First Look: Wahoo Elemnt Roam

They say Rome/Roam wasn’t built in a day… and once again it would appear that old adage is true, as two years on from the launch of Wahoo’s Elemnt Bolt, comes the Wahoo Elemnt Roam with smart navigational features and a colour screen (here all week). 

Wahoo launch the Elemnt Roam 
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It's Wahoo's first GPS with colour; although 'full' colour is stretching it a little, as you'll see in the video that the actual colour pallet on screen is a little limited.
The Roam places a much bigger emphasis on mapping, hence the name, and putting two and two together you can work out that the Roam is aimed more at off-road riding than their Elemnt, Elemnt Bolt and Elemnt Mini computers. It has all the features you'd find on the Bolt and Elemnt that road cyclists want but with the mapping included, so if you're a multi-discipline rider who wants one GPS to do the job for everything then the Roam should fit the bill. Wahoo themselves say it was developed to answer demand from riders who ever more frequently want a device that will help them to explore “less trafficked” areas. 

The Roam has a brand new patented mount, with the same twist-and-click motion on Wahoo's other devices but just sized specifically for the Roam. We measured it at 8.5cm long x 5.5cm wide, which interestingly is the same size as a standard business card.   

Pairing with Wahoo's revamped Elemnt phone app is quick and simple, and this allows you to customise data screens and alter settings really fast. When the computer boots up the little guy warming up on his Wahoo Kickr now has a blue jersey. 

Charging is via micro usb, and you control the unit with the very intuitive button interface. There are three across the bottom, two on the right side for scrolling up and down and one on the left for turning on and off or going back a page.

Wahoo have added quite a few features that you’ll really find useful if you’re regularly riding in unfamiliar places or just want to explore without worrying about finding your way home. The new Smart Navigation includes the option to automatically reroute you on to a planned route when you go off course, create new routes on the go and there's a 'take me home' option. The 2.7” colour display should make the maps easy to follow, and the battery life is a claimed 17 hours with all the features running, more than enough for a full day's exploring and more. 

There's also an ambient light sensor that automatically turns the screen backlight on or off and adjusts screen brightness according to the light conditions, inside or out. Battery life is a claimed 17 hours with GPS and maps both running.  

Needless to say, we'll be reviewing the Elemnt Roam over the next few weeks with a full test report coming soon...