Following hot on the heels of the recently launched Garmin Edge 1040 and 1040 Solar cycling computers is the revamped Wahoo Elemnt Roam. The new model is built around the notion of enhanced navigation and subsequently features a host of upgraded attributes to help keep it relevant among the best cycling computers.

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Wahoo Elemnt Roam v2 vs Wahoo Elemnt Roam v1, by Aaron Borrill

Wahoo Elemnt Roam v2 - at a glance

Price: £349.99 / $399.99 / €399.99
Screen size: 2.7-inches, 64-colour
Dimensions: 59.5mm x 90.5mm x 20.5mm
Battery life: 17 hours
Charging: USB-C
GPS: Dual Band
Weight: 99g
Water rating: IPX7

Wahoo Elemnt Roam v2 - what's new?

Visually, you'll be hard-pressed to tell the new Wahoo Elemnt Roam apart from its forebear. The clues are in the details but you'll need an eagle eye to spot them. For starters, there's a new gloss-black bezel that surrounds the device and the buttons are now convex in shape, a move which makes it easier to operate - especially with thick gloves. The side buttons are located in the same position as before but are slightly larger. There’s no touchscreen but it does feature a USB-C charging port.

In terms of weight, there's nothing in it really - 99g (new Roam) vs 93g (old Roam). The big differences pertain to what's going on under the hood. The Elemnt Roam v2 gets a brand-new, 64-colour screen which is significantly better than the eight-colour screen of its predecessor and a faster CPU or processor, something it shares with the Elemnt Bolt v2. Wahoo reckons it uses colour where it counts and not for the sake of colour. The result of which intuitively populates mapping details, HR and power zones to allow the rider to easily digest information on the fly.

Perhaps, its most defining feature is that of the Dual Band GPS - a new technology that has only been seen on the likes of the rather premium Garmin Edge 1040. The new GPS uses two signals from two different satellites, which improves accuracy and precision - a huge benefit for mountain biking in dense forests or when riding through populated urban areas. We have the new Wahoo Elemnt Roam v2 in for testing and will put the mapping and navigational functions to the test.

Wahoo Elemnt Roam v2 and v1 mount mechanism, by Aaron Borrill

Another big upgrade over the original Wahoo Elemnt Roam is the 32GB of onboard memory. Not only is this 28GB up on the original but doubles the Elemnt Bolt v2's 16GB. But what does this mean? Well, the increase in memory has allowed Wahoo to install worldwide maps as standard, making it an easier and more ready-to-use device out of the box. The maps are also more detailed and have a better bit rate. This has not maxed out the memory either, which means plenty of improvements and upgrades to be made over the device’s lifetime.

There are also a few cool features that help improve the user and training experience even further, one being Summit Segments. Summit Segments uses the 64-colour screen to animate your climb showing the gradient severity in vivid detail and colour granted you've loaded a route. The other is Systm Outdoor Workouts, which lets you follow a structured plan outdoors and then sync back to the Systm calendar.

All of these improvements have done little to affect the battery life if at all. Like version 1, the new Elemnt Roam has a rechargeable 17-hour battery that is fully sealed to meet IPX7 Waterproofing regulations.

The Wahoo Elemnt Roam v2 will retail for £349.99 / $399.99 / €399.99, making it the cheapest - read most affordable - cycling computer with Dual Band GPS functionality. Keep an eye on the site for the full review which will be published in the coming weeks.

• www.wahoofitness.com

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