Wahoo ELEMNT Roam GPS review
WAHOO’S ELEMNT ROAM IS SUCH AN EASY UNIT TO LIKE
Words and images: James Raison
Straight at the top, I’m going to crown the Wahoo ELEMNT Roam the “least annoying” GPS I’ve used. Does that make it the best unit on the market? It’s a big call, but I’ve come to like the Roam quite a lot during a two different test periods.
How does this $599 unit perform? Let’s find out!
ABOUT
Price: $599
Display Size: 2.7" (68.58mm)
Screen Resolution: 240x400
Weight: 3.3 oz
Battery: USB rechargeable
Battery Life: 17 hours
Waterproof Rating: IPX7 (waterproof up to 5 ft)
Integration for: Strava, Best Bike Split, Komoot, Ride With GPS, and Relive
In the Box:
ELEMNT ROAM Unit
Integrated Out-front Mount
Stem Mount
Quick Start Guide
HARDWARE
The ELEMNT Roam goes hard on function over form. Put another way; it’s ugly. GPS units have gotten more sleek and clean in recent years but the ELEMNT Roam has chosen utilitarian chunkiness. I love it. Everything has been done to aid usability and that’s what the ELEMNT Roam gets right.
The 6 buttons distributed around the unit (3 on the chin, 2 on the right side and one on the left) are all chunky and require a firm click. I’ll be picky about the buttons and say I’ve never liked units that only let you cycle through data pages with a down button. That means you can only keep pressing down to get the data pages, even if the screen you want is the next page up. I’ve always preferred buttons to touch screen because it keeps the screen clean, and is always usable in winter gloves so I enjoy what the ELEMNT Roam does
The screen is small relative to the unit size because Wahoo has chosen to surround it with buttons and programmable LEDs. It has the look of e-ink with strong contrast making it easy to read in all light conditions. So despite a modest screen size, it doesn’t look small. The GPS lights around the screen to justify their real estate too. You can program them to trigger for things like power or speed, but I liked how they warn you about navigation.
It has the same quarter-turn mount as Garmin but rotated 90 degrees and slightly bigger. On mounts, the unit comes with the classy Wahoo out-front model which creates a very smooth interface with. I could barely believe Wahoo’s stem mount needs zip ties though. ZIP TIES! It’s absurd. I’ve gone back to using stem mounts when I’m riding with a handlebar bag, which I do frequently, so I did have to zip tie the mount to my bike. There’s no justification for using cable ties on a mount like this. I haven’t cable-tied electronics to my bike since I owned a Garmin Edge 705 which was released in 2008.
SETUP
Wahoo’s ELEMNT app is the best way to set up and manage the ELEMNT Roam. You can manage settings using only the device but the app is how I’d recommend doing it.
You can set your data screens, manage your profiles, review your rides, connect your associated services all with the convenience of your phone’s large touchscreen. Bluetooth pairing to my Pixel 2 XL was patchy at times but much more solid with my newer Pixel 5 which I did some more testing with at the end of my review period.
I love phone management of bike GPS units. You can do all of the important device management tasks on the Roam itself but why would you if a phone touchscreen is available? The Wahoo menus are fairly intuitive and I’d expect users will find setting it up easier than a Garmin Edge.
MAPS & NAVIGATION
Wahoo does an excellent job with their maps and navigation system with only a couple of small gripes.
Each unit ships with regional maps that are updated automatically. They’re detailed, coloured, and easy to see on the unit when riding. I did find some major roads missing though when I was doing some regional riding. It was very strange riding on a sealed tarmac road and it being completely missing from the map. Strangely, the tiny gravel roads we turned onto did appear. I only noticed it a couple of times but it stuck with me as surprising. My two ride companions also had Wahoo units and the same roads were missing for all of us.
Getting routes to the device is a breeze. The ELEMNT App will list all of the routes from your connected services so I was able to scroll through both my RideWithGPS and Strava routes to find what I wanted, then easily send it to the device. You can even reverse routes in the unit which is an excellent feature that saves me having to do it manually.
My main navigation test was across a 3-day bikepacking trip on the Murray to Clare Cycling Trail. I was fully reliant on the unit because I didn’t know the course and it generally was excellent. It gives you warning about upcoming direction changes with subtle chirps, and can overlay turn directions regardless of what screen you're on. Those overlays aren’t always reliable though. In some instances I found it would indicate the wrong turn directions. So I’d be approaching a right turn but the turn arrow would show left, even when I was on the map screen with the course clearly going the other way. That was the minority of instances but I did find myself having to confirm instructions on the map screen.
Here’s an example of the unit inidcating left but the route going right
The re-routing and re-calculating system is the most natural system I’ve found among bike GPS units on the ELEMNT Roam. It preferences logical re-routes to get you back on course, rather than the Garmin system which seems to demand you turn around and go back to where you left the course.
Wahoo has an on-demand route generator but I didn’t test that system. I didn’t test that system because I’m the kind of user who creates their routes ahead of time. Were I travelling I’d consider using it but I didn’t feel the need to test it in my home city.
The ELEMNT Road is an excellent unit for those wanting a robust and feature-packed map and navigation system.
THIRD-PARTY INTEGRATIONS
GPS makers connecting with quality third party services vastly improved things for users. The brands seemed to realise they couldn’t be good at everything and decided to collaborate instead. So you’ll get to use excellent route creators like Strava, Komoot, and Ride With GPS. Then you can review data with Strava, Relive and Best Bike Split.
Flicking through Ride With GPS and Strava routes in the app is excellent. I love the age of integration
Strava Live Segment integration is excellent on the Roam, tweaking and improving the experience that was already good on the Bolt. You will get shown upcoming segments and will get measured against your PR or the KOM. It matches the Garmin system generally but lacks the ability to individually turn segments on and off. All of your starred segments are either active or inactive and un-starring in Strava then syncing is the only way to remove individual segments from the unit. A small gripe, but something to note for massive Strava chasing enthusiasts.
THE RIDE
The Wahoo ELEMNT Roam is the best GPS I’ve used when judged solely by ride experience. The sum total of all the user-centric design decisions adds up to an exceptionally friendly unit.
Let’s start with audio-visual feedback. The screen is brilliant. I love how readable, low reflective, and contrasty it is. Screen to unit size ratio might be mediocre, but quality means it doesn’t seem small when you look at it. Its warning and notification sounds are pleasant too. No shrieking or shouting, just pleasant and upbeat chirps. Even the off-course notification won’t make you want to jettison the unit into roadside bushes.
I strongly prefer physical buttons over touch screens too so that’s another strong point of the ELEMNT Roam with its large and tactile buttons. Along the chin are the buttons you’ll use most to switch through pages, start/stop, and start a new lap. They’re large and easy to hit when you’re on the move. One small gripe is only going down through your data pages. To go up a page you have to go all the way down through your other pages.
Uploading is simple with Bluetooth tethering to the ELEMNT app and it’ll be shared across your services once the ride is done. You can review data and ride history through the ELEMNT platform.
BATTERY LIFE
Wahoo claims a 17-hour battery life, which may indeed be the unit maximum, but I managed to burn it out in 9:45 in a day of heavy use. Maximum battery life claims are fine but they rarely reflect how people use the unit. On a day of bikepacking the Murray to Clare Cycling Trail I had a route running with navigation and the backlight on auto. I was making no attempt at saving or prolonging the battery. At day’s end, the unit had 4% left after 7:30 saddle time and 9:45 elapsed. That’s a real-world number. It’s also not impressive. There’s plenty of units that’ll outlast the ELEMNT Roam.
IN THE MARKET
I have heaped a large pile of praise on the ELEMNT Roam, because it deserves it, but any unit that costs $599 AUD has to perform well. The lower tiers of the market are filling out with excellent options from brands like Bryton and Lezyne, and smartphones only seem to be replacing more GPS units on handlebars everywhere. So the ELEMNT Roam had to be excellent. Thankfully for Wahoo, that’s exactly what it is.
Do you need to spend $599 to get a quality bike GPS? No. Do the features and quality of the ELEMENT Roam justify the price within the GPS market? Yes. People like throwing “overpriced” around as a proxy term for “more than I want to pay for something” and that’s been happening to Bike GPS units a lot since the rise of smartphones. For buyers wanting a quality GPS that matches the features of direct competition then the Wahoo does it.
WRAPPING UP
The Wahoo ELEMNT Roam is well-rounded and superb GPS unit to ride with. I like its functional design and easy management with the ELEMNT phone app. I just find it so easy and pleasant.
If I had to criticise, which I do; It’s chunky, ugly, and has only modest battery life for its size. It’s also at the pointy end of the market.
If you have the budget and don’t care about form factor then the ELEMNT Roam is a mighty good GPS.
VIDEO REVIEW
Disclosure statement: This was sent for review by Wahoo distributor FE Sports. It’s not paid and we don’t get any money from Wahoo sales.
