Tacx Neo or?

Paulj700

Yeah sorry, this is one of those "tell me what to buy" questions....

I've been mulling over various smart trainers for a couple of weeks now and have seen pros and con's for all of the ones that took my fancy. Im planning to use Zwift or Trainer road set up in the living room on the smart telly.

Tacx Neo, Wahoo Kickr Core and Elite Drivo.

I was swaying towards the Neo because I read something (might have been BS) about slight lateral movement allowing the frame to move and might reduce wear? It also seems quiet in use. Was put off by the fact I'd have to spend 80 quid on a thru-axle adaptor and a cassette...

I like Kickr mainly because it was 200 quid cheaper and came with thru-axle adaptor. Now i read that they were having QC issues.....Recent reviews are stating that build quality was good however.

The Elite seems good in all departments except it's the size of a London bus...

Anyone with experience of the above (or any other trainers in the ballpark) care to pass comment or give recommendations?

Cheers

PJ

PinarelloPrince

What is the Tacx Neo going to give you that the Tacx Flux won't give you? And do you need it?

daniel_b

If you can afford the Neo, then go for it - I think most people would agree that it is the best smart rainer out there.

The small amount of lateral movement may make it kinder on the bike, but more than that, it just makes the 'ride' that bit more realistic.

I could be wrong here, but check out one of the latest reviews, CD Rainmaker probably, think it might have said it now come with all of the adaptors - having said that, it's only for the Neo 2, versus the Neo 1.

Which one are you looking at?

I was initially set on the flux, until I joined the facebook page, and saw ALL of the issues people had with them, some people having to go through 4+ units, before giving up, or going for a Neo.
Neo not without issues too, but seem far less than the Flux.

EDIT - here we go:

– Skewer Compatibility: All the skewers and adapters you could ask for: Road 130mm, MTB 135mm, 142x12mm, 148x12mm

To stress, this is only for the latest Neo, the Neo 2, differentiated visually by a blue bit around it's underbelly:

SJH76

PinarelloPrince wrote:

What is the Tacx Neo going to give you that the Tacx Flux won't give you? And do you need it?

From lots of reviews. Reliability for one. Don't get the original or the S. The Flux 2 is much more reliable. Drivo is fantastic but a bit of lag in response on Zwift compared to the neo or Kickr. Still top bits of kit. Wahoo is by far the quietest of the 3

PinarelloPrince

SJH76 wrote:

PinarelloPrince wrote:

What is the Tacx Neo going to give you that the Tacx Flux won't give you? And do you need it?

From lots of reviews. Reliability for one. Don't get the original or the S. The Flux 2 is much more reliable. Drivo is fantastic but a bit of lag in response on Zwift compared to the neo or Kickr. Still top bits of kit. Wahoo is by far the quietest of the 3

Yes, there were problems with the original Flux. But the OP won't be able to buy one of those. As far as I'm aware the Flux 2 and Flux S seem pretty reliable which is why I asked the OP the question.

aberdeenal

Love my Neo

SJH76

PinarelloPrince wrote:

SJH76 wrote:

PinarelloPrince wrote:

What is the Tacx Neo going to give you that the Tacx Flux won't give you? And do you need it?

From lots of reviews. Reliability for one. Don't get the original or the S. The Flux 2 is much more reliable. Drivo is fantastic but a bit of lag in response on Zwift compared to the neo or Kickr. Still top bits of kit. Wahoo is by far the quietest of the 3

Yes, there were problems with the original Flux. But the OP won't be able to buy one of those. As far as I'm aware the Flux 2 and Flux S seem pretty reliable which is why I asked the OP the question.

The original Flux is still available at Halfords and a few other retailers like Sigma sports. Currently retailing at around £540. S also had reliability issues with the belt rubbing inside it's case

SJH76

Tell a lie.

viewtopic.php?f=40012&t=12670609&start=15920

Even cheaper

But still has issues

MiddleRinger

Paulj700 wrote:

Tacx Neo, Wahoo Kickr Core and Elite Drivo.

Is there going to be anyone else in the house while you're Zwifting in the lounge room?

If so then get the NEO or the latest generation KICKR for sure, that reduction in noise is worth it if you have the funds. I like the NEO for it's low noise and that you never need to calibrate it. The small amount of side-to-side movement is nice, but not exactly a game changer. Same for the road feel, I used it once then turned it off. The KICKR feels slightly more rock solid and robust especially if you're a more powerful rider.

Paulj700

Daniel B wrote:

If you can afford the Neo, then go for it - I think most people would agree that it is the best smart rainer out there.

The small amount of lateral movement may make it kinder on the bike, but more than that, it just makes the 'ride' that bit more realistic.

I could be wrong here, but check out one of the latest reviews, CD Rainmaker probably, think it might have said it now come with all of the adaptors - having said that, it's only for the Neo 2, versus the Neo 1.

Which one are you looking at?

Thanks. I wasn't aware the Neo 2 existed but as soon as I read up on it I saw it came with the adaptors. Apparently the 2 isn't widely distributed yet so its selling for well over the £1k mark. Makes me think it might be worth waiting it out until its widely stocked and might drop down from the SRP?

MiddleRinger wrote:

Paulj700 wrote:

Tacx Neo, Wahoo Kickr Core and Elite Drivo.

Is there going to be anyone else in the house while you're Zwifting in the lounge room?

If so then get the NEO or the latest generation KICKR for sure, that reduction in noise is worth it if you have the funds. I like the NEO for it's low noise and that you never need to calibrate it. The small amount of side-to-side movement is nice, but not exactly a game changer. Same for the road feel, I used it once then turned it off. The KICKR feels slightly more rock solid and robust especially if you're a more powerful rider.

Thanks for that. Thankfully(?) I'm a billy no mates right now so comparatively low levels of noise aren't an issue. The bike is likely going to be left set up in the living room and any guests will have to navigate round it...
Only potential issue is the neighbours who I'm sure could hear my old Cyclops trainer. Get that up to speed and its like a Apache gunship taking off.

Cheers

PJ

PinarelloPrince

SJH76 wrote:

Tell a lie.

viewtopic.php?f=40012&t=12670609&start=15920

Even cheaper

But still has issues

Google is your friend. Every smart trainer has issues. Some more than others

SJH76

PinarelloPrince wrote:

SJH76 wrote:

Tell a lie.

viewtopic.php?f=40012&t=12670609&start=15920

Even cheaper

But still has issues

Google is your friend. Every smart trainer has issues. Some more than others

Exactly, and the Flux is one of the worst for them. I didn't need Google to tell me that.

Paulj700

Daniel B wrote:

I could be wrong here, but check out one of the latest reviews, CD Rainmaker probably,

Thanks for pointing me at this guy by the way. Never heard of the fella but seems an incredibly in-depth resource.

Having checked out his reviews I'm inclined to hang on for the Tacx Flux 2. Does everything I need at quite a lot less £ than the Neo's. Interesting to see DC Rainmaker do a in-depth review.

Cheers

PJ

PinarelloPrince

SJH76 wrote:

PinarelloPrince wrote:

SJH76 wrote:

Tell a lie.

viewtopic.php?f=40012&t=12670609&start=15920

Even cheaper

But still has issues

Google is your friend. Every smart trainer has issues. Some more than others

Exactly, and the Flux is one of the worst for them. I didn't need Google to tell me that.

Yes, the original was dogged with problems. DC Rainmaker has said in his opinion the problems have all been sorted.

But no matter, Tacx could produce a trainer that was a tenth the price of its competitors and twice as good and still people would be queuing to worship at the church of Wahoo. Hopefully when we get a Labour government buying a Wahoo will be enshrined in law.

SJH76

PinarelloPrince wrote:

SJH76 wrote:

PinarelloPrince wrote:

SJH76 wrote:

Tell a lie.

viewtopic.php?f=40012&t=12670609&start=15920

Even cheaper

But still has issues

Google is your friend. Every smart trainer has issues. Some more than others

Exactly, and the Flux is one of the worst for them. I didn't need Google to tell me that.

Yes, the original was dogged with problems. DC Rainmaker has said in his opinion the problems have all been sorted.

But no matter, Tacx could produce a trainer that was a tenth the price of its competitors and twice as good and still people would be queuing to worship at the church of Wahoo. Hopefully when we get a Labour government buying a Wahoo will be enshrined in law.

I wouldn't know. I own an Elite Drivo but Im sure in some small way you are nearly right. But there are reviews where the tester has actually broken multiple units whilst testing them. That level of reliability would turn me right off as a buyer.

BTW, DC Rainmaker isn't the authority on testing and reviewing cycling tech. There are plenty of other people out there doing the same thing who pick up things he misses all the time.

ben@31

This will be my second winter owning a Tacx Neo. The biggest reason why I bought it was because I needed the quietest turbo trainer.

PROS...

1. It certainly is quiet ....however.... if you have a hard floor like laminate wood, then vibrations can cause a lot of noise. I ended up buying some rubber yoga mats to fold up and place underneath the trainer to stop this vibration. Now most of the noise is the bike chain and if the gears are out of index.

2. Its plug in and play. When I leave my bike attached to it, I simply have to open up Zwift on my laptop and away I go. Theres no set up after installing the cassette.

3. No rear tyre slippage or wear.

4. Smart trainers are amazing for rolling hills and climbs on Zwift and certainly gets the most out of it.

5. I like the ERG mode for Zwift's interval training programmes. What it does is automatically keeps your power at a constant level no matter how you pedal. For example if you are doing a 250W interval then the Neo will constantly adjust the resistance to keep you outputting 250W, if you fall below 250W then it'll automatically ramp up the resistance, if you go over 250W it will automatically throttle back the resistance. Then once the interval is over, the Neo will drop the automatically drop the resistance to you recovery level. You dont have to change anything its all hands free. Note that the ERG mode ignores any hills on Zwift during your interval training session.

CONS...

1. Cost

2. I wouldn't say the Neo is any more portable than the competitors, as the Neo literally weighs a tonne. Ive never lifted anything from the floor that feels that heavy. I have quite a few boxes in a storage cupboard and genuinely got concerned about the weight limit on its floor.

3. I ended up turning the "road feel" feature off, as cycling over gravel on Zwift certainly makes a racket / vibration induced noise.

4. As for side-to-side movement, its not that much and to be honest I don't notice it.

5. The same with the downhill gradient on Zwift, I don't notice that too and still get passed by others on the downhill. I also cant coast all the way to the bottom of a hill. In fact I might check to see if its still switched on?


CONCLUSION...

The Tacx Neo was alright when it came out. Theres nothing majorly wrong with it, apart from the cost, I had to justify the cost by the amount I'd use it over winter. All the cons are trivial or features I don't use.
The Wahoo Kickr Core wasn't out when I bought my Neo. If it was I probably would have saved myself a few hundred £ by buying that instead, as the Kickr Core seems just as good for what I use.