Trainers & Rollers

Solid product for a nice stable front wheel platform that affords different heights for challenging muscles more specifically to gradient or to make a trainer ride that little bit more comfortable. Definitely a nice little piece of kit.

Two years ago I decided to save money and get a KickR Core instead of this. The KickR has worked great, but recently I realized I wanted the added features this offers, sold the KickR for a good price, and got one of these at a great discount here.

(1) Autocalibrate: great not to have to remember when spin-down calibrations are due, even though they are simple to run.

(2) Downhill simulation makes sessions far more realistic. On the road, downhills give you a break so the ride is a series of "intervals" and "recoveries". With the Neo 2T, on a 7% downgrade you can stop pedaling and see speed build as you coast!

(3) Left-right swaying also adds realism. Even though I don't rock the bike that much on the road, even while out of the saddle, having the bike on a rigid-mount trainer means you push against it in a way you don't on the road.

(4) Even smoother and quieter than the KickR, which is pretty quiet. The KickR tended to rumble at speed in big gears, which this trainer does not seem to do.

I can't feel the flywheel's variability but it seems a good idea.

Good thing I don't care about RRF (Real Road Feel), it doesn't add realism for me: (a) it doesn't activate over visible single bumps, it just works on bumpy stretches (cobblestones, brick paving), (b) it generates bumps only through the pedals, whereas on the road you feel them through the handlebars and saddle as well. I shut it off.

My 700c road bike did not mount level on it, which can affect how your saddle works for you. Measuring axle-to-axle, the rear end was LOW by 5/8"-3/4", so I put 3/4" plywood beneath the trainer to raise it. The side-side swaying makes the front wheel chock necessary to keep the bars from flopping around, so replacing the chock with thinner wood shims to lower the front end was not an option.

I use it with Zwift for general riding and Sufferfest for training. Time saver. The best workouts in the shortest amount of time during the week. Most liken to road feel. Love the the ability to rock left and right, just like riding outside.

Has been a great trainer with only a couple instances of frustration which may just be down to connectivity issues. Have had a couple brief instances where the tacx lost a connection when riding on Zwift but reconnecting via the app remedied the issue. One time, after pausing a Zwift ride, the trainer would not reconnect, no matter what I did. Turned everything off, including my wireless router to reboot Zwift/WiFi connection, and nothing worked. Unplugged the tacx overnight and it was back to normal the next day. I've not had that issue again, but I was a little nervous. That was about a month ago, and I've been using this 5/6 days a week since without any other issues, so I'm hoping it was just a hiccup.

Outside of that, the Zwift erg mode communicates well with the tacx and is a great upgrade from a wheel on smart trainer. I've been enjoying it.