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.