I’ll be interested to hear how they handle this. I would really like to see smart trainers be more like treadmills from a support perspective - my understanding is that parts are available for many of the reputable brands. Replacing a circuit board is generally quite simple, and makes more sense than shipping the entire thing in for repair.
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Oh one more thing, I have a fan blowing on the drive side mesh grid to help keep electronics cooler, more a preventative measure and no expert on electronics but they seem happier when cooler
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Kickr 18 just died @ 14 months old - 15986 miles.
How many of you guys have logged decent mileage with the H3 with no issues?
I’m a bit apprehensive to pull the trigger on the H3 as it may not be suitable for our needs.
I predominantly use ERG for workouts followed by SIM freeride in Zwift. Approx. 70/30 split.
My wife races TTT and SIM freeride in Zwift. Approx. 40 / 60 split.
Accurate tracking of T/R workout in ERG, especially high wattage to low wattage transitions are important to me.
Is the H3 the trainer i’m looking for?
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Can’t speak to the H3 in particular, but I’ve had the original Cycleops Hammer for a bit over three years now and it’s barely had a hitch. The only real problem I’ve had is that the power supply sticks out a few inches and it’s easy bump into walking around to hop on the bike from the left side.
I was having issues for a while where I was getting power drops/random disconnects and thinking the trainer was on its way out, but it was just the plug starting to separate where it goes into the port on the trainer. I replaced the power supply, the port is rock solid, and everything’s running great again.
If I were buying a new one today, I’d probably pick up an H3, too. The KICKR and some others like the Tacx Neo look super nice, but seem to be quite finicky. The Hammer’s just been a really solid, no-frills workhorse.
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Wow 3 years is really great. It must be built like a tank.
I couldn’t care less about looks, give me the ugliest smart trainer out there if it’s a solid, reliable performer.
My H3 died after 18 months. I’m in UK and after returning it and waiting a month I was told it couldn’t be fixed. Retailer gave me a refund and got a Direto XR as a replacement (all they had).
Bit of a shame as H3 was great for TrainerRoad. Initially it was also great for Zwift too, but after a year something happened with a Zwift/iOS update and BLE connectivity became intermittent.
Warrenty experiences mean I wouldn’t by a Saris again.
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That turnaround time is worrying. Did you deal with Saris direct or through a retailer?
In contrast, I put a ticket in on Monday 20th for my faulty Kickr '18 which is now getting collected by courier on Friday 24th. I should have a new trainer on the 27th / 28th September which to be honest is really good customer service.
However, It’s a tough pill to swallow when you base the cost of ownership of a Kickr on a projected lifespan of 2 years. IE £500 a year.
I have a couple of friends who both have had Kickrs die shortly after the warranty period
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I have an elite direto that’s lasted 3 years so far. I did replace the belt recently but hoping to get at least 2 more years out of it.
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@Stu72 Retailer. Saris deal through a distributor in UK.
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I think my H3 is broken. Had it around 18 months and on my ride today I lost all resistance and now there’s a red flashing light (blinking 4 times per second). @Mcvittees is this similar to what happened to you? I hope I don’t have to wait long to sort it (I’m UK too)!
H3s are currently in stock with the UK distributor (Raleigh) so it should be a quick turnaround.
Yes, exactly same.
So after posting about my great experience with my original Cycleops Hammer, the belt broke like two days later after well over three years of heavy use. That said, opening up the Hammer to confirm that was the problem was super easy, and I have a new belt along with a backup on the way.
You can get the belts from Saris for $60 with a couple of tools, but I got mine online for $7 plus a few bucks for shipping. If the belt replacement goes smoothly (not jinxing anything!), I’d guess it’d probably take 15, maybe 20 minutes for a full belt replacement.
I’ll update the thread after I get the replacement belt installed to let everyone know how it goes.
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Halfords by any chance? I had a nightmare with them yesterday leading to their customer service telling me I could return it that day in store for a full refund but then the store manager flat refusing to help and giving me the same customer service number that had told me to take it to store! Absolute wasters!
Can you share the link for ordering the belt?
I’m trying to replace my belt at the moment. I bought a cheaper nonbranded version online. It turns out Saris have changed the belt they use & I hadn’t realised. 
The one I have bought is marked “150S5M930” and I got it from totally belts who were really really slow to ship: BANDO STD Timing Belts - 150S5M930
It has ribs running across the width of the belt (as you can see in the link above).
The belt that was in my trainer is marked ‘370J’ and has ribs running along the length of the belt so they’re not interchangeable. They’ve also clearly changed the shape of the cog to match the belt. The 370J version is 930mm long- I can’t find a non branded version this length online.
If anyone in the UK is after the 150S5M930 belt I’d be happy to send my new and unused one to them for the cost of postage and packing- just check its the right one for you first!
Sure thing. I ended up ordering two. Partially so I’d have a backup and partially in case one might get here quicker. I got one from a place called Off Road Belts and found the other on Amazon. I ordered both first thing Monday morning. The Amazon order will get here tonight, and the one from Off Road Belts will get here on Saturday, and shipped out the day after I ordered it. They’re based out of IA, I think, so they’re smack in the middle of the country for delivery instead of having to ship all the way crosscountry.
It’s a timing belt with dimensions “150-S5M-930”
Assuming the belt gets here tonight, I’ll probably end up installing it tomorrow morning and posting after to let everyone know how it went.
Edit to add: this is for the original CycleOps Hammer and, I think, the H2. The H3 apparently uses a different belt.
OK, replaced the belt this morning and gave it a quick test ride. Everything was pretty straightforward and simple, and the whole operation took about 25-30 leisurely minutes kinda taking stock of everything and making sure there weren’t any other issues. I think the whole operation could be done in 10-15 minutes if you had the belt in hand and just wanted to do a quick replacement.
Pro tip: If you want to avoid a “Wow, I’m a dummy.” moment, remember to flip the leg out to get to the window for the 5mm Allen head on the belt tension screw.
Instructions from Saris here:
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We (my wife and I) are looking at getting a new trainer. We’ve currently got a Minoura wheel-on magnetic resistance model. Current front runner is the Saris H3 but there’s also the Kickr Core at the same price and the Elite Direto X at £200 less.
I’ll most likely be using whichever unit with Powermatch and a 4iiii power meter. My wife will just have the unit.
We’ve both got reasonably new chains so will probably just fit a cheap 10spd cassette for both of us to use rather than swapping it each time. Shouldn’t be a problem so long as one of us doesn’t hog the machine!
Any thoughts on the above models or why we should choose one over the others?
I would go either Wahoo or Saris
I put this in another thread, but you will likely get a great machine - both seem wahoo and saris seem to have improved their product to where there are few with struggles but most are working well
However if you didn’t get a good one = go with the one that has the best repair service, customer service or store warranty for you if the cost is similar. If again you had to return or replace - they are freaking heavy so local would be better. Which of the retailers will have your back!
Love my original hammer