New Tacx Neo Bike Smart: Yes or No?

[TonyM]

What do you think about the new home trainer (based on the Tacx Neo) from Tacx?

https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2018/07/tac ... specs.html

[Monkeyfudger]

Fully want but don’t have the room.

Something like this would be awesome for trying out position changes before buying new gear.

[TonyM]

(...)
Something like this would be awesome for trying out position changes before buying new gear.

Indeed a valid point!
That would be great to have some indication on the bike like for the Retül etc...

[maquisard]

I am at Eurobike and had the opportunity to ride this new trainer. The road feel of the trainer feels really good. The fans are not very powerful however. I think you would still need an additional floor fan.

[TonyM]

I am at Eurobike and had the opportunity to ride this new trainer. The road feel of the trainer feels really good. The fans are not very powerful however. I think you would still need an additional floor fan.

Not on the roads of the TdF??? JOKE

Does it look and feel like quality of just like a big piece of plastic?

[maquisard]

It feels high quality, particularly the built in shifters but the fans just feel a bit like a gimmick.

I also tried out the Wahoo Headwind floor fan which does feel pretty good.

[uraqt]

So, Ray said in his early review of the Wattbike Atom that all the trainer comapnay were scared of Pelton .... I have a friend that isn't really happy with their Pelton bike .. that said they are super happy with Pelton support of the bike... The Wattbike and Tacx Neo bike are competing with Pelton, trying to get in to the bigger fitness market.

If I had to ride inside I would kill myself and then get Wattbike or Tacx Neo bike .... : )

C

[TobinHatesYou]

It has to be barely more than the cost of a Neo Smart to be worth it for most people, otherwise it's going to be very cost prohibitive for everyone involved. On the Tacx side, shipping and inventory will be RIDICULOUS. On the consumer side, this is a lot of coin to drop on something that will be obsolete in 2-3 years either because new broadcast/transmission protocols are coming out, or for whatever other technological reasons. I do like it purely from a feature and simplicity standpoint, but it's going to be incredibly niche.

The biggest announcement on the indoor training side for me IMO is the Wahoo KICKR Core. It's last year's KICKR with slightly shittier legs and silent operation for US$900.

[JackRussellRacing]

I had a Wattbike Atom for a grand total of 2 rides. Air freight back to England for full refund. 'nuff said.

[TobinHatesYou]

I had a Wattbike Atom for a grand total of 2 rides. Air freight back to England for full refund. 'nuff said.

TBH this seems way better than the Atom in just about all respects.

1) Better looking, less chunky
2) Almost silent (Atom drones.)
3) Built-in display for lots of metrics
4) Responsive and realistic feeling gear changes
5) Built-in fans (minor but appreciated!)

[Shrike]

This is pretty much a no-brainer for anyone starting a new smart paincave setup. Why would you want the hassle of dealing with a cassette, bike swaps, cleaning exposed bit of your bike, fear of snapping a chainstay, etc when you can have an all in one.

Just need some reviews to confirm the range of geometries it can mimic, but from the looks of it there shouldn't be any problem there.

Price is nice, just needs a bit of a discount and you'll be buying these around 1600 GBP I'm thinking at certain periods. No word on release date though, so unlikely to get a decent price on one in 2018.

Fans aren't fully finished apparently, though I don't really care much for them. Would be nice if they're removable to make the setup look cleaner for people who don't care for them. Don't think there's any intention of them actually being a fan replacement for a hard workout but definitely could be nice to have that direct flow of air directly in front of your face.

Bloody Eurobike. Already has 2 products on my must have list and another to keep an eye on

Wattbike? Not even remotely in the same league as this. This is properly intelligent design.

[TobinHatesYou]

Because I'd assume someone interested in something like this isn't really fussed with any of the stuff you mentioned. A Wahoo KICKR 2018 already comes with a cassette pre-installed. Mounting a bike is no different than changing a wheel. The only thing you need to clean off your bike is sweat. Something like a Wattbike Atom would costs US$2000 if it were available. The Tacx is probably going to be closer to $2700. I can easily buy something like a 105 equipped Allez, Emonda ALR or CAAD12 and Neo for that...plus I have the option of riding that bike outside as a spare.

[Monkeyfudger]

^ Nope, I’d buy this if I had the space for exactly the reasons mentioned and I already have a KickR.

[JackRussellRacing]

I had a Wattbike Atom for a grand total of 2 rides. Air freight back to England for full refund. 'nuff said.

TBH this seems way better than the Atom in just about all respects.

1) Better looking, less chunky
2) Almost silent (Atom drones.)
3) Built-in display for lots of metrics
4) Responsive and realistic feeling gear changes
5) Built-in fans (minor but appreciated!)

Agreed. I sent my ATOM back for all the reasons listed above.... plus, it had a non-servicable hardware failure on my second workout. I currently have a Drivo, and would absolutely consider the Neo Smart Bike or Drivo 2 for the coming winter, depending on availability here in the USA.

[moyboy]

Looks good minus the fans, hope they fix that.

Easier to use vs. getting a dedicated bike for the trainer or constantly taking on and off the bike.