Been checking out the reviews and still can’t decide!
Does anyone have some advice or experience with any of these? Looking for something to level up my indoor training this winter.
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I bought a Kickr bike a few months ago and am very pleased with it. Prefer it to the Tacx Neo 2T I had before.
Like the ascending/ descending tilting mechanism. The only thing I’d say that would improve it would be to have L/R power balance
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Second for the Kickr bike - I love mine and have had zero issues with it. Had to return my Wattbike Atom as it wasn’t working correctly.
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May I ask what the benefits of one of these are over getting a turbo trainer and using your bike on it please?
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I had an older Wattbike Pro and was really good!!
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Peloton might simply not work out, it targets a different audience. Hence the geometry is a lot more limiting than the other contenders. Personally I could not find a good fit. My saddle top to handle bar drop is 9.5cm. All I could get out the Peloton was level, and afterwards a hurting back. So you might want to check out how those trainers feel in real life.
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Excellent question. So if you switch a lot between indoor and outdoor, you might get tired of switching all the time. Perhaps even just use a 2nd bike for the turbo trainer … A full “indoor bike setup” (is there a better name for this ?) would be more convenient then, don’t have to actually get a 2nd bike …
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100% agree re Peloton. More geared towards those keeping fit and exercising than training.
Personally, I would have a second bike (the one you replace with a new bike!) attached to the trainer, but I get the appeal of these indoor bikes too.
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Now here is the thing with the 2nd bike. It just may not be 100% identical in geometry. Just a bit off, so you barely notice it for a while. But when you do sprints and the handlebar with is 2cm off or the seat tube angle is just a whee bit off … Been there, and it is anoying as crap, because you always second guess yourself, and finally end up putting your good bike in there again. With the full bike setup, you can adjust almost anything, I suppose.
The other thing is about your spouse / partner. Perhaps the idea is to share things. So swapping in and out bikes all the time ?
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Hi James. My $0.02c as follows, I’ve used all 3 (and my wife has a Peloton which I chose not to use !).
- Kickr: my current set up, with the Kicker climb and fan. This has served me well for 3 years; Initially I got the Kick alone and then added the fan and Climb. The unit itself is solid, great feel and has proved reliable. I’ve had the (very) occasional connection issue/drop-out of data during workout but it’s been literally less than a dozen times over hundreds of workouts. My logic to get this was that I could use my own (winter beater) bike on it and have the ‘real feel’ of gear changes/bike fit. The Kicker has it’s own cassette so it’s easy to remove your rear wheel and just mount the bike on. Over time, I’ve realized that this bike is never coming off the trainer and it’s “become one” with the kickr unit ! I’m fortunate to have others bikes to take out when I ride outside and not faff around with removing the bike from the Kickr and Climb. The climb add-on really does add a different position/dimension and recruits different muscle groups for sure, IMHO, ie, not just a gimmick.
The big difference between the Kicker and the others you reference is obvious - and over time I always go back and forth between using my own bike and a dedicated stand-alone trainer. right now my head is at going back to a standalone trainer so I don’t destroy my winter-beater; while it may not get rained on or pick up salt from the winter roads, it absolutely takes a beating on the Kicker - drenched in sweat pretty much every workout and as you are constantly on the pedals, the drivetrain wear is very real - I could probably use a (third) new chain and cassette right now.
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Wattbike: bomb proof, possibly the gold standard. New version just out but currently only available in California. I’d be tempted, but it’s pricey…
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Stages: …which is why I wou8ld probably go for the Stages SB20 which is also rock solid and currently on sale at Stages for $1700. That’s still a lot of cash, but it ticks a lot of boxes in the right areas; check www.dcrainmaker. for the review of all trainers - imho he is the gold-standard tester for sports kit including trainers.
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Peleton: personally, while it’s solid, I’m not sure I believe the power data and it is definitely geared towards Peloton-led/organised riding and I think (because I never really looked into it in great detail) it’s not as friendly to connect to other platforms - like Swift (not that I use that). The big issue for me was simply the questionable power data and the feel of the bike - as a long time roadie I think I have a decent sense of what feels good and what doesn’t - and I just wasn’t feeling it on the Peloton.
Lastly, while it’s not an exclusive issue to Peloton - their public demise in financial performance leaves me wondering if they will be around for the long term and hence what tech support would then be there. Same could be said for the smaller brands, but actually I think their longevity is greater: Pelotons strategy is very different.
If I was buying a trainer today I think I would pick up the Stages SB20. Kicker a strong second. It obviously comes down to price too, but for the purposes of my comments I’ve set price aside and just focused on the real world use. Like abd above, I has a Tax Neo and prefer the kickr to it.
Good luck.
Steve
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After a my first winter of indoor training here in Canada and a $1400 service and having killed my Trainer I decided it was time to look into a Indoor bike option.
I did all the usual research, Youtube, Bike Indusrty friends, but what swung it for me was i wanted something reliable and bullet proof, which lead me to the Stages SB20. As a bigger rider (95kg+) i tried a friends wahoo and felt i was throwing it around when i went hard but with the Stages it solid all round. Power Data so far has been solid, as you would expect from a PM brand…but also remember Stages had been in the commercial market with high end spin studios for well over a decade before they launched this consumer version.
So for me Stages won out and i know they have a deal going on right now as well.
Hope it helps
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Great advice everyone! Thank you so much - now to let the wife know 
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