Stages Unveils SB200 Smart Bike with Innovative Two-Stage Drive for Enhanced Riding Realism
Stages Cycling has pulled back the curtain on its first smart bike release in seven years, marking a significant milestone for the brand. The SB200 represents the company’s first completely from-scratch product debut since Giant acquired the American manufacturer following its 2024 bankruptcy filing.
This new model is only the second smart-bike trainer Stages has brought to market, following the original SB20 that launched in 2019. The SB200 centers around two primary technological breakthroughs: a high-inertia, freewheeling two-stage drive mechanism and a frame engineered to shift organically underneath the cyclist.
A unit is already in hand for evaluation, with a full review forthcoming on BikeRadar. According to Matt Pacocha, the company’s global marketing director, the dual-stage drive arrangement generates substantial inertia without requiring a bulky flywheel, producing what Stages describes as an incredibly smooth and whisper-quiet experience.
“The SB20 relied on a 55lb flywheel for inertia,” Pacocha explained. “It performed well, but we aimed for the SB200 to be lighter and more portable.”
Weighing in at 32.2kg (71lb), the SB200 tips the scales at roughly half the SB20’s mass and includes caster wheels for easy repositioning. The two-stage drive system additionally creates a more authentic outdoor cycling sensation.
Combined with an electromagnetic brake delivering 400 watts at 40rpm and exceeding 1,500 watts at 12rpm (topping out at 2,500 watts), the SB200 aims to mirror the experience of accelerating, climbing and sprinting on a real bike. This effect is amplified by its distinctive frame design featuring a semi-circular, wheel-like front section.
Instead of being locked rigidly to the floor, the SB200’s stabilizers employ contact points that mimic the front and rear tire touchpoints of an actual bicycle, permitting greater lateral flex beneath the rider. Swappable foot pads let users adjust the sensation from softer and more reactive to firmer and more planted.
Additional notable features of the steel-framed SB200 include ten programmable buttons for optimizing virtual platforms like Zwift; a built-in screen displaying metrics including power, gear selection, cadence and elapsed time; protective coverings and frame shaping engineered to channel sweat away to prevent corrosion; and adjustable cranks utilizing a patent-pending threaded pedal design. This allows crank lengths of 165, 170, 172.5 and 175mm.
The SB200 further provides customizable shifting with presets for Shimano, SRAM and Dream Drive.
Dream Drive is Stages’ proprietary preset allowing riders to tailor gear increments across a ratio span of 0.5:1 to 7:1, which the company claims matches the equivalent range of a hypothetical 70-tooth front chainring paired with a 10-140 tooth cassette. “With that many gears at your disposal, the concept is finding the ideal gear for your optimal cadence,” Pacocha noted.
Both the seatpost and stem can be adjusted for height and fore-aft positioning, accommodating riders from 4ft 10in (147cm) to 6ft 10in (208cm). The bike includes mounting options for phones, tablets and head units, plus compatibility with leading indoor training applications such as Zwift, Rouvy and MyWhoosh via Bluetooth and WiFi connectivity.
Stages also offers its own app containing a training library with as many as 40 workouts.
The Stages SB200 carries a retail price of £2,100 ($2,399 / €2,399), with Pacocha projecting the following shipping dates:
- USA: 5 October 2026
- UK: 1 November 2026
- EU: 9 November 2026
