Saris H3 Discussion/Issues

I use headphones on the trainer, but my experience so far with my H3 is that it is quieter than my Direto X (which I did not think was very noisy).

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The original Hammer sounded like a freaking jet taking off in the big ring, but the H3 isn’t really any louder than a regular drivetrain.

It’s much quieter than any fans you’ll be using for any real workouts and won’t distract at all from watching videos in my experience. It’s not silent, but it’s very easily ignorable background noise.

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That code did not work for me a minute ago. Are these one-time codes? On saris.com?

I checked and it showed the discount for me, but I did not buy.

If by ā€œone timeā€ you mean one per customer actually purchased, that may be the case, but I don’t know for certain.

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I think the code might be disabled now. I tried this morning and it worked, but just tried to check out and it’s not valid.

A friend just tried to buy the H3 and it’s not working for him either.

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Very possible that it ā€œexpiredā€ in the sense that Saris sold enough at that price to hit whatever goal they may have had, and then killed this discount.

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Just tried with the code and it is not valid anymore (at least for me.)

I grabbed one this morning, for $320 shipped it was a no brainer.

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It is a one time code per e-mail address…I got denied on the MP1 when I used my personal e-mail, but it went through when I used my work e-mail.

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where do I go to get the code? thanks

This was the code above, but it appears that Saris already killed it after a few people (here at least) snagged them at that discount.

Thanks. I thought we had to apply for a code. bummer.

Yeah, killer deal for those that got it. Outside of that, Saris is still running the 20% sale on all their trainers & racks, which puts the H3 at $640 shipped. Still a good deal when looking the other options, but not the screaming deal that this or the one a bit ago were, unfortunately.

I run three fans and the H3 and I run my music and podcasts through a little bluetooth speaker that is plenty loud enough. The fans are way, way louder than the trainer. I don’t notice any difference between the H3 and my old Kickr 2018. Trainer noise is literally irrelevant as far as I’m concerned.

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I am in the market for a new - my first one - direct trainer.
Both Saris H3 and Zwift Hub are around 500euros, which is my target price. I am bit concerned about H3’s recurrent issues (clicking noises, slipping belt, mud feeling …)
Are latest units immune? Is the risk worth for better (supposed) road feel, erg control?

Can you elaborate on this or maybe post where you saw it listed as an issue?

I picked up a H3 recently (the first big sale) and coming from a first gen Kickr it definitely has a different feeling to it. Hard to pinpoint what it is though.

  • In an oversimplified sense, the Kickr V1 has a 12lb flywheel while the H3’s is 20 lbs. Pure weight is only one aspect of the flywheel though. The actual shape and size (most specifically the Polar Moment of Inertia) and the relative drive ratio (rear axle to flywheel) also impact the functional feel of each trainer.

  • Those hidden details aside, you are talking about a weight difference of 8 lbs or 167% which is not a minor delta. I can tell the difference between my Kickr V3 and the Saris H2 that is the same difference you are experiencing. I prefer the H2 for pure feel, but use the Kickr since it is the only one that works with my InsideRide E-Flex.

I came from a gen 1 Elite Drivo, H3 feels much different because of the heavier fly wheel. It has a more of a road feel and I finally have ā€œergā€. Only did a short test with 110w and 150w on erg and it was very responsive, night and day compared with the Drivo and unlike Wahoo, true data output. This in also noticeable in the simulated mode, where I haven’t experience the huge lag in response to changing slopes. I haven’t experience any slipping belt on simulated climbs or after a short pause as I had with the Drivo. Not sure what the mud feeling is referring to but I’m assuming it has to do with the heavier flywheel at spin up. It’s a bit different than out on the road but one you have some speed on the flywheel, it feel much more realistic (than the lighter flywheels). It not as bad as staring up on a beach cruiser or a track bike vs a road bike but something more than a MTB (excluding department store variants).

The only thing I noticed on my ride yesterday is H3 wasn’t picking the power and cadence at low combinations. It was my cooldown after attempting the Empirical Cycling Baseline FTP Test where I was putt’n around 30-50w and less than 50rpm to call it an hour on the trainer.

Overall the H3 has lived up to my expectation, cost ~$500 less (2016), and in many ways a better trainer than my Drivo.

I guess I would say the Kickr feels like it holds its momentum better (to me) which I would think would be the opposite I would expect when looking at the flywheel weights. Maybe there’s a point where flywheel weight at a given speed has a ā€œpeak momentumā€ feeling before dropping off when the weight increases. If that makes sense.

I tired overcoming this by using resistance mode on the H3 with a low setting/high fw speed but couldn’t get it to feel more like the Kickr that I’m used to.

Maybe/hopefully I’ll adapt with more time on it but right now it gives me a lost fitness panic feeling :rofl:

  • This is important… if you are using power data directly from the trainer, you really need to get a new FTP related to that different trainer. Regardless of how consistent we want or think power data is or should be… swapping from one trainer to another will almost definitely result in a different FTP value.

  • This means that using an FTP derived from one device may be slightly or greatly incorrect for use on a different device. This can also be true even if you are using the same power data (like from pedals, crank or spider on the bike) because of the function differences that exist in flywheels and the related impact on our bodies.

  • Moral of the story, whenever you change power data, or trainers… it’s best to retest FTP with that new setup. I know this runs counter to TR and their new AIFTPD and the fact they typically say ā€œDon’t worry about itā€¦ā€ but I have serious problems with that hand waving.

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