What is it?
While even some low end fitness watches have a bike activity mode and apps like Strava will let you record your ride on your phone, you can't beat a dedicated cycling computer when out on a ride. Sitting alongside the smaller Elemnt Bolt V2, the Wahoo Elemnt Roam V2 sports a larger display and is better at route guidance (more on that in a bit).
The Elemnt Roam V2 retails for around £349 and weighs just under 100g on its own, but there's a sculptured out-front mount bundled in the box which takes the total weight to around 140g.
The Roam V2 features a 2.7-inch 64 colour screen with a resolution of 240 x 400, while it has a matt finish to avoid any unwanted glare when out on a ride that would make reading the display tricky. It also has a ambient light sensor to ensure brightness levels don't make it hard to read in bright or dark conditions.
There's no touchscreen functionality, but instead there are three buttons running along the bottom of the display supported by a single button on the left-hand side and two on the right. This is supported by an incredibly comprehensive smartphone up, allowing you to set-up and tailor a lot of the Roam V2's settings without even needing to touch the device itself.
The Roam V2 features dual band GPS for greater accuracy, while it comes preloaded with European, America, Asia and Oceania maps. Your own routes can be uploaded as GPX or TCX files, or via routes you've created in Strava or Komoot for example. With a route selected, the Wahoo Roam V2 will provide turn-by-turn directions.
There's ANT+ and Bluetooth connectivity, allowing you to connect a heart rate monitor or power meter, while those with bikes that feature Shimano Di2 or SRAM AXS electric gears can also hook this up to view battery life, current gear and other data.
What's it like?
Out of the box and the Wahoo Roam V2 couldn't be easier to set-up. It charges via USB-C (lead supplied) and battery life is expected to be up to 17 hours. The mount installs easily on the handlebars (there's also a stem mount in the box if you'd prefer) and the Roam V2 clicks securely into place. If you want you can screw the Roam V2 to the mount for added security - handy if you don't want to leave it unattended at a cafe stop for instance.
To get the most out of the Roam V2, you really want to download the companion app. While you can use the Roam V2's controls and interface pretty easily, the app makes it much more intuitive process. It's a brilliant app that's easy to connect and then tailor the Roam V2 to your own tastes, as well as connect other devices and link it up to Strava and other apps. Not only does this mean that rides are automatically uploaded to Strava once you've saved a ride, but you can also select Strava routes and segments and send them to the Roam V2.
The Roam V2 acquires a GPS signal pretty quickly and with that done you can start your ride. The Roam V2 displays ride data on various pages, with the primary one workout data. This features info including current speed, average speed, distance, height climbed and duration of ride - the order of which can be changed, while if all 11 data fields seems like a bit of an overload, you can zoom in to reduce the data fields. It's a nice touch, while the info is clearly displayed. It's here that you'll also get heart rate data and Di2/AXS gearing info.
To toggle to the next page, you press the right button - it's easy to do and responsive enough even when wearing gloves. The next page is Elevation which not only provides more detailed data about how much you've ascended and descended, but it also displays things like Starred Segments from Strava - it'll alert you to a climb coming up and then once on the climb, show you how far ahead or behind you are compared to your PB, as well as other things like where you are on the climb. You can also enable to Roam V2 to give you advanced notice of climbs that lie ahead if you're not using a preloaded route.
Route guidance works very well - it's easy to transfer rides to the Roam V2, and just as you could on the other pages, you can zoom into the map for greater detail, or zoom out for a wider view of the route. You get clear turn-by-turn directions - miss a turn and the LEDs on the Roam V2 will flash red and you'll be re-routed. For those occasions when you don't want to use a pre-defined route, there's on-demand route generation - it's best to use the app for this, entering an address or destination and the Roam V2 will plot the best route.
Should I buy one?
If you're looking for an easy-to-use bike computer that has a comprehensive list of growing features - we haven't even had time to mention the new functionality that has been released recently, including GoPro control, music control and smart light control, then the Roam V2 should be top of your list. The smaller and more affordable Wahoo Elemnt Bolt V2 might be a better solution for some riders, but the bigger screen, more accurate GPS and better route guidance should appeal to a wider number of riders. We reckon that along with the app, the Wahoo Roam V2 is one of the best cycling computers you can buy right now.
