WhyFi

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Done yet?

njkayaker

Wahoo Elmnt -> Original model. Monochrome. No longer made.
Wahoo Elmnt Bolt -> Smaller than original. Monochrome. $380.
Wahoo Elmnt Roam -> Same size as original. Color screen. $230.

eduskator

I wouldn't worry with software updates. Both the Roam and Bolt are still very up to date with the industry and they should continue being updated for a few years at least.

I have a Bolt that's 3 years old and I had no issues whatsoever with it. I'll get a Roam when/if it dies. So far, it's as good as new.

jaxgtr

That is exactly why I moved to Wahoo....I had 3 garmin's over my biking life, each one became more unstable after each of the rare updates Garmin would provide. The last computer I used was the 810 and even when it was new, it had software issues that after several years Garmin never really wanted to fix and I think they just decided to use the 810 as a beta test for the 1000. I'd had enough after I kept having issue just trying to connect to it with my PC. Garmin's Connect is garbage, and would have to routinely unistall and reinstall....Luckily, I was able to find a sucke.....buyer on eBay.

I bought a Wahoo Elemnt which has worked flawless for 4 years. The only real issue I personally have had is the Wahoo insistance to revert to metric from Imperial even though I set it to imperial...Come on Wahoo, time to fix this, sad that it continued into the Roam.

Voodoo76

Anyone else have experience to share with the Roam? I'm considering replacing a Bolt with it, side buttons no longer working and some Bluetooth issues. Anyone pairing a Roam with SRM power meters in particular? Seems like every other Bolt firmware update caused problems with SRM.

SoSmellyAir

Why not just use a smartphone? I use my phone since I want to have my phone with me anyway.

eduskator

Because a bicycle computer is better than a smartphone for bicycle usage? Plus, phone mounts are not very good looking.

eduskator

I switched my Bolt for a Roam over the winter and so far so good. Wouldn't go back to the smaller screen for sure!

It's connected to my speed & cadence sensor, wahoo HR monitor & dual sided PM.

Sy Reene

Much of the reason to get a newer model, at least to me, would be the battery life. Battery tech has gotten a lot better in the last 5 years. For that matter, the batteries, while in theory can be replaced in these units if you buy some 3rd party kits and follow some uTube videos, is not at all easy. So for many the older models just reach end of life because they can no longer hold a charge for even a 4-5hr ride. Now we're at a point where many of these new models claim can last over 12 hours -- which pretty much covers 98% of most users needs.

EDIT: Actually an addendum question. Related to above, my current older 520 is getting pretty bad at holding a charge (I suspect in part is also due to using the Varia with it for some reason). As pertains battery life, do the batteries in these things age and hold lesser charges if they've sat on the shelf for while (eg. is 2yr old NOS going to have any worse battery performance than a brand new stocked item)? Reason I ask is that I see the 520plus is still sold at the likes of Nashbar etc at good discounts. Is there a downside to NOS as far as battery life goes? Garmin still sells these directly, but not sure if they're actually still making them (and I wouldn't buy a 520+ from them since they're only pricing $20 less than the 530).

Bob Ross

+1. My phone is still the iPhone 5S I got in 2013.

Just got an Elemnt Roam for xmas this past December, I'm very happy with it fwiw. Definitely not gonna worry about whether Wahoo comes out with a new model in another year or two.

WhyFi

If you're just tracking your ride from your pocket, phones are fine. Once you start adding functionality, phones start lagging. If you want an always-on display, to see live metrics or mapping, integration with various sensors, etc, phones are a compromise, specially if you're in to longer rides - large, clunky mounts (relative to a dedicated computer), poor battery life, may or may not have weather sealing, etc.

Seattle Forrest

This is a controversial issue and there are good reasons to use a phone and good reasons not to. Passions run hot and the last time we had a phone vs bike computer thread four people were decapitated.

Seattle Forrest

To the best of my knowledge is charging and discharging batteries that reduces their useful life, sitting on a shelf for years shouldn't have much effect. Could be wrong.

My 2 year old Garmin watch gets 56 hours of every second GPS.

Atlas Shrugged

Garmin has been very generous with myself regarding battery replacement policies. For a standard battery replacement fee, they upgraded me to the most current model. Replaced my 810 with a 1030. I know a lot of people like to beef on Garmin but have found their contribution to cycling has been amazing and software issues of old have largely diminished.

Sy Reene

Thanks for the idea! Got off of a support chat with Garmin. They quoted me the labor fee (~$100) as a replacement cost for a NOH (which I looked up, stands for "Newly OverHauled) unit. Doesn't sound though like I'd get your deal of the most recent model. So now to decide whether to go through with this. Either way, it is great service from Garmin, seeing as my 520 is a bit over 5yrs old.

Seattle Forrest

They probably don't have any 810s left to replace it with, had to come up with something, and wanted to keep a happy customer. Too bad they might have some 520s still. Maybe you can run down the clock. 🙂

Sy Reene

Yeah, I thought about just taking my time. I was pretty optimistic that I could end up with perhaps at least the 520+ refurbed. As it is, I have to figure out the timing as I don't want to be without a unit of some sort for too long and have to plan shipping two ways before I'd get the replacement.

Voodoo76

New Roam arrived today. Getting it set up for a ride tomorrow. It is definitely a much bigger screen than the Bolt, think my old eyes are going to appreciate that.

Seattle Forrest

If you have a Samsung phone, they have ANT+ antennas. I don't know what app you would use?

I would try calling them, saying your unit is old and well used, the battery isn't working anymore, what can they do for you? Can't hurt to ask, I don't think a warehouse full of refurbs is valuable to them.

Ti473

I have owned a Garmin 520, a bolt (still have it) and now the Roam.

The Roam is a great unit, very stable. Only had it do a weird reboot on me once on a long ride and didn't lose any data.
The App is good, The customizable screens and features are good, battery life is good. It's got auto backlight when it gets dark, which is nice. The display is a little easier to see than on the Bolt.

The bad parts:
The buttons are kind of ******, they are hard to press especially with gloves on. Get a good stiff mount made of aluminum like a k-edge so it doesn't flex when you try pushing them. The bolt doesn't suffer from this problem, especially the front facing buttons
The ability to route from the unit is there but in my opinion lacks functionality. Not really a big deal to me since I probably wouldn't use it anyway. You can always route from the app and then send it to unit.

Bob Ross

Huh, I haven't noticed any problem pressing the Roam's buttons with gloves on...although admittedly I spent this winter in reasonably temperate climes so it was just glove liners I tried it with, haven't tried it with big bulky insulated sub-freezing winter gloves yet. I guess I can see how those buttons might not work with those type of gloves; does any cyclometer work with those type of gloves?

Y'know what I had noticed? The Wahoo Elemnt Out Front Mount is under $20; a K-Edge equivalent is close to $50!!! I got the Out Front. In fact, I got three of them. No flexing on any of them.

RandomDesign

If I was looking for a new computer to be used primarily for navigation I think my top contender right now would be the Hammerhead Karoo 2.

RS5

I've always used my phone for navigating, but always hated having my expensive and fragile iPhone on my handlebars. It really was not designed for it. I found it to be too bulky, making my bike look ugly. It felt way more fragile than any bike computer and less sturdy on my handlebars, so I was always worried if I was going to crash (used it for road bike and mountainbike) my phone would be damaged too. Also, in the summer it always felt like it was overheating. Moreover, I could not read the screen properly of my phone when the sun was shining directly onto it.

So, I eventually bought myself a bike computer. I did make me understand the whole debate of 'bike computer vs smartphone' better, because boy, the hardware and software really does feel outdated if you compare it to a smartphone. Nevertheless, I'm still happy with my purchase since it did solve the phone issues stated here above.

At first I bought the Wahoo Element Roam. Loved the ease of use, but hated the ugly maps on it. I returned it for a Garmin Edge 530. The more detailed maps and the EUR 100 price difference convinced me to keep this one instead.

The only thing that really frustrates me is the return-to-route functionality, when you've gone off course. This is an issue on both the Wahoo and the Garmin. It often says I am off course even though I am clearly following the line. This becomes especially an issue if I've found a route on Komoot and I want to reverse the direction.

chaadster

Garmin has greatly improved over the years, but Wahoo is absolutely the leader in terms of ease-of-use and user experience quality. It’s very much a situation akin to the Apple vs. Windows paradigm.

RS5

I understand that comparison, however, Apple is great in terms of ease-of-use AND design. In my experience the Wahoo only stands out in the ease-of-use department. Which to me makes it really difficult to justify the extra cost of a Roam in comparison to the 530.

I was really surprised by how much more detailed and colourful the Garmin maps are in comparison to the Wahoo. Which makes navigating so much easier. I also had both units in my hand and comparing the actual units to each other, I also found the Garmin to be so much better looking. This is especially the case when it is mounted onto the bike. The Roam feels and looks a lot more bulky while the screen sizes are pretty much the same.