Wahoo Releases ELEMNT RIVAL Multisport Watch

November 17, 2020

LAST UPDATED November 17, 2020

Rumors have been swirling for over a year, but today it finally happened: Wahoo released its first-ever sport watch, named the RIVAL. Over 5 years in development, this watch is notable for its unique “multisport handover” feature, but also because it’s the first watch ever from Wahoo, a fitness company born from indoor training with its category-leading KICKR smart trainer.

Let’s take a look at the watch’s features, and what makes it special.

Feature Summary

Touchless Transition: allows users to seamlessly transition from swim to ride to run without touching their watch. Multisport Handover mode allows it to interact with ELEMNT GPS cycling computers to transition race data from the watch to a handlebar-mounted computer during the bike leg of a multi-sport activity such as a triathlon.
Uses the same easy-to-set up, easy-to-use platform and mobile app as Wahoo’s ELEMNT GPS cycling computers
Tracks all standard run, bike, and swim metrics and can also track advanced running dynamics when paired with the Wahoo TICKRx heart rate monitor.
Following workouts, data is available in the Wahoo companion app and can be automatically uploaded to third-party platforms like TrainingPeaks and Strava.
Connects with ANT+ and Bluetooth sensors and can control Wahoo KICKR smart trainers
Ceramic bezel
Ambient light sensor that automatically adjusts the backlight
Battery life of 14 days in watch mode or 24 hours in GPS mode
Barometric altimeter,
Optical heart rate sensor
Live GPS tracking

To get a better idea of RIVAL features and capabilities, check out the RIVAL User Guide PDF.

First Impressions

“The real magic of RIVAL is that we were able to take everything we have done with the ELEMNT bike computer and create a perfect parallel, giving triathletes and runners the same ease of use that cyclists have had access to since 2016,” says Chip Hawkins, founder of Wahoo. Indeed, the RIVAL is in many ways a Wahoo ELEMNT (bike computer) you can wear on your wrist, with extra features for runners and triathletes.

The feature set is impressive for its price point, and the watch has a clean look as well. While there are certainly more capable fitness watches on the market (namely from Garmin), the battery life and multisport handover mode combined with a lower-than-typical price point are what set the RIVAL apart.

Target Audience

This is a GPS multi-sport watch targeted at triathletes and runners. But Wahooligans who mostly ride indoors may also find it useful as a general-use watch that comes in handy on the occasional run, walk, or hike!