I would describe it as stagnant. The Smart Bike segment, like smart trainers, hasn’t really moved forward the last several years. The Original Kickr was a game changer from what existed at the time:
Smart Trainer: only real option was the computrainer. Wheel on, funky setup, proprietary software
Dumb trainers / rollers
Since the original Kickr came out, it and competitors have tweaked their products, but nothing really innovative. I would argue the next innovative idea was the InsideRide Kickr E-Flex.
For smart bikes, what has really changed since the original Stages, Wahoo, Tacx bikes came out? The Muov (formerly Muoverti) tilt-bike looks cool, but it is feeling more and more like vaporware
Devastated - my 8 year old watt bike pro (so not smart) is broken, () so reading this thread with massive interest and some advice in case anyone has been in my (very 1st world) position.
From a dalliance with Wahoo Rollr and my TT bike I hate the way that erg works - I’m so used to controlling resistance manually on Watt bike Pro I just seemed to be in the downward hellish spiral.
Reluctantly exploring new Atom (gen. 2) and wondering if anyone here has moved from Watt bike Pro (or WB Trainer/Nucleus) to Watt bike Atom or Tacx/Neo or Wahoo smart bike and considered it a positive experience / upgrade?
Seriously considering getting another Watt bike pro (to have less moving parts/reasons for it to go wrong - (it even works without power) but worrying that I should jump on the smart bike wagon so to speak….?
Me too. I would hope the next development would be a bike that would have both trainer and roller properties. With the ability to switch roller mode off and on.
In your shoes of someone who already owns a Neo trainer (which presumably works fine) my default option would be to buy or build an inexpensive trainer mule bike to use with it. This is low cost & low risk, gives you a proven setup that you already know works well, and lets you see how the smart bike segment evolves further before committing.
I chose the Neo + dedicated trainer mule route ~5 years ago because, despite the advantages of a Smart Bike setup (see @mhandwerk post above), I was cautious of (a) being an early adopter in an evolving segment, and (b) the hassle of getting something that niche and large repaired or returned, esp. out of warranty, plus the logistical hassle of me trying to eventually sell on something of that bulk one day.
I’d still like one eventually - so long as prices aren’t daft - but cannot justify it while my Neo OG setup continues to work so well and reliably.
Hi mate, and yes you’re absolutely right. Slowly coming round to that point of view. Funds very tight at the moment more than likely put the road bike back on the neo and see if a club mate wants to sell an old road bike to go on it.
I sat on a kickr bike today v1, was expecting to be wowed by it but i don’t know, the hoods and general feel left me underwhelmed. Guess i’m too used to my own roadbike.
For my use case, if it were now, I would get a Kickr Bike so that my wife could (almost) seamlessly hop on it and ‘go’ for a spin. Also less maintenance i.e. lubing the chain, check for drivetrain wear, etc.
I’d go for the Kickr Bike over the alternatives as I’d immediately swap the handlebar for my preferred shape and width. Wouldn’t be able to do the same with the others.
I’ve got a kickr bike, best purchase for me when it comes to indoor training. But also an expensive option. If you’ve got the cash to spare then yes (+change the seat and handlebars) otherwise I’d say cheap dedicated bike on a direct drive trainer.
I haven’t seen any updated posts, but Muov was at some cycling tradeshow in the UK last month. I saw FB adds showing their setup with people on board. Not sure that’s progress, but they still seem to be active at the moment.
It’s stagnant but not reaching the state of a mature market. Honestly, there aren’t really significant features to improve from the Gen 1 smart trainers, so it just seems stuck in infancy.
What makes the Kickr Smart Bike cost $2700 more than the Trainer? It doesn’t make sense when other premium spin bikes cost half that. How do you combine the features of smart trainers that cost $500-1200 with spin bikes that cost $300-1600 and end up with the cheapest option being a $2500 Stages bike? Virtual gears just aren’t worth paying an extra grand that could go into so many better alternatives in life & cycling. A “core” smart bike at $2k will be what brings maturity and volume to the market.
I guess it could be worse, you can give NordicTrack $2500 for the same bike they have on sale for $999 but you get a 27" instead of a 10-inch screen.
For me, the big changes I’d like to see (besides a lower price) are:
Road bike Q-factor
Motion - it doesn’t need to be a lot, but the my SB20 is too rock hard stable. A little bit of motion to take the edge off would be appreciate
Better road feel - I know this is really subjectively, but above threshold work on the SB20 feels way harder (I’m using it with 170mm crank settings) than outdoors.
Hi - I had it repaired - it only needed a bit of TLC - a new chain and maintenance - in UK - I think it cost me around £250 and it’s as good as new! I’m very very happy. Worst part was waiting for Watt Bike UK to hand out the service request to a local engineer - once they had the request took no time, but it took weeks for Watt Bike UK to process. Good luck.
Got a Stages SB20 approx 2 years ago - great investment - can train in any weather conditions and stick to structured workouts easily because there’s no external environment to deal with.
Used by my wife and myself - very quick saddle height and fore/aft adjustment.
Batteries in the crank power meters have a very short lifetime - maybe a month or two with approx 8-10 hours usage per month.
I only ever use mine in Resistance mode, tried ERG and it has problems with short intervals.
) so reading this thread with massive interest and some advice in case anyone has been in my (very 1st world) position.