Which smart trainer?

[uclown2002]

Neo without question; quietest, most accurate; no calibration required; road feel; downhill assistance and not prone to temperature fluctuations like others.

 

[Winnershsaint]

The elite direto is £600 now. Great reviews.

 

[Gary E]

Neo without question; quietest, most accurate; no calibration required; road feel; downhill assistance and not prone to temperature fluctuations like others.

I'm in the market for a new smart trainer and the Neo is high on my list.
On a real ride I'll often push hard towards the top of a climb because I know I can get my breath back on the decent. Unfortunately if you don't keep pedalling downhill on Zwift you'll soon come to a standstill. Is the downhill assist on the Neo a good approximation of the real world? Will you actually pick up speed without pedalling going downhill?

 

[CXRAndy]

Is it effected if you reduce the realism on Zwift?

I'm in the market for a new smart trainer and the Neo is high on my list.
On a real ride I'll often push hard towards the top of a climb because I know I can get my breath back on the decent. Unfortunately if you don't keep pedalling downhill on Zwift you'll soon come to a standstill. Is the downhill assist on the Neo a good approximation of the real world? Will you actually pick up speed without pedalling going downhill?

That is incorrect. I've freewheeled off the Alpe Zwift and Pretzel for long periods and the speed doesn't stop. I've also followed riders who have freewheeled virtually all the way down the mountains and only begin to slow when the gradient flattens out. Zwift's avatar even puts you into aggressive aero position whilst not pedalling. You pick up speed dependant on gradient and weight. Btw I use a Wahoo Kickr , which doesn't have downhill assist

 

[Gary E]

That is incorrect. I've freewheeled off the Alpe Zwift and Pretzel for long periods and the speed doesn't stop. I've also followed riders who have freewheeled virtually all the way down the mountains and only begin to slow when the gradient flattens out. Zwift's avatar even puts you into aggressive aero position whilst not pedalling. You pick up speed dependant on gradient and weight. Btw I use a Wahoo Kickr , which doesn't have downhill assist

I know that the rider (on Zwift) takes a while to slow down but that doesn't stop your wheel from stopping on the trainer if you don't keep pedalling which means that Zwift reads your speed as zero. You certainly lose speed faster than in the real world. Basically what I'm asking is, does the downhill assist on the Neo mimic real life? (i.e. do you gain speed on a steep decline).

 

[CXRAndy]

Yes I do

 

[Milzy]

Also if my wife wants to use the smart trainer should she just use my accounts? I don’t want her work outs linking to my Strava mind.
What’s the best approach?

 

[Milkfloat]

When I share my account I just tell the user not to save at the end of the workout. If by accident they do, then I just delete it from strava.

 

[Milzy]

When I share my account I just tell the user not to save at the end of the workout. If by accident they do, then I just delete it from strava.

Quality, things are looking up.

 

[Milkfloat]

I know that the rider (on Zwift) takes a while to slow down but that doesn't stop your wheel from stopping on the trainer if you don't keep pedalling which means that Zwift reads your speed as zero. You certainly lose speed faster than in the real world. Basically what I'm asking is, does the downhill assist on the Neo mimic real life? (i.e. do you gain speed on a steep decline).

The downhill assist for me does not seem to do much, it just makes my freehub give it’s usual purr. There is no reason why a trainer without downhill assist should change Zwift’s algorithm, Zwift should be able to work out based on rider weight and bike setup what gravity value to use.