2018 Wahoo Kickr or 2018 Tacx Neo?

A light bike doesn't replace good fitness.

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TobinHatesYou
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by TobinHatesYou

madik wrote:
Wed Nov 21, 2018 8:23 pm

So they really didnt change it in the newest Neo model? Thats really retarded on their part.. you are right, the thread inside of dropout is getting damaged. All your weight is going thru the contact between the sleeve and thread...
Luckily I havent had a problem with it yet. Also the same sleeve on drive side is sitting on the outside of the frame's dropout which is no longer designed to by pressed by qiuck realease and it can be damaging derrailer hanger or chipping paint on some frames. And lastly its very inconvenient to use the quikc release adapter since you have to fully srew/unsrew the nut every time you are putting or taking a bike out of Neo. The most expensive trainer on the market with the shittest thru axle support system. :roll:

I think with Elite's trainers you can just use your own thru axle. Genious and so easy..

I have no confirmation, but they are supposedly including reverse threaded 1, 1.5 and 1.75mm adapters for the DS in the Neo 2. Better, but still inconvenient, especially if you want to use your Neo for a pre-race warmup or something and you have to not only unscrew the end-nut, but now also another threaded component too.

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hlvd
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by hlvd

Dannnnn wrote:
Mon Sep 10, 2018 3:24 pm
I've got a Neo 2018 but given the choice I would have probably gone for the Kickr.
The intergration with the climb and headwind would be good and having an actual flywheel instead of none would make the lower cadence higher torque efforts be more natural (the Neo suffers from "trainer slip" when it's used for that)
Hi, the Headwind will work with any trainer if you link it to your HRM.

pmprego
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by pmprego

Carefull with the kickr 2018. It's plagued with problems from production. Basically, the flywheel starts vibrating due to poor production control. There is no solution to this. Just asking for a refund and ordering a new one, from scratch. Why? Because if you accept a replacement unit wahoo sends "new" refurbished units that basically have the same problem and then you get on a loop. You get a "new" one, 2/3/4 months of use and the problem comes back, get a "new" one and the problem returns until your warranty expires. If you ask for a refund and actually buy a new one maybe you get one of the real new units that might not have that production problem. Careful.

simurs4
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by simurs4

pmprego wrote:
Fri Jun 28, 2019 10:14 am
Carefull with the kickr 2018. It's plagued with problems from production. Basically, the flywheel starts vibrating due to poor production control. There is no solution to this. Just asking for a refund and ordering a new one, from scratch. Why? Because if you accept a replacement unit wahoo sends "new" refurbished units that basically have the same problem and then you get on a loop. You get a "new" one, 2/3/4 months of use and the problem comes back, get a "new" one and the problem returns until your warranty expires. If you ask for a refund and actually buy a new one maybe you get one of the real new units that might not have that production problem. Careful.
I had the same problem several months ago deciding between a Kickr or Neo 2. Also coming from a wheel-on trainer previously like the OP. I have had 2 previous Tacx trainers and have never had a problem and after reading so many horror stories regarding both the Kickr and the Core in regards to noises/vibrations etc it made me go back to Tacx and give the Neo 2 a go. I was almost going to bite the bullet on a Kickr as it was a couple hundred € cheaper here and came with a cassette but I think I made the right choice as I only use the Neo 2 for TrainerRoad workouts in ERG mode and love it to bits.
The electrical burning smell mentioned earlier in the thread did freak me out a little but until I read it was mostly normal. Touch wood I have noticed any problems because of this.

moyboy
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Joined: Thu Aug 18, 2016 12:19 am

by moyboy

Only think that's a pain for the Tacx is that most times you'll need to remove your rear caliper if you have disc brakes.... The 2018 Wahoo has a generous cutout and uses your bike's rear thru axle.

Also the plus for the Tacx is no spin down calibration required.

spdntrxi
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by spdntrxi

moyboy wrote:
Fri Jul 12, 2019 4:24 pm
Only think that's a pain for the Tacx is that most times you'll need to remove your rear caliper if you have disc brakes.... The 2018 Wahoo has a generous cutout and uses your bike's rear thru axle.

Also the plus for the Tacx is no spin down calibration required.
seriously...

I have an old rim brake bike on my tacx neo still...maybe I will leave it there.

Edit : apparently they provide a spacer.. so it should not be an issue
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moyboy
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by moyboy

Spacer? nice i'll have to look in the bag of parts that comes with the Neo 2.

Thanks! yes i didn't read the instructions. :lol:
spdntrxi wrote:
Fri Jul 12, 2019 4:33 pm
moyboy wrote:
Fri Jul 12, 2019 4:24 pm
Only think that's a pain for the Tacx is that most times you'll need to remove your rear caliper if you have disc brakes.... The 2018 Wahoo has a generous cutout and uses your bike's rear thru axle.

Also the plus for the Tacx is no spin down calibration required.
seriously...

I have an old rim brake bike on my tacx neo still...maybe I will leave it there.

Edit : apparently they provide a spacer.. so it should not be an issue

spdntrxi
Posts: 5782
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by spdntrxi

moyboy wrote:
Fri Jul 12, 2019 6:17 pm
Spacer? nice i'll have to look in the bag of parts that comes with the Neo 2.

Thanks! yes i didn't read the instructions. :lol:


yeah who does... until there is an issue :thumbup:
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TonyM
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by TonyM

spdntrxi wrote:
Fri Jul 12, 2019 6:19 pm
moyboy wrote:
Fri Jul 12, 2019 6:17 pm
Spacer? nice i'll have to look in the bag of parts that comes with the Neo 2.

Thanks! yes i didn't read the instructions. :lol:


yeah who does... until there is an issue :thumbup:
When there is an issue people google or ask in the forum :mrgreen:

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kytyree
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by kytyree

Especially with the Neo I can understand why people wouldn't read the directions. You get it out of the box and there's not very much left to do after that.

TobinHatesYou
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by TobinHatesYou

I hate the Neo's non-native TA "support," but at least they do threaded adapters now instead of the non-threaded inserts.

There really isn't a single best smart trainer out there.

The KICKR18 has quality control issues. Wahoo has had tons of issues with the quality of various products (KICKR CLIMB belt failures, weak radios on ELEMNT BOLTs, KICKR18 "key" issues, etc.) It's also not very stable in sprint interval training.

I don't like the Neo's built-in wobble or the "virtual flywheel." It definitely feels less realistic than my Hammer...also the Neo slips under hard acceleration.

The Hammer is a great piece of hardware hampered by bad firmware. It's by far the most stable trainer under power, but it isn't accurate in hard accelerations or all out sprints. ERG mode resistance changes are also incredibly laggy.

The Elite Drivo 2 is probably the most well rounded. It's accurate, fairly stable, fairly quiet, doesn't really require calibration, etc. Road feel is "...fine," not amazing. I've seen some complaints about MTB derailleur cages hitting the case.

I bought my Hammer 2 years ago and will probably use it until it breaks. Smart trainer innovation is pretty much non-existent at the moment. The ERG situation sucks for TrainerRoad, but for something like Zwift, the sim mode resistance change lag is less noticeable.

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kytyree
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by kytyree

I like the wobble of the Neo, as long as it isn't creaking.

Not that long ago, (end of May, June?) Wahoo updated their app and if you tried to use it to update the wheelbase of your bike for the Climb it would send an incorrect value. On the one I was trying to use it created a Climb that only went to 3 different poisitions: level, full up and full down. I've had good luck with the Wahoo trainers I've owned though. I'm indifferent on the road feel between Wahoo and the Neo 2, I think there are certain points when one feels better than the other but overall I don't see one as clearly feeling better than the other.

TobinHatesYou
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by TobinHatesYou

I think it's a bigger bias when compared with the 20lb flywheel in the Hammer. Sometimes I just want to turn off sim/ERG, pop into a big gear have it feel like I'm TTing at a pretty decent speed. For some reason even the KICKR18's 16lb flywheel doesn't quite get there and I'm not sure why.

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kytyree
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by kytyree

That's when I think the feel of the Wahoo has an the edge over the Neo 2, rolling along on a flat at a steady pace. I haven't used a Hammer but it would make sense if it felt better in that situation.

The Neo feels better to me when things are changing quickly, from me standing up or sitting back down or the controlling app changing the resistance. But between the KICKR's and NEO 2 I'd still say it is splitting hairs for road feel.

I haven't tried putting a through axle bike on a Neo 2 yet, it is pretty easy on the Wahoo's. I looked at the stuff that comes with a Neo for that but I've only got one bike with a rear through axle and I ride it outside often so I'm too lazy to take the wheel off when I've got others that just have an old QR. Though most of the time I use an old frame on the trainer that doesn't even have brakes.

TobinHatesYou
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by TobinHatesYou

Yeah, I have a generic "throw away" aluminum alloy bike that I got on clearance for indoor training. The stem bolts, FD bolts, BB cable guide screw, etc are all rusted beyond recognition, but I don't care since its singular purpose is to be abused on the trainer until it implodes.

On the plus side, bikes that stay indoors 100% time--the chain lasts...forever. I think I have 600 hours on my chain using RnR Absolute Dry and Gold and it still isn't past .5% wear.

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