Watchdog Timing | Eurobike 2010

Sep 15, 2010

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Personal timing is a big thing with winning margins at races getting closer and closer. This means that racers are going all out to find out what works best for them against the clock, not to mention which of their riding buddies is fastest. So far there have been two main options in dedicated timing systems; the basic DMC Moto trainer, and the more expensive Freelap. But now there is another which will soon be available: Watchdog.

Read on...

We were first put onto the scent of this neat little system on the Reverse Components stand by the UK Reverse importer. And how glad we are that we were. So much so we have already arranged for a full system to be delivered to test as soon as it is available - watch this space! What is so special about this to set it apart from those currently on the market? To start it utilizes a laser, as with the full size systems from Tag Hauer and the likes which should provide a more accurate set of times than the Freelap can offer, even if it's only by the slimmest of margins. We'll be able to see if this proves to be true when we have the test version. We'll also go into some more detail then about why we think this may be the case. Looks give off the impression of a very well made unit with the neat feature of being able to lock it to the nearest tree to prevent it going missing, a useful addition indeed.

At $279 EUR for two laser units (additional units can also be added for split times) and a watch, it isn't extortionately priced. The watch is neat - a standard offering from electronics giant Texas Instruments, but programmed by Watchdog to specifically suit the timing system. It incorporates an altimeter as well as temperature reading and will also be able to offer a built in heart rate monitor with the addition of a chest strap. Amazingly, an extra watch comes in at $95 EUR so that multiple riders can use the same set of gates. What also sounded very intriguing on paper is that the range from which the watch can pick up the reading from the gate is a minimum of 300m in all directions. This means that whilst you can use it as a personal timing system, there should also be the ability to run short course races with the 1.5m reach beams and a single watch situated somewhere in the middle of the course. A set of gates with a beam reach of 4.5m is also on the cards for 4x and dual tracks. On paper and in the flesh it looks to provide a serious alternative to those now considered the mainstream options and we're as excited as you no doubt are as to whether it can live up to these expectations when we get a setup on test - we'll be sure to include all the tech specs then, as well as a full Q&A with the system's designer.

Stay tuned for more Eurobike coverage!

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15 Comments

Score Time

flicol (Sep 15, 2010 at 14:32)

its a product developed in Germany, buy the guys at Solid Bikes / Reverse components.

Its available direct from them in Germany.

Contact details here:

http://www.solidbikes.de/fr/kontakt.html

or if you're in the UK you can pre-order them via these guys.

http://flidistribution.co.uk/

not sure about the rest of the world.

[Reply]

whitetux (Sep 13, 2010 at 14:40)

Looks beastin' if its as good as it looks it will definitly be bought by myself

MatthewCarpenter (Sep 15, 2010 at 10:54)

if I wanna know which line is fastest, I film myself on helmetcam and analyse it afterwards. Considering that a GoPro 960p will cost about 200€, and considering the small benefit of being able to record HD-Videos, I don't really see a reason for buying that stuff (exept for teams who want to organize some semi-professional short course race)

whitetux (Sep 15, 2010 at 11:01)

thats the exact reason id get it, also go pro's dont give instant results (you have to see it on your computer) whereas i can hit the section and then check it straight away with this

cloverleaf Plus (Sep 15, 2010 at 11:03)

Everyone has their own preferred way of training. While a helmet cam may work for you, many of us like timing systems - being able to look at the time you've just done by looking at your watch is a great thing in my eyes. We frequently train on short sections of track and have a set of freelap poles working with multiple watches which enable us to easily compare ourselves against each other. To me this is a good thing and for this I like using timing systems.