If something happens twice a year…one might say it’s semi-annual. Thus, one could posit that this sale, which happens almost precisely 6 months since the last time it occurred might indeed become semi-annual. But no matter what you call it, there are some amaze-balls deals in here. And while my title says all trainers and power meters, the reality is that this applies to boatloads more devices/products too.
Historically speaking we see the biggest sports tech sales clustered in two timeframes: November (up to/around Black Friday), and May. Today, it’s now May. May usually brings sales from all wearable tech companies, as they often try and offload older products ahead of the summer (meaning, there’s no chance of a Fenix 5 sale anytime soon).
So for background, in general sales fall into two buckets:
A) Retailer driven sales
B) Manufacturer driven sales (specified by the manufacturer, but then sold through retailers)
Within the US, manufacturers have to approve virtually all sales, to stay compliant with MAP policies (Minimum Advertised Price). Said MAP concept doesn’t exist elsewhere. So in the case of the Garmin sales below, those fall into bucket ‘B’ above. whereas everything else in this post falls into bucket ‘A’ above. Make sense? Good.
So we’ve got one major sale here being driven by Clever Training for 20% off, though we’ve actually got a Garmin/Fitbit/TomTom sideshow sale on a handful of wearables as well. Most of these are ‘older’ models, though I don’t expect replacements for these near-term. Either way, I expect this to kick off other sales in May from other companies. At least, it’s worked that way every year I’ve been writing this blog.
Before we get to the main event, here’s the small spattering of Garmin wearable-specific sales, which run through May 20th:
Garmin Vivofit Jr – Save $10 (Amazon/Clever Training)
Garmin Forerunner 35 – Save $30 (Amazon/Clever Training)
Garmin Vivofit 3 – Save $30 (Amazon/Clever Training)
Garmin Vivosmart HR+ (the one with GPS): Save $30 (Amazon/Clever Training)
Garmin Vivoactive HR (also with GPS): Save $50 – down to $199 – solid deal (Amazon/Clever Training)
Then there’s some Fitbit specific sales, which run through May 13th:
Fitbit Flex 2 – Save $40 (Amazon/Clever Training)
Fitbit Alta – Save $30 (Amazon/Clever Training)
Fitbit Alta HR – Save $20 (Amazon/Clever Training)
Fitbit Charge 2 – Save $20 (Amazon/Clever Training)
Fitbit Blaze – Save $149 (Amazon/Clever Training)
Then there’s some TomTom specific sales, which run through May 14th:
TomTom Spark 3 – $20 off (Amazon/Clever Training)
TomTom Spark 3 Music – $20 off (Amazon/Clever Training)
TomTom Spark 3 Cardio – $20 off (Amazon/Clever Training)
TomTom Spark 3 Cardio Music – $20 off (Amazon/Clever Training)
TomTom Adventurer – $50 off (Amazon/Clever Training)
TomTom Touch – $10 off (Amazon/Clever Training)
Whereas everything else below runs until May 10th (10 days total, that’s it!).
Clever Training 20% VIP SALE:
In this sale, each Clever Training (CT) VIP member is given a coupon code (THANKSVIP) that’s good for 20% off a single non-sale item including all trainers and power meters. It doesn’t matter if that item is the Wahoo KICKR2, a WatTeam power meter, or gel packets. Your choice, but it’s only available to CT VIP members.
There are a handful of limitations, most notably that it’s not valid on non-Garmin Vector Garmin stuff (Vector itself is allowed), GoPro, Fitbit, and a few others I list down below in the restrictions.
With that in mind, there are some incredible deals to be had for trainers and power meters here – or other high-value items. Especially new trainers and newly released power meters. Here’s some quick guidance on both categories:
Power Meters: You’ve pretty much seen all there is to see on new power meter announcements this season. The next time we’ll see meaningful power meter announcements is Eurobike/Interbike in September (usually for shipping months later). The only thing coming up may be whatever bePro has been teasing on their Facebook page – though we don’t know announcement timeframes or availability timeframes (let alone accuracy testing/etc…). So basically – if you want a power meter for this year and want to save 20%, it won’t get better than this.
Trainers: Trainers are trickier. We typically see new trainers announced at Eurobike/Interbike, though last year we saw some announced over the summer. However, none were available earlier than Eurobike (only the new Wahoo KICKR2 and Elite trainers managed to be available then), while virtually everyone else was delayed into December and beyond. Despite these companies’ best intentions to be shipping in August/September, it just didn’t happen. I think in general last year was a bigger year for new trainer announcements than 2017 will be. Certainly, we’ll see some, but not nearly the extent that we saw last year. Meaning, if you see an option on the market you like today – go for it. If however you want the latest and greatest next fall and don’t mind waiting until November or December for availability…then hold your cards. Here’s my Winter 2016-2017 trainer recommendations post, which still holds true today.
The sale is members only, but it’s simple to get started:
- Sign-up as a Clever Training VIP Member here. Complete that first.
- Then come back and pick your item of choice out (see below list as starter point).
- Add members-only coupon code (THANKSVIP) upon checkout to save 20%.
- Enjoy gadget.
There are too many deals to list, because obviously that’d be tens of thousands of items that Clever Training carries, even running shoes and other sports gear. But you can find all power meters Clever Training carries here on their power meter landing page.
And all trainers Clever Training lists are carried here on the trainer landing page (it’s basically everyone).
I’m going to call out the most notable ones in the table below:
My Favorite VIP Sale Picks – Spring 2017
So you’re probably wondering about that VIP requirement? That’s basically akin to what REI does with their twice-yearly members-only sale. Except in this case the Clever Training VIP membership only costs $4.99. And the proceeds of that go to ‘Girls On The Run’, a running focused charity. So it’s basically a win-win. You get a massive savings, and an awesome charity gets supported.
And of course, your gadgetry purchase helps support the site here (as all Clever Training purchases do).
Here’s what I expect to be a few frequently asked questions:
How many items can I get a discount for?
One item. Just one, and only one.
Is this per household?
No, it’s one item per member. Thus, if you have multiple unique VIP members in a household, then you can have multiple people. You can sign-up to be a Clever Training VIP member here. I explain more of the details here.
Which brands doesn’t it work on?
At this time, it’s not valid on Garmin (except Vector), GoPro, Yeti, Maui Jim, and Fitbit. Also, the Wahoo ELEMNT/ELEMNT BOLT and Wahoo Desk are excluded. The KICKR SNAP is also currently excluded for the simple fact that there’s currently no inventory expected till summer.
In the cart it says it doesn’t work?
Validate that you only have one item in the cart, and that it’s not one of the above listed items. Also, validate that you’re a VIP member first.
Do I get VIP points on top of this?
No, since it’s a large sale item. No double-dipping here.
Are there some fancy details I can read somewhere?
Yes, right here (middle of page, some text).
When does this end?
May 10th, 2017 at 11:59PM US Eastern Time.
What happens when it ends?
It’s over. End of the road. Time to eat Snickers bars.
Is shipping free?
Yes, US shipping is free as long as your order is over $49. For items that can be shipped internationally, it’s $29 flat rate. Generally speaking, trainers can’t be shipped internationally.
Is this the end of the FAQ section?
Yes.
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Phew – there ya have it! Go forth and enjoy. And feel free to drop any questions you have down below on recommendations, etc… I’d be happy to try and help ya out. Thanks for the support!
