Turbo Upgrade: Wahoo Kickr Smart v5 or Tacx Neo2T

[Buck]

Search doesn’t give me much on this and I’m trying to get a sense of whether the Tacx is worth the £200 premium or the Wahoo is the best (and Wahoo has a great reputation for customer service)

I currently have a Tacx Vortex Smart turbo which has been great but I am looking to upgrade soon(ish) to a wheel off model. I use this for Zwift at present and do around 3 to 4 sessions a week.

I do like the Kickr bike but the price is way too high for me so I was looking at other options and I’ve always had my eye on a Tacx Neo with the Wahoo Kickr now a serious contender. I’m not loyal to Tacx so want to get “best value” in terms of reliability, feel/realism and accuracy.

I’m not a powerful rider so will never push either unit to their maximum.

I’ve read DC Rainmaker‘s review and he seems to suggest the Tacx Neo? Does anybody have any real life comparisons between the two or can share your experiences? I was also wondering if the prices might be more attractive in the summer when we move more into outdoor season?

Thanks,
Buck

 

[Milkfloat]

I doubt the prices will drop as supply has only just moved back into the system. I have ridden the Kickr and own a Neo, I prefer the Neo, but that maybe because I am just used to it. They are both incredibly capable machines, neither a perfect imitation of real life they have their own 'style'.

 

[BurningLegs]

As above, you don’t really hear owners of either complaining about them!

Have you considered the Kickr Core? It’s the same as last years model, just cheaper and you’re not being guinea pig for new tech...

Having said that, I think the latest Kickr supports a hardwired connection which could be beneficial (when Zwift add support!)

 

[Buck]

Thanks for the quick reply @Milkfloat.

Do you find the Neo relatively quiet? The Vortex is said to be quite noisy but I’ve never noticed that it seems excessively noisy but then I have nothing to compare to!

For the Neo do you find the road feel over cobbles etc good or a gimmick?

 

[CXRAndy]

Out of the two, I would buy the Tacx.

Reason, The V5 still hasn't sorted the major problem of bearings failing after a short period use, especially if you use a high cadence.

The Tacx 2T isn't without problems, a known but much less common bearing issue. It seems quite rare problem, the issue is getting the bearings out of warranty.

The Neo 2 had bigger bearings and are pretty much bomb proof on that front.

Both can have scraping sound due to debris getting inside . It requires flywheel removal and thorough cleaning. simple job

Ive owned both Kickr V1(faultless), V4(2 failed units with bearing failure)

and currently own Neo 2

 

[Buck]

As above, you don’t really hear owners of either complaining about them!

Have you considered the Kickr Core? It’s the same as last years model, just cheaper and you’re not being guinea pig for new tech...

Having said that, I think the latest Kickr supports a hardwired connection which could be beneficial (when Zwift add support!)

Yes, I’ve had a quick look at the Core. Am I right in thinking that the difference apart from price is the maximum resistance and gradient limit if using the Climbr unit?

 

[Buck]

Out of the two, I would buy the Tacx.

Reason, The V5 still hasn't sorted the major problem of bearings failing after a short period use, especially if you use a high cadence.

The Tacx 2T isn't without problems, a known but much less common bearing issue. It seems quite rare problem, the issue is getting the bearings out of warranty.

The Neo 2 had bigger bearings and are pretty much bomb proof on that front.

Both can have scraping sound due to debris getting inside . It requires flywheel removal and thorough cleaning. simple job

cheers Andy - good feedback - thanks for sharing.

 

[Specialeyes]

I have a Neo 2T set up right next to Mrs Spesh's Wahoo Kickr (2018/19 model) and they're both excellent machines. I'd say the Neo is a tiny bit quieter, and I think that partly comes from the heavier flywheel as well as the bearings: once it's rolling, the noise probably seems quieter as it's more even, where you can hear the tremelo of the Kickr a tiny bit more with each pedal stroke.

The Neo also has a better downhill simulation, with an actual positive drive, rather than just a reduction of resistance. I love the road feel feature in Zwift, especially in a long ride, as it just sort of breaks it up a bit. There's a couple of spots where the graphic transition from surface to surface is slightly out of sync, so you ride a few metres on visually smooth tarmac while still 'badum baduming' as if on paving: it all adds to the fun.

I have my Neo resting on 2 half-pipe sections of 4" pipe insuation, around 8" long. The dense foam allows some extra left-to-right movement and the fact they're quite short allows some fore-aft rocking. It's the cheapest "rocker plate" I could think of, at around 50p and I love it!



edit to add: the shed definitely needs a spring clean!!

 

[Milkfloat]

Thanks for the quick reply @Milkfloat.

Do you find the Neo relatively quiet? The Vortex is said to be quite noisy but I’ve never noticed that it seems excessively noisy but then I have nothing to compare to!

For the Neo do you find the road feel over cobbles etc good or a gimmick?

So you are in luck - I used to have a Vortex before the Neo
The difference is night and day, not just the noise but also the feel. The Vortex is significantly louder than the Neo, the loudest noise for my Neo is actually the drive train of the bike. With the Vortex, I used to suffer from slip (wheelspin) as well as it being pretty inaccurate no matter how often I did the calibration. The Neo needs no calibration, in fact you cannot even attempt it. Just get on and ride.
The road feel is a bit of a gimmick, but I leave it turned on anyway. I don't think I would pay extra for it. The downhill drive is quite good, but I use it rarely, only when in a 'super tuck' on Zwift.

The supply of parts for the Neo is very good, previously if you needed to replace bearings out of warranty you had to do quite some work yourself to replace individual bearings. The Neo 2 now has a whole assembly available as a part, very easy to fit.

 

[Aleman]

Garmins support is not as good as Tacx' was

There are a lot of reports on the Tacx Owners Facebook group about issues with the 2 and the 2T, with Garmin taking up to 8 weeks to returna refurbished unit under warranty..

I own a Tacx Neo OG, which I got at a reduced price due to the Neo 2 having just come out. I love it, it's quiet and there is no belt to slip. I did consider the Kicker (because I also wanted the Climb), but the dreaded bearing issue had reared its ugly head and was not going away. The Neo OG isn't faultless as there are some problems with the axle breaking causing a lean and scraping of th edisc on the magnets ... Garmin have no fix for this ... but offer you refurbed 2T for £659 ... There is a chap on the facebook group that produces something called the reAxle (with variants for the OG, 2, 2T) that solves the issue properly ... I'm thinking of getting one Just to avoid the axle issue at all.

 

[Buck]

I have a Neo 2T set up right next to Mrs Spesh's Wahoo Kickr (2018/19 model) and they're both excellent machines. I'd say the Neo is a tiny bit quieter, and I think that partly comes from the heavier flywheel as well as the bearings: once it's rolling, the noise probably seems quieter as it's more even, where you can hear the tremelo of the Kickr a tiny bit more with each pedal stroke.

The Neo also has a better downhill simulation, with an actual positive drive, rather than just a reduction of resistance. I love the road feel feature in Zwift, especially in a long ride, as it just sort of breaks it up a bit. There's a couple of spots where the graphic transition from surface to surface is slightly out of sync, so you ride a few metres on visually smooth tarmac while still 'badum baduming' as if on paving: it all adds to the fun.

I have my Neo resting on 2 half-pipe sections of 4" pipe insuation, around 8" long. The dense foam allows some extra left-to-right movement and the fact they're quite short allows some fore-aft rocking. It's the cheapest "rocker plate" I could think of, at around 50p and I love it!

View attachment 580435

edit to add: the shed definitely needs a spring clean!!

Thanks for this. Love the rocker plate 😁

 

[Soltydog]

I have a Neo 2 & Kickr V5. TBH there's not much between them I've had the Neo 2 for around 2 years & I'm onto my 4th unit Customer service is very poor imo, my first one failed just before lockdown last year & it took 4 weeks to get a new replacement unit, that lasted about 6 months before failing & again it took around 4 weeks to recieve a replacement unit, this time I got a recon unit rather than new & it was faulty out of the box Only saving grace was this time the turnround time was only 2 weeks, but my LBS had a delivery of Kickrs so I bought one. The last replacement Neo I got has been used for no more than 5 hours, I'm keeping it as a back up now, as I spend that much time using the turbo I'd hate to be without one now. The road feel on the Neo was annoying to me, so turned off after the first ride, but I do like the little bit of movement in the Neo, especially when doing longer sessions.
I use the Kickr all the time & have done over 6k zwift miles on it with no issues. I use it with a rocker plate to give a little more movement, as I found it too rigid after using the Neo. Another thing I find with the Kickr is, when using ERG mode in workouts, the power level & changes is much smoother than the Neo.

If I was in the market for a new unit & could only have the one, I'd probably go for the Kickr & save a few quid

 

[Legs]

I've only ever ridden my Neo 2T, but it's absolutely the mutt's nuts! I'd agree about road feel being a bit of a gimmick, but it all helps to relieve the tedium of turbo-training and make it a bit more immersive.

 

[Norry1]

Having used a very cheap dumb turbo for several years, I finally upgraded to the NEO 2T a few months ago. I have nothing to compare it to but I really like it. I don't plug it in so there is no cable to worry about which is nice. I haven't even tried the road feel, so can't comment on that.

 

[Buck]

Thanks for all your advice guys. I should be picking up my new Neo 2T tomorrow