Dream acquisition for me would be Zwift buying TR and Zwift scrapping nearly all their sometimes weird plans. Then TR guys put their talent into creating AI plans which have the option to analyse your Zwift and IRL races/rides. Most people into training think that the grail is going to be AI coaches that reshuffle your training plan constantly by looking at your fatigue etc and the sooner we get there the more interesting things will be.
I’d pay a price bump for one app that did it all like Zwift/TR and subscribe annually. Something I’ve never done for any training app ever.
I’m hoping Nate and the rest of the team stick around no matter what. Personally, I would be surprised if any sort of investment or acquisition of TR did not include an employment agreement with Nate for at least a year or two. TR’s IP on its own does have some value to a Garmin-type company, but Nate’s still driving the ship (from my very limited point of view, at least).
FWIW, TR is pretty unique in that they have a large amount of independence due to a sustainable revenue base and lack of VC investment. As such, they can control their own destiny. Sure, some company could come along and try to offer the brass ring, but the business is sustainable enough at this point that it’s not like Nate, Chad, Jonathan and everyone are eating ramen noodles out of the back of their truck while coding off of the coffee shop wifi.
That being said, the window for M&A is beginning to close from a macro-economic perspective, so I think a lot of companies are trying to get acquired now, otherwise you are probably going to have to wait another 5-7 years.
I hope that Nate and the crew stay independent. I know they have big plans and I’d love to see them realize them on their own terms.
AI should be the future. A Trainerroad and Xert blend would be interesting. This way you would get a constantly updating plan and leave all the guesswork out on how to adjust your plan.
I use both TrainerRoad and Sufferfest for variety but was planning on ditching SF when my subscription was up unless they get an Android version. Maybe this will now happen.
Well, I don’t really know Sufferfest - I researched them when I was looking for my training program when I bought a HT and decided to go with TrainerRoad. But I know that usually, following an acquisition, things don’t go in the right direction.
By know, I guess TrainerRoad is next on the acquisition / big cash infusion list.
Here is my take on it - don’t do it guys ! The product is great, training plans work great. If money is a concern, let me tell you that you can probably double the price and most customers won’t care (I would happily do pay twice). I love paying for a product that brings real value - and TrainerRoad definitely is !
I’ve been using xert for a while. I plateud with TR. Xert is clunky but once you get into it, it’s very intuitive and accurate. Their workout creator is the best out there. Building workouts on other metrics such as strain per hour or MMP and the smart workouts are super cool. They have a training advisor but it’s nowhere near as polished as TR plan… But it does adjust automatically if you skip a workout or add an outdoor ride. If xert had TR polish it would be killer.
Just to correct something; our plans have changed a bunch over the years as we look at compliance rates for each workout inside of a plan. We’ve tweaked them to make sure that the “failure” rate is within a certain range. They’ve basically evolved to be better.
You’re right that we still follow a periodized model in training, but if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
Everything else you mentioned is being addressed :-D.
I just talked with Chip (Wahoo’s CEO) and nothing’s changed as far as collaboration. We’re still moving forward with getting workouts on Wahoo head units.
I have a lot of friends on Strava, so I like the social aspect and since I always check it, it’s nice to have some of the premium features available. TP is nice for the calendar and ATP but is largely redundant. I haven’t used TR yet but am excited to try it after reading up on some features so I can hopefully drop TP and Zwift.
I do recall an early sound-only podcast where Nate was saying how he was coding during his lunchtime breaks at McDonalds(?) when he was starting the company.
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