Tacx Flux, Elite Direto or other

CantGetNoSleep

I'm not getting out on the road as much as I can so going to buy a direct drive smart trainer for Zwift etc. over the winter

I see the Tacx Flux can now be got for 500€ or so which was always a sort of tipping point for me, but I know the Elite Direto always got better reviews. Just wondering what people would go for out of these - or where else to look with a 500 euro budget or thereabouts?

thekooman

CantGetNoSleep wrote: »

I'm not getting out on the road as much as I can so going to buy a direct drive smart trainer for Zwift etc. over the winter

I see the Tacx Flux can now be got for 500€ or so which was always a sort of tipping point for me, but I know the Elite Direto always got better reviews. Just wondering what people would go for out of these - or where else to look with a 500 euro budget or thereabouts?

the Flux Gen 1 has its issues (I had to return mine after just getting as ANT /bluetooth was dropping out all the time) but my 2nd unit has been flawless since Feb. I Zwift on it all the time and love it. the power reads about 7 or 8% lower than my 4iiii but i set my FTP accordingly. I'd wait for the Gen 2 which is on pre order with some of the bigger sites if you search with a release for middle of October.

I ordered the Elite Direto originally but it would have taken several weeks for my LBS to get it in. it has a powermeter built in whereas the Flux doesnt.

I would however buy off a LBS because if you need to return it for warranty it would cost a fortune to post due to its weight. my LBS were great; i returned my unit and they had a new unit for me the day after.

All in all id say either would be good.

mossym

i believe an updated flux is on the way, hence the price drop, so don't expect that price to last forever..

py

Have the direto since launch 12 months ago, have put close to 2000Km on Zwift with it. Never fails to connect to laptop/zwift. Couldn't recommend it enough.

The kickr core is out soon (if not already) and would probably be my first choice in that price range given its integration potential with the wahoo climb.

Paul_Mc1988

thekooman wrote:

the Flux Gen 1 has its issues (I had to return mine after just getting as ANT /bluetooth was dropping out all the time) but my 2nd unit has been flawless since Feb. I Zwift on it all the time and love it. the power reads about 7 or 8% lower than my 4iiii but i set my FTP accordingly. I'd wait for the Gen 2 which is on pre order with some of the bigger sites if you search with a release for middle of October.

Use the 4iii to control the turbo and you don't have to set accordingly.

CantGetNoSleep

py wrote: »

Have the direto since launch 12 months ago, have put close to 2000Km on Zwift with it. Never fails to connect to laptop/zwift. Couldn't recommend it enough.

The kickr core is out soon (if not already) and would probably be my first choice in that price range given its integration potential with the wahoo climb.

I like the Kickr Core but it seems to be 799 in most places which goes a bit above what I want to spend. I prefer to buy soon rather than waiting more than a few weeks for prices to drop too, want to get a full winter out of it

terrydel

Any links to these at or around 500euro?

thekooman

terrydel wrote: »

Any links to these at or around 500euro?

https://www.marreybikes.com/turbo-trainers/8171-tacx-flux-smart-indoor-trainer-t2900.html 550 euro

JimmiesRustled

terrydel wrote: »

Any links to these at or around 500euro?

Also on mantel for €550. https://www.mantel.com/ie/tacx-flux-smart-t2900-turbo-trainer&utm_source=google&utm_medium=shopping?gclid=CjwKCAjwio3dBRAqEiwAHWsNVd63_R9Pbcnnxvs5qMFnf5eCW0di5DxdH5PCzXACWS9nq8f4TtuRaxoCsfkQAvD_BwE

Macy0161

fwiw when I was weighing up the Direto or the old Hammer (both of which were on offer and similarly priced in Halfords at the time), the TrainerRoad tech team recommended the Hammer over Direto, as they had found it a bit glitchy. I was asking the specific question, I didn't mention the flux, but they were both around the same ballpark as the flux is now.

terrydel

thekooman wrote: »

https://www.marreybikes.com/turbo-trainers/8171-tacx-flux-smart-indoor-trainer-t2900.html 550 euro

JimmiesRustled wrote: »

Also on mantel for €550. https://www.mantel.com/ie/tacx-flux-smart-t2900-turbo-trainer&utm_source=google&utm_medium=shopping?gclid=CjwKCAjwio3dBRAqEiwAHWsNVd63_R9Pbcnnxvs5qMFnf5eCW0di5DxdH5PCzXACWS9nq8f4TtuRaxoCsfkQAvD_BwE

Have used mantel before and found them fine.

CantGetNoSleep

Macy0161 wrote: »

fwiw when I was weighing up the Direto or the old Hammer (both of which were on offer and similarly priced in Halfords at the time), the TrainerRoad tech team recommended the Hammer over Direto, as they had found it a bit glitchy. I was asking the specific question, I didn't mention the flux, but they were both around the same ballpark as the flux is now.

The Hammer seems to be still closer to 1000e mark in many places though? From what i see the Flux is 500-550, Direto closer to 700, Kickr Core 799 and Hammer over 900 - so closer to Wahoo Kickr and Tacx Neo territory

JimmiesRustled

CantGetNoSleep wrote: »

The Hammer seems to be still closer to 1000e mark in many places though? From what i see the Flux is 500-550, Direto closer to 700, Kickr Core 799 and Hammer over 900 - so closer to Wahoo Kickr and Tacx Neo territory

The hammer was either incorrectly priced or a decent bargain in halfords for €700 a while back.

Macy0161

JimmiesRustled wrote: »

The hammer was either incorrectly priced or a decent bargain in halfords for €700 a while back.

Yep, got for about 700 with axa discount. It was coming in about 40 more than the direto in halfords as well. iirc, wiggle had it similar price (but no 10% off). Obviously haven't looked at the price since, mainly because I thought I'd jumped too soon and they'd be selling it off cheaper with the new model launched.

CantGetNoSleep

thekooman wrote: »

the Flux Gen 1 has its issues (I had to return mine after just getting as ANT /bluetooth was dropping out all the time) but my 2nd unit has been flawless since Feb. I Zwift on it all the time and love it. the power reads about 7 or 8% lower than my 4iiii but i set my FTP accordingly. I'd wait for the Gen 2 which is on pre order with some of the bigger sites if you search with a release for middle of October.

I ordered the Elite Direto originally but it would have taken several weeks for my LBS to get it in. it has a powermeter built in whereas the Flux doesnt.

I would however buy off a LBS because if you need to return it for warranty it would cost a fortune to post due to its weight. my LBS were great; i returned my unit and they had a new unit for me the day after.

All in all id say either would be good.

Just wondering what you mean that the Direto has a power meter built in but the Tacx Flux doesn't? I'd be planning to use without an additional power meter on the bike - I was under the impression all of these trainers measured power themselves?

thekooman

CantGetNoSleep wrote: »

Just wondering what you mean that the Direto has a power meter built in but the Tacx Flux doesn't? I'd be planning to use without an additional power meter on the bike - I was under the impression all of these trainers measured power themselves?

https://www.cycletyres.com/blog/elite-direto-vs-tacs-flux-whats-the-best.html

POWER ACCURACY

In our opinion, the biggest difference of these two trainers lies in the power sensor. The Elite Direto is equipped with a real power sensor to measure this data with an accuracy of +/- 2.5%. Conversely, the Tacx Flux does not measure the power but calculates it according to an algorithm taking into account cadence, speed and resistance of the device. Tacx claims an estimated power of +/- 5% and is therefore less precise than its competitor.

CantGetNoSleep

thekooman wrote: »

https://www.cycletyres.com/blog/elite-direto-vs-tacs-flux-whats-the-best.html

POWER ACCURACY

In our opinion, the biggest difference of these two trainers lies in the power sensor. The Elite Direto is equipped with a real power sensor to measure this data with an accuracy of +/- 2.5%. Conversely, the Tacx Flux does not measure the power but calculates it according to an algorithm taking into account cadence, speed and resistance of the device. Tacx claims an estimated power of +/- 5% and is therefore less precise than its competitor.

Thanks