Ride 3 Free Roam

[Darth Sanderson]

Coreminimalist or the world travels looking to save space, Ride Engine now brings you the Roam harness.

Traveling with gear these days can be hard between the puzzle to fit boards, kites, sails, foils, etc., and the nightmare that is an overweight bag. Thoughtfully designed to be pliable to fit in the smallest available space, the Roam is extremely lightweight without sacrificing support or performance. We've kept the DNA of the Lumbar Lock technology via the Cradle Support System. Using this unique webbing tension system we increased rigidity across the entire back of the harness to create uniform support that is free of pressure points or hot spots. Made with non-water-absorbent Cell Lock foam, it not only keeps the harness light in use but also dries fast for immediate packing. Equipped with the Unity Webbing Connection system that allows for a one-time set it and forget it adjustment.

Hard to believe there is so much tech packed into the ultra-lightweight Roam. Cradle Support System for the legendary Lumbar Lock fit, Cell-Lock Foam non-water-absorbing body interface, and Unity spreader bar compatible, just to name a few.

For freestyle riders, the Brisa comes with a handle-pass-leash mount around the back (which is easy to remove for windsurfing). It also has two attachment points in the front for use when a short leash is utilized.

The exact thing happened on my Roam a few days ago after an outside ride. Only partially uploaded to the companion app. I tried unpairing the phone numerous times and nothing worked until I deleted the companion app and then re-downloaded it.

After re-installing the app the outside ride re-synced with all the previously missing data.

Got a new firmware update this morning and had trouble with the companion app talking to the Bolt. It kept dropping the BT connection and then would connect again after I force quit the app and reloaded it.

My Bolt used to work flawlessly for years, since this year I have only trouble with it. Several issues with new firmware updates, they must have messed up something somwhere big time. Sad, I moved away from Garmin because of all the Software issues. But now it is the same with Wahoo. And no real alternatives out there.

Despite having a computer back on my bike, I'm still a pretty simplistic rider. I still don't have power and I still don't ride with heart rate, so there aren't many sensors I need to pair the Roam with. One that I do love though, is having tire pressure readings with TyreWiz right there on my display.

This came in handy just the other day when I forgot to charge my Wahoo. I mounted the computer, plugged into a small battery pack stashed in my framebag, and charged the Roam all the way to the trailhead. On some previous multi-day trips I was able to get about two days of touring riding on a single charge, so the claimed 17 hours seems about on the nose for my experience.

Kind of a fun spot tracker-esque feature, which allows you to send a link, specify the length of time, and allow anyone with the link to track you while you ride. You will need to have your smart phone with you and linked to the Roam for this to work, so not quite full on Spot tracker satellite level stuff, but nonetheless handy for loved ones or friends who might want to keep track of where you are on a ride.

This was the feature that I was most excited about for the new computers and for the most part it works well with some exceptions. You will find that the base maps on the computer included many trails and off road paths, which is handy and the automatic rerouting feature can be useful if there is a mapped trail for it to reroute you on. I only had access to MTB project for this, which is handy but once again somewhat clunky integration. You can favorite a ride in the app, then sync your wahoo (on wifi), which will snag a route file for your favorited rides. This works well if there happens to be a ride setup on MTB project that is exactly what you want to ride, if not you would have to use individual route files and switch at each trail junction, less than optimal. If you forget to do this before you leave your home wifi setup you can do it in the field, but it is slightly more complicated.

Likes:

-Larger display similar to the original Element and a much-appreciated return from the Bolt

-Improved app and sync and ability to manually update via MacOS

-Seamless wifi updates and syncing

-That there is any kind of off-road trail integration

-Strong battery life and pass-through charging ability

-Ability to send routes via Bluetooth

-Live track portal

I have also found the Roam a great help when creating new routes that require complicated sections that may not appear on a routing app base map, I can just ride the section and get the generated GPS file from the ride to stitch into my route. For creating newer routes I find the Roam an indispensable ally. When I finish days of scouting, the routes are automatically uploaded to my RWGPS and then I can just stitch them together and a new route is born.

There is still some room for improvement from Wahoo, but the Roam is a step in a really good direction. The base functionality of the Wahoo I had grown comfortable with the Bolt and Element has stayed intact while adding a whole new layer of off-road functionality that tipped the scales in my personal interest in the device. When RWGPS came out with its mobile route planner, combined with the Bluetooth capability of the Roam, was when the Roam really started to shine for me personally. I am constantly figuring out new functions I had overlooked with the device, and am constantly impressed.

Now there are some added nice touches. Wahoo will also show both upcoming and current climbs on the map using chevrons. A reddish color for upcoming ones, and green for current ones (plus orange for Strava Live Segments), indicating exactly where the climb starts/ends:

Additionally, Wahoo will continue to show an up-ahead look at the road elevation profile, even once the climb is completed. So this not only shows it approaching the climb, but also down the road (or up the road) beyond the top of the hill. This is a super nice touch:

I love out-front mounts. Both Barfly and K-Edge make good ones. I primarily use the aluminum ones though, because this mount comes with a GoPro (and light/Di2) adapter on the bottom. So I can mount a GoPro up front and have the footage be rock solid.

The Garmin Varia radar alerts you to cars coming up behind you, well before you see them. It's awesome for quieter roads (country roads/mountains), especially on longer rides. It's less useful for city riding. The RVR315 skips the light.

The Varia radar has become incredibly popular in the last year, with most bike GPS companies supporting it (Wahoo, Stages, Hammerhead, Garmin, and more soon). It notifies you of overtaking traffic. While useless for cities, it's amazing for quieter country roads.

Speed sensors are primarily useful for offroad usage. I don't find much of a need for one while road-cycling, but for mountain bike trails they can help alleviate speed/distance issues with poor GPS reception in dense trees.

The Wahoo TICKR is their baseline dual ANT+/Bluetooth Smart chest strap that includes basic broadcasting of heart rate data to apps. If you don't care about all the fancy features of the TICKR X, this is one of the best straps out there. The 'just works' factor is high.

The TICKR FIT is Wahoo's optical HR sensor band, and overall it's a pretty solid no-frills offering. It broadcasts dual ANT+/BLE with a claimed 30 hours of battery life. It doesn't have any other features beyond that. Simple and straightforward.

The TICKR X is Wahoo's top-end chest strap that not only does dual ANT+/Bluetooth Smart (with two Bluetooth Smart channels), but also Running Dynamics, running pace, storage of workouts when you don't have a watch/phone, and even music control and laps.

My personal albeit limited experience with Summit Segments was complete garbage. Tried using the feature on Mallorca during a trip some two weeks ago, and it felt like it never properly identified neither start nor end of climbs properly. Most often it thought the climb ended too early even though the displayed height profile clearly showed there was some ways to go yet.

I wish they also changed to colored chevrons while navigating. These chevrons seems way more legible than the solid black ones. At least give them an outline. The bike path color (dark blue) with the chevrons (black) is not really contrasting I find. Did they also do that with this update or is it purely the Summit Freeride function?

Had my first preloaded route this weekend after they added the summit feature (was not aware this was a thing). With this change I lost my normal page that had the full route profile on it and I could not figure out how to get it back mid ride. Quite disappointed.

Do the newer garmin units have issues uploading to strava? I know post ride my friend is waiting a good bit for his rides to get sent from his garmin to strava (is the phone an intermediary in the process?) I Know wahoo does that great as well.

I am an original Wahoo Bolt owner and getting itchy to upgrade. Any word on whether a Bolt V3 will come out in 2023? What about a Karoo 3? Current Karoo and Bolt are probably more than capable, but I am a sucker for buying the current model of something only to have the next iteration come out within a few months.

I used this for the first time today, no sign of any Strava Segment overlay as mentioned. The climb feature worked really well, both with a route and without. Can anybody confirm the orange overlay on the map page for a Strava segment works? I use both private and public segments, starred and synced, to brief clients and set pace/targets when riding.

Freeride summit should work with or without a route loaded. But for me, it seems to only work when a route is NOT loaded. When I chose take me to feature, the climb information page does not pop up. Any help?

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