Wahoo ELEMNT ROAM v3 Review: Now We Are Talking!

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ROAM 3 is finally here, and it has a touchscreen! I’ve been using it for a few weeks, and in this review, I share my experience. I’ve tested over 20 bike computers already, so I believe you will get helpful insights. Remember, I also purchased it with my own money and didn’t receive it from Wahoo, unlike many other publishers.

My ELEMNT ROAM v3 rating at a glance:
Battery Life 5/5 | Ease of Setup 5/5 | Display 4/5 | Ease of Use 4/5 | GPS Accuracy 4/5 | Maps & Navigation 5/5 | Price 2/5 | OVERALL 4.1/5
More about this bike computer scoring.

NOTE: I tested ROAM 3 with firmware WH22-301352.

Wahoo ELEMNT ROAM v3: Pros & Cons

These are the main pros and cons of the Wahoo ELEMNT ROAM v3 that I discovered during use.

Unboxing and Initial Setup

The ELEMNT ROAM v3’s initial setup should be straightforward. You scan a QR code, pair your phone, connect to WiFi, and the unit updates its firmware. Unfortunately, I encountered an error when attempting to pair my phone. I had to close the app and turn off the Bluetooth to make it work. This is the first time I encountered a phone pairing issue with a Wahoo bike computer. Pretty annoying, but not a dealbreaker. The data field settings are pulled from your account, so if you’ve been using an ELEMNT, you don’t have to set it up again.

My Experience with Wahoo ELEMNT ROAM v3

Below, I share my experience with ELEMNT ROAM v3 in the most important areas.

Display

The 2.8-inch display is 0.1 inch larger than the ROAM v2 display. It’s a shame that it’s not a bit more stretched, as the bezels are pretty wide. Below, you can see the screen size comparison of the best bike computers.

The screen is a bit flashier than previous ELEMNT bike computers. This might be a big deal for some, as the readability in direct sunlight and from angles is a bit worse. It’s tricky to capture it on camera, but you can check out the following photos. ROAM 1 offered better readability but worse resolution and fewer colors.

The screen resolution is listed as 320×480px on the official website, but I think this value is incorrect. BOLT 3 resolution is supposed to be 480×720px, so considering ROAM has a larger display but similar sharpness, its resolution doesn’t make much sense.

The following image shows a close-up of the display. It’s pretty sharp, isn’t it?

The following pictures show multiple popular bike computers and their maximum brightness. Hammerhead Karoo 3 is the brightest, followed by Edge 1050 and the rest. ROAM 3 has slightly higher brightness than ROAM 2.

ROAM 3 can display up to 11 data fields. This should be enough for all the metrics you need. I find them easy to read, but you can easily enlarge the data fields using the side buttons, so you can focus only on those that matter to you at a given point. Larger units, such as the Edge 10×0 line, are more suitable for people with poor eyesight, though.

Remember, you can create custom data pages. Although the data fields are not as graphical as on other bike computers (Magene C606 or Sigma ROX 12.1 EVO), you should find all the metrics you need to know.

Luckily, the background color of some data fields (HR and watt zones, gradient, etc.) reflects the actual zone, depending on how you set up your zones. This is actually helpful. Remember, you won’t get live data field previews like on the Edge 1050 and Karoo 3 when setting them up via the Wahoo app.

Battery Life

Wahoo ELEMNT ROAM v3 has a claimed battery life of 25 hours. My ROAM lasted 28 hours of real-world usage. This was a pleasant surprise. I used the auto brightness setting and had multiple sensors connected to it, including the HR monitor, power meter, radar, Di2, and smartphone.

The following chart shows the battery life of selected bike computers. The ROAM 3 reaches the values of the Garmin Edge x40 line and significantly surpasses its previous generation.

And of course, it has a USB-C charging port.

Control & User Friendliness

The 2nd generation of ELEMNT bike computers was known for its ease of use. With the introduction of ELEMNT ACE, Wahoo introduced a new UI, which was then implemented into BOLT and ROAM 3 for a unified experience. It is a bit more comprehensive, but it remains easy to navigate. There are a few things I dislike. For example, I think that the menu items paired sensors and paired phone should be next to each other, not on different tabs.

As always, I also tested controlability when wet and with gloves. The display can handle gloves easily, but its performance worsens when it’s wet. Garmin Edge units outperform Wahoo in this area. Watch the following video for illustration.

Many settings, including data pages and fields, are still set via the smartphone app. I like this solution on button-based bike computers because browsing menus with buttons is too time-consuming. However, ROAM 3 or ACE does not allow you to change individual fields with a touch, unlike Garmin Edge bike computers. This is a shame because it’s the fastest way to change data fields.

I have to give Wahoo credit for adding some options, though. For example, you can now pair sensors via the head unit, in addition to the smartphone app. This makes it easier to pair them on the go.

Unfortunately, I did not avoid problems during the testing of ROAM 3. Several times it happened that the system did not boot, which required a hard reset. This is holding the power button for more than 20 seconds until the device shuts down.

Maps & Navigation

Thanks to the touchscreen, maps are super easy to browse on ROAM 3 (unlike on BOLT 3). However, they don’t offer a 2D or 3D view as the Karoo 3, for example. You can watch the following video for more details. The maps look pretty, but in some scenarios (sunlight), they are a bit hard to read.

As for the navigation itself, I used it primarily on paved roads that I know well. It tended to take me via less-known roads than main roads. This was surprising because the main roads it was supposed to choose are not dangerous due to heavy traffic, and most importantly, it was the shortest possible way back to the start of the activity. Luckily, the route recalculation was pretty quick (a few seconds). The uploaded routes also load in seconds, allowing you to follow the course immediately.

Thanks to the built-in speaker, ROAM also provides audible instructions, similar to the Edge 1050. One thing missing compared to Garmin is the Road Hazards. I’ve never fully leveraged this feature, as there aren’t many Garmin x40 owners in our area, but I can imagine it would be helpful.

Free Summit Feature

The Free Summit feature is one of my favorite ROAM features. It’s similar to Garmin’s ClimbPro and doesn’t require a planned route. It estimates the path you will take and displays the climb data (gradients, distance to the top, etc.), allowing you to pace yourself more effectively.

You can achieve better accuracy for planned routes, but even the free rides are good enough. Where Summit wins is its customizability, though. You can use the smartphone app to change the data fields for the Summit page. This is great because Garmin’s ClimbPro won’t give you as much flexibility. You can also change how the Summit behaves.

For example, it can only turn on when you are also using navigation. This makes sense; I don’t need the Summit to be turned on in my area, where I’m familiar with all the climbs. You can also set the climb difficulty for which it will appear, or whether your data pages will automatically change to the Summit page.

Check out my comparison of Free Summit vs. ClimbPro for more details.

GPS Accuracy

The ELEMNT ROAM v3 supports multi-band GNSS. I compared its accuracy with other bike computers on my favorite forest segment.

Surprisingly, its accuracy was not on par with other multi-band GNSS head units, such as the Edge 1040 or Edge 1050. It’s not clearly visible where I started zig-zagging on the steep section of a narrow forest road. This is a bit disappointing, although the accuracy improvement over the previous generation is significant.

Connectivity

The ELEMNT ROAM v3 features Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, and ANT+ connectivity, allowing it to be used with a wide range of sensors. It automatically syncs rides, as is standard on high-end head units. It features Strava live segments so you know how far ahead (or behind) the KOM you are. Just remember you need Strava Premium and activate Strava Live segments in the Wahoo app.

Electronic Bell

The electronic bell is not just a gimmick; it’s genuinely useful. It’s better implemented than the Garmin Edge 1050 bell, as it activates on double-tap, unlike Garmin, which requires clicking the exact icon. I only have two complaints. The first is that its volume cannot be adjusted with the volume control, and the second is that it’s relatively quiet, so pedestrians often overhear it when it’s windy.

Wahoo ELEMNT ROAM v3 Alternatives

Wahoo ELEMNT ROAM v3 Technical Specifications

Below, I summarized the Wahoo ELEMNT ROAM v3 technical specifications.

Conclusion

If you asked me whether I would buy the BOLT 2 or the ROAM 2, I wouldn’t hesitate and would say the BOLT 2. With the third generation, however, the tables have turned. ROAM 3 is a much more appealing option for me, thanks to its touchscreen, while retaining buttons and a built-in speaker. It’s just the right size, the system is smooth, and the electronic bell is more useful than it may seem at first impression.

ROAM 3 surprised with great battery life, but was a bit disappointing in terms of accuracy, which is not as good as that of Garmin Edge units with multi-band GNSS. The differences are minimal, but they are there. Remember also that ELEMNT bike computers don’t offer that much functionality either, but this is the reason why they retain their ease of use.

If you decide to purchase ROAM 3, please consider clicking on the link below. It’s the best way to support this website.

Wahoo ELEMNT ROAM v3 FAQ