Wahoo Kickr or Tacx Neo 2T (or Tack Neo Smart Bike)

sy_flembeck

Wahoo Kickr or Tack Neo 2T (or Tacx Neo Smart Bike)

Having spent too much time dithering I missed the boat on the recent great turbo purchasing spree. Anyhoo, I've decided to snap one up once they return to the shops or when 'as new, hardly used' models inevitably come up on Adverts or Donedeal.

Thankfully, for once in my life I have a few bob and can buy a top end one so my question is :

Wahoo Kickr or Tacx Neo 2T (or Tacx Neo Smart Bike)

I presume it's a pickle many here have found themselves in at some point.
If anyone has the Tacx Smart Bike I'd appreciate an opinion either way. I'm thinking ahead to winter and, again, can stretch that far.

As ever, thanks in advance for any tips.

joey100

I have a kickr and a neo 2t. Kickr is an older version though. Neo 2t for me definitely. Erg mode is better and much smoother, gradient simulation also better. Neo would be quieter too. Can't really fault mine since I got it to be honest. Seemed to be onto wahoo every few months around the kickr.

PringleDemon

The new Tacx Neo2 Bike is getting horrendous reviews . 1 in 3 bikes faulty , no warranty replacement bikes available . I wouldn't be spending any of my cash there . 3 yrs late to the market and still not able to supply the demand

sy_flembeck

PringleDemon wrote: »

The new Tacx Neo2 Bike is getting horrendous reviews . 1 in 3 bikes faulty , no warranty replacement bikes available . I wouldn't be spending any of my cash there . 3 yrs late to the market and still not able to supply the demand

I must hunt out those reviews, I haven't seen them so far. Thats interesting as it's a hell of a lot of cash to fork out on a dummy.

I reckon I'd be more likely to go for the Neo 2T anyway and the comment above cements my thinking a bit more

lennymc

half thinking of the wahoo bike, any thoughts from anyone?

themighty

There a very good in depth reviews on both bikes on DC Rainmaker. GPlama reviews on youtube are worth a watch as well.

I think I prefer the sound of the Wahoo bike. Both are very pricey, but if you can afford it (and reckon you'll get use out of it) it sounds awesome.

https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2019/12/wahoo-kickr-bike-in-depth-review.html

https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2019/09/tacx-neo-bike-smart-in-depth-detailed-review.html

joey100

Wahoo bike does sound very good. One thing to keep in mind with the bikes would be these are the first gen of them, while they look good and seem to do the job, will they be able to keep up with the developments on zwift and other platforms? Zwift have begun to introduce some steering element and I'm not sure any of the bikes can offer this. I recently got the neo 2T and was half thinking of one of the bikes but decided against based on that. Zwift are expanding their hardware development too so we might see something from them that lets you get the full benefit of their platform.

benneca1

joey100 wrote: »

I have a kickr and a neo 2t. Kickr is an older version though. Neo 2t for me definitely. Erg mode is better and much smoother, gradient simulation also better. Neo would be quieter too. Can't really fault mine since I got it to be honest. Seemed to be onto wahoo every few months around the kickr.

Older Kickrs were released too soon but to be fair wahoo replaced without quibble. I dealt with Base2Race rather than online and the return was simple they just gave me a new one in exchange. I have to say the new kickr is working tickety boo and no issues. Got the climb as well and must say gives a great feel to climbs

Lumen

I'm on my second Kickr Core. The first one went back with an odd rubbing sound.

It works fine, erg mode is great but the Kickr app is a bit crap.

Bambaata

I had to return one of the newer Kickr Cores too but Wahoo were a doddle to deal with. I'd had it 15 months but never any issue. As soon as they had a scan return from UPS they shipped me a new one. I believe they have resolved a flaw in some early units in the current generation. A bolt on the inside was coming loose making the unit very noisy. No issues in the 4 months I've the replacement. In fairness too I'd noticed the sound coming on but did nothing about it for ages! Was still working fine.

sy_flembeck

joey100 wrote: »

One thing to keep in mind with the bikes would be these are the first gen of them,

I have seen this mentioned in a few reviews alright. Probably enough to steer clear, particularly given what others have said above re Zwift updates etc

Crocked

Don't get any of the first gen bikes, they will all have issues. Wattbike probably the most reliable now as its older.

Reckon when it comes to replacing the current turbo I'll get a smartbike, but they should be on gen 2 or probably gen 3 by then.

sy_flembeck

Thought I'd resurrect this rather than start a new thread. Anybody here buy a Wahoo Kicker Bike or a Tacx Neo Smart Bike? Looking for real person reviews if anyone has any? Honesty above all else please as it would be a potentially very expensive purchase, particularly the Wahoo Bike