That looks pretty good, similar to what I am seeing. I have only done a couple ERG workouts but have been pretty happy. Like you, the first couple I did, especially before the first firmware update were way off. Not sure if the firmware fixed it, user error on my part connected to multiple things? Not sure…
Only thing I need now is the shifting to be able to be changed in the app. Gear jumps are a little much. Im sensitive!
So to update on my previous post regarding poor erg mode - this was all my fault, I had some bad settings. Long story short, that workout was my pre-race warmup for a Zwift race, and when I did the workout I was just sitting in the Zwift starting pen, but I forgot to turn off Zwift controllable trainer. So even though I was just sitting there in Zwift, there was erg mode interference between TR on iPad and Zwift on PC, and that caused a bad erg mode experience.
I ran it again this weekend, setup exactly the same except I properly turned off controllable trainer in Zwift, much better result:
Agree with that - there have been a few times where it feels like there are ~75 watt jumps between gears, can’t tell if some of the ranges really are that wide, I’m accidentally shifting twice, etc. The display on a second device plus custom gearing is going to be a great upgrade.
I just ordered the StagesBike SB20 due to the solid frame construction and adjustability. I’m hoping my wife and son will use it some as well. I’m coming from a dumb trainer with power tap wheel for indoor training but looking forward to getting plugged in and doing some Zwift rides/races when the weather is crappy to mix things up some to keep it fun. My bike is supposed to ship the first week of June.
Shane just posted part II of his videos on the SB20. Thanks Shane - I learned a few things from watching.
The dream drive looks pretty cool. It would make it easy to find just the right gear for intervals on TrainerRoad when not using erg mode. The ‘jump’ as Shane mentions could be useful as well for VO2 max and above intervals. You could configure it so you could jump in between the perfect gear for the interval and for the rest.
I received the Stages SB20 bike last weekend and it’s great! Very smooth and super quiet. It was a tough decision choosing the Stages vs Tacx or Wahoo and they all have the ups and downs. I’m happy so far with the stages bike, everything is working well and I highly recommend it to others shopping around for a stand alone trainer.
It’s a bit on pricey side but I can ride it anytime with no weather or covid stress. That’s my 2 cents, if you have any specific questions I can answer best I can.
I’ve had mine for a month now. Generally very pleased and I’ve spent a lot of time on it. There’s the occasional technical hiccup, but usually I’m able to sort things out.
Basically the exact same experience for me, 100% agree.
Ordered my Stages bike from Clever Training today. The combination of $290 in rewards points and a free Dash head unit were too much to resist 
Hopefully @jimstemper and the crew at Stages has ERG mode ironed out in the latest firmware…
Well my sb20 already breaking down 
The flywheel is making a “thunk thunk” noise when I ride it now. Only ridden it 60 miles. Bummer. Waiting on support to let me know what’s up. I don’t put out a lot of watts, less than 250 avg.
I read in the Facebook group a couple other people having same issues, one receiving a new bike and the other a new fly wheel. I just sold my wheel on trainer. Doh.
Sorry to hear that! Hopefully they resolve it soon. Let us know how it goes.
Stages cycling has informed me that a tech will be coming to replace my flywheel. I’m a little concerned with other users in the FB group having their flywheel replaced. I guess I should be happy I have problems now and not 1 month after warranty has expired.
I took a risk being an early adopter of the Stages SB20 but all my research pointed me to get this bike. I bought it for their reputation of commercial spin bikes and customer support. The customer support team has been very helpful. Hopefully this is a small blip for the bike…
ERG mode with TrainerRoad is working really well for me. Haven’t tested latest firmware with anything else yet.
I have dream drive setup with all 50 gears and have left shifter to jump 3 gears at a time and right does 1 at a time… Rarely do I use the right side now. Dream drive is really really nice for races, so smooth.
I’m helping a friend get his new bike running tomorrow. Hope to take a short spin if we get it all going well.
This is great to hear. Since I spend 80% of my trainer time on TR, ERG mode is the most critical peace of the puzzle for me. Sounds like Stages is getting it worked out.
Just got my new StagesBike SB20 a couple of hours ago, from Mack Cycle in Miami. This thread played a solid part in my research and my decision, so thanks to all including Jim from Stages. DC Rainmaker’s in-depth review also helped.
I’ve done all the basics from “feel and intuition”, because the included documentation is basically focused on assembly and not very useful. But all my pre-purchase reading walked me easily through getting the bike set up, plugged in, shifting configured, StagesLink account set up and app installed on phone, power meters calibrated, all three firmwares updated, the bike (plus its two individual power meters) paired to TrainerRoad, and VirtualPower disabled. In theory, I should be all set.
Something isn’t working, though. Here’s the “devices” screen in TR:
ERG mode doesn’t seem to be responding at all to TR direction. In fact, the only way I can get any resistance from ERG mode is by manually setting up something like 100W ERG mode on the StagesLink app, and even then I still don’t get a 100W readout from TR. Plus, it looks very strange to see three wildly different power numbers!
First impressions of the bike, especially for @jimstemper:
I think I bought the right bike. Solid as a brick, good design. Appreciate the USB ports, the tablet mount and space for phone/Dash, the heavy flywheel, the tanklike build.
The setup docs are weak, at best. Nowhere have I found an official anything (yet), even a web page, that walks a fairly knowledgeable user through all the steps needed to set up the bike, the StagesLink app, and everything else.
I’m sure I’ll get used to the shifting buttons, but they’re not a great choice. Take lots of pressure to push them, no real tactile “click” that they’ve been activated, and a distraction from the ride experience. Prime area for improvement.
My brakes do not appear to stop the flywheel right now. Maybe I still need to finish some setup, maybe a made a mistake in assembly, maybe there’s a problem. But the setup docs should have walked me through the process a little better, and I should know how to check if they’re working properly.
Stages should make it as easy as possible to swap saddles. My wife and daughter really want to use the bike, and REALLY DON’T want to use the road-bike saddle I have on there. Making it easier for multiple users to coexist is a huge part of the kind of great experience that leads people (especially my wife) to recommend a product to everyone.
If anyone has pointers to what might be user errors, I’d love to hear them. I’ll hit up tech support in the morning and report back on how things go. Not a flawless setup experience – not even a successful first ride experience – but I’m confident that I’ll be really happy with it after I work through the issues I have right now.
You want to pair ONLY the Stages bike, not the cranks in TrainerRoad. The cranks provide feedback to the bike itself in much the same way that Powermatch does in TrainerRoad so linking all three PMs is redundant and causes issues in ERG mode
Tried that before, but no joy. I pair only the bike, set in TR to ERG mode, and I start Bluebell where the initial warmup is asking for 99W. I then ride for a minute or two at 85rpm, and power is always oscillating around 55-60W. Same result whether the StagesLink app on my phone is set to Erg or External.
Update: had a lengthy conversation today with Tony at Stages Tech Support. Friendly, knowledgeable, and happy to explain things at length and in detail.
I had weird power readings and an additional problem of the bike wanting to shift up constantly (about 2 gears/second) in simulation mode. In the end, that shifting madness gave a clue to the problem (or one of the problems): the plastic covering the hoods and shifter buttons was not perfectly aligned and was pressing down the right “shift harder” button.
A bunch of resets, firmware updates, minor tweaks, app force-closings, and realigning the plastic hood covering was required, but my bike now seems to be working fine. I’ll run it through a workout tomorrow (already did today on the Kickr) and confirm.
