Wahoo RIVAL In-Depth Review: Everything you need to know & tested

[@Dcrainmaker]

Hey folks - thanks for watching! Also, because I got so excited talking about tech and triathlon, I forgot the price point. It's $379, shipping immediately in North America & Europe, and then next year for the rest of the world. Cheers!

[@larplash2886]

Could you review the garmin hrm pro ?

[@Cursed_catttt]

@@larplash2886 I've literally just been looking at this £100 in the UK, my original HRM with my Fenix 3 has given up after 5 years, I have the F5 now but can't justify the price tag. Wrist HR will have to do for now!

[@whiskeyandbikes]

Awesome review as always

[@chrismadden9126]

why cant you buy the white one in europe? seems only USA?

[@B1gC4st]

Seems expensive.

[@davidsonmarisia]

Better than honest and candid review... its the humor... just love your videos... keep up with good work :)

[@Dcrainmaker]

Thanks, much appreciated!

[@KC-UT4rmAZ]

Sounds like Wahoo just wanted to get something out there on the market period. And didn't think much past that. IDK

[@georgelopez9411]

It's expected for first gen products to underperform, but if 4:10 is any indication, this is the type of dedication which makes great products with time. Wahoo seems *very* dedicated to improving it and I'm excited for Gen2 and Gen3 of this watch.

[@supotube]

Actually I do :D 14:09 I set up alarms on my watch. :D I sleep without phone in the room. And I also use more than one alarm during day / 1st for wake up, 2nd for time to leave, 3rd to pick up the child from kindergarten, ...

[@Zwartjesenior]

Same here, wakes me up nice and easy, and don't wake up the rest of the house.

[@gilbertobaisch3473]

+ 1....

[@jonmoore182]

Same! Problem with watch alarms is that they're too easy to turn off while trying to actaully wake up, at least mine are on the Fenix 3HR. Snoozed so many times.... oops!

[@dadcram]

Apple has some nice bird chirping that I use.

[@Dcrainmaker]

I wish I had a kindergartener that would sleep long enough that having an alarm was an issue...

[@zyghom]

ha ha ha, 1 of the best features of my Garmin watch is... vibration alarm - silent, just vibrates on my hand, will not wake up my wife - really I do use it INSTEAD of alarm on my phone ;-) great video - as usual ;-)

[@Dcrainmaker]

Thanks!

[@EverythingIsPhotogenic]

Its weird to me, I try to wrap my head around the value proposition of Wahoo as a whole. To start they were the budget competition to Garmin, making this tech accessible with quality but not breaking the bank. Then after a couple years they started to position themselves as a "premium" brand - the Apple of the sport world. This seems like a return to their original market position, clearly a lesser product than the Garmin or Polar device, but certainly serviceable and accessible for someone who wants the mainstream metrics without the extras. Mediocre execution and it seems rushed to me. I feel at this point, they are so far behind in watches, they should wait to really nail it. Just my two cents. Great review as always!

[@michalwiktorow2188]

Spot on observations.

[@SPOOKY_HAND]

First watch ever used, so I cannot compare it with other brands. I come from cycling and always used Wahoo Bolt and Roam (so I'm used to simple screents, colors, etc) I didn't even need this watch and simply bought it bc its ridiculous price (98€). First week using it and it works pretty decent. I would never pay what it used to cost, but fr 98-99€ it's an amazing feature form a great brand. I think right know it's a perfect choice fr those who want to start running and already have a chest heart rate band, knowing u can also use it for multiple sports.

[@testaccsolutions6784]

Wahoo: Look Rivals, a new watch to compete with you all Suunto: Wait in line, ur new Polar: Ditto to the above Coros: You cant do what I can Garmin: Hold my beer, unleash the new Fenix 7 at CES 2021 with ECG, LTE, etc. Everyone in silent mode...

[@domxem5551]

Clap clap clap clap clap ..... very wise comment. You surely are very smart

[@euroswilliams7303]

As ever, excellent review ray. As you say the missing features, especially at the premium price, means at this time it’s not a rival to most others on the market. What I find crazy is that What they are missing is more than what they provide. I have an issue with them calling it multi sport as it’s really a triathlon watch and nothing else. I feel that if they just wanted a watch on the market they should have put one out there targeting the lower end of the market and build up to the premium range and not called it the rival 🤦. Obviously some drink the wahoo kool-aid and will want it but for me it wouldn’t even be a viable option to compare with others.

[@mlegrand]

Ah, I've been waiting for this review from you sir! Thanks for getting this out the door this evening!

[@mlegrand]

Oh you're into competitive cow tipping also? Some say it's the forth discipline of triathlon. Loved the video as always. I'm a bit more optimistic about this device but agree that Wahoo might need to iterate. Remember their second stab at a bike computer was when they really started hitting their stride.

[@Christian-sh9uh]

Shame, I was hoping Wahoo would produce a ground breaking user interface, feature rich unit like they did with the Elemnt bike computer.

[@alwood9071]

Of all the watches you had and have reviewed, which would you recommend for overall best buy?

[@chrismccallus7374]

Gave your raisins a thumbs up!!

[@Dcrainmaker]

That's the spirit!

[@sethcycle4591]

Just bought one for $84 shipped after coupon. Seems like a good deal at that price. Just looking for a generic watch to track resting HR and maybe a few runs.

[@lHolyDriverl]

Could you please share the coupon code? Also interesting about your initial impression for this watch for $84 :)

[@MattiRemonen_Hki]

12 deg celsius. That's what we call nice summer water temp. here in Finland...

[@0SKBooth0]

More of a proof of concept with room for a lot of software updates. If they roll out better updates than garmin (who seem to break 2 things for every 1 thing they fix), then they will gain a following with their gen 2 IMO...but what do I know.

[@danielsaunders563]

I had no idea this watch was about to come out and was very excited about it, but the reviews including yours, demonstrate that this watch is not yet there for what I need. I guess the transitioning feature will be interesting for a very specific triathlon target though. I love Wahoo so I'm definitely looking forward to what they can do with different models or even updates to this watch in the future. One feature I would love to see is in-activity map rerouting like the Roam.

[@michaelshasha5996]

Great review as always! I use my remix 5+ for an alarm. My wife would kill me if I set a normal alarm to get up at 5:45am for a ride.

[@andymitchell2146]

Why's it not called the Wahoo Rivl? Too many vowels, would not buy.

[@elijahkwon422]

I think u mean wahoo rvl

[@joecant7147]

@@elijahkwon422 I think you mean Wahoo R

[@chengjunz1364]

Hahahaha

[@chengjunz1364]

Hahahaha

[@benshand3378]

great vid, really disappointed that it doesn't have all the normal features, i love my Wahoo Bolt and have been waiting for this as the Bolt "just works" every watch seems to have inaccuracies and that bugs me when spending circa £400.. the search continues .....

[@bradkeating2418]

Great vid. I’ve been waiting on this to complete my move away from. Garmin. Looks like it might be worth waiting a bit longer

[@joeg4487]

I found this review recently as Wahoo was selling the watch over the Labor Day weekend for $129. That's a great price - I think. Since this watch was introduced two years ago, I'm curious what updates they have added and if those updates make it more competitive in the realm of sports watches. Have you been following their progress? Can you offer any insight into what they have added? Thanks in advance and for all of your dedication to reviewing products so thoroughly.

[@angeloknopf5675]

Did you buy the watch?... Please share your experiences...Now you can buy it in Germany for 99EUR

[@TheEraser92]

I was excited as I really love my wahoo bolt. It works brilliantly without any fuss. This seems really overpriced for the features available though.

[@davidthomson6106]

There's some great watches coming out lately that grab my attention and wish I could try something other than Garmin. Polar Vantage, Coros, Suunto etc but the fact that not a single one of those have on board music storage is a deal buster every single time.

[@conan_der_barbar]

great video, as always curious what's about to come, I guess. I still would've preferred an updated Bolt though

[@superq]

The thing that has always impressed me about Wahoo is they actually seem to care about fixing bugs.

[@kargi42]

But they can't. I was a Wahooligan since 2017 with Bolt, and Roam from summer of 2019. I have been dealing with long ride instability for a year now. Many updates later still had problems after hours for labor... Unfortunately I transitioned to an Edge 830 last month.

[@kargi42]

@Sean Dooley me neither. ROAM is the problematic one. And an update after 6 day bikepacking journey with 830. I have realized how poor is Wahoo in terms functions. Sorry but never going back.

[@KC-UT4rmAZ]

Ended up buying the watch. DC's review is pretty spot on. The GPS and HR are both off from my Garmin, which I know is accurate. The HR being WAAAAAAY off. It's a cool looking watch and very light weight. Which is why it's such a disappointment for me, because it's so inaccurate but I love the look of it. The question is, do I keep it in hopes of some updates soon that could fix the issues. Or take it back...?

[@KPVELOVLOG]

Oh man, well done Wahoo, slick piece of kit! Thanks for the review dude!

[@MrBrianofarrell]

Thanks, will sit out v1 and wait for them to sort it out and will continue with older Garmin.

[@basengelblik5199]

I don't know where to find the steps from last week on my Garmin Fenix 5 either. The watch looks really nice. Way much better then any of the plastic units you mentioned.

[@trailzrock2]

Haha- Ray, i love that i can customize alarms on my FR945. That was a big deal for me. Don't have to reach for a phone to turn the alarm off.

[@Yamaha_Bolt]

Okay, by 45 sec in i learned all I needed to know. Thanks Ray.

[@GearMashers]

Totally disagree with the statement "Nobody is really setting alarms on their watches" (14:09). I use the watch alarm on my Garmin every day to wake up. I keep my watch on until it needs a recharge. With the Wahoo watch, I really don't see it as being something that you would want to wear all the time vs a Garmin. Considering Wahoo has an HR monitor, sleep tracking was a big miss. I was testing the Rival yesterday on a 10-mile run and it was off by over 1/2 mile compared to my Garmin 920 XT, which is a huge difference. Another really weird occurrence is it didn't upload the who run to Strava. There are a few things I really like about the watch, specifically the user app interface and overall easy to use buttons. My next test is against the Garmin 935.

[@MarkLRandall]

I happen to like simpler, so fewer features is fine by me, so long as it has the features I want, (triathlon), and it does. My Garmin has given me some crazy numbers the last couple years. So for $150, this watch is what I’m looking for.

[@reyskidude]

just the Quick Summary in your blog post quickly shredded this watch down from RIVAL to "rival".. yes, lower case, with quotes, and just because i don't know how to make the font smaller here... the box is nice though... super nice 😆

[@peterstone8540]

“...when they got off the pot, this is what they crapped!” Classic! 👍🏻😀 I’ve been waiting for this review but, unfortunately, they’ve got a long way to go. It’s almost as if they’ve tried to push something out in time for Christmas to get some income in so they can do more product development! Thanks for your time and effort! As always, great review!!

[@TheEverymanReview]

so its not accurate and doesn't have any of the desired features that basically all of the competitors have... Sound like a plug in casio watch! Ohh joy

[@jameshoward9700]

Probably the best reviewer of 'things' on YT. Rigorous, scientific, honest, fair, truthful, personable, clear. But can't help think nobody needs this junk. It's not gonna make you swim faster, or ride like a god. And is that that important anyway? You're doing this for 'fun,' right? That sad pile of watches at the end was a bit of an epiphany. Self-obsession made silicon. The time people spend navel gazing at their woeful data would be better spend doing the sport in question. They'd be both better and happier.

[@MrEmirbeytur]

Great review as always. I have just placed an order for Garmin 6. Sapphire because it is half price deal at the moment in Australia.

[@domxem5551]

Thanks for the much complete review, as always!

[@kenji1204]

I have and like all the Wahoo products I own. I’m going to wait before buying the watch. Wahoo is a great company and I’m sure will work out the bugs. Thanks for the review

[@garylucas7050]

Quality review as usual , have a 945 forerunner and now I appreciate it even more ..surprising lack of features for the wahoo rival can’t really see what market there aiming at , maybe they should rebrand it as the non rival

[@timobrien256]

Thanks for the honest review....will pass this time. I had their bike computer but gave it away because I couldn’t figure out the UI

[@TheGregg1969]

I like the way Wahoo have clearly used the Garmin product and are resolving a lot of the really annoying ownership issues. However they are still very light on features. Like many have said, they don't seem to have finished the development yet.

[@ApaX1981]

I once owned a motorbike gps from Garmin. It was supposed to be very rich in features. Not kidding: every single feature it had was implemented in such a way it was not usable in a real world. Light on features that are easy to use....I will have it any day of the week.

[@mtkreger]

Very thorough review as always. Nice work, Ray! Hopefully, they take your criticism constructively and work to improve. The more competition to evolve wearables = a win for us consumers.

[@dannydrevo]

It has a cow tipping function? TAKE MY MONEY!!!

[@jms493]

Was there ever an update review of this watch after wahoo updated it? How is the watch now compared to launch?

[@brawlstargamer1427]

When is your 2020-21 buyer guide blog coming for sports technology waiting for it .

[@talonlan]

I just got a forerunner 35 off a mate for £30 well happy with it.

[@bkp083]

Haha I use the alarms on my Fenix 6X daily. I’m the guy 😂

[@ReplyBy]

Are there any updates? On-sale for $99. Worth s try, knowing a new model is coming out soon.

[@coldfisao]

Obviously the most important takeaway from this is that Ray likes Ketchup 😁 Thanks for another honest review !

[@karlmack8343]

Thanks for this video. Definitely helps me decide how to invest in new tech (or not yet in this case).

[@monguzzle]

Excellent custom Cow Tipping activity hahah

[@son200219]

Wahoo and dodgy heart rate readings. Who would of thought 😂😂 been through 4 straps and still no joy. Can’t fault there customer service though. Best I’ve ever used 😀👍

[@Boost00130]

I use my watch as my alarm every morning to get me up to work! :)

[@01banksjon]

Cracking video as always, thanks! (Come from GP lama, cracking content from both of you!)

[@jack002tuber]

Cowtipping mode. Now I'm interested.

[@paulschoone6470]

Another nice video and a good review. continue to give your opinion about the products without being influenced by the maker of them.

[@stefanknoop1571]

Hey DC Rainmaker, you have tested several sports watches which one would you recommend? mainly for swimming, cycling and fitness / bootcamp training. I am looking for a nice one, thank you very much

[@sambrown1779]

Thanks for the honesty and quality work

[@roadbikeman]

Appreciate the honesty on this one. Must have been tough

[@thani7963]

As always killer reviews. Thank you for your honesty, transparency and taking a cold swim on our behalf. Why don’t these companies looks into the reviews and taking your recommendations for developing new products... Wahoo is a good company I use Roam from time2time its excellent easy to use computer. You’re a bit tough on them 😅.

[@petew8350]

Ray, you mentioned that Garmins also have the feature that allow information that is recording on the watch to be displayed on a bike computer. I thought I knew my Garmins pretty well but have never come across this; what’s this feature called / what devices is it available on? Thanks

For Garmin it's called Extended Display www.dcrainmaker.com/2019/06/garmins-triathlon-mode-extended-display.html

[@Dcrainmaker]

@ Thanks Denny!

[@EvidenceofaFabulousLife]

Worth watching this review just for your face when you jumped into the lake Ray! 😂🤜 Took one for the team there.

[@phife7dawg]

great review - would love to hear your unbiased review of the whoop strap

[@TomDeGrande]

And I'm feeling all heroic running in this (Belgian in my case) weather... Can't imagine going swimming!

[@scottvallance2007]

I have a Vantage M and find the heart rate really accurate if it is tight and up my wrist a bit, I checked it against my polar chest strap. But the one thing that bugs me is you cannot broadcast your heart rate from the Vantage M to my Elemnt bolt. I hate wearing chest straps and checking my heart rate on my wrist when out on my bike in winter gear is a pain. I thought polar might of come out with an update to enable heart rate broadcasting but a year later and they haven’t. I did email them but just got a generic email not answering my question back. For this reason I was looking forward to see if the new wahoo rival was as good as the polar at tracking heart rate. Unfortunately it appears not, I will reserve getting one until they sort out the issues you highlighted. Thanks for the review.

[@NathanBudd]

This appears to be a monumental fail! I'm looking to upgrade my 935 to something with pay and music, and was hoping the rumoured Wahoo watch would let me get out of the Garmin Eco-system. It does not. This is would be a huge step backwards from the 935! It looks like Wahoo have rushed to get a watch out, and simply don't want to/haven't yet built a software-as-a-service back end. This explains the lack of sleep tracking, step counting etc, as they'd need an upgrade to their entire platform to keep track of it a la Garmin Connect. I understand that. What I don't understand is making the *big feature* about your watch that you don't need to press buttons between transition... but it's not accurate enough to get it right (from here and Des Fit's video), so you've got to press *more* buttons to manually correct it to where it needs to be after the fact. I have never understood why Garmin and other companies don't just use sensors? Press the button to get out of the water (or use the barometric sensor) to start T1, then end it when the power or cadence sensor starts broadcasting. Do the same for T2, and pick up the footpod which i realise not everyone has but more of a reason for Garmin to sell them. Finally the lack of basic things such as an alarm (which I use vibrate every morning so as to not wake the wife) is beyond me. This is basic and just lazy from a dev point.

[@Dcrainmaker]

I agree - I do think sensors would make things a heck of a lot simpler. Though, in the run scenario, Wahoo did pick that up near-instantly, which makes sense as the act of running s pretty darn clear from an accelerometer/gyro standpoint.

[@WayeOfLife]

WHAT?!!!!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!!!!!! I wake up every day to my watch alarm :-)

[@paulbell1972]

2:06-2:07, a quick one word (lip read) description of just how cold that water was, lol!

[@basengelblik5199]

Great review ... Maybe the second version ... not trading in my fenix5 yet. Price is very interesting though. If I didn't own a Garmin yet ...

[@elijahkwon422]

No one uses alarm clocks! I’ve used mine on my watch for a few weeks now and it’s a gamechanger

[@mhamilton]

It's time for me to upgrade my 645 to a multi-sport watch, but I can't imagine buying anything that doesn't support structured workouts. That and automatically importing planned workouts from TrainingPeaks are my 1% features. I guess I'll wait to see if we get any boxing day discounts on the 745.

[@pauldaniel2527]

Another great honest review. Have you done a video on extending the display for Garmin? (ie from watch to cycling head unit)

[@TheRunningMaster]

Great video...brutal but sounds like you are right on again. Way too many features that really are standard now missing from this first attempt. Prediction: will go the same way as Timex GPS.

[@harrylime22]

i am literally just about to get a garmin on black friday, i have a wahoo elmnt on my bike and need something for running. would like to stay with wahoo as i have used the bolt for years. would be good to stick with wahoo but watching this video i might have to go with the garmin,

[@Scuba_Son]

Looks like they just signed on Jim Walmsley which is why I looked up the review for this watch. :-o

[@pandreoni85]

hat off for the open water swimming test :)

[@QueenShanine]

Ahhhhh no wonder you didn’t reply to my tweet asking about wahoo coming out with a watch 😂. I knew something was up when they email me that research survey.

[@Dcrainmaker]

:)

[@lechprotean]

6:55 a very audible and understood word ;)

[@grahamtricker4103]

Sounds just the sort of watch I am looking for. Basic and simple and only shows the data I am interested in with a good clear display. If its anything like their bike computers it will be a big hit which are much better than the Garmin. I have had several Garmin's and the Coros Vertix, which got sent back!

[@cusebike5391]

As Lama pointed out, no Varia radar support. Even Wahoo head units have finally gotten that.

[@L.O.K.I]

Ray this review was awesome. It looks to me that Wahoo benefits, in a way, from "not a Garmin" effect in bike computers sector, and it seems they can come with slightly less quality for the same price and still get cheers for that, just because they ride the underdog factor. However in multi-sport watches market "not a Garmin" factor is less of a factor, competition being more diverse. But is interesting how Wahoo tried to promote the lack of features as a strength and a sign of focus on important features.

[@avancoillie]

Still enjoying my Coros Pace 2.....

[@keithhallam9868]

Do you know how to set the light mode to stay on? When I’m running early in the morning I can not see anything until I get to my next mile. I’ve tried to turn the light mode on and it’s not working

[@kyleharris7154]

This is a basic feature that is sorely missing from this watch. I have the RIVAL and would love to keep the backlight on for these dark early AM runs

[@Try_n_2Tri]

Awesome review as always. This offering missed the bus. Look at the Garmin 745 at a comparable price point -- WAY more watch. Wahoo missed the mark here. We appreciate the raisin sacrifice for the greater good Ray.

[@32532jfbk]

I use the alarms on my Fenix 5+ every day.

[@roryjohnson323]

Would be good if they could do rowing spm and splits for on the water. Speed coaches and stroke coaches are ridiculously expensive so.

[@sylvainmichaud2262]

Ray, your referral to Heinz ketchup was very "à propos". In the late '80s, Heinz had a commercial with the actor Matt Leblanc (Friends) in which the catch phrase, at the end, was : "The best things come to those who wait" For the rest, the watch isn't particularly TICK and certainly not RICH in features. So it's look more like a no name brand catsup than Heinz ketchup.

[@reviewworthy2365]

Always love the Whistler shirt 🇨🇦👍 Videos always a like 👍

[@lordcheshire2007]

Hi, love your honest reviews. I only do mainly road cycling and have most Wahoo products related to that. ELEMNT Bolt, Kickr, Kickr Climb and Headwind. I would like a sports watch to use mainly as a nice daily watch, which I can use as a back up if I forgot my ELEMNT maybe or if I decided to go for a run one day instead or a swim. I don't get heavily into data. I just like to know distance and time and speeds. Could you recommend this watch to me? If not was going to consider the Suunto 5 as I have used their dive watches some years ago. All the best Simon

[@OMGAurora]

Are you able to see the screen in the dark or is mine broken?

[@kyleharris7154]

You cannot. Big miss for this watch. I have the same frustration…should be easy to set the backlight to just stay on when you need it

[@ChannelSwimmingScientist]

Great to see some more competition with Garmin.

[@wordup0719]

this is why I trust this guy

[@michwoz]

I can understand lack of features. Personally I use 3rd party websites and apps to analyze my training data and build fitness models. I also still doubt in accuracy and usefulness of 24/7 activity and sleep tracking. Because of that device that is dedicated to simply just recording and displaying GPS and sensor data makes much sense for me. But... Lack of features should be reflected in price. It's too expensive.

[@JakeBamforth]

Once they add maps/navigation and fix accuracy issues I'll buy.

[@PBlaik]

Liked it only cause you "froze your raisin's for this watch", that deserved a like! 🤣

[@abrown4green]

I think most of their demo is just buying this for working out and racing. They have other smart watches (Apple) for every day stuff. I ordered the wahoo watch this morning 😂