I've used TacX trainers for the last 10 years, and have appreciated them immensely for the days when it was not possible to ride outdoors. I have looked at other brands of trainers including the virtual reality trainers that are out there, but they do not quite meet the standards of the TacX trainer. I purchased this newest trainer as an upgrade. So, there are things I love and hate about this trainer. Love items: 1. It is much quieter, making almost no noise at all. 2. The rides offered by Garmin/TacX are of superb quality. 3. The new program now almost never crashes. 4. There is much more functionality in the latest program. 5. Most important, this trainer does a phenomenal job of simulating real life. It is closest to anything I've ever been on to date that matches the strain I would see when I was actually on a bicycle in real life. Items I hate about this trainer. 1. I had quite a few rides from the past version of the trainer and had to essentially toss them all in the garbage. I had rides that I had really enjoyed, and their new system did NOT include those rides. Torture me! 2. They have included NO filmed rides from North America. The rides they offer are nothing but gps simulations through Google. Cheap! Does the TacX crew have an allergy to the USA????? Their old system had quite a few filmed USA rides. What is their problem????? 3. The films come through a subscription service of pay by month. I totally detest subscription services. Totally. So, I ride 8-9 months on the trainer and then spend the summer/fall on a real bicycle. 4. The assembly instructions are terrible. I mean, absolutely terrible. My derailleur drags on the trainer in the lowest gears. They have instructions to fix that, but they are completely in error and are impossible to follow through on. So, I have to avoid using my largest cassette gear. In terms of mounting the bicycle on the trainer, the cassette gears are offset enough that one needs to completely re-tune up the front and rear derailleur. If you don't know how to tune your bicycle, then this trainer should definitely be avoided.
The Neo 2T was easy to set up, works great, and is much quieter than the drive train on the bike. Take it out of the box, put on a cassette and you're ready to roll. Has been working perfectly for several months now. Love being able to ride inside on rainy days.
Indoor training using smart apps.
