttons. Easy to enter address directly in the unit in garmin 840. Wahoo needs to make maps with more details especially the road name. And so much wastage of these useless leds on the side taking up screen space.

I find that Wahoo is very basic I've switched especially there maps are really disappointing no street names a real let down

Can you actually test navigation? I haven't seen anyone test that for any bike gps. I don't mean following a route, if I have a route then i know where i am going, why do I need a gps? I mean cycling somewhere, then deciding you want to say grab a pie, google for a shop and have the unit get you there. A real test of how buyers of a roam would use it. Clue is in the title really, roaming...

No Ant+ light control once again...Wahoo, WTF?!

Oh dear! another high end computer without a proper mount for the handlebars. I'm sure most of those who can afford this have bikes with aero shaped handlebars. I know most will be using out front mounts but if you are going to put a handlebar mount in why not cater for aero.