Tacx vortex worth the extra over the t2240?

Pedro872
Pedro872 Posts: 67
edited October 2016 in Indoor training and turbo forum
Looking to upgrade to a smart trainer to use in conjunction with Zwift on iPad.

As the title says is the Tacx Vortex worth the extra £160 over the Tacx T2240 or indeed is there another one to beat both of them in the £200-£350 price range?

Thanks,

Pedro.

Comments

  • diamonddog
    diamonddog Posts: 3,426
    Comparison chart here:
    viewtopic.php?f=40121&t=13070319
  • markhewitt1978
    markhewitt1978 Posts: 7,614
    Tacx currently have the market sewn up in the sub £400 price range. Where as you say it's a choice between the Flow and Vortex. On paper the only difference is 6% vs 7% slope and a max power of 800W vs 950W. How that works out in practice I cannot say as I haven't tried either trainer.
  • Pedro872
    Pedro872 Posts: 67
    Well yes that's why I asked the question to be honest as on paper there doesn't seem to be a lot of difference to warrant the extra £160.
  • bobones
    bobones Posts: 1,215
    I bought a Flow Smart last October, but it kept switching off mid ride so Tacx support sent me a Vortex (Full Connect Edition) to replace it. The Vortex has been great, but the Flow Smart felt just as good in Zwift when it worked. I definitely don't think it's worth an extra £160, but last year you could pick up a Vortex for around £240. If you can do >800w in a sprint, it might make some difference?
  • Pedro872
    Pedro872 Posts: 67
    I have just checked and one of the perks where I work includes 10% off at Halfords so I could actually pick the Vortex up for £324 and the Flow for £180 which has me leaning towards the Vortex now.

    £240 for the Vortex! Who was selling them at that price?
  • bobones
    bobones Posts: 1,215
    Pedro872 wrote:
    £240 for the Vortex! Who was selling them at that price?
    Wiggle and one of the continental outlets: Rose Bikes, I think it was.
  • markhewitt1978
    markhewitt1978 Posts: 7,614
    Most trainers have shot up since June - either trainer announcement season or Brexit, take your pick. But you were talking £250 for the Vortex, £350 for the Bushido, £460 for the Genius. They've gone up considerably since then.
  • shmooster
    shmooster Posts: 335
    I was going to get a vortex when they were cheap but faffed around too much and missed the chance at the lower price so bought a flow. Really happy with it and the resistance works very well although i have to increase the speed sometimes for higher resistance but it doesnt bother me.
  • daniel_b
    daniel_b Posts: 12,035
    Pedro872 wrote:
    I have just checked and one of the perks where I work includes 10% off at Halfords so I could actually pick the Vortex up for £324 and the Flow for £180 which has me leaning towards the Vortex now.

    £240 for the Vortex! Who was selling them at that price?

    I managed to grab a Vortex for £229 from Evans (They had them for £254 but I get a discount through my work) back in July, for my Birthday in fact - and am hopefully going to be carrying out the calibration this weekend.
    Prices have skyrocketed eh, as already mentioned due to both exchange rates being sh1t, and it now being prime TT season I fear.

    Mantel was the other place I was potentially going to buy from, as they had it for £250, and I had a £20 voucher to use, but even they have also now gone back up to £366 :-(

    If I manage to get a decent workout on mine soon, I will let you know how it is, though of course can't give a direct comparison.
    I will be using mine with Trainer Road.
    Felt F70 05 (Turbo)
    Marin Palisades Trail 91 and 06
    Scott CR1 SL 12
    Cannondale Synapse Adventure 15 & 16 Di2
    Scott Foil 18
  • bobbydazzla
    bobbydazzla Posts: 289
    I've had a Flow for a couple of weeks and it's been good so far. I needed a USB extension cable to get the Ant+ signal working consistently with my Macbook but no issues since then. The maximum wattage and slope level were fine for my needs so I couldn't justify the extra spend on a Vortex.

    £180 with BC discount in Halfords made the Flow a great price.

    It's got me into Zwift, which has been excellent. I used to avoid using my dumb turbo because it was relentless and dull even using training videos like Sufferfest. But with Zwift I'm looking forward to training indoors and doing a session most days.
  • bobones
    bobones Posts: 1,215
    bobbydazzla wrote:
    I used to avoid using my dumb turbo because it was relentless and dull even using training videos like Sufferfest. But with Zwift I'm looking forward to training indoors and doing a session most days.
    You can use Zwift and Sufferfest at the same time with these Zwift workout files.

    I use Zwift on my laptop with the S/F video on an iPad attached to handlebars. To sync, just pause the video at a 10 seconds in or so, start pedalling, then unpause once the Zwift clock reaches that time.

    (There are other versions of the Sufferfest ZWO files around, but they drifted out of sync with Zwift as the video progressed. These ones should be spot on).
  • bobbydazzla
    bobbydazzla Posts: 289
    Yep, I'll still use Sufferfest if I want to do structured training as I like their vids, am also going to give Zwift training programmes a go.

    But at the moment I'm just enjoying the Zwift experience exploring the courses, trying a few races, group rides etc. It's been great so far.

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