Note: My full in-depth review of the Stages Bike SB20 is published and available here, go check it out!
Stages is the first company at Eurobike 2019 to bring a new smart bike to market, though, it’s hardly the first smart-ish bike they’ve made. In fact, it’s likely nobody in the world is more familiar with connected bikes than Stages. The company makes not only their own line of bikes already, but bikes for countless major companies and brands you use in gyms around the world, including many of the most popular ones you hear in the news every day.
But today they’re jumping into the resistance controllable consumer market with the new Stages Bike (they’ve previously had consumer-focused bikes that were not smart controlled). This new unit includes everything you’d need to be fully self-sustaining on an app like Zwift, complete with steering and brakes, as well as the ability to expand to triathlon bars and other multifunction buttons as apps might require them.
I’ve had a chance to get a quick test ride on the new Stages Bike, as well as spend what is hours of time discussing all the details with the company and understanding the parts. Sometime next month they hope to have a unit in the DCR Cave for more detailed testing, but until then, we’ll focus on what we have today.
With that, let’s dive into the tech specs.
(Also, check back in a little bit for a full hands-on video…that I’ll be re-shooting early this morning after I apparently mis-framed and totally missed getting my head in the frame yesterday. Though some of you would say my head is overrated anyway.)
The Tech Specs:
We’ll get right into things on the tech specs side of the house. In many ways, some of these specs will be familiar to trainer folks, whereas you’ll find a new slate of specs that we need to start being aware of as more bikes hit the market. Things like supported crank lengths, adjustability limits, and handlebar extensibility. But first, let’s start with the more common trainer-based metrics:
– Supports ANT+ FE-C control & Bluetooth Smart FTMS Control
– Support ANT+ & Bluetooth Smart power broadcast
– Contains a complete Stages LR dual-sided crankset for power measurement
– Contains a secondary power measurement at the freewheel to cross-reference in real-time
– Max resistance of 3,000w
– Max Incline of XXX
– Flywheel weight is ~50lbs
– Claimed accuracy: +/- 1.5%
– Ability to customize chainrings, cassettes, and shifting preferences via app
– USB ports with fast charging near display (2 of them)
– Junction box with ability to extend to additional shifters
– Ability to add in triathlon/TT bars to bike (accessory)
– Supports 165/170/172.5/175mm crank arms lengths
– Has brake levers like a normal bike
– Has steering buttons
Ok, with all those technical details out of the way, let’s kinda walk through the bike from back to front. Starting off with the saddle and seat post. Both are individually adjustable. With the seat post you twist the lever to unlock it, and it goes up/down with laser-etched measurement markers as if it were going to the bottom bracket like a normal outside bike. The laser etching is notable because it won’t scrub off over time like some stickers we’ve seen on other bikes.
The seat adjusts forward/back using their ‘infinity’ adjustment system, which basically means it doesn’t have to lock into preset grooves. It can just go exactly as much as you need by rotating it. Further, the saddle itself follows standard issue bike saddle rails, so you can adjust that however you’d normally like.
Next down below is the crank arms. It’s here you’ll find the Stages LR dual-sided pods, one for each crank arm, just like on an outside Stages LR crankset. Of course, the key difference here being they aren’t limited to trying to backwards engineer various crankarm manufacturer’s wonky tolerances and manufacturing inconsistencies (lookin’ at you, Shimano), since they make the crankarm themselves.
Here’s a closer look:
And you’ll see the other pod on the other side:
What’s interesting here is that this isn’t the only power measurement Stages does in the bike. In fact, inside the bike, at the flywheel, they also measure power at a much higher rate, where that power figure is leveraged for keeping the flywheel under control. Still, Stages then cross-references the two figures for consistency. Ultimately, the crank-based data set is what gets passed to your apps/bike computer.
Now you might have noticed the crazy looking four-hole pattern at the end of the crank arm. This is where you can pick exactly which crank length you’d want. It’s definitely not as cosmetically clean looking as the Tacx reversible pod system on the Tacx Bike, but it’s also a heck of a lot easier to quickly spin pedals into (and has a bit more flexibility).
Note that the pedals don’t come with the bike – you just put your own pedals on there. Heading up front you’ll see there are two wheels on the front, these allow you to just lift up the back and roll it around. Since most of the weight is towards the front, it’s pretty easy to lift up and relocate:
Then there are two water bottle cages:
Followed by the entire front display aspect. They’ve got a larger tablet holder, and then inset within that is a smaller phone holder. It’s got a retractable arm that automatically resizes to whatever size device you’ve got:
(Note: To be super clear, that’s an iPad Pro sitting on the tablet holder, it is NOT the display of the bike itself)
There’s also a small phone holder down below it all, so you can rest your phone there:
And below it are two fast-charging USB ports at 2.4A:
Finally, there’s all the adjustability on the front handlebar rig. First, it can go up and down, again, with laser etched markers:
And then you’ve got forward/back movement too. Next, there’s the shifters. On each side you’ve got basically five buttons:
– Upper set: To shift up/down
– Middle button: Steering to left or right
– Lower set: Shifting up/down from the drops
You can see these here, with the lower set hidden under the bar tape:
And then, of course, the brakes – which will legit stop the flywheel and your ability to spin the crank arms. That’s notable from every other bike on the market in that those just stop the flywheel, but don’t stop you from pedaling like a real bike would. Of course, Zwift doesn’t support this today, so your avatar in Zwift just keeps on coasting. Apparently it’s being discussed.
Finally, there’s the little junction box at the base of the handlebars. This has extra ports for accessories down the road. For example, if you wanted to add triathlon/TT bars, you could. And they’ve added a spare set of ports for whatever else might come down the pipeline as apps could figure out how to take advantage of this, or extra sets of buttons (for example, perhaps to access in-game functions like power ups or such).
The overarching theme that you’re going to see this week is that these hardware makers have laid the groundwork for much more interactivity on these indoor bikes. But it’s really going to be up to Zwift and other’s apps to actually take advantage of it. Be it shifting, braking, steering, or extra app buttons – the world is their oyster. Now someone just needs a slice of lemon.
Initial Ride Thoughts:
Now if I look across the gamut of smart bikes chillaxing at the various Eurobike booths this year, I’d say the Stages bike probably gets a middle of the road ‘sexy score’, in terms of how it looks. It’s not the swankiest, but it’s also not the ugliest. It’s a bike born from parents that are all about durability in a commercial gym where people are using them 12+ hours a day. No matter how much Stages might try and design a consumer product, this thing is built like the tank of its forefathers.
But, that’s not necessarily a bad thing. First off, it’s a known quantity. As competitor Tacx learned over the past year with the Tacx Bike, building an indoor bike is hard. Some other companies have also learned that ‘building an indoor bike is hard’ lesson too. But more on them later. Which isn’t to say that Stages job is easy – hardly so. They’ve had to figure out how to take a commercial product and apply it to a consumer market, specifically around things like app based configuration – which will take the bulk of their time between now and shipping in Q1.
So my initial impressions are as follows, bulletized style because it’s 1:13AM and I’ve got four more posts to write:
– Everything about the bike feels beastly (in a good way), there’s no chance you’re going to accidentally break a panel or something
– Everything about the bike is tidy. There’s no spare wires rambling about the frame, it’s super clean
– The adjustability is better than the Tacx Bike in terms of how the actual handles work
– Trivially easy to adjust position into my rough fit (very rough, it was a tradeshow floor)
– Moving it around on the wheels is easy enough, we did that for the photos in fact
– The flywheel is…again…a beast. At 50lbs, there’s nothing in this category like it
– Road-like feel is pretty darn good. Some minor areas potentially for improvement, mainly related to shifting
– Braking was impressive, when you pull the brake levers, the bike legit stops under you (none of the others do this)
– Shifting was good, though not great (more on that in a second, it’s fixable)
– The shifters themselves are buttons, not actual levers, so it’s not quite as realistic as a bike, but the clickiness is good
– Secondary lower drops shifting buttons are appreciated
– I liked the flexibility in the overall display holder system, plenty of places to stash a disturbing number of devices
– I disliked the lack of display on the bike itself, makes it hard with apps that don’t support gear shifting on them
On the shifting bits, as I discussed in the previous section, Stages uses small buttons on each side to allow you to shift. These will be customizable by launch, but for now they were set up such that the left side shifted what would be your front ring (big/small), and the rear shifted up/down the cassette. The clickiness was good here, so I was happy with that.
However there’s no display on the Stages Bike itself, so they’re dependent on a given app, such as Zwift, for displaying gears. And while Zwift does display gears for some bikes – such as the WattBike Atom, it wasn’t yet working for the Stages Bike. Undoubtedly, that’ll probably get resolved super quick, heck – maybe even by tomorrow. But what won’t get resolved so quickly is how that enumerates itself on countless other apps. Especially since there’s no standard for doing so.
Over time you’ll get used to it, but I found that with the Wattbike Atom is that when Zwift added the gearing display things improved dramatically, especially for small shifts to know the shift actually happened.
Speaking of which, Stages did note that they’re looking at adding in a tiny virtual ‘bump’, like the Tacx Bike does, to let you physically feel the shift vibration via your legs. It’s a super cool effect that you wouldn’t even realize is being added after the fact, because it just feels so realistic. Just like you would out on your actual bike outdoors.
Ultimately, within the super short timeframe I had to test it – things are looking good thus far. I didn’t see any standout issues that were concerning, and for the price point, it could be super competitive.
The Competition:
Ahh yes, you wanted it – a complete chart of competitive specs. After all, this is the Eurobike of the indoor smart bike, and there’s no better place to highlight all these specs than the DCR Comparison Database and Charts. So I’ve slated up all the big competitors into the chart below. This chart will automatically update over the course of the day as new offerings are announced:
| Function/Feature | Stages Bike (SB20) | Wattbike Atom V1 | Tacx NEO Bike Smart | Wahoo KICKR Bike V1 |
|---|
| Copyright DC Rainmaker - Updated November 23rd, 2023 @ 2:27 pm New Window |
| Price for trainer | $2899 | $2,599 | $3,199 | $3,499 |
| Trainer Type | Indoor Bike | Indoor Bike | Indoor Bike | Indoor Bike |
| Available today (for sale) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Availability regions | Global | UK/South Africa/Australia/Scandinavia/USA | Global | Limited Initially |
| Wired or Wireless data transmission/control | Wireless | Wireless | Wireless | Wireless |
| Power cord required | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |
| Flywheel weight | 50lbs | 9.28KG/20.4lbs | Simulated/Virtual 125KG | 13bs/5.9kgs |
Resistance | Stages Bike (SB20) | Wattbike Atom V1 | Tacx NEO Bike Smart | Wahoo KICKR Bike V1 | | Can electronically control resistance (i.e. 200w) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Includes motor to drive speed (simulate downhill) | No (but kinda) | No | Yes | Yes |
| Maximum wattage capability | 3,000w | 2,000w | 2,200w @ 40KPH | 2,200w @ 40KPH |
| Maximum simulated hill incline | | 25% | 25% | 20% (and -15% downhill) |
Features | Stages Bike (SB20) | Wattbike Atom V1 | Tacx NEO Bike Smart | Wahoo KICKR Bike V1 | | Ability to update unit firmware | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Measures/Estimates Left/Right Power | Yes (actually measured independently) | Yes | Yes | No |
| Can directionally steer trainer (left/right) | Yes (with compatible apps) | No | YES (WITH COMPATIBLE APPS) | Yes (with compatible apps) |
| Can simulate road patterns/shaking (i.e. cobblestones) | No | No | Yes | No |
Motion | Stages Bike (SB20) | Wattbike Atom V1 | Tacx NEO Bike Smart | Wahoo KICKR Bike V1 | | Whole-bike physical gradient simulation | No | No | No | Yes |
| Can rock/tilt side to side (significantly) | No | No | No | No |
Accuracy | Stages Bike (SB20) | Wattbike Atom V1 | Tacx NEO Bike Smart | Wahoo KICKR Bike V1 | | Includes temperature compensation | Yes | Yes | N/A | Yes |
| Support rolldown procedure (for wheel based) | Cross-references power meter data | No | N/A | N/A |
| Supported accuracy level | +/- 1.5% | +/- 2% | +/- 1% | +/- 1% |
Trainer Control | Stages Bike (SB20) | Wattbike Atom V1 | Tacx NEO Bike Smart | Wahoo KICKR Bike V1 | | Allows 3rd party trainer control | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Supports ANT+ FE-C (Trainer Control Standard) | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Supports Bluetooth Smart FTMS (Trainer Control Standard) | YEs | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Data Broadcast | Stages Bike (SB20) | Wattbike Atom V1 | Tacx NEO Bike Smart | Wahoo KICKR Bike V1 | | Transmits power via ANT+ | YEs | Yes | Yes | Yes (added Sept 30th, 2020) |
| Transmits power via Bluetooth Smart | YEs | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Supports Multiple Concurrent Bluetooth connections | | | No, just one | Yes, 3 Concurrent |
| Transmits cadence data | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
Indoor Bike Features | Stages Bike (SB20) | Wattbike Atom V1 | Tacx NEO Bike Smart | Wahoo KICKR Bike V1 | | Shifting type | Buttons | Buttons | Button Based | Normal bike levers |
| Can customize shifting (Shimano/SRAM/Campagnolo) | Yes (not yet SRAM) | No | In future update | Yes (Shimano/SRAM/Campagnolo) |
| Can customize gearing | Yes | Mininimal | Yes | Yes (both cassette and chainrings) |
| Supported Crank Lengths | 165/170/172.5/175mm | 170mm | 170/172.5/175mm | 165/167.5/170/172.5/175mm |
| Display | No | No | Yes | Small display near top-tube |
| USB Ports | Two Ports (Fast Charging) | No | 2 USB Ports (2AMP) | 1 USB port |
Purchase | Stages Bike (SB20) | Wattbike Atom V1 | Tacx NEO Bike Smart | Wahoo KICKR Bike V1 | | Amazon | | | Link | |
| Backcountry.com | Link | | | Link |
| Competitive Cyclist | Link | | Link | Link |
| REI | | | | Link |
| Other | | | | Link |
DCRainmaker | Stages Bike (SB20) | Wattbike Atom V1 | Tacx NEO Bike Smart | Wahoo KICKR Bike V1 | | Review Link | Link | Link | Link | Link |
Oh, and before you ask why I haven’t included some products into the above – here’s the quick and dirty answers:
Peloton Bike: It’s not a ‘smart’ bike in the sense of the above, it doesn’t allow you to set a specific power level (it does tell you the current power level). Rumors are Peloton is working on such a bike, but nothing today.
SRM Bike: This was also announced today, with full smart integration. I’ve got a chat with them in a few hours. Stay tuned!
True Kinetix Bike: This will likely be in the above chart by the end of the week. They’re planning on shipping me a test unit in the next week or two, and I’ll be meeting with them this afternoon. I just want to get a clear understanding of timelines and capabilities (specifically the ANT+/BLE bits) before I add them above.
VirtuPro: It could also get escalated into the above chart, I’ve talked about it in the past. But I need clarity on when they’ll (actually) ship it with ANT+/BLE support, and realistic timelines to that. Else, it’s a proprietary solution that doesn’t really fit what the tables are designed for (the rest of the bikes here are compatible with all industry protocols).
Again, I’m more than happy to add products into the database. In general, my rule of thumb is I want hands-on time (or butts-on in this case), and I want some realistic level of clarity on delivery timeframes.
Wrap-Up:
From a consumer standpoint, it’d be easy on a day like today with all the new exciting smart bike announcements to look at a company like Stages and perhaps overlook their offering. After all, to most consumers in the outdoor riding realm, they’re known for their power meters. But the reality is that before Stages ever made their first power meter, they were (and are) an indoor bike company. Before any other company on the show floor was making trainers, or bikes, Stages was already doing that. To them, this is their bread and butter.
That gives them a significant advantage when it comes to production. While Stages won’t start shipping until Q1 2020, the majority of that time is going to be used for their app, to ensure a smooth setup and customization aspect. Again, as you’ll see with other offerings, the app is going to become a more critical part of an indoor bike – ensuring your indoor ride matches your outdoor ride: Shifting preferences, virtual cassettes and chainrings, etc… But what Stages currently lacks in app readiness, they easily make-up for in manufacturing capability.
See, the bike you see in this post isn’t a prototype, or hand-built. It’s a fully tooled unit off the assembly line. An assembly line that has volumes staggeringly higher than any other indoor bike company here at Eurobike. As we saw with Tacx, Wattbike, and we’ll see with others – getting production to scale for others is really hard. Incredibly hard. It’s why many of these other bikes will have pre-order lead-times that easily take you to the end of the year.
It also gives them an advantage in understanding durability on bikes. Their commercial products for clubs offer a 10-year warranty guarantee with *no maintenance required, again with estimated use of 10-12 hours per day. No adjustments of belts, no drive chain lube, nothing. That’s staggering when compared to the indoor trainer world.
Of course, let’s not pretend this will be a walk in the park for Stages either. Their typical setup is delivering 50 bikes to a single gym location. They’ve now gotta figure out how to deliver a single 150-pound bike to a single residential room in a 3rd-floor apartment without an elevator. And they’ve gotta develop that app. If there’s one thing Stages struggles with time and again, it’s app development. Stages plans to leverage their existing distribution channels and retailers, so once they’re ready to start taking orders – you’ll be able to do so through your normal Stages dealer.
Their plan is that assembly is quick, with the bike only needing the front handlebars, your pedals, and three bolts attached. So for most people, they’ll be able to do it themselves. Speaking of which – Stages is hoping to get a unit sometime this fall to me, so I’ll be looking forward to putting it through its paces throughout the fall and up to release early next year.
With that – thanks for reading!
Ray, it sounds like Stages would be the indoor bike you would buy with your own money versus Wahoo and Wattbike. True?
Hard to say still. I think between Wattbike and Stages, the price point makes the USD pricing of Wattbike more challenging. Whereas, if they roughly kept the GBP-based exchange rate pricing, then that’d probably be the winner between those two.
Hi Ray,
it’s interesting to see how this smart indoor bike segment is expanding.
But is there a point for a consumer to even consider a smart bike over a trainer? I think, you can buy KICKR + CLIMB + KICKR Fan + tablet holder + 1 year of Zwift for less that either of these things cost, and you’ll be riding on exactly same bike that was configured to your body measurements etc or am I wrong?
For me, it’d be easy enough to dial in the exact same fit as my road bike and not have to subject my bike to indoor training wear and tear. And my bike would be sitting there ready to go at the drop of hat if needed. No on and off the trainer.
That said, some achieve the same end by getting an old bike to leave set up on the trainer or using their backup bike on the trainer.
For a household with multiple riders the indoor bike may be the better option. Adjusting the Stages bikes we have at my gym takes maybe 30 seconds once you memorize your settings. Swapping a bicycle in and out of a trainer between my husband and myself would drive me nuts.
It depends. If the riders use different saddles, chainging them around (not to mention adjusting the height and reach) will take longer, compared to simply swapping the bikes themselves.
I had the same thought (no way my partner and I could find one saddle to make us both happy)…If Stages could engineer a quick-disconnect coupling for the seat mount that would be great….Alternatively, I guess you could purchase an additional seatpost assembly for quick swaps, but image it would be $$$…Seems like a purchase only viable in desperation, and if you did the math up front prior to purchase, likely make the while value proposition fall apart. Maybe…
Quick and unique saddle folks,
We will sell seatposts separately, to address this exact question. I do not have final pricing on it right now, but it should be rather reasonable to get a second seatpost so you and your riding partner can keep everything that’s on your bike the same inside as well.
You had my curiosity, now you have my full attention Stages!
The price difference between the Tacx, Wahoo and Stages bikes are considerable, and given that sturdiness/longevity have long term financial impacts too, I will need to look very closely before choosing one.
having more choice is always nice for the consumer :)
Thanks Ray
I was contemplating the potential utility of the extra buttons and had a total “aha!” moment: Nintendo and Zwift should get together and create a Mario Bike World. Leading you Zwift race, but a have a competitor is closing? Drop a banana peel before you get shelled!
Great indoor trainer with real potential. I’d be interested to know the q-factors on these new smart bikes. I really notice it on some indoor gym bikes where it starts to affect my cycling – I just don’t seem to want to ride for long on them.
It looks like it has a normal aluminium handlebar with normal. We’ve all seen the corrosion problem sweat causes to aluminium bars. I would have thought maybe some extra protection was given to let them wear a little better.
Did you check the max/min seat heights that are possible for these bikes? As a very tall individual that needs a 90mm seat height, I’d love to know if I fit!
Hey Rob,
Funny you should ask, I’ve attached a picture of our seatpost for you. :)
Ditto I am 1.95m. Most gym bikes don’t go high enough for me. Might this?
Is this from BB center?
Also, how do the aero bars fit? It seems like my extensions would run right into the tablet holder and I would just drip sweat all over the console area.
Finally, all of these bikes need a super easy way to control ERG mode power. I’d love to be able to just have an up down screen (like the Wahoo app) on the little console to be able to control power without even needing my phone or an app open.
Nice! Is that measured to saddle rails (like Trek seatmasts) or to the top of an “average saddle”?
JimL/Rob,
That is measured from BB center to the top of the saddle.
JimL,
The clamp for the handlebars can be flipped upside down for smaller riders or to lower the bars relative to the tablet holder. Since the interface here is the same 31.8mm handlebar interface you are used to, clip on bars are all in play, as well as any tt specific handlebar that has a standard 31.8mm round clamping area. Some aero bars (those with flipped up ends) may still interfere with the tablet holder, in which case we would recommend removing it.
The StagesBike follows ANT and Bluetooth protocols for trainer control, so if there is an app you are currently using to control your indoor trainer, you will be able to use it here as well. We will have a Stages app that can control the trainer for sure, however its important to note that the StagesBike will work with others as well. Does your last comment refer to using a bike computer like the Dash to control ERG mode?
Hello to Jim from Stages!
I’d like to get a smart bike and think this StagesBike would be my favorite personal choice.
However, I keep looking for updates about this product launch and the most recent info I can access is from early Fall (like this great review).
Holding out for this bike would be easier if Stages were to put out some sort of release schedule update – or at the very least an announcement landing page on your website.
I tried emailing directly and got lost in inter-department shuffle. Any updates or comments for us antsy enthusiasts would be so welcome!!
Thanks!!
Hey Jim from Stages. Is there any update on the StagesBike? I have called and inquired about this bike and it seems no one at Stages can give any solid answers on the what, when, and where of this bike. I am patiently holding out on my purchase to see the final version of this bike, but with no information other than this review and a few others I am likely not going to be able to hold out much longer and will purchase one of the competitors bikes.
I am wondering what is happening with any of the Smart Bikes. Currently, as far as I can tell, only the WattBike is actually deliverable. Anyone been able to actually purchase a Wahoo or Tacx bike in the recent weeks?
That’s a shame .. I need 89cm to top of saddle.
Will it be possible to get a longer seat post?
Can you remove the tablet/phone holder and slap some clip-on aerobar extensions?
Hey Jake,
You can slap on some clip on aerobar extensions and leave the tablet holder right where it is! (Or, you can remove it, 4 screws and its gone)
Hope that helps!
Nice!
Knowing that such a Stages indoor bike is available at a hotel’s gym could sway me to reserve a room there on a trip.
Typical hotel gym trainer bikes are so different from real bicycle, with bad positions & adjustments and so uncomfortable (not to mention prehistoric in their display of metrics) that i don’t even bother.
Frederic,
If only those hotels knew about us :)
I really wish the atom had those usb ports for charging. Simple but very useful
May just be the angle of the images but seems like it would be difficult to install pedals that do not have wrench flats. This is common on many gym style spin/exercise bikes as well. Any thoughts Ray? There may be a similar issue with Wattbike but Wahoo has easy access.
Great observation and question.
Hey John/Chad,
For a pedal like a Look which requires an 8mm wrench, it’s easy to use the ball end to get the pedal all the way in, and you can get a standard park tool 8mm wrench short side in between the frame and crank to tighten it down. You do have to move the crank to the 12-o-clock position, but it’s not difficult.
Ray thanks for all your incredible reports on the coming fleet of smart bikes. My birthday is coming up and I am in the market for one. Regarding the Stages bike you were estimating a price of $2,600 – $2800. Studio-Cycles posted a video a couple of days ago on a new bike called the Stages Solo. The price listed is $3,749. Comparing pictures on both sites they look similar, are they? Or is there another new Stages bike coming in 2020? Thanks again for the incredible detailed information.
David
The Stages Solo is a different bike, it’s got a screen and all sorts of stuff, but no integrated automated resistance control: link to stagesindoorcycling.com
A very similar version of this bike is what LifeTime Fitness uses with Stages bike computers and some pretty sophisticated software that enables you to log in and track your HR etc and get files after workout sessions.
Can confirm — SUPER solid.
What is the crankset q-factor of this trainer bike? Can’t stand wide q-factor (all over 153 mm) bikes or gym trainers.
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Stages produces quality, high end products. I can’t wait to try this out. Technology like this seems ahead of its time. Can’t wait until they make a Mario Cart app for the bike! ?
Would a setup like this work without some controlling app / device or does it require some external device to function? How does changing resistance work in this situation?
Say I get this (or another trainer-bike) and my wife wants to spin on it while watching TV. She doesn’t have a bike computer (for ANT+ FE-C) and doesn’t want to go through the trouble of setting up an app like Trainer Road / Zwift / etc. She just wants an indoor bike she can jump on and spin with minimal setup (other than setting seat position, etc). I’d want to have ANT+ FE-C (or Bluetooth equivalent) for training. Would this work for this situation?
Rob,
No problem! If you power on the Stages Bike, you can start pedaling it and change resistance by pressing the shift buttons. Thats it! Your wife should be perfectly happy with that.
Sounds like you know what to expect already for those who are willing to connect applications to smart trainers and smart bikes, but just so everyone else knows, you will be able to connect to the Stages Bike with our Stages Link mobile application and control it, change settings, and view information like current gear, power, cadence, etc. You can also connect it to an application that controls smart trainers and use it as you would expect (you can keep viewing our Stages Link app to see current gear, change gearing or other settings, etc.)
I hope that clears it up for you!
Also of note, if your wife does want to get the app, you can both connect to the smart bike, and your personal settings will be sent to the bike, so you can pick up where you left off :)
I’ll get one of these smart bikes because of my wife. I’ve got a direto trainer coupled with a campy road bike but my wife can’t use that. Major height difference, and ahe doesn’t ride outdoor just spins for fitness. And pretty sure she’ll like zwift or any of the other training pkgs.
The adjustabilty allows one bike to be used by two people. The wahoo bike is great but too expensive and too new (always teething issues in a first gen product), the atom bike is nice but is the shifting thing fixed? Needs to be seemless- 2years not in usa isn’t comforting. Hoping to see that new review with flying colors as it does look cool and it’s tue cheapest of the 3.
If neither of those work, then the stages bike. Middle price, i know it is built like a tank, and that 50 lb flywheel. If the gear shifting is slick and maybe add a lever option downline I’m in. Only downside, it’s not sexy
Looking forward to the promised “full hands-on video”
I dont understand why most SmartBikes dont use a simple Seatpost for easy Saddle Change for other Riders like the KickrBike – just keep it simple
asd
Really curious to know how loud the Stages bike is compared to Wattbike Atom, Tacx and Wahoo? Am guessing somewhere close to the Atom but good to know.
Also any views on likely pricing into the UK in £ and availability?
I noticed the incline was blank. Is this becasue you do not know what it will be or will it not have the ability to mimic inclines?
Great review! Stages are super high quality indoor bikes that provide a great riding experience. I can’t wait to try this new model!
Is there a model name or number for this smart bike, even though it’s not for sale yet?
Beginning to think this is a Myth. Many have asked and no one gets any answers. Gonna buy one of the REAL ones already being produced.
I’m so confused by your comment. It’s literally called the ‘Stages Bike’ – that’s the name (as noted in almost every paragraph of this post).
As for availability, they (last September), said it’s Q1 2020, we’re three weeks into that, and sure enough, they’re showing what sounds like final hardware here at the Tour Down Under this week in their booth that anyone can ride. They’re saying they’re just wrapping up the last of the app bits, and they said they’re still on target for that. So, we’ll have to see there.
Keeping in mind Tacx has paused production of their Tacx Bike, and Wahoo continues to only produce/ship a handful of their bikes every three weeks. The whole indoor smart bike revolution isn’t exactly off to a roaring start.
Hello Ray, Sorry about that. On the Stages website, their existing line of indoor bikes has five models. The new one being not yet released for sale and it also being called “Stages Bike” seemed so generic I didn’t think that could be the production name! Thanks for your reply and update. Keep up the good work, I enjoy your site and videos.
Not sure why you are confused. When you call they can’t provide any information on the bike. When you ask questions in forums it seems to fall on deaf ears. Hence the reason for my comments. It is a myth only few have seen, touched, or felt. Wish they would spin up marketing materials, a webpage, any information at this point from Stages would convince people this is coming to fruition soon. Some of us will likely not wait much longer for this mythical beast and will purchase a competitors bike without solid information from Stages. I can understand why you are confused, as you have had the pleasure of reality with this bike, while everyone else…POTENTIAL CUSTOMERS…is left in the dark dreaming of this mystical beast.
Ray,
No pics we don’t believe it. Thanks for the update on what’s happening. It has been confusing from a potential customers standpoint when one is willing to fork over money but there is no one to take it. Especially when it is serious money.
In the meantime, I purchased a Saris H3 and am having a lot of fun on Zwift.
I found this on their website:
link to stagescycling.com
At least, this is ‘official’ information from Stages.
Any news on the release date and in depth review?
Units are still in transit. I think my brief update I did a few weeks ago sounds roughly on track. I expect I’ll probably have a unit the first week of March, and then I’d expect it’ll take me at least 2-3 weeks of riding before I release a full review. So my bet is a review the first week of April.
do you think they will be on sale at the same time you will be receiving your unit? My ife and daughter want to train for a ride in July and I dont want to wait too long after the Tacx Neo fiasco and losing over 2 months only to find out it was cancelled. Frankly, I find the wahoo to expensive and the lift feature more for show rahter than useful for training….I would have been happy with the ATOM but seems like that is the least realisstic ride of the bunch if I read your review correctly.
I am just ready to buy the Stages if the price is in the upper 2’s and hope that you tell mle it is great after the fact..LOL
Yeah, I expect them to go on sale once they have them stateside and are ready to start moving things out.
I’d agree the Atom, while priced very well, certainly matches expectations for pricing versus the others.
My (very brief) test rides on the Stages bike went quite well from a feel standpoint. Something I’ve heard other mirror as well. As I’ve said elsewhere, I don’t think it’s the sexiest bike, but I think they’re gonna have a leg up in ride feel and probably the ‘just works’ factor that the others continue to struggle with (especially Tacx as of late).
Sorry, what do you mean by “just works” factor ?
Hey, I still miss some bikes in the comparison table, like f.e. Technogym skillbike, bodybike smart+, Life fitness ICG and probable others that I don’t know of. Did I miss something?
i’m glad i came across this post. been thinking to pull the trigger on the wattbike atom but with the reviews of lagging when sprinting in zwift, that became a concern as it seems never been fixed.
currently using stage’s PM and signed up to be notified when the stage bike comes out. can’t wait for the in depth video review Ray.
Looks like it could be being released in the UK pretty soon .. just found this.
link to saddleback.co.uk
The date wasn’t on the site this morning, but it’s been updated to say ETA 15th April
While precise dates are a bit fuzzy right now, things are very…very…very close. You’ll note Clever Training has a listing now, though not quite yet taking orders. link to clevertraining.com
Hi Ray, so we’re you able to get one into the cave for in depth hands on review?
Apparently soon!
soon as in tomorrow soon? ;)
Ray, first time responding to one of your posts but I read your reviews all of the time and make purchases (replaced vector 3 pedals with Assioma pedals 2 weeks ago because of your review) based upon your reviews. In regards to this discussion: I just spent $500 refurbishing my road bike because of wear and tear from the trainer.
1) For these smart trainer bikes (Tacx, Stages, and Wahoo), what is the expected maintenance costs and needs? I read that for Stages they can go 10 years with their studio bikes with no maintenance. That is significant savings. What about the others?
2) What are the warranties on these bikes?
3) In your opinion, is the Wahoo worth the extra $600 over the Stages bike? The only advantages I see for the Wahoo are: (a) picture for fitting and (b) incline/decline simulating, (c) motor for decline. For Stages it looks like they have more advantages: (a) Incline 25% vs 20% for Wahoo, (b) Bigger fly wheel, (c) Less likely to have a thigh rub, (d) left/right power measurements, and (e) more sturdy bike.
Can you please let me know if my understanding is correct and any thoughts you might have?
Thanks..
I see that Clever training is now taking preorders with early April expected delivery.
I have not seen updates from Stages yet and I remember what happened last time CT took orders on a bike. I hope they deliver, honor commitments and communicate better this time. So. I am hesitant to take the plunge without other confirmation.
ANy insights?
In the UK all the sites say April 30th for delivery plus the cost has gone up by £200 (2500 to 2700). It was already expensive and I think this might have tipped it into too expensive territory for me!
Rumor is a bike is headed my way today.
As for CT, I chatted with them last night. They have bikes allocated to them, sitting in a warehouse already in California, with shipping lined up to go out next week – short of something shifting from Stages.
Generally speaking, CT is pretty conservative with order dates, usually adding a bit to the date manufs give them for padding. As we’ve seen by all companies – making smart bikes is hard. So when manufs only deliver a fraction of the bikes they promised (CT places set pre-order numbers for all bikes they sell, well before a bike is even announced) – there’s little CT can do.
But in this case, i have pretty darn high confidence that these bikes will go out immediately, assuming no Stages-specific snag in the next few days.
I’m optimistic I’ll see one on this side of the pond at the DCR Cave next week, dependent on it not running into any international shipping/logistical issues given world circumstances.
Ray,
Any idea how these are being shipped? Are they coming via freight or one of the main carriers. I am trying to figure out how to get one into my house. Freight carriers tend to drop things at the curb vs FedEx who would put it in my garage.
While I am writing this I see an email just arrived from Stages announcing their availability.
Freight. Sorta.
If I remember correctly from the call (it was 1AM my time) for Clever Training specifically, the plan is that it’s a blend of white glove with normal freight. So it’s not quite Peloton where they set it all up, but it’s not normal freight where they just drop it near the curb and call it done. The plan/courier CT is using brings it inside, but I can’t remember if they also went up stairs or not.
Hi Ray,
Can you comment on the quietness/noise level on the Stages? Is it Peloton spin bike quiet or closer to the other indoor bikes?
Do you know CT/Stages return policy? I emailed Stages for an answer.
When do you expect to get out a full review? I’m trying to convince my Lifecycle/gym bike riding wife we’ll both enjoy the Stages more than a Peloton.
All the times I’ve had to try the bike have been in an outdoor or convention center setting, so honestly it’s hard to tell. Hopefully I’ll have clarity on that soon in-person.
CT I believe is 60 days off the top of my head.
I expect a full review about two weeks after I receive it.
Thanks. It sounds like the Stages passes the sleeping baby test. @3:20 link to youtube.com
Hi Ray,
Did you receive the bike yet? I’m very interested in the bike but wanted to see your review before spaying that amount of cash on one!!
I’m not sure if this is only a COVID-19 precaution, but the delivery is just curbside. The guy who delivered mine was nice enough to help me move it about 15 feet to a place where it would be safe until my wife could help me later on, but probably not everyone will be so lucky.
If you go onto YouTube and lookup the channel for ‘Sean Coffey’ there are a couple of videos on the bike – one of which shows the full assembly process.
Rusty,
Great sleuthing! We do post our official content here: link to youtube.com
Just an FYI.
Thanks Jim. I’m looking forward to seeing the bike.
Looks like CT is shipping now.
I ordered it from my local bike shop, that is a Stages distributor. Stages told them they would get a direct shipment when they received their second shipment (same day). That the first shipment had already been allocated (to CT). Stages estimated the shipment to be between 2 and 3 weeks. I made the order last week, so hoping to get it around the 20th.
Thanks Ben
I placed an order with CT today.
I am planning on purchasing one as soon as I see a hand’s on review by an early adopter.
Hi,
Took delivery yesterday of StagesBike. (I think I may have been the first order when they went on sale). Put it together today.
Freight delivery was able to roll it easily through the door into our gym room. I unboxed it and followed the unboxing video link that Stages sent me once the bike was on way. Extremely easy to put together. I did it by myself although there were a few places that having an extra set of hands would be helpful but not necessary. I was very impressed by the packaging and instructions. It appeared to be packaged exactly like in the unboxing video. very secure and well protected. Unfortunately, I have not ridden it yet. It does not come with pedals. I will need to run to bike shop tomorrow to get a set to attach to the bike (this is done so you can use your preferred pedals for the machine). I did not feel like taking them off my road bike as this defeated the purpose of having an indoor bike. I want to leave the road bike in the garage. So be forewarned that you will need pedals…not a big deal. I just was not aware of that.
The bike is very easy to adjust to different heights and preferences. The phone and tablet stands are a nice touch. I also want to say that Clever Training did a very nice job of communicating during the process of getting this bike to me. (This makes up for the Tacx Neo fiasco where the blemished bike never made it to me after several months. But, I believe the poor communication was on Tacx and poor CT got sucked into the vortex on that one.). Anyways, I just wanted to let y’all know that we have gone from fantasy to reality and the bike is in the wild (and in my home gym). Good luck on getting yours.
Dan
Thanks Dan. Would love to hear any additional thoughts once you get the pedals on and go for a ride!
+1 on that!
Does anyone know what the warranty is? Looked everywhere and don’t see it listed.
Hopefully you’re up and running dan!
Thanks Dan! CT emailed me a shipping confirm today (order placed April 9). I’m in Marin, CA.
What was your time from shipping confirm to delivery and where are you located?
Thanks Dan!
CT emailed me a shipping confirm today (order placed April 9). I’m in Marin, CA.
What was your time from shipping confirm to delivery and where are you located?
I am in South Florida… They told me I would be contacted by freight operator in about 4=5 days which is what happened. THen they delivered the next day. I can’t recall exactly but I want to say a week…
Thanks, I got a USPS confirm number but no status available yet.
Hi,
Bike set up and in use.
Very quiet. Whisper Quiet.
Very sturdy.
AM told there will be an update for Zwift to see gear changes…
The wife and daughter are finding the seat a little uncomfortable so I may swap it out to something plusher for their sensitive derrieres. But, that is something for a little later. Otherwise, the SmartBike is a big hit here.
I’ve had a cube cross country bike on a Kickr snap for a number of years but am considering upgrading to a proper bike based trainer so that my wife can easily use it as well as me. I also want to dispense with chains, noise, etc and get nearer to the road feel that I enjoy when riding outside.
I had a chance to buy the Wahoo bike but didn’t jump quickly enough. Regret, perhaps, time will tell? Then I stumbled upon the stages bike and it seems to be most things that I could want with, maybe, the only missing thing being the tilt. Will it be a show stopper? no idea.
Although I have used Trainer Road and like the technical stuff that it offers, Zwift is the go to application and also the one that my wife prefers.
I would be very keen to get feedback from those who have received their bikes and who use Zwift as to how well it performs with the initial firmware offering. I’m also keen to get a perspective regarding how easily two different riders can configure the bike (one being less technically competent than the other).
I’ve registered an interest on the European site and hope to get an opportunity to press the button and buy. I’m UK based. I’d rather, if I am honest, get feedback from users/reviewers before parting with that much cash.
Looking forward to reading your thoughts
I can’t help with any feedback on the bike but I’ve ordered one myself from a site in Ireland, paid in Euros meaning a 180 quid saving. Worth considering rather than buying direct in the UK as this will cost you £2700
I received my stages bike last week and got set up but just got to my first ‘real ride’ this morning – an hour Zwift simulation ride on Apple TV IOS. I have a few years and several thousand miles of Zwift on an original Kickr as my point of reference. Overall the experience is very good. Super stable. Whisper quiet – wife walked into the room and said “I didn’t even realize you were riding”. Super easy to adjust height and reach. Smooth pedaling and responsive with the fly wheel. Early release concerns which may just be perception and difference from Kickr:
-Gradient changes seem ‘quick/jerky’ at times – not as smooth as Kickr
-Not knowing what gear your in makes it hard to adjust to gradient changes. Much harder to keep synced between gradient and gears…almost impossible to stay in a group compared to my kickr experience. Racing would be difficult…maybe just need more experience on this platform.
-Perception that gears are not changing when pressing buttons – especially on hoods – but impossible to tell for sure since you can’t see the gearing anywhere. For some reason it seemed like the hood shifting disengaged when gradient shifted to a descent ie couldn’t grab bigger gears. If I would hit the drops shifters it would re-engage. Once again this could be my imagination – anyone else experiencing this??
-Related issue – seemed like I needed to hit the drops shifters on the big gears before the hoods would engage as well at the beginning.
Other notes:
-Super heavy – was a battle for my wife and I to wrestle the bike to second floor workout room
-Set up video is great and easy to follow
-Syncing the bike and crank power meters to calibrate and then connect to Zwift was a bit wonky but eventually magically happened. But needed to reset Apple TV IOS this morning before it would resync after being idle a couple days. Good news – cadence, power, and HR all through two blue tooth connections to Apple TV is great and never dropped.
-Pedals – need to have pedals that install with wrench at axle as bike frame is in the way if you need to come from the back of the crank arm. I eventually got my Look Keos on but super worried if they stick that I wont have leverage to get them off later.
-Still need to try Erg mode
Full endorsement will be withheld pending a few firmware releases and some way to see gearing – but very optimistic.
Thanks so much Scott. I’ve pre-ordered this bike in the UK, and was eagerly awaiting a review. Yours hits the spot!
Since Ray hasn’t done his in depth review yet — looking forward to it! — I’ll offer my experiences at some length in the hopes it helps people.
I’ve had the StagesBike for a couple of weeks now.
The hardware is exceptional, Seriously exceptional.
I find it extremely well thought out (a ton of minor irritants with other approaches have been smartly resolved here) and it’s ease of adjustment is fantastic. It’s clean too — no wires and crap hanging down. I’ve had brief experiences with the Kickr bike and the Tacx bike at shows and there is no comparison — Stages hardware is vastly superior and their experience shows.
It is extremely heavy, especially if you need to get it up a few flights of stairs. Once assembled though, it’s easy to lift the rear with one hand and move it around a room. It is 100% stable even when REALLY hammering out of the saddle. If you *like* the sensation of the bike rocking underneath you, this isn’t the bike for you. I prefer to have a solid bike that I can throw everything I have into it without a concern.
Oh, and the tablet and phone holders and platform hold your electronics perfectly stable. Having two water bottle holders is great for longer sessions. The little details are done well too.
I don’t use Zwift often and the initial software release had issues with Trainer Road and FullGaz. I’m mostly a Trainer Road person and the initial software was really rocky — multiple spikes of watts unexpectedly, weird timing on resistance when increases and drops on target power arrived. Kind of brutal on the legs because literally within a single pedal stroke you could have an increase of 40 watts through part of the stroke, then dropping, then shooting up again. It was a weird sensation and very frustrating. The L/R power reports were insane too — they literally didn’t make sense. It was pretty deflating because the software quality just didn’t match the hardware. But that was the initial release software…
The Stages support was great — you can reach them on the phone and they reply back by email and follow up without being prompted (Garmin take some notes, you bums. Stages shows it really cares about customers by investing in support you should do the same…) Even better, they acknowledged they had problems and were working hard on it.
Last night, a new firmware release on the bike dropped and it resolved ALL the problems I saw on Trainer Road. It was like night and day. Terrific work. It’s nice to have a software release that fixes everything that bothered you!
A word on using the bike on Trainer Road — you don’t need to have each crank recognized as a power sensor, just use the Stages Bike as the sensor and it will report the individual cranks for you. Also, set the mode to ERG for Trainer Road and the Powermatch to “disable” — I don’t know why that is, but Stages support recommended it before the new firmware and it might not be necessary now. But now it ain’t broke for me so I’m leaving it that way :)
Also when resetting the cranks in the Stages Link app, make sure they’re almost exactly vertical — if they’re slightly off of vertical the reset operation fails with non-useful messages. You don’t have to do that often, but be aware if you do, make sure the cranks are as vertical as possible. Also, after firmware updates, you’ve got to power cycle the bike — it doesn’t automatically reboot. During setup I had to upgrade the firmware for the cranks several times before it succeeded. Minor issue, in other words. (Note: the bike has firmware and each crank does too — the bike firmware is like the master firmware, I think.)
Two things Stages could improve: the documentation and technical notes are pretty basic and hard to find. Also it would be *great* if there was a forum for users to share notes, get news on upcoming software releases, etc. If there is such a forum, I haven’t found it.
I’m going to see if the FullGaz issues are resolved by the new firmware tonight or tomorrow. But seeing how perfectly they resolved the TR issues fills me with hope that FullGaz will be fine. At minimum the Dev team there has shown they respond quickly to issues.
I can’t stress enough how refreshing it is to see a company in this space that really focuses on treating customers right. I wish more were like that.
After being burned SOOOOOO many times by Garmin (especially) and others who refuse to respond to reports of problems and have non-existent support and refuse to even admit issues and then make people wait MONTHS for a fix, I found the Stages response across the board to be terrific. They set the standard for hardware and customer support — before the Stages bike came out, I almost got on the Tacx train. I’m sure glad I didn’t!
With the current firmware I’m exceptionally happy with the Stages Bike. it’s very expensive — but cheaper than the competitors — and the quality of the hardware is go great I have confidence it will last many years without issues.
You still can’t easily see what gear you’re in when in simulation mode although that apparently is coming. The ability to simulate multiple chainring and cassette setups is also coming too at some point they say.
Right now on ERG mode in Trainer Road, with the new firmware, this is a no brainer if you’re in the market for a smart bike. Others will have to comment on its Zwift performance with the new software.
Hope this helps everyone!
Brilliant write up, thanks Rob.
Another thing of note about Stages support, I raised the 1500W max issue with them and received a reply, work has been done and specs have been amended both in the manual and on the website to reflect a now improved value. Again very responsive and good support from Stages.
Moo, that mirrors my experience too. I wish all companies in this space really devoted themselves to support like Stages has done. They’re setting such a high standard with the Bike and the way the company behaves vis a vis customers. This is the way to build customer loyalty.
Yesterday’s Zwift simulation ride went better on a flatter London test route. A few changes I made:
* Updated to newly released bike firmware
* Recalibrated pedals
* Cycled the bike power
* Adjusted the Zwift realism setting to essentially dampen the grade changes
* Was very deliberate in pushing the hoods gear change button
All the above seemed to smooth out the experience. I was able to manage power output much better through grade changes & gear shifts to the point I was able to manage drafting off some folks. The down side is this experience was on a much flatter course, I had to reduce the grade realism, the hood shifters still seemed to miss shifts if I was not very deliberate in the press. This would still not work well in race situations or rapid steep changes of grade.
Bob, Moo, other great sprinters,
We certainly had a typo in our max resistance communication, or I just did not communicate it properly, either way, the correct numbers are 2200w at constant 130rpm. Remember, this power value would be at a constant 130rpm. If you were to say, sprint from 90rpm to 130rpm at max resistance you would see higher numbers than 2200w, however, our dyno test fixture can’t actually do this!
If anyone can sprint like this, I have a few questions:
1. How high did you get?! Asking for our marketing team.
2. What’s it like to be a super hero?
3. Isn’t it nice to finally have a bike that does not explode when you do a sprint?
I certainly won’t be bothering 1500W soon, for me it was more a clarification and the worry that 3000W had mysteriously become 1500W. I know myself and probably others will use the max watt value as a measure of the capabilities of a trainer/bike, seeing that the competitors were listing a lot higher value and the stages was now at the same max power as what would be considered mid level trainer started putting questions in folks minds.
Glad to know that it is up there with the rest now though and I suspect a lot of minds have been put at rest.
Any in depth review coming for this bike?
Thanks for your amazing work btw!
Yup I’m waiting for some in depth video and noise review as well.
Good news, it arrived this afternoon! Unboxing and first ride in the morning!
Thanks for all the impressions! Looking forward to a review from Ray. I was looking at a Tacx, but the Stages looks like the better bike because of the lack of thigh rub en double bottles. Only thing I’m missing is the shifting feedback that the Tacx and Wahoo have. Is that coming soon?
Hi,
I saw on another forum, the trainerroad forum I believe, that they had no plans to implement a ‘bump’ on gear change.
I guess if enough people request this via a support ticket it would raise the visibility of the number of people wanting this.
If Jim @ stages is reading these messages is this the best way to approach this or do you maybe have some kind of feature request email address that whilst not raising an official ticket, ideas and requests could be communicated that way?
Niels, Moo, other distinguished posters,
Our next Link app update will display your current gear visually, and allow you to customize your gearing however you want while also connected to apps like Zwift. This means you can see what gear you are in wherever you ride.
We do have a public feature request log, check it out here and add new ideas or vote on existing ones: link to stagespublic.ideas.aha.io
We are working on creating a forum as we see how helpful it can be for the community of our users to chat with each other and Stages employees, as sometimes other customers are quicker than I am in responding to posts! Also, while Ray’s comment section is an awesome place, it can be tough to make sure I always catch every question.
To speak to “bumps”, it’s top of mind. I have added it to our public feature request log here:
link to stagespublic.ideas.aha.io
We’ve played with this a little, and will be interested to hear whether this is something you still want after we have a visual gear representation in the app. Designing features for these indoor smart bikes is so interesting, because some of the things in the real world are not “ideal”, like big “chunks” when we change gears or a limitation on the number of gears you can have in your cassette. The thing is, all of this is likely a matter of personal preference, so if we do add them, it will be something you can enable/disable in the app, since there is often no “right” answer.
Hope that helps! Love all the comments. Ray’s bike seems to be experiencing some COVID related shipping resistance. Let’s all hope it’s nothing compared to that Wahoo bike fiasco :)
Jim, thank for the quick response. I put a down payment on a StagesBike at my local dealer on April 3rd. They indicated that their Stages rep would get them a bike within 2 to 3 weeks (one of the first bikes from the second shipment). I was then told, based upon a note that they expected to receive the bike between the April 20-24. I contacted them on the 23rd, and the indicated the bike should ship on either the 24th or the 27th. I talked to them yesterday and they said they had no update. Is this an issue with Stages shipping the bike to them or my local bike dealer? Also, I asked if it could just be shipped to my house and they indicated that Stages only ships to the store. Please advise what I can do to speed this up. Thanks…
Any update on getting gear displayed on Zwift like wattbike?
Thanks for the response Jim! Voted for the shifting bump :)
Hi everyone,
I received my StagesBike about a week ago and so far I’m really enjoying it. I just started a Facebook group called “StagesBike Owners Group” – hope you’ll all join and we can compare notes there.
One request for Jim from Stages: showing the currently selected gear in the Link app is a good start, but most people that are Zwifting will probably have the Zwift companion app open on their phones while riding, so ideally there should be another way to keep track of this. Having the gear show up in Zwift would go along way toward this, as will adding the bump. Hopefully you can do both.
Just my two cents.
Ride on!
Best,
Roy
Hi Roy,
Thanks for setting up the group, I’ve searched Facebook for it but can’t find it, maybe its been set to private ?
Here’s the direct link:
link to facebook.com
please let me know if you still can’t find it.
Thanks,
Roy
Hi Roy. Thanks for setting this up. I’ve just joined.
Got my bike yesterday and setup last night. The app won’t let me register – it keeps giving an error message in the second setup screen. Emails and phone calls to support have been unanswered although it is the weekend. Tried to get TrainerRoad to recognize the bike and no luck. I can’t even find it in my Bluetooth devices on phone. I guess in will have to wait until Monday and hope for a return call or email then. Pretty frustrating having spend $3k and not have it function out of the box.
Todd,
Could you go log an issue here? link to stagespublic.ideas.aha.io
I can communicate directly with you there. This is not a normal process, but sinces its the weekend we can make it work.
Jim thanks for the quick reply. Seems that the registration process using the QR code in the manual was the issue as that directed me to the app which didn’t work. I was finally able to get registered using a laptop. Then I got back into the Link App and updated firmware on the bike and it started to broadcast to my laptop both Ant+ and Bluetooth. Sorry to rant on you earlier – and thank you again for replying here and providing a means to communicate.
Todd,
No apologies needed! Your point is exactly right, if you buy a StagesBike it should work right out of the box, weekend or not. Glad you were able to work around whatever that issue was, you’ve got my info now, let me know if there is any other problem.
Just wanted to express my gratitude and give a Public shout-out here to Jim. He reached out and provided contact info to personally help me get setup over the weekend. Thanks again, Jim.
Jim from Stages said previously in a post, “Our next Link app update will display your current gear visually, and allow you to customize your gearing however you want while also connected to apps like Zwift. This means you can see what gear you are in wherever you ride.”
Has the link app been updated to show current gear? I don’t have problem with using two phones, one for the Zwift companion app and one for the Stages app. Also is the Stages bike able to work with your Dash Head units? That may be a solution instead of two phones. Thanks!
Hello DC Rainmaker,
you have my attention on the stagesbike. Also loosing interest in the kickr bike with al the moving parts. The climb looks great in the kickr bike but i’m afraid for the long term quality on that feature.
Just waiting for your review on the stagesbike.
I have a few questions:
1) I’m a big zwift fan and user. Will the gearing be showed on the screen in the near future?
2) Is stages implementing the shift bump like the kickr bike? Is this on the roadmap already?
3) How is the shifting itself. Are the bottuns on the hoods on a good location? The kickr bike is on top on that feature IMO.
I am very seriously looking at the Stagesbike. My use case is the classic husband / wife sharing (plus kids). However, I want a Zwift/Sufferfest machine and she wants a spin class/Les Mills sprint machine. I think my needs will be catered for, but I suspect the flywheel will mess up her Sprint experience?
Hi Matthew. I have ordered the bike for the same reason that you are thinking about it i.e. for me, the wife and kids to use. There is a Facebook group for Stages smart bike owners, details of which you can see higher up in this comment section.
On that Facebook page, someone wrote about his wife using the bike with the Peloton app. Apparently the gear change buttons are an effective way of adding and removing resistance.
Thank you miles. That’s useful.
Thank you for a nice review ( as always). When i come to the shifting display and Zwift you obviousely was a little too optimistic. I received a answer from them today, after my second email, a really short one, telling me that they never comment on future upgrades. Too bad, i reach level 48, but i am not dependent on Zwift, and as soon my SB 20 arrive here in Thailand, i am out from there, guess Trainerroad or whom that have this integrated is happy to have my money.
As always a great review. One question. Would the following setup work? Linking up the stages bike with an apple TV or iPad for Zwift or Kinomaps and connecting my Polar Vantage V with the Bike to get Speed, Distance and Wattage details on the watch. Haven’t seen anything around that, so I would be grateful if you could help out here ;-) Thanks!!
Hi Roland. Following a recent firmware update, the bike now has dual bluetooth connectivity, so I think that should be possible. I use the dual connectivity to connect to Zwift on an iPad, and to my Wahoo Elemnt.
I should also add that there is a very active Facebook group which you would be very welcome to join in order to ask questions. Details of the group are in Roy’s post above.
Hi Miles, thanks a lot for the answer. No I am happy and going to order the bike ;-)
Great to hear. It’s a great bike that I find a joy to ride.
Hey Miles,
What does the Wahoo Element do for you when riding Zwift? Considering purchasing a computer but not sure if Garmin, Wahoo or Stages. Garmin would give me a more robust pedal dynamics and Stages would give me potential access to the workout library and analytics ($$) and eventually, I hear, SB20 gearing. TIA
Hi David
I use the Wahoo Elemnt to display average power which helps me to control my effort in Zwift races. It also links up with my Headwind fan which adjusts its flow depending on my heart rate.
Miles,
A new easter egg has just been discovered in the Zwift Companion app. If one touches the watts display on the map screen it switches to W/kg. This is something people, including me, have been asking for forever.
David
I saw that, but is it average w/kg over a workout session/race which is what I need?
I am hoping the Stages Dash programmers are going to put together the perfect solution for us SB20 owners. Ride On!