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TECH NEWS
Stages Cycling launches SC Series indoor trainers
Stages Cycling, manufacturer of the power meter that is housed in the left crank, and used by Team Sky, has launched the SC Series of indoor cycle trainers, which the company says is “one of the smoothest, most realistic rides available indoors.”
A relatively young company that has risen to prominence in the rapidly growing power meter market, Stages Cycling enters the indoor cycle training market with the SC Series, which at launch features two models: the SC3, the flagship model, and features a Stage power meter; and the more affordable SC2, which doesn’t include the Stages power meter.
Both are described by Stages as a “line of commercial and high-end retail indoor cycling bikes, which bring an array of breakthrough features to redefine the category of indoor cycling.”
The SC3 and SC2 are similar in style to the Wattbike, in that they are dedicated indoor cycle trainers. Both trainers use a CarbonGlyde belt drive system, developed by Gates Carbon Drive, and uses a carbon belt with a 5:1 gear ratio and a high-inertia flywheel.
Design features that Stages reckon makes the SC Series stand out from the competition include SprintShift, a dual-action resistance adjustment with a micro-adjust dial along with a three-position adjust lever; and FitLock, which offers “lightning fast” height adjustments via twist-lock pop-pin height adjusters.
Only the SC3 model features the company’s own Stages Power meter, with an EcoSCRN handlebar-mounted display providing all the data you need for a training session, and it’s powered not by batteries, but by a hub dynamo. The SC2 goes without a power meter.
“We’ve addressed every major issue we’ve ever seen with an indoor bike,” says Pat Warner, the product director for Stages Cycling, who spent 20 years working on indoor cycling bikes in the Fitness industry prior to Stages.
He adds: “SC3 is certainly worthy of our ‘flagship’ status, with features like Stages Power, SprintShift, FitLoc, and our RoadBar. But we’ve also nailed the basics on these bikes, and we’re confident that the ride feel, lack of maintenance, and reliability of the bike will be the features that actually set the benchmark for both the facility owner and the instructor.”
Both trainers are also easy to adjust to fit, with StagesFit providing a three minute adjustment process that mimics proper road bike geometry, so jumping off your road bike and onto the SC3 and SC2 shouldn’t feel too odd. Both trainers also use the RoadBar, said to offer more positions than a bullhorn-style bar.
There’s no information on availability, or price, at this stage. the SC Series will be shown to the public for the first time at the IHRSA 2015 International Convention and Trade show in Los Angeles on the 12-13 March.
Visit www.stagesindoorcycling.com for more info.
David worked on the road.cc tech team from 2012-2020. Previously he was editor of Bikemagic.com and before that staff writer at RCUK. He's a seasoned cyclist of all disciplines, from road to mountain biking, touring to cyclo-cross, he only wishes he had time to ride them all. He's mildly competitive, though he'll never admit it, and is a frequent road racer but is too lazy to do really well. He currently resides in the Cotswolds, and you can now find him over on his own YouTube channel David Arthur - Just Ride Bikes.
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11 comments
Prices apparently:
MSRP for the SC3 with all features is $2,699; the SC2 without power meter or console will retail for $1,849
http://www.bicycleretailer.com/product-tech/2015/03/11/stages-cycling-en...
I would like to see a stationary trainer compatible with road bike cranks so that I can use my Stages power meter on the trainer. Wouldn't that be a simpler solution than developing a trainer with its own power meter?
The flagship will be nearer £2k. Sponsoring Sky will have its knock on effect.
"Sponsoring Sky" ? Do think the price will be bumped because of all the money and resources they will be pumping into them (*cough*) or increased just by association with a major 'brand' (for want of a better word) ?
Hugor,
I spoke to the Wattbike technician in the gym a week or so back. They have apparently addressed the sweat issue with a revised model. All the inner bits are the same but the new frame does not have the join running the length of the top frame - this was where the sweat was coming in.
He acknowledged that the magnetic rotation knob (the 'climb' lever on the right) is liable to slip. I've also had problems with the seat post not being able to be tight enough.
But it's a great bike.
Be very interested to see what the Stages one is like - for sure it wont be cheap! My guess is normal (SC2): £899UK Flagship (SC3): £1499UK
Installed models have been retrofitted with a sticker running the length of the join to prevent sweat ingress.
i doubt you'll get change from 1500 quid
for that reason, im out!
Have they really "addressed every major issue we’ve ever seen with an indoor bike”?
- Wattbikes had a problem with sweat entering the mechanism and ruining it. This looks like it might suffer the same issue right around the knob right where sweat will drip.
- Where will the sweat go anyway? Just drip all over the machine and the floor?
- Also, some cool air blown at the rider would be nice, which would also mitigate slightly against the above
It seems that they've missed a couple of tricks in the fitting dept:
1) No handlebar width adjustment - some sort of telescopic feature with set increments of say 40, 42 & 44cm would be useful for mimicing road fit.
2) Crank length adjustment - fitting the pedals in a way that they could move along a portion at the end of the cranks (again in increments, say every 2.5mm between 165mm and 175mm) would also help. The crank could detect which slot the pedals were in, or you could enter it as an option on the screen, and it would adjust power readings accordingly.
3) Handlebar height - It's hard to tell from the photo, but it seems like some people will struggle to get low enough.
They're clearly targeting a fairly high end market, why not give people the specificity that they would like?
How uninspiring and disappointing. Was expecting a smart trainer with a few attractive features.
I'm intrigued how much they'll want for a dedicated indoor bike with manual resistance adjustment and no power indication. Regardless of how quick it is to adjust the seat height it seems an odd proposition for them - is this intended for (possibly well-healed) spin classes perchance ?
Edit : to answer my own question, it's marketed as a studio bike. Ah well...