Not really an answer to your question, but you can get a refurbished Wahoo Kickr Bike directly from Wahoo for $3100 which Is just $100 more than the Stages SB20. But not sure what deals you might be getting.

I have to Kickr Bike. I had never used a Kickr climb before this but the climb function on the bike I think is more ‘realistic’ than the Climb + smart bike as the point of rotation is at the bottom bracket rather than the fork.

I wish I would have been able to ride the SB20 and Tacx bike before making a purchase to see what the ‘road feel’ is like for each. I like the Kickr bike but I do sometimes wonder if I’d like one of the other two better.

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Matt

Have both here. Happy to get any workout done on either. Quick summary:

SB20:
- It's a SOLID unit. A tank. Will take anything you throw at it. It doesn't move.
- Massive cheese-wheel flywheel. Nice smooth ride feel to it.
- Close to silent.
- Gear change buttons aren't the best. They work and you get used to them. It's like pressing on a soft banana, not clicking through gears.
- Great for sprint work as you can grab the brakes and instantly turn on the resistance.

Kickr Bike:
- Solid enough to take a beating. Feels more 'alive' due to the tilt and small amount of flex.
- Not silent. Not loud.
- Ride feel is fine.
- Best levers of all the Smart Bikes. They're effectively Di2 copies.

Back to your question - Do I miss the tilt while on the SB20? Only after I've been on the KickrBike and have to adjust my expectation that the SB20 doesn't move when hitting % gradients.

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Shane Miller - GPLama
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So used Stages SB20 for $2200 and new kickr bike for $3100 shipped all taxes/fees included from a bike shop with an online presence.

It makes it harder to decide when the kickr can't shift from aerobars. Also adding a second seat to the kickr is buying a cheap seatpost+seat. Whereas the SB20 I need to buy a whole $270 assembly. To switch between road/tri positions/workouts

 
Have both here. Happy to get any workout done on either. Quick summary:
Thanks for taking the time Shane. A random note first. I read your answer without reading who wrote it. And I thought, ok good to know. And then I thought, who the F@$% had enough money to casually have two trainers like that without one being their partner or child's. Then I saw it was you and it made more sense. Appreciate your reviews and everything you do.

Since they're "basically di2 buttons" is there a hack to be able to shift from the aerobars?

I'm just having a hard time committing since it's not an everyday purchase and I'm gonna stick to it for say 2+ years but hopefully more.

I bought a Kickr bike but don't like the climb feature for the extended downhills. Normally when you are outside you have 50kph wind pushing you back into your saddle but when you are on Kickr bike you are pointing downhill with no resistance so it feels off. For uphills it is fun however the counterpoint is I can go into a low gear and just ride aero and this is better training for triathlon than sitting up for long climbs (like many of the European climbs on Rouvy like Stelvio and many more) . If I had a hill climb tri like Ironman France I would turn it back on

Yeah good point on resistance. Maybe I'll have to buy a fan for my face for downhills lol.

That's my issue.

1. Do I prefer satellite shifters and give up on kickr climb functionality (will I miss it)

2. Do I prefer kickr climb functionality and give up satellite shifters (add aerobars but no shifting)

Does anybody know if Wahoo is working on an upgraded version of the Kickr Bike? I haven’t heard any damning complaints about it, but a Wahoo rep told me it might be better to wait for version 2.0 when it was released a couple years ago (great salesmanship).