Wahoo element roam. please explain....

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ton
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Wahoo element roam. please explain....

Post by ton »

...... in laymans terms, what it does please.

anyone who has one.
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johnnystorm
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Re: Wahoo element roam. please explain....

Post by johnnystorm »

I don't have a roam, but I have got the original elemnt. It mostly does what a Garmin edge does. The roam adds rerouting and a coloured screen. If you have a smartphone (pretty much essential) then the Wahoos are a breeze to set up and customise.
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Chew
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Re: Wahoo element roam. please explain....

Post by Chew »

Basically its like the Bolt, but has a colour screen has underlying base maps and is £100+ more expensive.

If you want a Wahoo i'd just by the Bolt as you can do 99% of the extra things you can get inbulit in the Roam via a smartphone, but spend the additional £100 on beer.

The positives of the Wahoo are its simple to use once its all set up, and if you're going to spend the majority of your time riding on roads, lanes, bridleways, pre decided route, then the mapping is everything you'll need.

If you're going exploring/off-piste then I'd want to have something with OS maps
ton
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Re: Wahoo element roam. please explain....

Post by ton »

understood....kind of.

i want something, where i can add my destination each day, and it gives me the best cycling route.

is there such a device or app ??


i had a garmin tour that did this, iirc. but the screen was far too small for failing eye sight.
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Dave Barter
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Re: Wahoo element roam. please explain....

Post by Dave Barter »

I would never trust a GPS unit to give the "best" cycle route. Websites such as Cyclestreets or cycle.travel have much better data to make that decision. I use these to create a GPX which I load onto my GPS
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ton
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Re: Wahoo element roam. please explain....

Post by ton »

cyclestreets is one that i was thinking of. it gives you 3 options ??
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voodoo_simon
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Re: Wahoo element roam. please explain....

Post by voodoo_simon »

ton wrote: Wed Jan 13, 2021 3:24 pm cyclestreets is one that i was thinking of. it gives you 3 options ??
*disclaimer - not an owner*

Does the GPS not have Bluetooth so you can access the route on your smartphone and quickly transfer it over to the GPS or at least, that was my understanding of it
Chew
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Re: Wahoo element roam. please explain....

Post by Chew »

Yes thats the one.

There is an app for it, and if you want a big screen then you could just get a mount to add your phone to your bars?

Unsure how user friendly it is though?
boxelder
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Re: Wahoo element roam. please explain....

Post by boxelder »

There's a decent long term review on adventr.cc Ton
https://advntr.cc/wahoo-elemnt-roam/
redefined_cycles
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Re: Wahoo element roam. please explain....

Post by redefined_cycles »

ton wrote: Wed Jan 13, 2021 2:53 pm understood....kind of.

i want something, where i can add my destination each day, and it gives me the best cycling route.

is there such a device or app ??


i had a garmin tour that did this, iirc. but the screen was far too small for failing eye sight.
Since you're a big friendly giant Tony... You can borrow mine for a few days. It's the Roam and IMO gives me a better route than whats Strava gives me. Yes, for that, it's a Roam you want as you can just toggle one the device and click 'take me there'...
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Alpinum
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Re: Wahoo element roam. please explain....

Post by Alpinum »

johnnystorm wrote: Wed Jan 13, 2021 2:08 pm It mostly does what a Garmin edge does. The roam adds rerouting and a coloured screen
Garmin Edge 530 and all upwards from there do rerouting and have been doing that probably before Wahoo was a thing.
Same with many other claims (on Bikepacking.com for example), "like RWGPS only runs with Wahoo." Garmin has been working with RWGPS 2 years before Wahoo released their first cycle computer.
etc. etc. etc.

Wahoo has a successful marketing aimed at bikepackers and is especially successful in compromising objectivity of those writing at bikepacking.com . Garmin doesn't.
That's about all Wahoo adds to Garmin.
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Charliecres
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Re: Wahoo element roam. please explain....

Post by Charliecres »

I have a Garmin Edge Explore, which does much the same stuff as the Roam, as I understand it. You can pick a destination and it will choose a route. If you go off-course it will re-route you and you can even pick a direction and distance and it’ll plan a loop for you.

I tend to plot routes in ViewRanger on my phone, where I have full OS mapping, then share the route to Komoot and it then pops up on the Garmin. Easy peasy.
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johnnystorm
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Re: Wahoo element roam. please explain....

Post by johnnystorm »

Alpinum wrote: Thu Jan 14, 2021 8:35 am
johnnystorm wrote: Wed Jan 13, 2021 2:08 pm It mostly does what a Garmin edge does. The roam adds rerouting and a coloured screen
Garmin Edge 530 and all upwards from there do rerouting and have been doing that probably before Wahoo was a thing.
Same with many other claims (on Bikepacking.com for example), "like RWGPS only runs with Wahoo." Garmin has been working with RWGPS 2 years before Wahoo released their first cycle computer.
etc. etc. etc.

Wahoo has a successful marketing aimed at bikepackers and is especially successful in compromising objectivity of those writing at bikepacking.com . Garmin doesn't.
That's about all Wahoo adds to Garmin.
Sorry, poor wording on my part. I meant that the Roam added rerouting and colour to the elemnt.
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Dave Barter
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Re: Wahoo element roam. please explain....

Post by Dave Barter »

ton wrote: Wed Jan 13, 2021 3:24 pm cyclestreets is one that i was thinking of. it gives you 3 options ??
Yes ton. I always pick the quietest route export it as GPX and then tinker about with it myself.

No matter what anyone tells you a GPS/routing algorithm will always have flaws. You should NEVER trust it 100% as it is basically Sat-Nav and my street is a working example of how poor mapping data makes it go all wrong.
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Scud
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Re: Wahoo element roam. please explain....

Post by Scud »

To add my thoughts, i had 6 Garmins before my Wahoo Element, and now my Roam.

Every one of the Garmin developed a glitch of some sort, whether it failed to upload routes, would just start turning itself off randomly, or the last one the battery just died.

I think the Garmin have good hardwear which has been let down often by bad software.

What i find best about the Wahoo, is that it simply works and it will still be working in 14 hours time for navigation.

It is all controlled by the app, and that app for me is linked to Strava, Komoot, RWGPS and to Apple Health. i can devise a route in any of the first 3, it will automatically then go to the Wahoo app, and then sync to the head unit. I finish a ride, and automatically it is uploaded to all four apps.

If you want colour everything and minute detail in the mapping then it isn't the best, but on or off road, i've not had a problem navigating with it.
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