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It’s that time of year again – the semi-annual VIP 20% off sale! As with last fall and last spring, there are some amaze-balls deals in here. And while my title says all trainers and many power meters, the reality is that this applies to boatloads more devices/products too, especially if you think outside the box.
Historically speaking we see the biggest sports tech sales clustered in two timeframes: November (up to/around Black Friday), and May. Currently, it’s May. May usually brings sales from all wearable tech companies, as they often try and offload older products ahead of the summer. We’ve seen that the last few weeks with a slew of product sales rotating through.
So for background, in general sales fall into two buckets:
A) Retailer driven sales
B) Manufacturer driven sales (specified by the manufacturer, but then sold through retailers)
Within the US, manufacturers have to approve virtually all sales, to stay compliant with MAP policies (Minimum Advertised Price). Said MAP concept doesn’t exist elsewhere. So in the case of the Garmin and other sales below, those fall into bucket ‘B’ above. Whereas everything else in this post falls into bucket ‘A’ above. Make sense? Good.
So we’ve got one major sale here being driven by Clever Training for 20% off, though we’ve actually got a couple Garmin & Suunto sideshow sales on a handful of wearables as well. Ironically, all of which are current year models (usually they’ve been older models). As with past years, I expect we’ll see a handful more sales this month, though I wouldn’t expect any overlap with the way you could save 20% off on a given included product.
Said differently: No, you’re not going to see 20% off on Vector this month (or anytime soon), nor will you see 30% off on a Tacx Neo. Make sense?
Manufacturer-Specific Sales:
Here’s the handful of manufacturer driven sales that are currently announced:
| Product | Sale Price | Amazon | Other site | Sale Notes |
 | Apple Watch Series 10 - $50 off
$399/$499 (cellular) | $349 | Amazon | | |
 | Apple Watch Ultra 2 Black Titanium - $75 off | $725 | Amazon | | This is a nice little deal for this unit which just came out. |
 | Fitbit Ace LTE Kids Activity Smartwatch - 22% off | $179 | Amazon | | This was just announced this summer, and is their first full smartwatch focused on kids activity tracking and gamification. |
 | Fitbit Charge 6 - 38% off!
$159 | $99 | Amazon | | This is the go-to sale price for the Fitbit Charge 6. It happens often, but it still doesn't take away from the fast that it's argueably the best bang for your buck fitness tracker out there. |
 | Fitbit Inspire 3 - $30 off | $69 | Amazon | | |
 | Fitbit Sense 2 - $70 off | $179 | Amazon | | |
 | Fitbit Versa 4 - $40 off | $119 | Amazon | | |
 | Garmin Edge 1040 Cycling GPS - $100 off! | $499 | Amazon | | This is a good deal, especially since it's gotten virtually all of the Edge 1050 updates, and then a boatload more. That said, it wouldn't surprise me to see this drop further to $449, as it did this past summer. |
 | Garmin Edge 540 - $100 off | $249 | Amazon | REI | ⚡⚡This is the lowest price we've seen on the Garmin Edge 540 to date, which has gained virtually all of the new Garmin Edge 1050 features as well. This is kinda an insane deal for this unit. |
 | Garmin Edge 540 Solar - $100 off | $349 | Amazon | REI | This is the lowest price we've seen on the Garmin Edge 540 Solar to date, which has gained virtually all of the new Garmin Edge 1050 features as well. |
 | Garmin Edge 840 - $100 off | $349 | Amazon | REI | ⚡⚡This is the lowest price we've seen on the Garmin Edge 840 to date, which has gained virtually all of the new Garmin Edge 1050 features as well. This is one of my main units I use daily. |
 | Garmin Edge 840 Solar - $100 off | $449 | Amazon | REI | This is the lowest price we've seen on the Garmin Edge 840 Solar to date, which has gained virtually all of the new Garmin Edge 1050 features as well. |
 | Garmin Edge Explore 2 - $40 off
$299 | $269 | Amazon | Competitive Cyclist | This is a great little unit, though, with the sales on the Edge 540 and 840 series, you might want to look at those instead. |
 | Garmin Epix Pro Series - 20% off!
$899/$999 | $649 | Amazon | REI | ⚡ This is the lowest price to date for the Garmin Epix Pro series, likely due to the Fenix 8 coming out a few months back (Epix as a brand was merged into the Fenix 8 branding). Still, if you don't care about diving or voice bits, this is an incredible deal. |
 | Garmin Epix Sapphire/Titanium (Gen 2) - $400+ off! | $399-$429 | Amazon | | ⚡⚡⚡ This is a crazy super strong deal. Note the Epix received all of the software updates of the Epix Pro. This deal keeps floating between $399 and $429 - frankly, at either price it's an awesome deal. |
 | Garmin Fenix 7 Pro - 31% off (All Variants)
$799+ | $549+ | Amazon | REI | ⚡ This is the lowest price to date for the Garmin Fenix 7 Pro series, likely due to the Fenix 8 coming out a few months back. Still, if you don't care about diving or voice bits, this is an incredible deal. |
 | Garmin Forerunner 165 Music - $50 off! | $249 | Amazon | | This is the first time we've head a meaningful sale on the Forerunner 165, released earlier this year, down to $249 for the Music edition, and $199 for the non-music edition. |
 | Garmin Forerunner 255/255S - $100 off | $249 | Amazon | | This is Garmin's mid-tier running watch, and is a very polished option with good multi-band GPS, and of course, a boatload of running metrics. |
 | Garmin Forerunner 255/255S Music - $100 off!
$349/$399 | $299 | Amazon | | This is Garmin's mid-tier running watch, and is a very polished option with good multi-band GPS, and of course, a boatload of running metrics. This model also includes offline music such as Spotify and Amazon Music. |
 | Garmin Forerunner 265 - $100 off | $349 | Amazon | REI | This is the first time we've seen the Forerunner 265 on sale, and it's solidly priced right now at $349 |
 | Garmin Forerunner 265s - $100 off | $349 | Amazon | REI | This is the first time we've seen the Forerunner 265 on sale, and it's solidly priced right now at $349 |
 | Garmin Forerunner 955 - $100ish off! | $399 | Amazon | | This is one of Garmin's most popular running watches, and it's down to a very strong price. I often use this in my accuracy testing comparisons when validating other watches, due to it's very strong GPS performance. Note this is the base edition without solar. It'd be hard to find any better deal in sports watches today, from any company (given this has full mapping, tons of new features even this week, etc...). I say '$100ish', because it's usually been on forever sale at $499, so $399 is a strong price, though, it dipped to $319 for Amazon Prime Day. |
 | Garmin Forerunner 965 - $50 off! | $499 | Amazon | REI | This is the lowest price we've seen ever on the Forerunner 965, since it's launch. It's still Garmin's top-end Forerunner watch, and I expect it to stay that way for a while. It's one I often use in comparative testing as a reference device. |
 | Garmin Instinct 2X - $100 off! | $349 | Amazon | REI | This is a solid deal. Garmin Instinct 2X - $100 off!It's best thought of as an Instinct 2.5, as it has almost enough features to really be more of an Instinct 3 (which doesn't exist at this point). |
 | Garmin Tactix 7 Pro - 20% off | $1,049 | Amazon | | This is the largest discount we've seen to date on the Tactix 7 Pro unit. Note the other Tactix 7 Pro units/variants are also on sale for 20% off too (this link takes you to all of them). |
 | GoPro Hero 12 Black - $100 off! | $299 | Amazon | | The new Hero 13 just came out, which mostly just adds a bunch of new accessory options. If you don't plan to purchase those accessories, then this is a solid deal. |
 | GoPro Hero 13 Black Bundle - $60 OFF! | $339 | Amazon | REI | This is the first time we have seen the newly announced GoPro Hero 13 Black on sale. Solid deal, this is my daily use action cam! |
 | Google Pixel Watch 3 (41mm) - $70 OFF | $279 | Amazon | | Click to add $70 coupon into the cart. Bringing price down to $279! |
 | Insta360 Ace Pro Action Cam - $50 off | $299 | Amazon | | This is the previous edition, as the Ace Pro 2 just came out a few weeks back, but this is still a very solid camera from a year ago. |
 | Insta360 GO 3S Tiny 4K Action Camera - $60 off! | $239 | Amazon | | This is a great deal for this tiny little thing, which should really be named the Go 4, given how many new features it has (including 4K). It also has all the Insta360 sport integration features with Garmin & Apple, to overlay your Garmin/Apple data automatically on your footage. |
 | Jackery Portable Power Station - $60 off! | $199 | Amazon | | This is something I use frequently when shooting out and about and I need to re-charge a crapton of drone batteries, action cameras, or just cameras and such. I also use it on trips to Eurobike and elsewhere to keep equipment charged. I've even bought a solar panel to hook up to it (surprisingly effective). Heck, I've even powered a KICKR trainer ride from it! |
 | Tacx Flux 2 Smart Trainer - $200ish off
$899 | $499 | N/A | REI | I mean, I guess. Really, I don't see why anyone would buy this trainer at any price above $299. With the JetBlack Victory at $399 being more accurate, quiter, including WiFi, including Zwift Cog support (or mechanical cassette), including dual-Bluetooth, including Race Mode, and...one could go on and on. |
 | Tacx NEO 2T Smart Trainer - $200-$300 off
$1,399 | $899 | Amazon | | This is the go-to sales price for the NEO 2T, though has become more frequent over the past year. It's still an incredible trainer, and is the top-end non-moving trainer from Garmin/Tacx. |
 | Wahoo KICKR CORE Zwift One (COG V2) + Play Controllers
$499 | $499 | N/A | Zwift.com | This package includes the KICKR CORE with the Zwift V2 Cog, but notably now also includes the Zwift Play controllers. Basically, this saves you about $100 or so, and is the first time we've seen them bundle it. |
 | Wahoo KICKR MOVE - $300 off!
$1,599 | $999 | N/A | REI | ⚡⚡ This is actually a very solid deal, and the first time we've seen this discounted. In fact, frankly, this is the first time in years it feels like Wahoo is actually doing a legit sale on something. Kudos. |
 | Wahoo KICKR ROLLR - $100 off
$599 | $499 | N/A | REI | |
 | Wahoo KICKR SNAP - Lowest Price Ever
$499 | $199 | Amazon | REI | This is lowest we've ever seen the KICKR SNAP priced. While the trend has moved towards wheel-off/direct drive trainers, this is still really solid deal if your budget it tight. That said, if you're in Europe, Decathlon has the D100 on sale for $199 also, and in my testing, I'd go with that almost every time. |
I’d keep checking back on the above table, especially over the next week or so. As most of the times manufacturers have lit up deals by mid-May. The table automatically updates as soon as a new deal shows up.
REI 20% off Sale:
[Update! Just added this section in!]
If you missed the much larger Clever Training 20% VIP sale, fear not – you’ve got two days to make it up. From now till May 28th you can still take advantage of the REI 20% off sale, which has a handful of sports tech items that are of interest here (plus of course all sorts of the usual REI stuff like tents and backpacks). All of these links help support the site.
CycleOps Hammer (REI Link: $959 from $1,200)
CycleOps Magnus (REI Link: $479 from $600)
Tacx Flux Smart (REI Link: $720 from $900)
Tacx Neo Smart (REI Link: $1,280 from $1,600)
Wahoo KICKR 2017 (REI Link: $960 from $1,200)
Wahoo KICKR SNAP (REI Link: $479 from $600)
Technically it’s a members-only sale, but it only takes a second to sign-up and then use coupon code ANNIV18 for REI.
For those curious, the Tacx Neo is my go-to trainer that I use when I’m not testing something else. But if you’re looking for the best bang for the buck from the available trainers in this sale, it’s the Tacx Flux. Sale ends 11:59PM Pacific Time May 28th. Oh, you can get free shipping to your local REI store. Woot!
Clever Training 20% VIP SALE:
[This sale has now ended]
In this sale, each Clever Training (CT) VIP member is given a coupon code (SPRINGVIP) that’s good for 20% off a single non-sale item including all trainers and most power meters. It doesn’t matter if that item is the Tacx Neo trainer, Wahoo KICKR 3 (2017) trainer, a WatTeam power meter, or Oakley aero helmets. Your choice, but it’s only available to CT VIP members.
There are a handful of limitations, most notably that it’s not valid on Garmin, GoPro, Fitbit, Quarq, Favero, and a few others I list down below in the restrictions. Those are all manufacturer driven restrictions. Note: The Favero Assioma pedals are still valid with the usual 10% off DCR Coupon Code (DCR10BTF).
With that in mind, there are some incredible deals to be had for trainers and power meters here – or other high-value items. Especially new trainers and newly released power meters. Here’s some quick guidance on both categories:
Power Meters: As I said earlier this year, I do not expect 2018 to be rich in new power meters, or significant price shifts. You’ve got the new SRM pedal-based power meter coming in a few weeks (they recently said to stay tuned for June 1st), but we don’t know a lot of details on that at this point (be it accuracy, pods or no pods, or price-point). Beyond that, virtually every major player in the market has released or started shipping a new power meter in the last 12-16 months. And there’s of course been a handful of Kickstarter and startup projects too recently. Certainly, it’s likely someone unknown might come out of the woodwork this summer at Eurobike or Interbike, but I wouldn’t expect any summer 2018 announcements to result in new summer 2018 shipments (since it never historically has worked that way). So basically – if you want a power meter for this year and want to save 20%, it won’t get better than this. Here’s my power meter buyers guide a well.
Trainers: Trainers are trickier of course, especially with Eurobike now shifted to July. We typically see new trainers announced at Eurobike/Interbike, though the last few years we saw them as early as June. I think we’ll be back to Eurobike though again for anything meaningful. And remember, none were available earlier than Eurobike (only the new Wahoo KICKR3 and new Elite trainers managed to be available then), while virtually everyone else was delayed into late fall and beyond. Despite these companies’ best intentions to be shipping in August/September, it didn’t often happen. I do expect 2018 to be a reasonably solid year for indoor cycling gear, but not necessarily massive changes in new models of trainers. I think you’re mostly going to see companies shift towards the Wahoo/Apple model of minor tweaks this year to a given product and stamping it with a new version number.
Meaning, if you see an option on the market you like today – go for it. If however you want the latest and greatest next fall and don’t mind waiting until fall for availability…then hold your cards. Here’s my Winter 2017-2018 trainer recommendations post, which still holds true today.
The sale is members only, but it’s simple to get started. If you’re already a member, just skip step #2.
- Pick out the item you want to buy and add to cart (see below list as a starting point)
- Add the Clever Training VIP membership to your cart
- Add VIP members-only coupon code (SPRINGVIP) upon checkout to save 20%.
- Enjoy gadget!
There are too many deals to list, because obviously that’d be tens of thousands of items that Clever Training carries, even running shoes and other sports gear. But you can find all power meters Clever Training carries here on their power meter landing page.
And all trainers Clever Training lists are carried here on the trainer landing page (it’s basically everyone).
I’m going to call out the most notable sports-tech ones in the table below:
DCR Best Tech Deals - Spring 2018
Then there’s a pile of non-sports tech products that last year a bunch of you bought, or talked about. Or that you probably didn’t even know would be included in a sale like this but it’s worthwhile noting. I figured I’d dig into the analytics from last time and see what oddities you bought that I didn’t mention as well. I suppose if some of you bought these, there might be something that others will appreciate as well
All Oakley Sunglasses
Oakley Cycling Helmets – $180-$250 normally
Redshift Sports Cycling Components
Topeak Bike Travel Cases – $799 normally
Yeti Coolers/Cups (apparently y’all liked this stuff last time, I’ve never touched one)
So you’re probably wondering about that VIP requirement? That’s basically akin to what REI does with their twice-yearly members-only sale. Except in this case, the Clever Training VIP membership only costs $4.99. And the proceeds of that go to ‘Girls On The Run’, a running focused charity. So it’s basically a win-win. You get a massive savings, and an awesome charity gets supported.
And of course, your gadgetry purchase helps support the site here (as all Clever Training purchases do).
Here’s what I expect to be a few frequently asked questions:
How many items can I get a discount for?
One item. Just one, and only one.
Is this per household?
No, it’s one item per member. Thus, if you have multiple unique VIP members in a household, then you can have multiple people. You can sign-up to be a Clever Training VIP member here. I explain more of the details here.
Which brands doesn’t it work on?
At this time, it’s not valid on Garmin, GoPro, Quarq, Favero, and Fitbit. Also, the Wahoo ELEMNT/ELEMNT BOLT and Wahoo Desk are excluded.
In the cart it says it doesn’t work?
Validate that you only have one item in the cart, and that it’s not one of the above listed items.
Do I get VIP points on top of this?
No, since it’s a large sale item. No double-dipping here.
Are there some fancy details I can read somewhere?
Yes, right here (middle of page, some text).
When does this end?
May 23rd, 2018 at 11:59PM US Eastern Time.
What happens when it ends?
It’s over. End of the road. Time to eat Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream.
Is shipping free?
Yes, US shipping is free as long as your order is over $49. For items that can be shipped internationally, it’s $29 flat rate. Generally speaking, trainers can’t be shipped internationally.
What about Clever Training Europe?
Unfortunately, this sale is CT US focused. However, you are welcome to ship any items that they can overseas, which is the $29 flat rate noted in the previous question item. You will have to do customs on your own, but if you live overseas as I do you’re familiar with that game. And you’d be able to do the math on whether it makes sense given any fees you might face. In most cases it probably will still save you money, especially for more expensive items.
As for the ‘why’ of not having this deal in CT Europe, it’s somewhat simple: There’s already an always-on 10% off coupon deal there. Obviously that’s different than 20% off, but that gets into some of the differences between the US having ‘MAP’ (Minimum Advertised Price) policies, whereas the rest of the world (including Europe) sees that as illegal. I explain a bit more in detail back this past fall.
To be super clear – it’s definitely something that Clever Training Europe would love to do, but it simply has to be viable from a business standpoint too.
Is this the end of the FAQ section?
Yes…you made it!
—
Phew – there ya have it! Go forth and enjoy. And feel free to drop any questions you have down below on recommendations, etc… I’d be happy to try and help ya out. Thanks for the support!
I wish that there was a clear winner in the power meter category. Each placement has so many different caveats and price points. 20% is a pretty great deal, and Clever Training is a fantastic shop.
Indeed, I think we’ll eventually get to the point whereby one of two things will happen:
A) Power meters become dial-tone within cranksets: My guess is this is at least 3-6 years away from high end cranksets (i.e. Dura-Ace), and 5-8 years away for cheaper (Ultegra and eventually 105).
B) Pedal based power meters will likely be where most efforts end up. Right now there are of course pedal type limitations, but that’s eventually going to go away and it’ll be harder and harder to have reasons not to get a pedal based power meter, especially as prices continue to drop.
On the bright side – more choice means lower prices. Power meter pricing has dropped like a rock in recent years, and as we see new players (even ones that fail), that drives others to produce better products and lower cost products.
You’re absolutely right. I’m looking at the Vector 3s as my power meter, but the price point is just a bit high. I appreciate all the reviews you are doing on the various products in this area as it’s helpful to get something that works for each rider.
If power meters come with the cranks and not as a large markup then it would seem like all non crank makers will fail in the long term. Pedals would also be a long term failure if you’re just going to attach them to cranks that can already measure power.
Yup, totally agree (very long term).
Of course, that assumes other tech doesn’t come along which becomes cheaper or easier to integrate elsewhere that does it more accurately.
The image for the power meters (as distinct from the text-based link) links to an image on the media.dcrainmaker.com website. I’m guessing that that wasn’t what was intended.
Also: no Quarq and no Garmin? Vector 3, I can understand, considering that it’s still relatively new and companies are struggling to keep it in stock, but even the older Vectors? Ouch. Guess I’ll be heading over to a UK-based mob I know that will sell me the Quarq SRAM Red DZero for a shade under $AU1k, then. (Under $US750… I’d love to support the site, but when the price difference is that great…)
Thanks for the catch on the image, updated link – appreciate it!
For Quarq, yeah, it’s ultimately a manuf choice. Older Vectors actually probably would be allowed to be honest, since I don’t believe they’re under MAP. I can double-check. Though honestly I’d have a hard time recommending Vector 2 at $800 over PowerTap P1 (which are dual ANT+/BLE) at the same $800. Especially since Vector 2 still require pods.
Oh, there’s no way I’d buy Vector 1 or 2 now, not unless they were at a steep discount to the price for a new set of Vector 3 or similar pedals. Just the way it was worded implied that no Garmin product would fall under the discount code, which surprised me (especially for the older products).
Is there any likelihood of the situation on the Quarq changing, or is it pretty much set in stone? (Read: I’m happy to delay the purchase to help support the site, if it’s likely to change, but if it’s fixed, then so be it.)
Oh – and there’s the same issue for the very first image in the body, the one with the Wahoo, Tacx, etc. (Sorry, only just noticed it.)
Ahh, yeah, I think technically it works on non-MAP products (which are all older things), but I didn’t try and figure out what those are. I’ll have them circle back with confirmation one way or the other on it, and if there are some older things that it’s valid on, I’ll create a list.
I don’t think we’ll see Quarq change their position on this one. Obviously they could, and obviously it’d help them sell units, but it sounds like they’re sticking with that position.
No worries on the first image, it was just meant to be a pretty header pic – but I agree, logical to direct that to somewhere. Thanks!
Pioneer power meters have a free head unit offer to go with them. link to pioneerelectronics.com
Ouch. Put off my Assioma purchase for two months only to find they are excluded.
Yeah, it was an unexpected last minute change last week. :( Sad Panda too.
I pulled the trigger anyway with the basic 10%, but the two month delay was the most disappointing. However, I spent hours researching and reading, so I really appreciated your review. It was a deciding factor.
I pulled the trigger myself on the Assioma’s last week, got impatient waiting for a sale. When I saw the email this morning I was annoyed… until I saw that Favero was excluded so I guess my impatience worked in my favor for once.
Does the sale work for pre-orders, e.g. the Scosche Rhythm 24? I was hoping your review would come out before or during the sale, but it sounds like things are being kicked down the road a little. Any new thoughts that weren’t covered in your Hands On? And just for a sanity check, the sale won’t work on even non GPS Garmin items? (such as the RD Pod)
Thanks
Yup, works for pre-order items that are listed. The Rhythm 24 is listed and totally one you can do. Whereas Wahoo has made the KICKR CLIMB available for purchase/order yet, so that one doesn’t work.
Nothing major of concern that I’ve seen with the final Scosche 24 unit that I have. I haven’t pulled in the files from the last 3-4 days yet into the DCR Analyzer to really dig into every second, but while out for workouts, things seem in-line.
Considering that the Powertap pedals ARE on sale and Favero is not, does it make sense to go with P1s rather than Assiomas? Or are the rave reviews/rechargeability/lower stack height on the Assiomas worth an extra $80?
Don’t forget the Assiomas are a boatload lighter as well.
I suppose it depends on discount, since with the Favero you can still apply the usual 10% discount using DCR Coupon Code DCR10BTF. So that means you’re actual price is $720USD (dual), versus the PowerTap P1 at $600 with the 20% deal.
At that price point, I’d probably go PowerTap P1 – since the savings is $120…unless I’m doing my math wrong somewhere.
They’re listed at $799 less 20% = $639.20. ;)
Still torn…
See, was never good at the maths…
Just tried to use that code on the UNO and it isn’t recognised?
Unfortunately, the Assiomas were not included in the sale.
yes but Ray mentioned that the 10% code should still work?
That’s correct, definitely should work (and seeing a few other transitions showing it working). Just to validate, you’re using DCR10BTF – with no additional quotes/etc, right?
thats right, just copy and pasted from your post
fed up with battery housing issues on the vector 3S
Weird, I just tried it with Uno and it shows the discount down below.
Can you shoot me a screenshot of what it’s saying/erroring?
I am trying to buy on the European website as I am based in the uk, could that be why?
Hmm, odd also. I just tried that and it works there too (on Uno). What does it show/say for you?
make any more sense?
screen shots attached, I get a price in Euros?
Ahh, I see. You need to be on Clever Training UK’s site, not Favero’s. :)
Here ya go: link to clevertraining.co.uk
duurrrhh, soz, thanks
on order
I had my credit card ready to go bought the VIP package last night, but could not get it to work on Assioma’s. Really disappointed. Power pedals was a luxury for me. Now I am considering waiting or just not doing it. That last minute decision did not make me happy! Grrr!
Ok I stayed until midnight, bought the VIP, and then it did not work. Found out hey were excluded. I am a bit irritated at Favero/Clever Training. I know probably not justified, but I have not had my coffee yet.
I have waited for a month to buy the pedals. They were not excluded in the past. They still seem the best option for my Campy equipped, bike, but it is just not a fun purchase any more!
Oh yeah and it is raining! Great Monday!
Sorry John. Indeed, I suspect it may be lack of coffee driven. I tried to be super clear on the above (and them on CT’s terms too) that the Favero units weren’t included per manufacturer direction this time around.
Still, I have no doubt that CT would happily refund you last night’s purchase. :) Unfortunately, they can’t do anything about the rain.
You were very clear as always. I went to Clever Training last night and saw the VIP discount and started before your article
If I remember correctly the VIP membership goes to charity so I will not Pursue a refund.
I have had coffee now I am no longer irritated. It also stopped raining so life is good ?. That being said I usually choose to spend my money elsewhere when a company ruins my fun. Was this a Farvero or Clever training decision?
No worries!
No, it wasn’t a Clever Training decision.
Ok, I will take Clever Training off of the “naughty” list.
I have a Pinarello with Campy parts, so putting Italian pedals just seemed right. Alas, Favero is on the “naughty” list.
I wish there were more viable/affordable options for power for Campy. I probably just should have my wheel rebuilt with a power tap hub.
Hi John,
We are very surprised to read these comments.
We don’t know where this misunderstanding originated from but we will contact the reseller for clarification.
We have never agreed to be part of a “VIP discount” of any kind.
We prefer to focus our advertising on very hard factual product features and the quality of our service.
Have a good day,
Andrea | Favero Electronics
Love reading your reviews
However, 2 things:
– Scosche Rhythm 24 is written as “announced in Winter 2018”.
– Garmin Vivoactive 3 Black/Gunmetal is $279, not $249
Thanks!
– The Scosche 24 is actually announced Winter 2018, as it was announced in January 2018 at CES
– Vivoactive 3: I’m not sure I follow – the base Vivoactive 3 is $20 off, making it $249. The Gunmetal is the more fancy variant, which costs a bit more.
Cheers.
Hi Ray,
Based on your experience, which one would be a better deal for a first PM?
– Powertap C1 for 350 USD
– 4iiii Precision for 400 USD
I know that the 4iiii is left-only, that is his major downside. The C1 would be a bit cheaper (even with selling my 6800 crankset and buying a used 105 5700 crankset on ebay). On the other hand, the C1 adds about 200 gramms to the bike and I also read a couple of other reviews which were complaining about the front shifting with the FSA rings.
Do you have an idea which one is more reliable? I have read your C1 and 4iiii reviews and every single comment below those reviews, in both cases I have read good and bad alike. I am a hobby rider so I am not sure that I should pay much attention to the whole left-only argument…
Which one would YOU get?
Thanks a lot in advance!
Best,
Daniel
I’d go C1, purely because it’s total power versus left-only.
In the case of support/etc, I think in general you’ll see better support/responsiveness out of PowerTap lately than 4iiii.
Thanks Ray. I guess you didn’t notice any degradation with the front shifting after installing the C1, right? Same effortless shifting as before?
Btw, the previous was my first comment here :) You are doing an awesome job, thank you for all your hard work you put into your reviews.
I didn’t have any issues at all there, no problems shifting. As one who rides wonky cranksets in my bikes that don’t match all the time, perhaps I get used to the oddities. But I think it honestly just comes down to fine tuning shifting anytime you swap cranksets.
Thanks!
The C1 is really only available via PowerTap’s website, correct? Unfortunate because it’d be almost a no-brainer for me with a CT discount.
Yes, officially only via the PT website, although I think you can still find it here or there.
For example:
link to performancebike.com
The normal price for the C1 was around 5-6-700 USD, so even with 20% off from the old price, that would be a worse deal than buying it from the PT website.
350 USD is a very good price for it, I think.
Do not buy the c1 I repeat do not buy the C1 I went through 7 of them in 2 years all with water leakage in the battery compartment there is clearly a design and manufacturing issues being that the same thing persisted through 24 months of usage before I finally sold off the last warranty replacement on ebay. Also it only worked with a few of my frames and most of the cranks that fit it are outdated or heavy.
Fly6 CE this morning. $138 after 20% and $5 credit. Been waiting for this.
Next on the list (perhaps my wife joins up next week too), Stages XT crank.
Have you seen REI’s sale catalog (May 18 – 28)? It says the Fenix 5’s are $100 off. I think the date goes through 6/16 too, which makes me think that’s manufacturer driven.
I don’t have it handy to post a pic of it though.
Nice, that sounds about right. If I can find a copy of the flyer, I’ll include it up above!
Found it! Indeed, Fenix 5 a flat $100 off, and also one of the older Garmin inReach models at $75 off. I’ll re-sort the chunks above a bit later to reflect those sales. Dates as you noted.
Since those are standard Garmin sales, you’ll see them at any Garmin retailer.
Would we expect this sale to happen on Garmin’s website as well?
In theory.
It’s live now on Amazon and Clever Training.
I’ve added all the new sales into the upper section of the post:
• $100 off all Fenix 5s – 5/18-6/16
• $50 off Edge 25 units (base and bundle) – 5/18-5/28
• 20% off on Saris and Cycleops – 5/18-5/30
• $50 off Edge 520 5/18-5/28
Enjoy!
Thanks for all you do. I started biking this year and already picked up a helmet and (today) the Stages LR power meter with the discount.
I’ve been hoping we would see a power2max “summer” sale some time soon. But the US website hasn’t been updated in ages (it actually still lists last years summer sale) and the new mountain bike power meters haven’t even made it onto the US site. I only learned they had been available when I accidentally wondered onto the euro site a few weeks back.
> No, you’re not going to see 20% off on Vector this month
> At this time, it’s not valid on Garmin (except Vector)
I’m confused – what do you mean by “except Vector”?
I mean that I missed that snippet in my copying terms from last fall. :( Fixed!
Hm I got excited to buy the Stages LR Ultegra power meter for a good price until I calculated the taxes and duties I would have to pay when shipping to Germany. So basically I can also buy it directly here :P (too bad though cause 20% is a pretty nice offer)
Coming from a Forerunner 235 I’m trying to figure out what which will ‘feel’ the most similar out of the Forerunner 935, 645 music, or Fenix 5. I’m worried some about the weight of the Fenix 5 but the 645 music does seem to be smaller on the display side. Any tips on making this choice?
I think if you look at the Fenix 5S, you’d find the weight/size in the same ballpark. The poles of the watch are a bit wider on the Fenix 5 series than the Forerunner though.
Why even consider the Fenix 5? The 935 is basically a plastic version that has all the same functionality why spend more for something heavier?
Now 935 vs 645? That’s harder
I never do this, but I am mad at Favero for changing their exclusion policy for their pedals.
I know I am overreacting for $70, but after waiting for this deal for a month this ruined my buying experience. Therefore, I am not going to buy from Favero even though they are the best solution!
Sometimes I think companies do things because they know they can. Well I do not have to buy from them!
Thank you Clever Training for the great sale. Ray as usual you are the best!
Lastly, I am sorry about the negativity, but this just rubbed me the wrong way.
Why consider the Fenix 5? Style. The Fenix series is designed to be more of a stylish fashion accessory, rather than the utilitarian design of the 935.
For some people, that’s important. It isn’t for me (which is why I have the 935; I’m more interested in the function than the form), but your tastes and mine are not everybody’s.
Eye of the beholder. I think the 935 looks far better than the bulky, ugly Fenix watches.
As do I, Dan, although obviously some would disagree with that opinion. The 5S is decent in its styling and size (it’s the only one of the Fenix series I’d consider wearing on my wrist; the others are far too big), but has the issue of a shorter battery life – on par with the 735XT.
Choice is a wonderful thing, is it not? It’s almost as if everybody is free to choose whichever watch suits their needs, tastes, and desires… ;)
I also noticed that if you purchase any Pioneer Dual Leg Power Meter or Dual Power Meter Kit from Biketiresdirect.com you will get to receive a free Pioneer SGX-CA500 Cycle Computer
Should I get the Wahoo KICKR now or wait to see what new trainers come out?
It’s always the usual question this time of year.
My response is obviously hindered by NDA’s. But, my guidance tends to be the same each year:
If you want a trainer that you can use before ~September/October, get what’s available now. Whereas, if you plan to ride outside between now and then, then consider waiting to see if something better comes along. Generally speaking most trainers announced at Eurobike/Interbike start to ship by September, with most of the time companies sorting things out by October. There are still numerous examples where by either delays or backorders, a given unit won’t ship to you until Nov/Dec, even January or February sometimes.
Phew, that’s a lot to read to discover it’s not Garmin, and not Europe.
Ray, correction – The rear FLY camera is the FLY6, not the FLY12 Rear (as listed) :)
Thanks for the typo catch, fixed!
I tried with the Kickr and got the following message
“Coupon ‘SPRINGVIP’ was not applied due to more than 1 item being in cart or the added item is ineligible for this promotion.”
Hi Bill-
Are you logged in with your CT VIP account?
Thanks for the support!
torn between the stages l/r and the pioneer dual crankset options.
any recommendations? things i’ve considered:
– stages has dropout issues
— was released this year so newest gen
– pioneer looks to be updated with the ultegra r8000, but can’t find the release date.
— is this a newer model?
i’ve already preordered the 520+ so don’t think the free pioneer unit would really make a difference.
I’d still go Stages LR, primarily because it has dual ANT+/BLE, which Pioneer lacks.
thanks! got the stages with the VIP discount.
great work on the site!
Ray,
I’m in the market for a new bike computer, and I’m struggling between the Edge 130, 520, and 520 plus.
Basic thoughts here, would love your (and everything else’s) input:
520: $199 is a great price.
130: Same price as the 520, a bit smaller (probably doesn’t matter to me), seems like a newer version of the 520 and won’t fall out of Garmin favor as quickly but might also not get some of the big updated 2-3 years down the road.
520 plus: Basically the “new” 520, but with the sale is $80 more than the 520/130. Will be the unit that get updates down the road, but frankly not sure who much I’ll need those updates. The routing / yelp is the biggest driver here for me, don’t think I’ll get a bluetooth only sensor any time in the future.
Thanks in advance, happy Memorial day (or, as I suspect they call it in Holland, “Monday”)
Appears that clevertraining still hate me. Not entirely sure why but they keep “riskifying” my orders.
Maybe it’s as simple as not liking my email address or maybe my cologne.