As stupid as it might sound, the change to USB-C for data and charging is the most interesting thing about the new Roam for me. Yeah, more better GPS is great, but most of the time when GPS goes wonky, it’s a silent failure. Where having to pack a separate set of cables, or clutter the charging blocks with antiquated connectors, juts to charge my bike computer is an ongoing failure. But I’m funny that way. Overall, looks like a solid hardware bump from the previous version, and it’s only $20 more than the previous Elemnt Roam. I was expecting them to make strides to close the feature gap between themselves and the other serious players (Garmin/Hammerhead) with this release, and that doesn’t seem to have happened.
In real terms, you can get a Hammerhead Karoo 2 or Garmin Edge 830 for the same price as the new Roam; both of which have touch screens for that price. Yeah, you’re giving up USB-C with the 830, but the Garmin does everything. So I guess this is a long way of saying that I’m having a hard time seeing the competitive advantages of the Roam. Am I missing something?
This new version includes a more colorful display, upgraded multiband GNSS chipset for better GPS accuracy, as well as USB-C support.
Beyond the hardware, it also includes promises of new software features down the road, including (finally) a competitor to Garmin’s ClimbPro, which will show the distance and details of climbs as you ride them. While that feature isn’t here today, there are some additional new features that have launched over the past 24 hours to other Wahoo bike computers that are also on the ROAM V2, including Supersapiens support and new structured workout sync from Wahoo SYSTM.