Wahoo Fitness a fitness tech company is suspected to announce the release of their first multisport GPS watch, Wahoo Rival stationary bike, KICKR BIKE at EUROBIKE 2019. Although known for their focus on cycling tech like the Wahoo Elemnt Bolt GPS Computer, Kickr Climb and Kickr Smart Trainer, their heart rate sensors have become popular among multisport athletes. This is not true… It was only a matter of time before they introduced a GPS watch to compete with the likes of Garmin, Suunto and Polar. If do want to learn more about the watch that will never happen, scroll down to learn what Wahoo was thinking about releasing.
Instead of shocking the world by entering the crowded GPS watch market, Wahoo decided to introduce a stationary bike (Kickr Bike), acquire Speedplay pedals and leak a Kickr E-Flex steerable/floating device.
The watch that will never happen:
From what I can find online Wahoo Fitness has been preparing for this launch since the Fall of 2017. The leaked manuals and photos are dated November 2017. I don’t know why they postponed the Wahoo Rival launch, but it could be related design or manufacturing issues. Wahoo did dismiss the original FCC ID back in May of 2018 stating the following three reasons: 1. Product market launch delay to align with seasonal event schedules, 2. Market launch coordination with professional athletic competitions, and 3. Market launch coordination with key partner marketing events. Dismissal letter here.
Manual: https://usermanual.wiki/Wahoo-Fitness/WF119/pdf
Wahoo Rival FCC Filing Documents: https://fccid.io/PADWF119
All Wahoo FCC Filings: https://fccid.io/PAD
Rival Watch Details:
Below are the details from the released manual for the Wahoo Rival.
- The watch will gather Heart Rate, Temperature, Elevation, Location and Speed. *will be able to connect other sensors.
- 5 button layout
- lxwxh: 46.5 x 46.5 x 12.5mm
- Display: 240 x 240
- Battery Life: Up to 14 hours
- Box Contents: Rival GPS watch, Rival Charger, Quickstart Guide and Product Info Guide
*No information an IPX Waterproof rating.
My Thoughts: I think it is an intelligent move for Wahoo Fitness to enter the smart watch market. We need companies who are focus on continual improvement and who think outside of the box. Wahoo Fitness does just that for the cycling industry. It will be exciting if they take that leap into a whole new playing field.
The Bolt Sack:
Over year ago I got the idea to use my Elemnt Bolt on my long runs. I came up with the idea to use my Bolt because I had an old Garmin Forerunner 25 that would run out of battery after 3 hours. So instead of buying a new GPS watch I sewed this sack to hold the Bolt on my running vest and hydration pack. It works so well the Bolt has become my go to running GPS for all my runs short and long. If you want to learn more about The Bolt Sack click here for my original post.
Do you think Wahoo Fitness should enter the smart watch market?
-theBidon
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Wahoo might be underestimating the new multi-sport consumers it would gain, by expanding the ecosystem. Not to mention the brand attention as it would be noticed by others when worn. Imagine what an accelerometer could do!