Bought the Stages SB20. The solidity, lack of a top tube, silent belt drive and overall practical design sold me. Indoor/ spin bikes have evolved over decades into their current form and the Stages bike benefits from all that experience. I feel like the other bikes are all trying to unnecessarily reinvent the wheel.

Great review. After some initial issues, I’ve been very happy with the Stages SB 20. Very solid build and easily adjustable.

Thanks. Now I'm confident and ready to choose the best. I'm leaning toward the Kickr

I've got a Wattbike and love it, I think that the price should be a factor in the review as the other bikes are 'on average' $1,300 more and the Wahoo being + $1,700. I'd rather spend the delta on my 'actual road bike' as I think that the differences are too small once you get rolling in ERG mode (most app's). The Wattbike also provides unique pedaling efficiency data through its app which ensures that you are putting as much energy into the drive train as possible throughout the stroke (pull up & push down).

I have a Stages 3. Love that bike. Between my wife and I we are on it daily. I also sweat a lot and have no issues with the front flywheel. May at some point go 'smart bike' and would choose Stages based on my current level of satisfaction.

That was an excellent comparison review. Thank you!

I watched a lot of reviews such as this one prior to buying opting for Tacx Neo - I can confirm I am absolutely thrilled by it and recommend

I bought an ICG IC6. More of a spin bike bought it broadcasts power and cadence via ANT+. Great to train on indoors on, but shifting with the dial makes racing on Zwift tedious trying to find the right gear. However for being $1600 on black Friday, it was great deal. I've used it on Zwift, Xert, and Sufferfest with no issues. Only downside was the customer service getting it here. Took 7 weeks from the day I placed the order.

Thank you sir for a great review. I now need to convince my wife that its a good idea to buy one.

Came here for smart bikes. Stayed and subbed for Mr.Delaney!

Rollers a good purchase for winter training and core strength needs.

best review I've seen so far. Thank you.

Great comparative review. Once the prices are taken into consideration - the Stages is almost HALF the price of the Wahoo (I can live without tilt), my decision has been made

A thoroughly comprehensive review to help with smart bike decision making. Thank you for this video. Subscribed. 👍

Great review Ben! I love the climb functionality of the Wahoo but I think the smart money is on the Stages at the moment as it’s cheaper, looks like the build quality is better and Stages have a proven track record of designing and maintaining indoor bikes. One area that was not really covered in the test, is how quickly the bike’s sensors paired to Zwift, whether there were any dropouts/reliability issues whilst training, and how well they performed in ERG mode; since these are very important considerations when dropping this amount of cash (I know they are to me!). Anyways, keep up the good work and BoCo FTW.

Great review =-D I think Tacx Neo wins for me in terms of best bang for your buck, such a great cockpit layout, road feel and cool glow, Plus with the increase in Wattbike to 2K and the shipping costs to Northern Ireland means the WB costs almost as much but without the extra great features of the Tacx. Only small concern is Garmin seem to have bad customer service reviews which could be an issue 2 years away when out of warranty. Kickr is a bit expensive and no tablet holder but would probably just about win if money wasn't a factor.

When the StagesBike showed up at EuroBike last year, I knew it would be the category leader for serious training.

Looking forward to more info on the stages. More proven design to last, which should be number one concern. I am really wary of laying out the cash of something like the wahoo when theyve built so few of them. Not interested in being a beta tester paying full price.

That velonews kit is on Point :)

Very thoughtful review! Thanks for excellent work

Thanks for such an honest and instructive video.👍🏼

Great video if looking to buy one of these smart bikes. Think I’m going with the Wahoo.

Thats a big thumbs up, thank you for this review!

Many thanks for the great video. Any chance of a review of Zycle smart bike? Thanks again.

It’s to see you back

Good reviews thank you I watched this 2 xs and a bunch of others. I have not bought anything as yet but am looking everything over. I am leaning toward the Stages because the reviews indicate they last and that is what is important. Wahoos are the fun ones but fall apart it appears. Good Video

I have a kickr bike and stages bike. The stages bike has been a nightmare from day one, the right power meter has never worked and the bike stop pairing. Had a stages mechanic fixing these problems, come to ride it and two buttons stop working. In the middle of getting my money back or a new bike. Stages bike is as solid as a rock but is more like a spin bike with racing handlebars. The gears system is not very good with small buttons. The kickr bike is a lot better, it feels like a road bike, the gear system is fantastic. pedaling is smoother than an outdoor bike. There is a thigh rub but you don't real notice it. The climb motion is only noticeable while sitting. The only thing I am worried about is the stability of the machine as there is nothing supporting the front of the bike. I found a slight rocking forward and backward of the machine which is noticeable in the mirror, this is more noticeable at slow speeds. I have contacted wahoo and they say this normal. I am not sure whether it will last more than the 8-14 month period a wahoo product lasts me.

I have the wahoo kickr bike , Haven’t tried the others, but in comparison with the tacx neo and the regular wahoo kickr, it is much more smooth and precise, very quiete a pleasure to ride.

Looks like the stages is the winner. Least negatives & built like tank.

Excellent.. Thanks!

would have been interested to hear comparison and comments on noise levels

I'm wondering if you noticed any difference in standing on the Stages SB20 vs others (really want to know about Wahoo). I have trouble standing for long and it puts a lot of pressure on my knees compared to standing outside which helps me knees.

Hi Ben, from Spain. Interesting review but I miss one important feature in your test, the freewheeling. You haven't mentioned in each bike if you can freewheel or if the cranks are always moving (as in a fixie bike) when the main wheel is moving. Thanks

Good stuff, as always, Ben!!!

This is a great video ! Thanks

Great review! Thank you.

Excellent Video. I'm hoping one of these companies makes a smart bike with steering and elevation changes. More realistic riding. I know Zwift is adding more steering options, mountain biking and road.

Great Review. Question: Stages Smart Bike has the flywheel in front; in the riders sweat drip zone, I sweat a lot. Is the front fly wheel a legitimate concern over the long term (corrosion, ..) for bike maintenance? Asking as many higher-end spin bikes have moved the flywheel to the rear.

Did you ever get a difference in real power and power from the stages, as i just got one and on a regular basis i am getting far more power from stages bike than i am really pedalling through the bike, power numbers like 524 watts for a 16km TT on zwift, I asked zwifft but they ignored the ticket, i tried the stages directly onto a garmin 1030 and V3 pedals on a fenix 6 sapphire and there was very little difference, it only seems to be zwift ?

Concept 2 Bike Erg is also good for Zwift. This machine will take hell of a beating.

Grate review. If you will have to chose one bike which one will you buy?

Good well balanced review 👍

Very helpful review thanks. I've been using a regular kickr for about 4 years now and although it is very good when working, I have had to return units 4 times. I have been thinking about getting the kickr bike but have read of many faults which is really putting me off. Is the climb function really good, or do you love it for the first couple of months and then not think about it again? I'm tending toward the Stages unit due to its sturdiness. It also has some very good gearing options using the app.

I use an Osymetric chainring on all my bikes. I'm pretty sure if I get a smart bike I can't have that can I? That would be the only reason I would not get one. I have a Kickr smart trainer and love it but I'd consider buying a smart bike except that I would not have use of the chainring I have grown fond of.

Any chance you can look at the Life Fitness IC6,7,8 range of bikes?

I ordered the Stages SB20 based on this review. Received it on June 22nd and Stages provided a RMA for the bike on June 29th. The bike never worked. It wouldn't pair with Zwift, the controls on the right side of the bike didn't work and the resistance was stuck at 100%. Stages tech support seems completely overwhelmed. They sent some replacement parts that I swapped out, but didn't make a difference. I felt like I spent $3,000 on a science experiment. I wouldn't recommend this bike because of the poor quality.

How are the sound levels for each? Surprised you didn’t talk about that.

Can you tilt the saddle?

hi good review do these bikes free wheel or not thks

Ben looks fit...

Curious what the maintenance cost are to these bikes. Expensive to repair?

Have you tried the SC3 stages bike? Is it compatible with zwift? The smart bike is not available yet in my country.

What do you think about ZCycle Zbike? Can you test her?

We tackled assembling the bike as a family project. kzfaq.infoUgkxzg0clhbtRf2gGxPkVETFKJJKGqdsorQu The package is heavy, but I have 2 teen boys that were able to move it. The written instructions were great- we didn't need to watch the videos, but it was good knowing that the option was there if we needed it. After we were able to get it set up, the boys each rode 3 miles and I rode 8 and the bike stayed quiet. The display is easy to reset, and you can put it on whichever setting you are using (time, distance, calories, etc). I will say that my butt is a little sore from the seat, but that could be because I haven't rode in a while. While it is comfortable for me, it was not comfortable with the seat position for my friend (could not move the seat back far enough and he slightly looked like a kid riding a tricycle that he had outgrown). He also said that the seat hurt his manly parts. We are going to look for a different seat that will be compatible with this bike for him.I did purchase the Wahoo Cadence sensor and strapped it to the crank of one of the pedals. This will sync with my Apple Watch, iPhone and will import data in to my Health app. Wahoo does have other sensors available other than cadence. I can also keep either my phone or my iPad on the display and they both feel pretty secure.

Awesome review!

Do any of these allow for steering in Zwift?

How about noise?

So this is where Ben went...

wich wheels size do you select in Swift with a stationnary bike?

What saddle is that?

This reviewer, 2 years ago: the wobble on the kickr bike is a little annoying Wahoo Kickr hoolligans, now: "what you really ought to do is add a $1200 rocker board for maximum wobble"

Q-factor comparison (bike axis right in the middle of stance width?), noise, max watts, own saddle possible? Thank you

What’s wrong with a real bike on direct drive trainer?

@7:52 are you wearing an engagement ring?

Have kickr bike from new and had nothing but hassle with shifting issues. Still not sorted and wahoo support cud not resolve issue yet.

Which version of the stages bike is this? I like that one the most and can't seem to figure out the differences between all of the ones they offer. The main goal is zwift. Is that the SC3 model?

Cual es la más barata?? 😅

Which stages bike model is the one you are reviewing?

Google아 KZfaq 댓글도 자동 번역 해줘라~~

BEST SPIN BIKES (Ranking by Q factor) 1- Wahoo Kickr Bike (Q Factor is 150mm) 1- Nordictrack S22i (Q Factor is 150mm) 2- Life fitness IC4, Ic5, IC6, IC7 and IC8 (Q Factor is 155mm) 2- Life fitness IC3 (Q Factor is 155mm) 3- Spinner NXT (Q factor is 158mm) 3- Spinner Blade (Q factor is 158mm) 4- Wattbike Atom (Q factor is 160mm) 4- Bodytone MT2 and WT1 (Q Factor is 160mm) 5- Schwinn IC PRO (Q factor is 168mm) 6- Peloton spin bike (Q factor is 170mm) 6- Schwinn AC PERFORMANCE PLUS (Q Factor is 170mm) 6- Schwinn AC SPORT (Q Factor is 170mm) 6- Life Fitness Lifecycle GX (Q Factor is 170mm) 7- Wattbike Pro/Treiner (Q Factor is 173mm) 7- Life fitness IC1 and IC2 (Q Factor is 173mm) 8- SUNNY ASUNA 6100 (Q Factor is 176mm) 9- SUNNY SF-B1805 (Q Factor is 182mm) 10- Diamondback Studio Cycle 1260Sc (Q Factor is 187mm) 11- Schwinn IC4/IC8 (Q factor is 190mm) 12- Keiser M3i (Q factor is 197mm) 13- SUNNY SF-B1709 (Q factor is 203mm) 16- SUNNY Evolution Pro SF-B1714 (Q factor is 216mm) Q Factor: Is the distance between the outside of one crank arm to the outside of the opposite crank arm. Why should you care? I know from experience that the narrower the Q Factor, the closer my feet are to each other, the more comfortable I feel riding a bicycle. This is especially true on a long ride or training. long distance q factor spin bikes can damage your knees

When is the Stages bike being released?

Triangulate?

Wahoo is the best investment due to tech changing daily. It won’t be long until the wahoo brakes will come in use using apps like Fulgaz, Zwift etc. Therefore Wattbike and others will then have to bring out new machines leaving plenty of angry customers.

What are the prices!!!

Is he talking about the stagesbike SB20 because it looks like there are more than one?

Nice video. Why the smart bike of bkool or the new Smart bike of Zycle is not in the review? I think they are good competitors against the ones analyzed

technogym Skill Bike ?

expresso bike best by far

He sounds like Barack Obama!

If you're an individual buyer stay away from Stages. They are bad at every aspect of taking care of the consumer.

Go for a run like a man.