Wahoo has released its first sports watch – the triathlon-focussed Wahoo ELEMNT Rival.
In the mold of a Garmin Fenix 6 or Suunto 9, the Rival is a beefy watch with a ceramic bezel and 240x240 64-color display.
It’s aimed at triathlon fans, and will seamlessly transition between runs, cycles and swims without having to interact with the watch. And those that love brick sessions and multi-discipline events can swap between them using the lap button.
Wahoo has been slow to get into the sports watch game, and while Garmin Forerunner 745, Fenix 6 and other devices are the incumbents in this space, Wahoo users will find a lot to like.
As you’d expect, there’s support for the company’s existing bike computers, and it can hand off data to the screen on your handlebars when it’s time to jump on the bike.
Likewise, you can take advantage of extra run dynamics if you pair up to the Wahoo Tickr X heart rate monitor. And this means you’ll be able to see cadence and other data live on the watch, for mid-workout adjustments.
But without any extra sensors it will track speed, distance, workout time, swim lengths, pace, stroke count, stroke rate, SWOLF.
In terms of battery life, the ELEMNT Rival offers 24 hours of GPS data and 14 days as a smartwatch – so there’s impressive longevity. That’s boosted by the low-res screen.
And as you’d expect it features GPS, heart rate tracking and a baromic altimeter for the accurate tracking of longevity – something that will be music to the ears of cyclists and trail runners.
There’s Strava support and TrainingPeaks too, and you can view data in the Wahoo app.
The Wahoo ELEMNT Rival does take the fight to Garmin on price, and it can be picked up for $379.
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James is the co-founder of Wareable, and he has been a technology journalist for 15 years.
He started his career at Future Publishing, James became the features editor of T3 Magazine and T3.com and was a regular contributor to TechRadar – before leaving Future Publishing to found Wareable in 2014.
James has been at the helm of Wareable since 2014 and has become one of the leading experts in wearable technologies globally. He has reviewed, tested, and covered pretty much every wearable on the market, and is passionate about the evolving industry, and wearables helping people achieve healthier and happier lives.