Back in 2015 I was working in large multi-store bike shop and wanted to get a KICKR. We carried Saris but they didn’t have a direct drive trainer. The shop wasn’t a Wahoo dealer but I saw that we had special ordered and sold about a dozen KICKRS in the past year for various customers. So, I called the Wahoo rep and asked if I could get a “pro deal” on a KICKR. Bike shop employees often qualify for “pro deals” from various brands/mfgrs. In a pro deal, the bike shop employee gets a price that is something below the wholesale price the shop pays. Brands/mfgrs do this to create advocates on the ground and also in recognition that bike shop employees can generally ill afford the products they sell. The Wahoo rep said that since the shop wasn’t a dealer the best he could do was wholesale price. I was a little disappointed, but said OK. Anyway, this prompted him to call our head buyer, which I heard about when I got a new one ripped for having done this, and where it was explained that under no circumstances could I get a KICKER. This was odd as it wasn’t unusual to pursue and get pro deals on products we didn’t carry. I never got an explanation, but not long after, Saris came out with their Hammer and that’s what I ended up with. I had already completed all their sales and product training modules so was qualified for the pro deal. The Hammer has been great, especially nailing ERG mode power, but it’s toothed belt makes it pretty noisy. The later so-called H versions switched to smooth belts and are very quiet.
I haven’t worked there in a few years, but they now carry Wahoo products.
It sounds like you’re happy with your Saris Hammer, which is great! i consider you very fortunate for not being able to get a Wahoo product. I’ve had a Kickr Snap for nearly four years - and I do not exaggerate when I say that it is little more than garbage! It has never given me believable performance readings. It has never been able to be properly calibrated. I’ve been back and forth numerous times with Customer (dis)Service, and they have never solved the problem. Also, the latest incarnation of the Wahoo Fitness App drops connections with the trainer and the cadence sensor. Only thing I can say is that it’s been better than not using a trainer at all. My experience with the Snap, the Tickr, the Cadence Sensor, and the Fitness App leave me convinced that Wahoo build nothing but garbage. I cannot wait until I have the cash for a replacement trainer whereupon this Snap will go into the trash where it belongs (along with Wahoo, in my experience).
It’s too bad you’ve had the experiences you’ve had but you’ve come to a community forum, not run by The Company and your very first post is to say you don’t like The Company or their products. I’m curious what kind of responses you’re expecting here?
It was complicated. By contacting Wahoo for a pro deal, it seems I stepped on the toes of a higher-up. What I did wasn’t at all out of the ordinary so I never knew what bent his nose out of shape in this particular instance (maybe a personal conflict with the Wahoo rep?). Rather than fight city hall, it was easier to toe the line and get the Hammer.