User submitted reviews
Review by Anonymous
Years into this products lifecycle Garmin has been unable to provide a firmware update for a well documented issue where power will always settle below the power level of your workout 2-3 watts. You can increase cadence and it will settle in again, increase your cadence, it settles again. You can repeat this until you're stomping out 130RPM and you'll be under goal.
Worse yet is the saddle. I have no issue with them shipping it with a trash saddle since you'll want to match it to your road bike. Oh wait, there is no seat clamp available for carbon rails. It gets worse, the seat clamp is a single shoulder bolt with lock nut. If you tighten to the specified torque it strips. If you don't your saddle will slip and tilt. Garmin will ignore your support request and send you surveys before ever responding; however, they refuse to provide a replacement bolt they want you to buy the entire saddle assembly for $150 plus shipping to replace a $.45 screw.
TL;DR The firmware is not good and abandoned. Garmin support is awful and they won't support this product. This is a trainer priced over $3k built with proprietary parts and no support. Way too much money for a disposable item.
None of this is BTD's fault.
Review by Anonymous
After years of lusting after a smart trainer bike, I made the purchase and I'm happy with it. I previously had a Tacx Neo and an old, permanently mounted MTB with a Sterzo. (Also Tacx rocker plates, which I don't recommend.) Apart from the cost, I agonized over Tacx vs Wahoo bikes for their features. From a Tacx Neo I really liked the entertainment of the road feel feature and didn't want to lose that. I also really liked the Sterzo steering and thought I would miss that with the smart bike. In the end, I do miss the Sterzo; buttons are not the same. But overall the other features of the bike outweigh this.
Likes: Stability and sturdiness, which helps in terms of getting out of the saddle, for some relief if not power. Overall build quality. Contact points and adjustability. Shifters and feel of the brakes (although I never use the brakes!) which add to the virtual reality of the bike experience. The phone tray. The iPad holder.
Dislikes: None. (But even an awesome indoor trainer is still an indoor trainer and long rides on a trainer are still kinda painful.)