NEW Wahoo Elemnt Roam Review vs Hammerhead Karoo 2 and Bolt: Which is best?
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 29 มิ.ย. 2024
- Review of the new Wahoo Elemnt Roam v2 and how it compares to the smaller Elemnt Bolt and the Hammerhead Karoo 2
Buy Wahoo Roam tidd.ly/3SWeAau
Buy Hammerhead Karoo 2 tidd.ly/3SAxsfG
Buy Wahoo Bolt tidd.ly/3rtgqUP
Content
00:00 New Roam Features
1:39 Ride impressions
4:21 Navigation test
6:09 More new features
6:44 Compared to Bolt
7:54 Compared to Hammerhead Karoo 2
9:44 Campanion app
11:32 Which is best?
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Right on time with this review… 🍻
I see you've added a splash of color to your Karoo 2. Another reason I love it so much.
For us that do a lot of climbing, did you get an impression that the elevation reporting is more accurate? This a very under-reported feature in bike computer reviews, but really important to some of us.
Great review. Keep it coming
I love the Hammerhead but be aware they (the people who started the company) are a very good company who sold to SRAM. SRAM and Shimano are competitors so Shimano had Hammerhead take the Di2 visual feature off the Karoo 2 which was a huge let down (petty if you ask me) as it’s so convenient to see what gear your in on the bike computer. Not so with the Garmin. Wish these companies would stop competing and think of the consumers first. But regardless the Karoo 2 is terrific and links to Strava, Ride with GPS and Suunto Heat Maps.
yeah I love my Karoo 2 but I just upgraded to a Shimano di2 Groupset and lost all the cool extra features, such a bummer! My Karoo 2 is now for sale because I just ordered the Roam 2, I hope I don't regret it, but I feel I have no choice, oh well....
That was such an unnecessary and underhand decision by Shimano that ‘punished’ a huge portion of its own customer base for innocently buying imho the best computer out there!
I won’t be abandoning my Hammerhead (whose fortnightly updates actively build on customer feedback and their wishlists) making the K2 a constant joy to use.
Instead, I am boycotting Shimano for this dick move, and will insist on SRAM on my next (wireless) bike build. Or Campy …. but Shimano can go to hell because Hammerhead is customer-first and Shimano is undermine competitors-first.
@@dorcashaslam4864 lol. That’s like insisting on using a second rate groupset just so you can keep using a second rate bike comp for some incomprehensible reason.
I differ with your opinion on Hammerhead Karoo 2’s maps. You said it is cumbersome to upload maps into the HH2. Whereas it is such a breeze to get maps into your device. All you need to do is copy the strava, ride with gps, komoot or any other link, and paste it in the Hammerhead Dashboard. The route just comes to your device like magic. I have used Garmins and Wahoos. None of them are anywhere near to the ease of getting maps onto the Hammerhead Karoo 2. That said, HH2 is not a perfect device and has it’s own pitfalls and negatives like all others in the market
@@dorcashaslam4864 My sentiments exactly. I have four bikes - two with Shimano and two with SRAM. I like both and don’t really have a preference, but this move was enough to push me to SRAM permanently.
Ordered the new Roam earlier today. I am upgrading from the original Elemnt.
Had a bolt V2 but the screen was a bit small for me as I use a lot of navigation. Switch to a Garmin 1040 but ended returning it for a roam v2. Garmin 1040 is a nice looking unit but I couldn’t get used to it. A bit confusing to use for me coming from Wahoo, and the glossy display and lack of physical buttons didn’t work for me either. Unit had crashed on me also in the short time I tried the unit. The Garmin features seem awesome but overwhelmed me. Very happy with my Roam V2 now. The bolt v2 was nice but screen was tiny for navigation. I had to really squint to see and thought that was a safety concern.
Same! Tested the Garmin 1030 for a few weeks, sold it and picked up the Roam v2.
Same as well, got a Garmin 1040 solar and am about to send it back to get a Roam v2 instead, v1 was just too sluggish and laggy for my liking but v2 seems to have addressed that just fine
Good review. I'm currently using an Elemnt and am in the market for a new computer. After this, and a few other reviews, I think I'm going to transition to the Garmin Edge 1040.
Love my Karoo2 and yet another recent update has added some cool new features. That's the only trouble you'll have David is reviewing the very latest version because of the updates every 2 weeks.
I can not buy a hammerhead everywhere sold out
@@ceeskes412 I think that's a good thing. The K3 is just around the corner. It might even be announced in April.
Solid review. I've used the Garmin 1030 and as far as touch screen, I don't mind that at all and actually prefer the button press and simplicity of the units features. For Garmin, I'll stick to their fitness watches.
Nice to see your opinion on the Wahoo vs Karoo2. I own both and are impressed from the Karoo2. But the battery life of the Karoo2 with only about 8-10h is disappointing. And routes planned on komoot are not directly visible on the Karoo2 (you first have to go online to the hammerhead dashboard and …). So if I had to choose I would go for the wahoo element.
Now that’s a very good couple of comments there my man, about the battery life and ease of getting routes loaded. I use a lot of routs so this is an important factor for me and I don’t want to be charging it every ride. I could get a good 4 rides from my old original Element.
Any other things you’ve noticed about the two? Which one do you use the most??
For anyone looking to get into doing TH-cam videos, David here gives a masterclass in squeezing a full 8 minutes - more than thee quarters of this video - out of saying “This is exactly the same as the Bolt, but bigger”, using every conceivable sentence construction. (Take off 6 seconds for “except for the dual-band GPS like the Garmin 1040s”). A role model for any aspiring presenter.
And yes I did watch it to the end because I’m generally a fan of Mr Arthur’s work and his journey (we do have to keep you in line when you get a bit salesy, but it’s a community right?). Edit: and I think this comment helps the algo, too :0)
I'll take that as a compliment I guess ;)
Iv got the bolt how do I get the colours iv done a system update by everything looks the same thanks
David, Karoo every time. Some of the things you use the Roam's companion app for can be done directly from the Karoo - no need for an app. Agre that the downloading of routes could be easier but its never been an issue for me.
Since this is going to be my first bike computer. I'm going with the roam v2 for the simplicity and larger screen.
Agree with the screen comment if they had pushed the bezels out to fill up the screen and kept the same size casing it would of been a big selling point I think
But where would the LEDs go? Also Wahoo say the GPS sensors are at the top behind the top bezel area, I'd imagine without a screen they get a better reception.
@@FallNorth are the leds needed , the new display has coloured zones on whatever display set up you like , I don’t see how important for the leds to be there but that’s just me I never rated having them on
The entire reason I'm wanting the Wahoo vs the competitors is BECAUSE it has a bezel and doesn't go edge to edge. I want the LEDs there for use with the Varia radar to draw my eye as from all the all reviews I've seen, the Wahoos LEDs are easily the best radar indicators. Maybe a thinner bezel would be OK but if the LEDs are a standout useful feature, it's not like the bezel is just wasted area.
Great balanced review. Of course I have confirmation bias as I compared the original roam, bolt 2 and Karoo and plumped for the bolt as well. It was the smaller form factor and the app. The map screen is easy enough to read although I largely display data. And I wasn’t convinced by touchscreen as you surely need to take of your gloves when riding In colder weather.
Great review. Roam 2 is an underwhelming upgrade, big miss is keeping the huge bevels and not expanding the screen? Also the lack of predictative routing (which is available on the Hammerhead) is another let down. Overall, its a good unit but massively overpriced for what you get.
How would you assess it a year on though. Screen size is still small but the summit free ride is arguably the best out there.
Would appreciate if u could do a review of the garmin edge explore 2. It’s between the edge explore 2 and the roam 2
A quick question- I traded my bolt v1 (which I loved) partly back to Garmin because I bought a Giant TCR advanced 2021 and the out front mount didn’t sit in the centre of the bars which drove me mad! I know you have a TCR- does the Roam mount centre on your bars ? If so I might go back to Wahoo. Not the be all and end all of course !
You didn't touch on the fact that the Wahoo devices link in to Wahoo Systm, meaning a full and varied indoor training setup from the head unit! Surely a selling point for some!
True, and something I want to dive into in more detail soon
Interesting review but bike computers are to expensive now - its getting a bit silly. I tried out a cheap (£30) computer from Coospo and it had duel GPS and actually worked well. I actually use a Karoo 1 and have done for years and its a brilliant computer
I had the original Roam which developed screen issue (as the issue worsened I realized that moisture was getting behind the screen thru defective adhesion between the screen and unit body). It was out of warranty but Wahoo replaced it with the new Roam, so that’s a big nod to Wahoo. It sounds minor, but the buttons were re-engineered and much more tactile. Battery life is excellent - I go on at least 4 100+ km rides before even thinking about recharging, usually with about 40% left. Navigation has been reliable and I like the fact that most of the people I ride with are on Garmin units and my unit is usually more accurate. I have the Varia unit with radar which shows up on the side panel as does the training zones which I find useful so not wasted space, the top panel for turning directions but I don’t find that as useful. Overall it’s a good unit, but agree the Bolt V2 is very similar, just smaller. I mostly ride road and don’t like the larger units but the size of the Roam is fine for me.
Great comments bud. Yes I found the Wahoo after market service to be really excellent too. So is there anything you really loathe about the roam?
Excellent post. I have been using the original Elemnt since 2017. Although the Elemnt still functions flawlessly with the battery still working well, I ordered the Roam v2. I have had second thoughts about the Roam v2 order but after reading more posts like yours I'm looking forward to receiving it. Thank you.
@@steveindorset no, I am very satisfied with the unit and don’t have any downside to speak about. As I mentioned I am personally fine with the size, but that’s a personal preferences and I can understand those preferring the Bolt V2 for that reason. Trouble free and ease of use are key for me, and the Wahoo unit excels in that regard.
I like the wahoo gear. Far better than Garmin in my opinion. (It’s doesn’t crash!). My next computer will be either a Roam or a Karoo. So how much David? And did you buy it yourself?
Looking forward to the Karoo review from yourself, I always find you tell it like it is….but it’s gonna take a big push to get me away from wahoo, maybe the hammer head will have that X factor.
So don’t skimp David, give us a full proper review. 👍🏻
Can you please compare the hammer head to garmin. Thanks
My bolt does not predict the gradient ahead when I change routes during a workout, does anyone know the fix?
I was pretty excited that colour maps were going to be like an ordnance survey map...but I got a black line with no other topography and most useful names not on the map...
Looking at this is retrospective, it’s clear that Wahoo introduced the hardware to allow the software features to follow. The big one being space for maps and most importantly, summit free ride. At this point, it seems like a very good value. The biggest issue when compared to Garmin seems like battery life.
For most users like me a humble iPhone SE and a free app like Cadence is more than enough for those daily rides. You can even link your heart sensor or any other device via Bluetooth, and you won’t be spending more than 100€. Plus, in the event of a crash, if the phone breaks you can always go back to a backup.
@Joie De Vivre Desi if you keep the screen on with high brightness, yes, the battery goes fast. In my case, I try to keep the brightness as low as possible and put the screen off in segments that I don't need to see the data. In this case my iPhone SE battery lasts a couple of rides without charging.
Touchscreens (of the capacitive variety) have become the standard mode of input for many devices and I really don't think bike computers are the best use case for them. If you only ride in warm and dry conditions with practically no traffic then it's no problem but (capacitive) touchscreens become unreliable when wet or dirty or when trying to use them with gloves. And they also generally require you to look at them more than a button interface would, which is not necessarily ideal where there might be other road users.
I ride with full finger gloves throughout the colder months in the northeast so agree with what you said there. Good point about having to look at the touch screen devices more too.
Yes, the Karoo 2 has a very nice display and usability, but isn't the battery life too short, like very, very short? If I recall correctly is around 8 hours, which surely isn't enough for a long ride with a brand-new battery, let alone battery degradation over time.
Hello, the display of my brand new Roam v2 is very blueish. It is quite annoying. My Bolt v2 is clearly better. Did you experience this as well? What do you suggest? Thank you
Something I feel that has been over looked & that on the Karoo 2 the re routing I found is really bad & it can't be turned off ,It tries to take you off route down bridleways for instance at junctions .For me I was going for the Roam 2 until I heard about their financial troubles ,I'm going to see what's happening there first .
just recently took the new Wahoo Bolt v2 for a 550km ride and was dismayed to see that it lost it's turn by turn navigation at that scale. Fortunately I still had my Garmin as backup, which notified without problems. It's pretty ridiculous that they keep releasing new hardware, but don't fix the main complaint in software - ie. unable to deal with more complex / bigger GPX routes still. Frankly I don't expect the roam fixes anything in that regard so still useless for any serious long distance riders...
The Bolt v2 probably had some kind of firmware issue with the navigation instructions. For a few weeks I had the problem that after about 3 km of riding my Bolt would show the next cue to be at the end of the uploaded route. I opened a support ticket because of that. Yesterday I installed a new firmware patch and the Bolt seemed to work normal again. Earlier in the summer I travelled a 150 km long route, and then my Bolt worked just fine the whole route. So I want to give a benefit of doubt that it was only that one poor firmware patch in this case.
No experience of that long rides as you have so can’t comment about that. Of course Garmin has been in the game for ages so they know their craft extremely well.
Roam is in odd space isn’t it! Not as feature rich navigation in-spite of its name, particularly once off road. Does though have the easy set up. Arguably the bolt is a better fit particularly if one is more road focused.
Agree with you Roger, the Bolt does what most people arguably need on the road and the Roam doesn't really offer much more when off-road, which is a shame if you're into bike packing and mountain biking
I moved from the Bolt to the Karoo 2 and never looked back. Love the screen on the Karoo 2 and it’s still very easy to load routes from Ride with GPS to the Karoo.
Good to know. Love uploading for ride with GPS
The phone app is why I chose Wahoo Bolt. We live daily in the phone, it has to be good. Also have battery anxiety, so prefer the Bolt which last longer.
I've been rockin the Karoo 2 myself, from an actual hardware standpoint, I think it's one of the top units out there however its age an experience as a company is where it lacks compared to the competition...for now.
They put out frequent updates and once they get an app going, I think its potential is second to none
It’s longevity needs to be better than the older Wahoo. Mine was replaced and the second one broke too, by which time the warranty expired! Neither Wiggle or Wahoo would help me. £350 gone and no computer! Is there any ‘extended insurance’ to be had? Possibly?
How's the battery life of the new Roam vs. the Karoo? Many complain about the latter's, though it's not bothered me as a Karoo 2 owner.
I've had good run time from the Karoo so far, easily lasted riding all day on a recent bikepacking trip. There's some good info on the Hammerhead website for getting the most out of the battery. Turning down screen brightness is a big help. I'd expect more than 5 hours for sure Joie!
If you use sensors, it will not last long. The Karoo for me died before reaching my destination on every century I've done, so had to carry a battery pack.
The bolt with all sensors survived just fine.
I have HRM, Garmin Varia radar, power meter, and eTap all paired.
This complicates things, because I was shopping between 2 options (Garmin Explore 2 and Karoo 2) and this adds a third D:
So another bike GPS with tons of reviews, none of which will test the flaws of the previous one. Does it get laggy when zooming in and out of a dense map? Still don't know. Does it lock up like the old roam when rerouting in a dense city? Don't know.
If u care about having all your sport and health data in one place. What is the best watch and cycling computer option. For now I am with Fenix and Garmin edge. I like apple, wahoo and Karoo but I need an ecosystem.
One crazy option would be an small iPhone as the cycle computer and Apple Watch
Karoo looks superb and mapping etc looks way better than Wahoo. BUT no Di2 integration is a massive no-no. I have a Bolt and it's fine but the mapping is pretty rubbish to be honest. Mine is a few years old so maybe newer ones are better but if you cycle somewhere you don't know and get lost then the Bolt is basically useless. If Karoo had Di2 integration I would buy one today but until then no. For me I don't think Roam offers enough over Bolt to upgrade.
I found the Wahoo Rome v1 works better in the White Mountains New Hampshire USA 🇺🇸 than the Garmin Edge 1030 not so much.
No one is speaking of or about the New Stages Dash L200? They seem to have improved from their last 2 generations ? Verdict is still out..
I really like my Bolt 2, not impressed with the "new" Roam. Pretty disappointing as an update in 2022. Ditch the side led's and make the screen bigger.
I would’ve liked a better battery
Have to go with Garmin. Battery life is everything.
Pretty weak update imo. Aside from the bigger storage more of a disappointment... screen should be bigger and bezel should be slimmer in 2022
I’d pass on the Karoo. I may as well use a phone. The Roam is more of a cycle computer with its more real world sharp screen and excellent configuration
hmmm where is the Hammerhead Karoo 2 dedicated review?
Stick to my Garmin 1030 plus for now I think
@Joie De Vivre Desi the wahoo or the Garmin? I’ve never had any issues with my Garmin.
Thanks for the great video. Always a hard decision to make. Debating to change my bolt 2 to a roam. I like the bigger screen. But the Karoo is also looking nice 😅
One question: what sunglasses you have there :)
also wondering this in case you found out, they look a bit like sutros?
@@ivanastrom7353 I don’t think they are. They look a bit different in my opinion.
If all fails read the instructions!!
Garmin 830
How do they NOT include headlamp !!
Do any computers do that?
@@davidarthurnot that i know but for the size, it should have a lamp.
would kill battery life or be huge
The Hammerhead allows me to control my front lights in ride (on/off or flash mode) and also to preset different light options for different ride profiles. For example, on my indoor trainer profile… don’t switch on light. The Hammerhead also reads battery levels for my lights, which is hugely helpful.
@@DaveCM this thing is huge, just add a Qi wireless charging light and it would be perfect.
Still got the huge border 🤦🏻♂️
Almost nothing impressive about the new computer.
Weak battery, small screen and poor color gamut.
I was expecting a larger screen size and more colors.
For now, I'm sticking with my Garmin Edge 1030 plus, waiting for a new product to really grab me.
It's good to do a review for the Bryton Rider S800 as well.
This computer seems very underrated in Europe, and its features are not inferior to the flagships.
Thanks !
The Karoo is only as good as it's battery life (which you neglected to talk about). I've not managed to ride a century with the Karoo without ita battery being drained. I had to carry a battery pack for those rides.
Also, the Karoo is notorious for losing rides and randomly rebooting during rides.
I sold my Karoo 2 to get the Bolt. Couldn't be happier. You lose a pretty screen for a device that just works. And that's fine with me.
The battery on my Karoo 2 easily lasts 200-odd kilometres and I haven’t experienced any of the other problems you mentioned 🤷♂️. Maybe you had a faulty unit?
@Joie De Vivre Desi search their forums for reboot mid ride or similar. There are several threads on it.
It occurs when using Varia.
@Joie De Vivre Desi Polar HR, Quarq Power Meter/Cadence, SRAM AXS eTAP info, GPS
@@james5150 Do you have sensors paired? I had varia headlight, varia radar, power meter, hrm, etap all paired. The reboot issue occurred due to alerts from varia. It is widely reported on their own forum, although now fixed. However there is a subsequent issue that continued to cause reboots (ride loss) for me that Hammerhead still has not addressed, which prompted me to go to Wahoo.
@@entdmII Yes, see above 🙂, but not as many as you and no sensors from Garmin.
The wrong video for me. I need to see how to get started with a Wahoo without owning a smartphone. I need to know because a friend has a Roam that he has trouble using while I recently bought the Hammerhead and was up and running in next to no time without a smartphone.
I used my ipad toconfigure a Bolt 2, worked very well, and all settings did transfer to my iphone app for later
There's no way, THIS is what a 👉"NEW"👈 Cycling Computer looks like.....in LATE 2022!🙄🙄🙄🙄🤯 STOP IT! They are milking the market now.🙄
I’m still waiting for the iPhone 14 review
haha I can do that if you want? It's a nice upgrade from the 11 I had, better screen and cameras
@@davidarthur that’s a huge jump. Kudos
The Storage is still a joke. Companies do Not pay much more for 64gb or even 128.
Wow, an awful lot of people have won those scam prizes in the comments
I'm removing and reporting them as quickly as I see them Michael
still cant understand those insanely fat bezels
David, are you talking to me via telegram? Seems that you are or someone pretending to be you. Apparently, you are sending me a mountain bike....
That is spam please ignore, I would never ask viewers to contact me in this way! This imposters have been reported just waiting for TH-cam to remove them
how to sell 15yo cell phones with huge profit??? call them "cycling computer" !!!!
No good for someone who needs reading glasses.
Hammerhead has no Di2 support. End of story. Essentially buying a gimped product sold at premium price.
It's only end of story if you absolutely must have gear indicator on your computer device - not all bikes have the optional buttons in the top of the hoods remember
Talk to Shimano, they blocked DI2 support.
Maps look terrible on such units. I’ll stick to my iphone. Good for rides max 4-5 hours
So, you have a dead phone. A lot of my rides last 6 hours.