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Can You Service Sealed Bearings? Sealed bearings, like those in the SB20 flywheel, can be serviced to extend their lifespan.  You can often reduce the rumbling sounds and vibrations that occur after several years of use.  ✅ Bearings with plastic dust seals are serviceable . You can remove the seal, add grease and then replace the seal in a few minutes. The Axle and Cog Bearings have plastic dust seals. This post shows you how to service them. ⚠️ The Flywheel Bearings have metal dust seals that are not easily removed. I offer partial servicing and replacement options in SB20 - Advanced Flywheel Servicing .     What about Clicking Sounds? "Clicking sounds" are a common issue with the SB20 flywheel. This happens when the outer ring of a bearing moves side-to-side . 🔬 Stages issued a service bulletin to address the issue:  Flywheel Bearing PTFE Application .  It tells you to spray lubricant into one bearing on each side of the flywheel.  I m...

Stages SB20 Connection Issues December 17, 2025:   Zwift Release 1.104.0  has broken SB20 connections for PC, Mac, iOS and Apple TV users . 🚀 Bugs in Zwift Version 1.104.0 - NOW FIXED! UPDATE December 20, 2025: All platforms fixed with update to version  1.104.3 ✅ Apple TV - Tested and working ✅ PC/Mac - Tested and working ✅ iOS - Tested and working Here's how to check your Zwift App version number : iOS and Apple TV: Bottom right corner of login screen. Also shown in App Store. PC/Mac: Splash screen shown at start up. ------ Bug History ------ December 17, 2025:     Zwift Release 1.104.0  seriously impacts PC, Mac, iOS and Apple TV users who use Bluetooth to connect with the  Stages SB20 . Bug Summary :  The  Stages Bike  is not listed as a  Power Source  or  Resistance  controller. Here's how to recreate the problem. Turn on the SB20 Bike Start pedalling to wake up the power meter cranks Open the Zwift app ...

 STAGES SB20 DRIVE BELT ADJUSTMENT (2025 Update) I adjust my SB20 drive belt once a year to keep things running smoothly.  I wish this process was easier. With practice, you can complete all adjustments in less than 30 minutes. UPDATED: December 2025 - New video and pictures. Simpler procedures. 📐 These instructions augment the Stages support documents:  Belt Tension Adjustment (SB20) Flywheel Making Noises . TWO GOALS Adjusting the drive belt accomplishes a couple of things: Gets belt tension right. Optimal tension means quieter running and no slipping during hard efforts. Aligns the belt to ride as much as possible in the centre of the flywheel cogs. This reduces friction and positions the front axle perpendicular to the drive belt.  🎬 VIDEO Here's a new four minute video showing how to adjust tension and align the drive belt. The Details Part Names Here are part names related to drive belt adjustment. BELT ADJUSTMENT SUMMARY “ It’s all about the tensioners ”....

The SB20 has two crank-based Power Meters (PMs). They are battery operated and provide power data to the SB20 Bike itself. The left power meter can also be configured to send information directly to apps like Zwift. How to Isolate Failures   Power meters can become less accurate over time. They can also fail outright. Isolating failures is important. Dead power meters can stop your SB20 from working.  On the other hand, a single functioning PM allows your SB20 work perfectly with only a few limitations.  Here are the most common scenarios: My bike has no resistance or inconsistent resistance that goes up and down randomly. This happens when you first power up and start riding, or when using an app like Zwift.  This is not a PM failure.   See SB20 - Resistance Failure .   Both Power Meters consume batteries in a few hours of riding.  This is rarely a PM failure.   Both PM rarely - if ever - fail together at the exact same time. This problem is more...

The SB20 has a bottom bracket cartridge that is strong and reliable. It is rare for a bottom bracket to fails. When it does, failure usually happens over time. It will initially degrade with subtle increases in friction and noise. This can be followed by lubricant leakage and then obvious mechanical looseness. How to Isolate Failures   Bottom bracket health is easy to assess.  Remove the drive side cover and drive belt.  Spin the cranks by hand.  They should be silent with no vibration. There should be no friction.  Everything should be buttery smooth. Fixing a Failed Bottom Bracket Here's how replace the bottom bracket: SB20 - Replacing the Bottom Bracket . Here's how to fix it, if you are so inclined: SB20 - How to Service the Bottom Bracket Cartridge .  See also If the belt is improperly tensioned or aligned you can feel friction when riding. Here's how to fix that:   SB20 - Drive Belt Adjustments (2025) . Flywheel bearing can also cause vibrat...

The SB20 has primary shifter buttons integrated into the brake levers.  It also has a set of remote buttons (a.k.a., sprint buttons ) under the handlebar tape. When the shifters fail, you miss gear shifts or get multiple shifts.  It can be frustrating . Startup Failure Shifters can also prevent the SB20 from starting up.  If any button is stuck down, it can stop the bike from initializing.  If your bike will not start, you can find bad shifter switches by disconnecting the plugs on both sides of the handlebar clamp. Try to restart the bike. If it now starts and connects to Zwift/Stages Cycling app, you have found a bad bank (side) of switches. You can insert the plugs one at a time to isolate the malfunctioning bank of buttons. Fixing Bad Buttons 1. You buy new ones at: SB20 Replacement Parts 2. You can fix your shifter buttons. See SB20 Fixing Broken Shifters . See Also SB20 - Improving Shifter Buttons   SB20 - Handlebar Tape Replacement .   

The SB20 uses a 24 Volt DC 6 Amp power supply brick to power the bike and its internal components. When the power supply fails you can experience: A completely dead bike. No resistance, no shifting and no wireless connections to any app. Nothing. Resistance that drops suddenly when switching to a bigger gear or going up a steep hill in Zwift. Intermittent and random communication dropouts.  Why does the Power Supply Fail? The original power supply was probably undersized. Instead of 6 amps, it should have been 10 amps. Using the built-in USB ports can also overload the power supply. How to Fix Fixing is easy. Get a replacement from Amazon. You can always return it, if it does not fix your problem. You want a 24 VDC 10 amp power supply with standard DC connector.  Here are some examples: 24V 10A 240W Power Supply Adapter ` 24V 10A Power Supply Adapter 24V Power Supply, 24V10A It appears that Stages no longer sells replacement power supplies. See Also Broken shifters can als...

The flywheel has 3 pairs of deep-groove bearings. While complete bearing failure is uncommon,  we should expect problems to increase as bikes age past 5 years old.  The bearings in the SB20 flywheel do not typically fail overnight. They initially degrade with subtle increases in friction and noise. Heat is the next symptom. This can be followed by lubricant leakage and then obvious mechanical looseness. How to Isolate Failures   Overall flywheel bearing health is easy to assess.  Turn bike power off. Spin the flywheel shell by hand. You should hear  nothing.  With the power off, the flywheel should be silent when spun by hand.   Put your hand on the stationary part of the flywheel and then the frame next to the axle.  You should feel  no vibration  of any kind.  With the bike powered off, start pedalling. Wear just socks if possible. Spin up to high cadence. You may feel minor vibration when accelerating (that's the belt)....

The SB20 has two Printed Circuit Boards (PCBs) that control bike resistance, shifting and communication functions. Lower PCB The Lower PCB controls the SB20 eddy-current brake. It receives control signals from the Upper PCB. Upper PCB The Upper PCB performs the following resistance functions: 1. Reads shifter buttons for virtual gear changes. Tells the Lower PCB to increase or decrease resistance. 2. Get commands from app like Zwift to vary resistance based in modeled terrain and other conditions. Wireless Communication The Upper PCB handles wireless communication with connected apps like Zwift and the Stages Cycling app. It receives commands from connected apps to simulate things like hills, drafting and different road conditions. The Upper PCB also relays PM and riding data to these connected apps.   How to Isolate Failures   Here are the most common scenarios that point to Upper or Lower PCB failure : Your bike has no resistance or maximum resistance when you sta...

The SB20 has an electronic eddy-current brake inside the flywheel. It produces the  pedalling resistance that  you feel as you ride.   Electronic Eddy-current Brake An eddy-current brake is a near magical device. The aluminum flywheel shell spins around the SB20's electro magnets. This creates resistance thanks to  eddy current waves . Resistance increases when the flywheel spins faster or the electro-magnetic field strength is increased. That's somewhat counter-intuitive when you consider that aluminum is  not  magnetic. Virtual Shifting and Zwift There are two basic ways to change resistance: 1. Use the shifter buttons to pick a different virtual gear. 2. Ride in a app like Zwift. As terrain and conditions vary, the resistance that you pedal against will go up and down. How to Isolate Failures   You will feel inconsistent resistance - or no resistance - when SB20 electro-magnetic brake has failed. The physical flywheel is rarely at fault....

The SB20 smart bike uses both Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and ANT+ to wirelessly communicate with apps like Zwift.  You can get communication dropouts and glitches.  Here's how to fix them. BUT FIRST, make sure your wireless environment is optimized: Better Wireless Communication  👈👈👈 Background ANT+ was the dominant fitness protocol prior to 2020. While there is nothing wrong with ANT+, most wireless development and testing in the past 5 years has focused on the Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) protocol. Stages wrote the firmware for the SB20. It preforms 3 primary wireless functions: a) Controls bike resistance - usually as requested by an app like Zwift. ? b) Gets power and cadence readings from the power meter cranks. c) Sends updates to apps like Zwift. Includes power and / or cadence depending on how you configure the app. Stages did not write the firmware components for doing wireless BLE or ANT+ communication. It was written by Nordic Semiconductor who manufactu...