Today Wahoo announces their first wrist-mounted GPS device, the $379 ELEMNT RIVAL. While the marketing and PR materials mainly highlight triathlon and running features, the RIVAL looks like it could be a decent choice for mountain biking too.
The watch features a 64-color, 57K pixel screen protected with Gorilla Glass. A single charge of the battery is said to last for 24 hours while GPS tracking is active and lasts a whopping two weeks in standby mode. There’s a built-in heart rate tracker and also a barometric altimeter to provide more accurate elevation data tracking. An ambient light sensor automatically dims and brightens the watch display for maximum readability in all conditions.
All of the usual ride metrics are available on the RIVAL, including distance, elapsed time, speed, elevation, and heart rate. There aren’t any navigation screens to speak of so mountain bikers who like to follow a GPS map will need to stick to a bar-mounted Wahoo GPS unit.
Multi-sport athletes will be stoked for some unique features like touchless transitions from one sport to another, saving triathletes precious second(s) during competition. The watch can also be used to control a paired Wahoo KICKR smart trainer, and it features swimming-specific metrics and settings for those who like to get wet. Of course the watch also includes connectivity to work with other Wahoo devices like Elemnt GPS units, heart rate monitors, power meters, and cadence sensors, and can be configured to receive “smart notifications” from a nearby phone.
At $379 the Wahoo Element RIVAL is priced in line with premium fitness watches from other brands. The RIVAL is available for purchase online at Wahoo and Aventuron.
