Saris - H3 Series Smart Indoor Bike Trainer, Quietest Ever at 59 dB, Compatible with 12-Speed Drivetrains, Includes Virtual Training App Subscription

This trainer has gone up in price since I bought it a year and a half ago and it’s still an incredible value. What you save with this over something like a TacX Neo or comparable trainer is essentially enough to buy an entire training setup: exercise mat, iPad, headphones, rear cassette, floor fan and still have a few bucks left over for a new set of bottles. What’s more you don’t sacrifice much in doing so.The device is excellent - it pairs almost instantly, requires zero calibration, is accurate and capable of delivering real world resistance comparable to all but the absolute steepest climbs in the world and after a couple of thousand miles is still exceptionally reliable. It even folds up to be tucked away when not in use.The only downside I’ve found is that the machine is also ridiculously heavy - I’m betting 40lbs+. That also speaks to how well built it is - steel case and legs and aluminum attachment points where the bike interfaces with the machine at the frame. The spindle has a little bit of give in it, which is ideal for soaking up some of that lateral movement from pedaling and climbing out of the seat. It’s not much, but it’s there and that means it’s going to be kinder on your bike and feel a little more natural on your body.After a minor back injury a few months back I’ve been putting way more miles on Zwift over my previous routine and I love it. Once you get your setup dialed in jumping on the H3 is a joy. I personally use an iPad Air5 connected to an ultra wide monitor which can run Zwift on one half of the screen and Apple TV on the other. Once Zwift is running it just connects to the H3 without any fuss and off I go. (I used all of the free trials that came with the H3 and Zwift is just the most fun imho - even without getting into the competetive aspects).If you read this far you might wonder what you’re missing out on over the TacX - immersion - the H3 is a boilerplate sim rig - it simulates resistance for exercise and nothing else (and it does it astonishingly well) - the TacX adds force feedback and granular vibration feedback to more closely imitate the actual experience of riding a bicycle. Is that cool? Hell yeah, it is. Is it worth an additional $6 or $700 (or more if you throw in the peripherals)? If you’re a serious rider or someone who has the extra dough laying around I wouldn’t hesitate buying the TacX but if you’re like me and just want a no nonsense setup for days when you can’t get outside I can think of a better trainer than the H3.

The Saris H3 Plus is a great trainer. The resistance is smooth and realistic. The build quality is superb. It works seamlessly with Rouvy and was super simple to setup. Very happy.

I've waited to review this since it was a big purchase, but I've now hit 1,042 miles (64 rides) on Zwift, with a total time of 61 hours in the saddle.Setup:Fairly straight forward. I had never installed a cassette before so I bought the Luditek chain whip (ASIN: B07517WGKY) at the same time. Only took about 10 minutes to take the cassette off my wheel and install on the H3. I watched a couple of generic videos on how to do this, and the Saris website has an un-boxing video with great info as well. It comes with a spacer - the spacer stays on for 8-10 speed cassettes and comes off for 11 speed. That all worked fine and I was ready to ride. Each of the support legs has a height adjustment so make sure you screw those down so you're not wobbling back and forth. The unit itself seems very heavy duty and stable.Connection:I haven't had any issues connecting to my computer or iPhone to ride on Zwift. It usually auto connects after waking up the H3 and remembers the previous connection type (don't know if that's the H3 or Zwift). Within Zwift you can chose if you want bluetooth or ant+. I've been using Bluetooth connecting to a Mac Mini or the iPhone Zwift companion app. I've had 1 ride where the connection was lost (it reconnected after about 30 seconds) and 2-3 rides where I felt like there was a delay in the resistance changes, although I don't know if those cases were the H3, my computer, or Zwift so I'm not taking off any stars. Those cases were fairly soon after I got it so maybe the Firmware updates have fixed this issue. Overall it has performed great and been easy to connect.Ride:The resistance is amazing. If you're coming from an old school fluid trainer this thing will kick your butt. The hill resistance changes are consistent and in line with the gradient on screen. During erg mode workouts it does a great job holding at the specified wattage. Riding in Zwift you WILL be shifting and using your entire gear range. If you ride without connecting to a program (Zwift, the app, etc) it mimics a fluid trainer resistance, which is great for cooling down or warming up. My only complaint is the cadence calculation doesn't keep up when shifting. With firmware updates it has gotten more accurate when riding a consistent tempo, but drops out when shifting compared to the cadence output on my CatEye computer still mounted to the bike (which only shows cadence now). Not taking off any stars since this is a fairly minor complaint overall.The Saris App:This has received major updates in the last 2 months (almost like it wasn't ready when they launched the product). The firmware updates have worked without issues, the calibration works (I haven't noticed a major difference before and after so I think it was fairly close right out of the box for me), and the ERG mode functions as expected. The app is free so I'd recommend downloading that for the firmware updates and calibration. It has to be disconnected from other devices to connect to the app, so I usually check firmware and calibration about every 2 weeks at the end of a ride.Summary:Overall I'm very happy with this purchase and would highly recommend this unit. I've been riding more, riding longer and enjoying it MUCH more than I ever was with my old 'dumb' trainer. I'm also getting stronger and faster during the wet off-season.