Wednesday, March 25, 2015

Bye Bye, Bia

I am guessing most of you know by now, that Bia Sport is going out of business.  As of April 1, my watch will no longer work.

I have been with them from the beginning. Backing them on Kickstarter and then patiently waiting for the watch to be delivered to me. Since the day it has arrived, I have used it for every single run.  My Garmin, has not even been charged since it's arrival.

My heart is broken. It was easy to use and tracked my runs, bike rides and open water swims.  It never died on me or froze up. The main reason why I chose a Bia was for the SOS feature.  Thankfully, I never had to use it but felt comfort knowing it was there.

I was worried about the GPS being right, but it was always right on with the girls I ran with who use a Garmin or other product.

And the customer service! These women were wonderful. I had two small issues and they fixed them right away. And lets not forget the messages that would appear on the screen to celebrate each and every workout.









Reading their email made me so sad. I know how hard they worked to get this product up and running. Plenty of hours, sweat and tears. This was their baby.  Just trying to keep it going, people have worked without a pay check. Now that is dedication!

Who really knows what the further holds for Bia? Maybe a bigger company will pick them up.  Either way, I wish nothing but the best for Cheryl Kellond and her team.  And maybe, just maybe, this isn't goodbye.

So, tell me, what is your go to watch?  I plan to take my time so that I get the watch that is right for me. I will mostly be running but there are more tri's in my future, including a second half iron man.  What would you recommend?

Thanks everyone!

Run Strong, Think Big! ~ Nicole


7 comments:

  1. This really stinks...I feel for them but I also feel for people like my friend who backed them but NEVER got her watch and is now out the 100 bucks as an original backer....

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    1. I have heard a couple stories like that and it truly does suck. Just bad all around I guess. So sorry for your friend.

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  2. Sorry to hear that, Nicole! You already know my go to watch is the Garmin 620, it covers all the bases and has a seamless upload straight to Strava.

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  3. I'm a Garmin guy; I've never tried any other brand. Currently use a Fenix-2 multisport feature as it gives me triathlon mode (push a button and it switches from swim to T1, push it again T1 to bike, etc), as well a both open water and pool swim. Also Bluetooth upload via my Smartphone so I can be a total geek and upload from the race course.

    Keep us posted on your next device!

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    1. Thanks Jeff! Tri mode is something I really want since I got used to that with the Bia. Loved it! You are the first to mention the Fenix-2 so I will look into that for sure.

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  4. I had a Bia too. Unfortunately I had so many problems with it working reliably I ended up getting a Garmin 910. I love it. My husband bought the 920 when it came out & the features are even better - live tracking, bluetooth for auto uploads, improved screen navigation, etc.

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