Agreed, especially given that the rest of the bike has such a striking, clean design. Engineering- and maintenance-wise, it seems like the obvious solution, though.
I am not sure why, but overall, I am much more intrigued by Wahoo’s bike than Tacx’s. The design certainly has a lot to do with it, but it isn’t all.
This applies to most things I see, and to think I sold biking as a cheaper 24x7x365 alternative to alpine skiing LOL.
So much techno eye candy but well past the point of diminishing returns in the cost/benefit analysis. And unlike splurging on a bike or wheels, no satisfaction of flashing your stuff on the local ride. At this price point I’m not even feeling techno-lust. Pass.
When I got more serious about cycling, my wife said “At least you are not into cars.” 
Adding to my thoughts on the routing… why didn’t the company that makes the 2nd most popular bike computer in existence make a dumbed down version of the Element that connected to a bar mount?
It would be closer for a shorter cable run for one thing. It would place the gearing, slope and possibly other info in a much better location for a second. I’d also mention the potential of wireless, but I see battery maintenance maybe not being ideal.
It’s just that the current gear and slope solution looks about like an afterthought. It could have been done better and I think it should be considering the price.
That should have been the go-to solution: not only is it compatible with all third-party stems and handlebars, but there would have been very little development effort necessary here.
For the life of me, I don’t understand how these companies stay in business. This is a niche market, and with a hefty price tag (reasonable, but expensive nonetheless), who will they sell these to? I can see a benefit to bike shops having them; however, in Washington State there have been quite a few shops close its doors. Yes, they are very neat, but for the average guy like me, I ask, “will this cost make me a better cyclist?” The answer: nope.
Now, let’s talk about wahoo…could you imagine packing up bike after bike…after bike…after bike (you get the idea), for quality control issues? Wahoo gets zero dollars from me, with the exception of their HR strap/monitor. To Wahoo’s credit, I’d be apprehensive to hop on the wagon and stop that kind of money on a bike right now. I would most definitely wait to see where technology is in the coming years. This post is a long, drawn out way of saying, “that’s really cool, but no thanks”
Not everything that a company does has to turn a profit. There are sooooo many reasons to develop and sell a product without expecting a profit.
Especially being in Europe, I’m really concerned about the Wahoo bike. I know that the people with bad experiences are louder on the internet, but there seems to be a consensus among reviewers and people in the industry that they have flubbed their latest trainer releases. This new bike is completely new internals for them too.
Overall, I think I prefer it to the Tacx one, but my experience with Tacx has been outstanding in terms of service (they replaced a 1st gen Flux by sending me a new one within 2 days of my complaint to my door with return postage for the old one). That and the Tacx bike is basically a modified Neo, something Tacx has a really solid record on.
It’s still September so I’m not stuck inside yet, so I have a few months to wait. I’m curious when Wahoo actually manages to roll these out on my side of the ocean…
How much is the Guru version of a fitting tool, if you know? That was a nice piece of equipment from a rider standpoint during my last fitting.
I should know the real number (a local shop bought one years ago … just before they closed from poor business practices 
), but I think it was over $10k and closer to $15-20k. Those are bad memories and a bit of reference from the $5k Retul Muve that I do know (and is totally manual vs the PC and motor driven Guru).
My 2¢
Definitely the echo the want vs need. But I think the kickr bike would be way more marketable and appealing if it easily worked for multiple people.
What I mean is integrating what automatic car seats have. The options to program a fit. Why would I spend $3500 on a kickr that just works for me when I can spend $800 on a core that works for me and my girlfriend.
It would be cool if you could program fits in with the app. So you press a button and the kickr bike moves and adjusts to how I want it and if my Gf wants to use it the same.
Otherwise if I was new to the game and had $3500 to spend on a trainer I’d be buying a trainer and a new bike. N+1 not N+a bike that doesn’t work on the road/trail.
This and the other smart bikes are all adjustable in seconds with quick release levers and clearly marked adjustment scales.
They aren’t automatically controlled, but a change will take less than one minute in many cases. I don’t see the adjustment as a hurdle.
A bigger issue is saddle choice, pedal choice and crank length. Each of those can be changed, but will take more time than the quick release adjustment.
Saddle is relatively easier with this one if you buy a 2nd (or 3rd…) seat post and have each riders preferred saddle installed.
Pedal choice is relatively easy if you get everyone on the same system. Crank length is not as easy and may lead to a compromise between some users.
Just a few extended issues that are worthy of planning for those that plan to share one of these bikes.
Its niche market but a pretty big niche. A lot of people spend a lot of money on home exercise equipment and there are plenty of folks who’d drop $3500 on a treadmill and a weight machine without even batting an eye. Think of this as a Peloton for folks who prefer Zwift to spin classes.
Assuming you’ll be able to buy a second seat post to swap out for a cushy saddle quickly (maybe bars too?), it sounds like the fit system would be super easy and quick to switch between hard core race training machine to cushy spin bike which means you’re getting two different systems for two very different people with one purchase. Think of it as 2 $1750 training bikes! I can see lots of couples being able to share this.
A $3500 treadmill doesn’t have fit issues between users. One user gets off, the next user steps on and goes. I can more easily justify that than a smart bike, particularly in the case of my family where I’m 5’10" and my wife is 5’3". For all practical purposes, I’d need two smart bikes, because that fit difference isn’t being fixed by a seat post and saddle adjustment alone.
The problem with that justification is that once you have that fit dialed in, you’d be better off training on the rig you’re going to ride outdoors. In the end, if you’re looking to ride outdoors, you’re going to end up trying to get the smart bike fit dialed to your road bike fit, for example. You might end up with additional cranks, pedals, etc.
I can see this being a good option for those who want to exclusively or at least primarily ride in Zwift/TR/et. al., but unless money is no object (NATE) I can’t see practical justification for the individual consumer.
I CAN see the benefit for a shop for fit purposes like @mcneese.chad said. The ability to get direct power measurements during a fit would be beneficial.
Then you throw in Wahoo’s substandard quality history on new products, and I’d be hard-pressed to recommend this to any individual.
Watch the DCRainmaker video. This thing is completely adjustable, not just saddle and bar height. The dimensions of the “frame” itself for want of a better word can be as easily changed as the saddle height is. You can exactly copy the fit of virtually any bike and there is an app to help you do that. Just take a picture of your bike and it spits out the numbers.
Assuming you are not moving the pedals to change the crank length (which is doable by just changing which hole you screw them into, but would take a few minutes), you can switch between a 6’2" guy and 5’2" lady in about 20 seconds, perfectly matching their respective road bikes.
This thing is not for everybody. Personally, even if I had a boatload of cash, I’d still rather stick with my Core and get another bike. But this thing will sell.
I have no doubt it will sell. Doesn’t mean it’s the best use of that money, as you allude to… I’d rather a new bike and smart trainer personally, but to each their own! Thanks for the amplification on the adjustments.
I added part 1 & 2 of Shane’s videos in the OP.
Also listed here for quick access.
News to me, the Kickr Bike has rocking flex. See about 35:40 in the video to see some movement.
With their Quality Assurance record I would be gutted at spending what would probably be 5K AUD on a toy that once goes wrong you are left with a useless piece of kit. It looks sensational but quality these days is really sub standard and when something does go wrong they fail to answer emails and correspond with you to get it sorted. The Computrainer was and still is bullet proof. It was not a toy. Now its all about looks instead of functionality and longevity. It will pobably see out the warranty period and then what!!!
