PedalSmart.blog

The stock SB20 shifters are OK-ish on a good day, and borderline awful on a bad day. If you have considered rebuilding the SB20 membrane switches  and have optimized your remote buttons by wrapping your handlebars with new tape , improving the physical shifter buttons will take your shifting to a new level. From Worst to First? Some people complain that their SB20 shifters are the worst they have used.  The modifications described in this post will make the stock shifters among the best anywhere.  Tools Needed Masking tape Scissors Small files along with 300 & 800 wet sandpaper Tweezers J-B Bond Plastic Epoxy Applicator sticks (tongue depressors) Precision screwdriver / hex driver kit Paint sticks/markers  (optional) Wood block (where you will drill some small holes) You will also need an  X-Acto knife  if you choose to cut brake hoods for better button performance. Difficulty Building better buttons requires working with epoxy glue plus doing filing a...

The handlebar tape shipped with the SB20 is narrow, thin and relatively stiff .  This type of tape was chosen for one important reason: You can route the tape around the remote buttons  (a.k.a.,  sprint buttons ) without causing large gaps.  This style of wrapping works best on the curved portion of handlebars. Wrapping with New Tape In this post, I will show you how to wrap your handlebars with conventional foam tape. Difficulty Wrapping handlebars is easy. Trimming holes for the remote shifters makes things a little bit harder. I rate difficulty to be about 4 out of 10 Tools Needed What's needed: X-Acto knife  / Razor blades Wood Block (cutting surface) Scissors Fiberglass Strapping Tape Straight Edge (optional for making straight cuts) Electrical Tape (optional for finishing handlebar tape) Plus handlebar tape of your choice. Top Bar Position Wrapping tape around the remote buttons becomes challenging if you move them to the top bar.  Stages describes ...

The Stages SB20  indoor smart bike was released in 2020. Let's take a look its electronics and drivetrain components. Updated in February 2026 🎉 An external power supply routes power to different bike components through a series of printed circuit boards (PCBs). The bike also includes two battery powered crank-based power meters.  Key internal drivetrain components include a bottom bracket and electronic flywheel brake.  Here's an overview of the basic components: USB Board - Wedged vertically under the phone tray. It powers 3 USB ports. Upper PCB - Fastened horizontally under the phone support rail. This System On a Chip (SoC) handles wireless communication and controls the bike itself. Switch Board - This wire distribution board sits inside the aluminum handlebar stem. It routes connections for the brake level controls  and under handlebar tape "blip" shifter buttons.  Lower PCB  - This mainly analog circuit board is attached to the flywheel / e...

Previous posts describe how to add grease to the large Flywheel Bearings in the SB20.  This post shows how to replace them. I used 6910ZZ bearings that cost less than $15 each.   See the FAQ below for a discussion on using name brand versus generic bearings . Video Here's the video. __________ Flywheel Bearing Removal Steps Replacing Flywheel Bearings  requires the following steps: Perform Flywheel disassembly as described in SB20 - Advanced Flywheel Servicing .   Remove Coils and Optical Sensor . Remove and replace large Flywheel Bearings . Replace Coils and Optical Sensor . Perform Flywheel re-sassembly as described in SB20 - Advanced Flywheel Servicing .   Difficulty Level Servicing the  Flywheel   bearings requires some advanced DIY skills. I rate the difficulty to be  9 out of 10 . While nothing is technically extreme, I rate this harder than similar tasks for the following reasons: Risk of damaging the Stator - particularly t...