Rival Keeps Rolling

It's been five months since the launch of Rival. What's changed?

I'll chat about the products a little later on, and the fact I became a father in between it all. For now, my main surprise is how well it's slotted into the sim racing community, and not just the DIY sim racing community either. Originally, I didn't plan on selling any of it, but thought I'd throw it all up onto Etsy in the small chance that someone decided that they'd also benefit from the kits.

Five months later, the store is now a star-seller with a 5-star rating, the Discord community has come to life, and Rival now has a decent following. I really am humbled by the overwhelming support it's received throughout these past few months. Not only have I received helpful feedback about the builds, but collaborations have forged between myself and other like-minded individuals, some of which are very noteable.

The fact that this venture has brought people together in the sim racing community (even if it's a small number in relative comparison) puts a smile on my face. It's lovely to see everyone build the hardware, discuss between them, modify and improve, and most importantly help each other with the builds. It's given me hope that there are others that have the same mindset as me; sim racing doesn't need to be expensive, boutique, and out of reach.

Spec II has been launched, which includes two major overhauls of the most common products (the Grip and Sidekick), as well as updates to all products with minor improvements and changes. These improvements have made the products easier to build, more reliable, but more importantly they're not cheaper to build too. The price remains the same, it was never the main goal.

There are a few goals to come in the near future, and a few ambitious ones too. Rival will be an exibitor at the Chicago SimRacing Expo 2026 (I'm aware that's the other side of the world...), which will certainly be an exciting time. For now, the focus is on completing the core line-up, introducing cheaper alternatives to what are already cheap products (including a solderless wheel for £40 all-in), and to keep pushing the community as much as possible.

If you've been along for the ride, thank you. You'll always have my appreciation, and I hope to keep you on board.

-G