[Story time: Simply skip the end of you want the deal]
You know when you hear a story, raise an eyebrow, shrug, and then continue along your day? That’s roughly what happened back about a month ago when I heard that a huge shipment of Tacx NEO Smart Bike’s got delayed after having already arrived in the US. But not your average delay – rather, the slightly quirky 4-6 week delay. Also known as “The time it takes to ship something again across an ocean via container including extra logistics and padding time at both ends” delay.
It was odd to me because at the time this occurred right about when I dropped my Tacx NEO Bike Smart In-Depth Review. And while Tacx is taking some of my feedback and making changes already, I had wondered if perhaps that spurned something else. So at the time I fished around a bit and poked at the right folks for an official answer. Sometimes I’m good with unofficial answers to get quick things for people’s mostly innocuous questions, but this time enough of you had been impacted and I wanted something I could fairly confidently put out there that wasn’t going to start a whole pile of mess in either Olathe or Wassenaar. Though, I seem to be specializing in that this year.
A few hours later I got a response that shipments had been delayed due to a “cosmetic issue”, which was the exact same thing they were concurrently telling retailers as well. That the bikes were being held due to a “cosmetic issue”. Keeping in mind that at this point Tacx had already been shipping bikes for about a month or so (since mid-late September). So this wasn’t a delay to entry, just a delay for new units.
Still, at the time I just raised my eyebrow in the general direction of Tacx with a bit of a ‘Uh-huh…sure you had a cosmetic issue’, just like when my toddler tells me she only ate one cookie while the entire bag is now empty. But it was merely one question in a slate of other technical items that were more pressing. A day or two later, customers in the US and Europe were notified about delays of units, pushing new deliveries mostly back to early December (roughly 4-6 weeks).
Given the inability for just about anyone to make a bike on time, these delays had become the norm. So again, welcome to just another Tuesday.
Now…fast forward to this weekend. A reader tweeted me a picture from a single local bike shop in California that was advertising a brand new Tacx NEO Bike Smart…for $700 off. Except it had tiny little writing at the top of the banner: ‘Blemish’.
Well that’s awfully interesting.
A quick exchange of a bunch of e-mails later, and turns out there’s an entire boatload of ‘blemished’ Tacx NEO Bike Smart units. No, really, an actual boat-load. As in, a shipment off the boat. No metaphorical things here. After arriving in the US, this entire shipment was found with these blemishes. Or basically, small scratches. Here’s the official pictures of what to expect (there’s a couple more linked on this page):
As you can see, some barely visible scratches on the lower portion of the frame, and then some sort of abrasive scratches on the seat post collar. Thus the ‘cosmetic issues’. Don’t worry, I suspect Instagram will still take your photos despite the imperfections.
Either way, this sounds like this was a production issue that somehow wasn’t caught in QA (though, it also sounds like that has been solved too).
Of course, fixing this issue on these bikes would frankly cost another boatload. Transporting 120 pound (50kg) bikes is not cheap. And that’s just shipping them down the street. Shipping them from Wassenaar (near Amsterdam), across the ocean, to Garmin’s distribution center in Olathe (Kansas), and then shipping them all back again to Wassenaar, and then back yet again to Olathe would be a deal killer (and an environmental waste).
So…Tacx and Garmin are doing the next best thing: Offering a scratch and dent sale.
You can pick up one of these perfectly functional but slightly scratched units for $700 off. Simple as that. I don’t suspect this deal will last long, mostly because it’s a smokin’ deal.
If you’re not sure if you want to hold-out for the Wahoo KICKR Bike (those units just started shipping on Friday, and the first real-world human customer got theirs last night), or if you’re looking at the also now shipping in the US Wattbike Atom – you can dive into my complete Indoor Smart bike showdown post. Everything there is still the same and accurate, across all three units. And now that Wahoo has shipped the first units, I’ll be looking to push out my KICKR Bike post within the next week. I’ve got more than enough miles on it (though again, you can basically read my mini-review without that shootout post).
Of course, now the stakes have changed. Instead of being $3,200 (Tacx NEO Bike) vs $3,500 (Wahoo KICKR Bike), it’s $2,500 vs $3,500. Essentially it comes down to: Do you pay an extra $1,000 for CLIMB functionality and better shifters. With the scratch & dent sale, I don’t see the Atom competing in this specific race (once these units are gone, of course it’s back in action due to the lower price) The NEO Bikes are available today (or in December again for squeaky clean ones), the Wahoo bikes you won’t get until January or so if you don’t already have an order in. Neither unit is ‘perfect’ in my opinion.
The $700-off cosmetically imperfect units is here – I have no idea how long it’ll last. Probably not long. It’s like an unplanned Black Friday sale. Remember kids, always practice safe Black Friday planning. Oh, and don’t forget to read my Tacx NEO Bike Smart In-Depth Review first.
With that – thanks for reading!
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So you think they are fully functional(seat post will slide up and down okay)? really and same warrantee too?
Yeah, fully warranty and fully functional.
Time to start making some calls to yer friendly LBS. 🙂
I ordered one of these from mybikeshop.com. So far so good. The scratches are pretty minor and don’t bother me much considering the savings. My unit works great save for a loose power cable I’m having addressed by Garmin. I was going wahoo until I couldn’t pass on this deal. Cheaper than a Wattbike!
This sounds great but I have no idea where to find them… is this scratch and dent thing applicable to the UK?
Not sure if UK/EU spots also have them offered or not.
Btw, my bike had some of those abrasive scratches on the main body as well. While I’m normally picky, for the price, it’s no big deal. If someone is looking at this deal, you should expect that the scratches may be different than in those pictures. I wouldn’t say the pictures are misleading and the description of the blemishes as “light” is fairly accurate. But if you are picky about these things, they may bother you.
Definitely, those pictures (and the linked ones) are just samples. The exact spots could differ, but should all be in-line with those.
I am hoping my boyfriend is getting the Waoo bike for christmas! This will be so exciting
Where does the Stages Bike stand in all this. Would you wait for a Stages of opt for the Tacx Neo Bike? Or, do you think the Wahoo will blow out the Stages Bike in features. I’m not sold on the hill climb because that could be another thing that could break(I’m a big guy).
Stages confirmed to me yesterday they’re still on track for early Q1 – and that they’re simply working on the app side of the things (basically the same as back in Eurobike).
I suspect what we’ll see is that the Stages bike is a better mechanically designed experience, but that the Tacx bike is a better software experience. But again, we’ll have to see there.
The Wahoo bike has more mechanical features (namely CLIMB and way better shifting), but I think we’re going to see some more teething issues there. Tacx is largely through those teething issues (I think, hopefully). Wahoo had their first people arrive Monday, and the first person that posted has already noted some mechanical sound/wobble issues (just like me). Whether that’s a one-off or not, it’s not entirely clear.
Thank you
I’ve been checking Tacx website since about mid October and the bike is unavailable. They are not even accepting back orders. Ray, do you have any info about it?
Odd, it’s been shipping since mid-late September to folks in Europe/US (and maybe beyond, but I’ve only heard from people on those). And have been accepting backorders for a year now.
However, I wasn’t aware that Tacx sold the bike on their website. You have to go to any bike shop that carriers Tacx trainers (which, is basically every bike shop these days – especially now that they’re owned by Garmin, they can place an order for you).
Thanks.
Yes they (used to) do, like other trainers. But the bike is showing up as unavailable for UK/EU for several weeks now. I will check with my LBS
Good morning, at the moment in Europe or at least with shipment to Spain to me it is impossible to find any available unit. It looks like we’re going to have to wait a long time to buy one.
Have you tried calling your local bike shop?
I know the one that’s virtually next door to me actually has them (not for shipping, but pickup).
I did this morning. I was told the bikes are not shipping currently (and they don’t have any in stock), they are hoping its back before Christmas but past orders are overdue.
It looks like they stopped selling it.
Yeah, just sounds like poor communication somewhere. They’re definitely still making them and shipping them. But they’re also definitely backordered in certain regions.
Generally speaking shops had to place orders a long time ago. So some shops placed enough orders thinking ahead, which is why they’re able to fulfill them sooner. While others may not have placed their orders until just this fall (or today). In which case…Christmas is actually pretty good.
Thank you!!! I will keep my fingers crossed, I really want one.
What is not clear to me is that they are “definitely still making them and shipping them”.
The info from the bike shop is that Tacx is currently NOT shipping them. And according to their website they are also not.
Yeah, I often find the game of telephone between manufacturers and bike shops can make for interesting answers.
I get my answers directly from the product manager over The Tacx Bike. 😉
Can you please let me know what shop?
Tempted to drive over from the U.K.
Here ya go: link to cormantel.nl
They had them earlier in the week (normal units, not the scratch/dent ones – though maybe they have access there too, not sure).
I have also one Neo bike on order in Germany via Fitstore24 in Austria. They already got. and sold two batches, But the promised Next one was suggested to be delivered end of October. Than it was dalayed with no new date since one they are missing a supply part and therefore not beeing able to deliver in EU?
Similar issue on Neo 2T and this was solved few days ago. Hope this will be the case for the Neo bike as well. But i‘m not expecting anything this year…
Love my bro smart bike (without blemishes). Wife is amazed at how quiet it is, and for me, how it just works…..not always true of electronically connected devices. And that visual gear identification, yeah, it is nice to have where you can see it not to mention the M&M tray?. I have even been a BIG fan of th fans…..no pun intended!! If in the market for a smart bike I would jump on this in a hurry!!
Yes, but what’s up with the M&M bag? I feel a little cheated
Yeah, that’s how they got scratched – someone was trying to get at the M&M’s without opening the box. 🙂
If this deal was going down this time next year I’d be on it like a duck on a June bug.
But buying a new car last month and a Fenix 6 Ti last week has my bank account a little too thin to jump on this right now.
hmm
Hello Ray, I’m shopping for a new smart trainer. Which one of the trainer companies had a phone support system I can call and be walked through a problem? That to me is worth almost as much as the trainer.
Thanks, Dennis
Tacx has, via Garmin now. Wahoo does as well, and I’m pretty sure Saris does too.
I don’t know off-hand of you can make a call or note with Elite.
Does anyone know if there are production line differences between the factory blemish and squeaky clean new ones coming soon? Is it likely some of the early problems that people have posted are fixed in the new bikes that aren’t fixed in the fire sale bikes? Thanks!
I’m not sure, but I’ve heard they are having a lot of production/quality control problems, hence the severe delays in the delivery. As this product is probably quite difficult to return I’m considering staying away for a while
I asked this question to my dealer and was told no hardware changes. Not necessarily saying it’s gospel but that’s what I was told. It seems like qc is the bigger issue.
Just a friendly heads up for anyone looking at this deal, clever trainings 10 percent cyber Monday code seems to be working on the blemished units. I was able to get the price down to 2250 in my cart. I paid 2500 for mine but 2250 is an amazing price.
Mine just shipped. I’ll post photos of the scratches so we can all compare when it comes next week.
Hello Wondering how to manage two Tacx Neo Bike Smart(TNBS) and one Apple TV. Are there apps that will allow two TNBS to ride together? Can you split screen to show TNBS at the same time. Maybe one TNBS has to use an iPad and the other TNBS use the Apple TV? I guess I would like to have two riders ride the same ride and show up on the same screen in some app or device.
Thanks for your help and experiences
There’s a few ERG mode apps that can show multi-riders – such as PerfPro.
But otherwise you’d have to do something within a TV to do split screen from two HDMI sources.
I understood that the scratched/blemished ones were here and ready to ship. But after I ordered one from Clever Training and it hadn’t shipped in a week, I sent them an email asking about it, and they said:
“We just received our first shipment of 30 bikes today. Unfortunately, your queue in the position was not within the first 30. The good news is that we were only expecting 10 of these today so we are that much closer to fulfilling your order. I do not have a firm date for when this will occur. I am sorry for the additional delay.”
“For your reference, you’re currently ninth in the queue. When we get the item and ship it out, you’ll receive tracking information via email.”
“Thank you again for your order and patience. We hope you have a wonderful Holiday Season!”
I’m not sure what’s up with that, or if I’m willing to wait indefinitely. If they scratched bikes are here, why are they being dribbled out in batches?
Garmin has a stock pile of them, and CT ordered an initial pile – but demand exceeded what they initially ordered. They ordered more, but unlike smaller GPS units/trainers which are usually shipped with normal carriers, a large set of these has to go via freight due to their size, so it takes longer.
Still, I’ll circle up with the CT folks in a second and see what the scoup is.
So I ordered my “Scratch and Dent” bike from a store in California on Saturday. They told me today that they cannot ship it due to it having a recall. So was told that it would ship from the factory in the 20th. Has anyone else heard about this. Now wondering if i will be getting a new bile or a scratch and dent bike? Either way can’t complain about the price.
My blemished tacx smart bike arrived last week. Blemishes were minor, but the Seat Post Was Frozen.
No amount of effort creates anything but frustration. I would have used some wd40 Silicon spray, but afraid to void my warranty in the event its a mechanical problem.
Even if the Tacx agrees to replace it, the hassle of disassembling the bike, repacking it, and lifting it from my basement for a pickup, seems like an hour of wasted time. I hope Tacx agrees to assume the return freight charges, it’s not explicitly part of the warranty.
Tacx has wasted an immense amount of goodwill.
Ric
Weird. Tacx will definitely cover you. All those bikes are treated identical to brand new from a warranty standpoint. If you haven’t already – open up a support case with Garmin (in fact, you can even do it on a Saturday, quick and easy via phone call).
Hello,
Our seat post too was difficult to move up and down for adjusting, but we worked with it by wiggling the seat and post front to back and it has become more manageable. It does not slide with ease up and down but by applying that motion we seem to have where we want it and it adjusts more easily but not fluidly.
Good to know about weekend access to product support. At the risk of sounding like a helpless luddite, could you point me to the number. The Tacx Garmin site only provides the weekday numbers.
Also, your assembly review was very helpful the frozen seatpost notwithstanding.
Many thanks!
Huh indeed. They used to be Saturday support for fitness. Wonder where that went to, or if perhaps during December they pull that back a bit due to vacations/holidays.
Sorry – looks like just M-F support for the fitness division right now.
I received the “blemished” bike today. It seems that they have some issues with the packaging that allows the product to be damaged in shipping:
1. the rail that supports the seat was bent about 1/4″. The seat can not attach to it. This appears to have occurred in shipping, with the screws that secure the seat front/backs movement were tightened, which caused them to sick out. They made holes through the packaging during an impact and that impact appears to have bent the bar.
2. There is broken plastic in the back of the bike from an impact in the packaging.
3. There was a screw loose in the packaging that came from somewhere inside the bike.
I have a support case open with Garmin/Tacx and will keep you informed. Garmin support was very understanding and responsive.
Yikes, I’m getting more and more nervous about what condition my bike will come in, after reading the comments above. I was told by the online store that I purchased from, that the “blemished bikes have been delayed in Quality Control until Dec. 20th”. Maybe this is a sign that Garmin/Tacx is holding up the remaining bikes before shipping more out and may possibly be a good sign that they are going over the bikes in more detail?? I guess I’d rather wait longer for a bike that’s hopefully more functional, rather than having to deal with warranty issues, etc. before even riding it! I’m sorry to those that are dealing with quality issues already. Sounds very frustrating and inconvenient. I’m considering canceling my order and shopping for another smart bike, or waiting a bit longer til Tacx get’s things figured out.
Garmin’s support is *very* responsive. They are having me return the bike to them or to the seller for a replacement. They can’t give me a date as to when they will get more in stock.
They made the right call in looking through the bikes: mine having a 1/4″ bend in the seat bar means that there was crazy forces on this bike. I am surprised that it works.
It is a really cool bike…but the packaging seems to have been designed to be carried on a pallet, not via parcel post. I would be OK buying one from a store, but am concerned that ~130# packages may be too much for the US mail system.
I now also have an open case with Garmin. My problem with the Smart Bike was an immobile seat post. Although I sprayed copious amounts of WD40 Silicon lubricant in the crevices around the post, it remained frozen in place. It’s probably a factory issue since the packing material surrounding the bike seemed intact.
I appreciate Garmin’s willingness to replace my trainer and assume the expense of returning it. If they make the return process also physically easier ( the beast is in my basement at the bottom of a long flight of stairs) I will be forever loyal to Garmin,
Ric
Garmin will have me ship back the product and will, when they get stock in hand, ship out a new one. I will need to re-package the bike but that is a small price to pay. After reading some other reviews, it appears that the new bikes coming off the line may have a different method of tensioning the belt, so I will be happy to get the newer version than my current 16XX serial number.
Again, their support has been top notch. Although the product shipping had issues, I am happy to be working with them.
There seem to be a few stories going around about a recall on the blemished units due to crank failures and now perhaps belt creeking. It would be nice to get a straight story on this as $2500 is a lot of money. My blemished unit is working fine but if they really were recalled, I’m not sure how I feel about the fact that mine made it out the door. Ray, would you be able to get the straight story from Garmin so that those of us who DID purchase these units, know whether we should be asking for an exchange?
Thanks for the input re: Garmin customer service. I’ve been waiting on my blemished unit to ship (assuming that it’s been held up in the warehouse to hopefully get potential issues fixed before shipping out). Since mine hasn’t shipped yet, I’ve still really been debating going through with the purchase, and have considered waiting for Stages Smart bike to release or getting a Wattbike. Tacx has not had a great reputation in the past re: dealing with warranty issues (ie – Tacx Neo problems around 2018) and initial feedback here is that hopefully that has changed now that they are part of Garmin (fingers crossed!). Regardless, I’m still feeling a bit uneasy on spending so much money on this type of bike. I believe that this bike will carry a 2 year warranty (not sure what’s all covered?). Anybody know of what the warranty’s are on Wattbike, Stages, and Wahoo Kickr?
Hello
After finishing a ride on the Tacx I hear like a fan spinning and one red led is lit, I am wondering if this is normal? Is there a cool down process after the bike is used whereas the fan cools down the bike until a certain temperature is reached?
Thanks for your help
This is how mine behaves and is normal I believe. My red LED remains lit at all times the bike is plugged in.
Thanks for the response Tim and your comment before this one is of great value too, hear a some creaking as we start a ride but after a time passes it seems to go away. It is intermittent but I will be more attentive now.
Thanks again
That belt creek was experienced by TitaniumGeek but his experience was a little different. He noticed his transitioning from low power to high power very quickly. Others have reported it the way you describe – creeking at the start and then going away. TG inquired to Garmin who said the creek will not harm anything but cannot be fixed at home. They indicated they knew how to fix it going forward. My hope was these blemished units already had the “fix” but apparently not. All of this leaves me uneasy as I sold my direct drive trainer so I have no back up if my Neo Bike goes down. It would be nice to get the full story from Garmin. If you hear the creeking, I would not hesitate to ask for a replacement as I do not think it is normal or acceptable. The biggest issue is how long its going to take to get an exchange plus the hassle of packing it back up.
So … I ordered these immediately at end of Novemebr when seeing this article. Here I am in January and still do not have Bike. Now I just received email from Clever Training that they are expecting shipment at end of January? Really? I thought these were already in the States? Why would I need to wait over 2 months to receive this. Something is not adding up. DC, can you check your sources and get a straight answer. Anyone with an update about what is going on? Thanks!
I received mine just after ordering, but the bike was damaged. I hear that there were more issues with the scratch and dent bikes than they initially expected; corroborating this, mine had a broken seat post, and broken portions of the plastic. Garmin has me return the bike, and I should get delivery of a replacement this week.
I am appreciative that Garmin is looking at the bikes to make sure they don’t have to go through the rma process. It would be better if there were no issues, but their current course of action is the best one available with the cards on the table.
If there are issues with the replacement bike I’ll post here.
I am in the same boat as you Bob. I ordered the end of November and have been waiting. It is my understanding that bikes in that us have been held up at the warehouse so that they can go over them in more detail, to hopefully avoid the problems that some of the early deliveries have been having. I’m not sure if those having problems are inside or outside the US. I guess it is good that they are going through them in more detail so that we don’t have to deal with returning them but it has been a little bit frustrating. Honestly I’m a little nervous about paying this much for a questionable bike and am thinking that Wattbike or Kickr might be better way to go now.
I’m in the same situation. I don’t necessarily mind the delay if it is because they are fixing problems and increasing the chances that the one I get actually works. But the really shady part is that Clever Training charged my credit card for the full amount back on Nov 30. I’ve never had a merchant charge until the item is ready to ship.
Hello
That seemed out of the ordinary for us too, but it is legit and we eventually got our delivery.
Clever’s customer service was very responsive to our questions via chat and telephone.
I am now told in an email from retailer end of January delay
Hello Bob,
We ordered one in November from Clever also(the day the S&B was offered) and received it towards the end of December. I ordered another the 2nd week in December from a local source and I am still waiting as of today (no order update yet) all I can say is if you paid close to what we paid then it is definitely worth the wait(really super deal).
We are very much appreciating the integration of the Tacx Bike with the training sites (Zwift, Tacx Training, etc) but I am happy we did not pay (but we probably would have) $3,000-$3,500 for the either the Tacx or the Wahoo. I guess what I am trying to say it is worth the wait at the generous discounted price. Hopefully you will get your rig soon.
Thanks.,,,
the point made above about having to go over them more carefully to make sure there are no more QA issues outside the blemishes makes sense. And honestly, I would be happy for the delay to have someone double-check to make sure there are no issues. But, we should be hearing this from the retailer and distributor, not fishing for info on the boards and guessing why our bikes are delayed. Nevertheless, I will be happy to wait although i too wish they would have waited on the charge but it is no great tragedy. i do agree the folks on CT phone have been very nice and they seem as frustrated as I was and caught in the middle
Who knows what Tacx has in mind, would be nice for some update, especially since we paid a lot of money for the bike over 6 weeks ago (and indoor training season is ticking away!) I know backcountry.com had these bikes listed as backordered but available within two weeks and I recently reached out to them and they stated that they were not expecting deliverily now until March. I would guess that the vendors are just as frustrated as we are.
They’ve begun to ship. I received one earlier this week. I’ve been treated very well by Garmin. The quality of their customer service it terrific. They’ve converted me to all things Garmin. Wahoo or competitors in other product segments made make slightly better products from time to time, but in the long term the quality of service counts more. No this post isn’t sponsored by Garmin. 🙂
Ok, had a chance to catch-up with Garmin on this at CES.
In short, it’s as folks guessed above: Garmin found an issue with a number of the scratched units that required a specific part replaced that had nothing to do with the scratches. That part was basically backordered and I think they said was set to arrive (in Kansas, where these sit) any day now. They’ll replace the part onsite in Kansas and then ship out to retailers per existing backorders. The late January date is to allow for all that to happen.
While sucky for the delays, based on a more detailed conversation with Garmin about it, I think they’re doing the right thing here (obviously). It sounds like the QA is being massively stepped up on both sides of the Atlantic to ensure this doesn’t happen again. It’s no secret Tacx has a long history of producing great products, but really having a tough time with QA year after year. This is unfortunately just another example of that. On the bright side, for hardware anyway, Garmin has basically no tolerance for that.
Based on everything I’ve discussed with them, I’m optimistic we’ll see a very different Tacx in 2020 than we saw in the past with respect to this item.
Thanks for the insight, Ray!
My replacement bike came on Tuesday. I only have about 90 minutes on it so far, but it performs as advertised. Garmin treated this issue very seriously and provided great service. I am thankful I am working with stateside customer service, as I don’t think it would have been possible to provide such the attention to detail like this from a remote office in Europe.
On another note: I still get a bit of belt slipping when revving up power from a stop on a cold bike, but it is a lot less than I did with the initial bike.
Thanks for the update Ray!
I am wondering what part had to have been replaced and should I be worried about our Tacx we bought in December, which we have been using. There doesn’t seem to be any issues just a slight rubbing sound when we first start pedaling but it goes away within minutes after it get warm.
Thanks for being such a great source of information
Ray,
Any further word on delays? I ordered from CleverTraining on 29-Nov and all they’re telling me is that the bikes are on back order from Garmin. I’ve been in touch with them four times and even pointed them to this thread. They won’t confirm the ‘late January’ date – they say Garmin has told them nothing.
This is my first interaction with CT and I have to say it’s not a good one. Others have pointed out that reputable merchants shouldn’t charge until an item is ready to ship. They’re sitting on $2500 – that’s a down payment on a car, earnest money on a house, cash in the retirement fund … it isn’t small change.
You mentioned on 10-Dec that you’d follow up with CT on this, did they tell you more than they’re telling me?
Hi Andrew-
See the comments just slightly above yours. In short, everyone is waiting on Garmin on this one. Last I heard, they were still on schedule for later this month.
As for charging. I’ll check – for a while CT did always pre-charge. And then they stopped for a few years. I wasn’t aware they re-started again. I know there were a handful of items they did pre-charge on, but mostly it wasn’t all.
Thanks for the support!
I ordered from Bikebling and was also charged. They have been responsive to my inquiries and last I heard from them was that Garmin was going through each bike individually.
Bikebling said they had seen one of their orders get shipped already although that was over 10 days ago and I believe they had 15 orders. Sounds like there’s a long list of us who are a little frustrated not only at the delay but also as to not having a clue what’s going on.
Hello
I received my second Tacx Bike Smart Friday from an LBS I ordered from in mid December, this is my second one, the first I ordered from Clever as soon as Ray posted the “scratch and dent”. Clever did want the amount paid in full but my LBS didn’t really care one way or another as long as I put some % down.
Ray,
Appreciate the quick follow-up. I was just hoping you had some better insight as to when CT would get their shipment. I work for a manufacturer and we absolutely know when shipments are going out and to whom, so it’s been a bit of a surprise that CT apparently isn’t getting info from Garmin. I’m assuming that being an online retailer they’d be one of the bigger shipments Garmin will need to fulfill, putting them high on the ‘manage the relationship’ list. I wasn’t even able to get the type of info MH was able to get.
In response to DJH49, I did check 3-4 LBS, but being in Tucson apparently trainers aren’t a thing here. We just moved from the UK though, and between my work schedule and the heat I’ll use a trainer a lot. In addition to the lack of information from CT, this comment at least allows the appearance of him placing an order through an LBS after mine, and then getting his trainer first. Of course it’s possible the LBS had already ordered it and simply put him down for a unit when they arrived, but without further information (which is what I’m after…) it’s impossible to say.
So I’m still waiting along with lots of people, but CT is holding onto a lot of my money (again, probably along with lots of other people). Don’t suppose CT would entertain paying interest on all that cash? I’m guessing that Garmin hasn’t invoiced them for the trainers that haven’t shipped.
At any rate, thanks for all the reviews Ray!
So after over two months of waiting, with Clever Training holding over $2000 from my credit card, I received this today:
Clever Training is reaching out to notify you that your order the Tacx Neo Bike – Factory Blemish cannot be fulfilled. Regrettably, this order will be canceled and you will be issued a full refund. After further quality control checks on these bikes, Garmin did not feel comfortable shipping units that did not meet their standards and expectations. After exploring alternative options, Garmin advised us to cancel all remaining orders as they could not fulfill the commitment they made to us. We know that you have been waiting for this item and we offer our sincere apologies for having to cancel your order. As a token of appreciation for your patience and apology for this cancellation, we are offering a $100 voucher to be used on any future purchase at CleverTraining.com.
Well, that was a disappointing waste of time. Christmas present was delayed and now cancelled.
I’m sorry, that sucks. Actually sucks for all of us who have been waiting for over 2 months. I recently Cancelled my order as well, with a separate bike shop and I’m just going to get the Wahoo kickr, but that’s a few weeks out for delivery now as well. At this point I’m thinking, since We’ve already missed out on the bulk of the indoor training season, That I wait until next year when these bikes get the Kinks figured out and are probably being offered at a lower price then.
Yup, I agree – it sucks. And in talking with the CT folks this morning, they even had meetings in-person with Garmin over the whole mess. Garmin refuses to budge or make it right. This is 100% on Garmin here. They accepted the orders and specified exactly how many bikes CT could take, and then failed to deliver when things got messy after Garmin inspected the bikes more closely (and then waited two months to do something about it).
Garmin should have offered some viable alternative here – such as getting people regular Tacx Bikes, or perhaps even splitting the difference. Something.
I’d happily encourage anyone who got hosed to go and pickup a bike from another company. Wahoo is kinda shipping theirs, and Stages should be shipping within a few weeks. No company is perfect, but what Garmin did here isn’t cool.
Do you have any more info on the Stages bike as far as exactly when they should be shipping (Although I really hate to ask that question now with our recent luck!) 😉 Much cheaper than the Wahoo though!
Per my post a week or so ago, they were looking at 3-5 weeks from then. They already have the bikes on the water to the US. It’s purely app bits they’re waiting on.
My bet here is that we’ll probably see things in early-mid March. Stages has historically been pretty good with hardware, but also historically struggled a bit with app development across all its platforms in terms of timing. But these timelines have largely accounted for delays already (behind us). Again, always hard to know – as everyone in this segment struggles.
But, app aside, I’d have far more confidence in the physical bike from Stages than anyone else.
Since I am also the proud owner of the CT email cancelling my Neo order, does anyone know where you can even order the StagesBike? I’ve tried the usual suspects and even Stages website itself has nothing more than “coming soon”. I’d love to get at the front of whatever line this is going to result it 🙂
Thanks in advance to any/everyone!
So, I was an order placed pretty much the first day I became aware of the blemish models…I was told I was pretty early in the order count. I DID NOT RECEIVE THE EMAIL CANCELLING THE ORDER. Does that mean I may still get one? If I may ask the folks who did receive the email how early in the process did they order the bike? The fact that I did not get an email makes me wonder if early orders are still being honored versus ALL orders being cancelled…anyone?
A pile of initial people already received bikes. If you didn’t receive a bike already, then you should have received an e-mail (double-check the usual SPAM/Clutter/etc spots). No further ‘blemish’ bikes are being sent out by Garmin. And it sounds like even non-blemish bikes have also stopped for the time being.
So I also ordered my bike from a local bike shop. They said they are getting the bike this week and will ship out to me after they get it. Should i be worried?
I’d be surprised. Garmin is basically saying they’ve mothballed all of them. Perhaps there was a handful left or something, but my understanding is all of them were stopped. I guess we’ll have to see.
Ray,
Thanks for confirming/clarifying it was Garmin and not CT on this one. All I ever wanted was a little clarity from CT on the issue. To that end, before my previous posts I asked CT back in December if I’d ever actually get a trainer. It’s good to understand that CT didn’t sell units it wasn’t authorized/promised, because it’s shady to bet on getting damaged goods that aren’t already in hand.
I’m just really glad I didn’t sell my Neo 1 yet or I’d be PISSED. Now to find a new commuting bike since it looks like I won’t be upgrading my trainer….
checked the SPAM filter. No message.
I have been in communication with them several times asking about it so their emails from sales come through no problem.
Maybe I can still hold out a little hope?
Hi Andrew-
Yup, I remember your posts. At that point things were looking pretty good. When the sale initially occurred, CT got approval for X amount. Which is when I posted. Those sold out super quickly. CT then went back to Garmin, in writing, and got approval for another block, Y amount. Which Garmin approved. They also went back for Z amount after selling Y out, and Garmin told them to hold/wait – which is why the listing was turned off after all of Y amount was sold out. Garmin also sold these blemish bikes to employees for a discounted rate as well (plus bike shops, etc…).
After that time period Garmin started going through their container/s of units. Well, they did that earlier, but after some initial issues with the first batch of blemished units, they did it again with a deeper structured checklist. It’s based out of that which further non-cosmetic/blemish issues came up. Garmin had planned to rectify those issues on-site in Kansas with parts from Tacx. That’s the delay we saw from December to early January. When I talked with them in January, they were basically just waiting for those parts to fix the issues with the blemish batches. These were non-cosmetic issues, so basically – important things.
At some point in the last week though Garmin basically decided to scrap the whole thing. It’s at that point that the conversation started on how to deal with the previously sold blemish bikes. And, we know how that story ends.
Note: I have a policy that I don’t talk to any manufacturer (e.g. Garmin) about their relationship with Clever Training (or any other affiliate partner). And the inverse too. It’s why I don’t do direct affiliate deals with any manufs. Everyone has to go through a retail partner (Clever/Wiggle/REI/Amazon). The point of noting this is that I won’t go back to Garmin directly and ask them why they aren’t delivering the CT products. That’s a fight for CT to deal with directly with Garmin, and inversely, Garmin to figure out with CT. Same goes for inventory/stock/etc… I’ll never asked (and never will) for any manufacturer to give preference to one of my affiliate partners (in fact, I actually argue against it/exclusives). If you ask folks in the industry, they’ll note that anytime someone tries to bridge that gap and says “Oh, we’re gonna talk with CT about…”, I stop them and tell them I don’t want to know – that’s between them and CT.
Anyway, just FYI.
Well, I am hoping that I was in that original batch X order (early on) since I have NOT received an email telling me that it is canceled. I am curious to know where in the process those who were canceled were. (Batch Y?)
I mean, if I am SOOL and they already know it and have still not told me I would be doubly pissed so I am still holding out hope here. FoolisH?
No, if you didn’t receive a bike already back in December, there’s no more coming/going to CT. I’d really recommend calling CT and getting your order status. It sounds like for whatever reason those e-mails aren’t making it through to your box. 🙁
Well you were right.
Just recieved the refund on credit card. But, NEVER got an email. I called them. They sent the email when I asked and I received it in 30 seconds in my inbox. SO, it was never sent/
Really dissapoining communication.The whole way. But,I got a 100 dollar voucher..gee thanks.
2 months and I would have never known there was an issue without this website.
Now, need to break the news to wife….ugh.
Back to square one.
Venting over.
DC or anyone. What bike./trainer should I get now. I want to get her something quick (to make up for this giant waste of time) and good that will get rid of this headache.
Any advice? ANy idea of stages coming out?
SHe is 5’2 ….
Bob
Fwiw, CT does have a handful of KICKR Bike’s in stock, they just got them. Obviously, that’s spending a crapton more than the blemish bike – but it does ship immediately. Link here: link to clevertraining.com
You’d get back roughly $350 worth of credit that you could spend on something else down the road, so that might reduce the price very slightly (or, perhaps ones justification). Plus, you could use that $100 voucher. 😉
Stages technically hasn’t finalized their bike price yet, though I haven’t heard of it moving out of the $2,600-$2,800 range. They’re still saying later this month. They haven’t opened up any orders yet though. My bet is mid-March. Just a hunch.
If you want to go trainer, you could pickup something like the KICKR18 or NEO2/2T, both are solid trainers.
So i ordered my bike from a local dealer in California in December. I just got it in this week. The only issue so far is i can’t get the seat on the rail. called Garmin and they are sending me a new one.
So fingers crossed that is all the issues.
I’ve had more than one issue, but kudos to Garmin for being immediately responsive and fixing the problems.
R
I received an original blemished unit back in November. Sold from mybikeshop.com but delivered directly by Garmin. Pretty sure the bikes were all dropped shipped by Garmin. My bike worked pretty well but it developed a grinding noise at higher power levels and upon investigation my belt had some abnormal wear. Garmin support was very easy to deal with and they offered me an exchange. I ultimately asked for a refund instead and Garmin to its credit agreed to a full refund. I decided to get a kickr bike instead even though ir cost me quite a bit more because I was not convinced Garmin had received the QC issues on the bike. The wahoo is working fine burr it’s not perfect either. If you think the tacx is packed and shipped poorly you should see how the wahoo arrived. I do think Garmin handled this poorly but at least support is strong. Once the get the issues resolved it’s an amazing bike.