It’s been almost precisely two years since Saris imploded under debt, and then was acquired under receivership by C+A Global. In the lead-up to that, and what followed, virtually all of the smart trainer related engineering and design talent left the company. Since then, the handful of people left mostly sent out a steady stream of marketing messages trying to get you to buy their aging trainers at various discounted prices.
New Pricing Plans:
Despite their best attempts, Saris still sits on a large inventory of COVID-era Saris H3 Plus trainers, along with a few other less capable models. It was this massive glut of inventory they ordered during COVID that ultimately caused Saris to go into receivership.
The Saris H3 of course, was introduced all the way back in 2019, and the H3 Plus was a very minor free hub tweak to add 12-speed compatibility. In fact, it was originally called the Saris H4 upon announcement, and then somehow in the shuffle that fall, they re-termed it the Saris H3 Plus.
Either way, said trainer is now on sale. Along with everything else. In talking to Saris, this isn’t a ‘end is near’ type of sale, but rather one more aligned to ‘the start of rebirth’. More on that in a second. Here’s all the new price points, which will be available direct from Saris as of today, as well as from retailers:
• H3 Plus – $399.99
• H3 Direct Drive – $349.99
• M2 Smart Indoor Trainer – $299.99
• Fluid 2 Smart Equipped – $249.99
• Fluid 2 Indoor Trainer – $199.99
• Mag+ Indoor Trainer – $129.99
• Mag Indoor Trainer- $99.99
For context, the Saris H3 initially launched around $999, and then over time floated downwards to the $500-$700ish realm, depending on how badly Saris wanted to get rid of inventory on any given month. There were deals with and without cassettes over time, but at the moment, the H3 Plus does not ship with a cassette.
At $399, it’s reasonably competitive in terms of price, but technology is a trickier thing to compare. On one hand, indoor trainers haven’t really changed much since 2019 for most users. After all, the popular Wahoo KICKR CORE came out in 2018, and it’s the basis of the combined Wahoo/Zwift offering, as well as the Zwift Ride. That trainer launched at effectively the same price ballpark as Saris ($899), though, is now down to $499 (with cassette or Zwift cog). Thus, once a consumer adds a cassette + tools to a Saris H3 Plus, it’s basically the same price as the KICKR CORE.
The strength of the Saris Hammer series has always been the ERG mode performance, and until the (far more expensive) Tacx NEO 3M, was pretty much the king of structured workouts in terms of responsiveness and feel in those workouts. For regular riding around Zwift/etc, it was fine, but nothing particularly special compared to other units.
While this pricing makes things at least somewhat competitive, it’s also kinda hard to justify why most should pick the H3 Plus over a KICKR CORE which includes a cassette. Or, the new JetBlack Victory, which I’m almost done with my testing on. But again, at least it’s back to a viable pricing realm.
Going Forward:
(Both of the images in those post via Saris)
All of which then brings up the question of: Why now?
Most in the industry had kinda written off Saris from a smart trainer standpoint, especially after letting go of all their smart trainer engineers/designers. After all, Saris had always been a bit behind the rest of the industry, even before 2019, and now without engineers, it was a ship drifting without power.
However, Darren Snyder, Saris’s new Directory of Product Development, is aiming to change that.
I had a call with him last night, where he outlined the beginnings of a rebirth for Saris. He came over to Saris from a decade of product design at Trek, which is just up the street from Saris, though, previously worked at Saris as well before the – back in the Saris heyday.
He acknowledged that the company is essentially starting over when it comes to hiring that talent back, and has even gone and got at least one of the previous lead engineers from the days when Saris was engineering impressive PowerTap and CycleOps products (I’ll let them announce exact names, but I’ve known him more than a decade – and bringing him back is certainly a good step forward).
The next step though is actually making new products themselves. Darren also outlined those plans for the next roughly two years. I won’t get into all the details here, but the first step is a slight tweak for something existing likely next spring. I do think that move will help get Saris back in the conversation, both from a consumer and retailer standpoint.
But that’s not a brand new trainer. Instead, that won’t likely happen till mid-2026 (for the 2026/2027 indoor trainer season). That’s essentially two years for now, in a competitive landscape that’s…well…already very competitive. They need to design not just to be completive with the JetBlack Victory’s of today, but realistically, a JetBlack Victory 2 or KICKR CORE 2 (or whatever they call the versions in a few years). That’s tough to do with a full engineering team already in place, let alone with a new skeleton engineering crew. But ultimately, that’s what C+A hired Darren to do, and he says he’s got the support and resources from C+A to do so.
The press release did include one quote from him, which I’ll include here:
“At Saris, we’re dedicated to enhancing the indoor cycling experience and view this category as a vital part of our future. Our recent price adjustments reflect our commitment to accessibility without compromising on quality. We’re actively investing in new and innovative solutions that will elevate the performance and enjoyment of riders everywhere,” said Darren Snyder, Director of Product Development.
Ultimately, despite how crowded the indoor trainer space is with options, competition in this space is never a bad thing – especially if it introduces new ideas (and not just lower pricing). We’ll have to see over time how this shakes out.
With that – thanks for reading!
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