Vixen Posted February 9, 2017 Share I am looking at buying either the Tacx Neo or Wahoo Kickr indoor trainers but can't make up my mind. I like the fact that the Neo is so silent which is important but otherwise they both look good. I would appreciate any positive and negative experiences to help me decide.Thanks. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thisismyotherbike Posted February 9, 2017 Share The honest truth is you can't go wrong with either, they are both excellent trainers. I went with the Neo, as I live in a simplex and my training room is on top of my neighbor's little boy's bedroom. It is ridiculously quiet. You literally hear your chainset's sound (which can be made quieter through having it in perfect tune and cleaning/oiling the chain often). It's only when you ride really fast that the noise becomes such that you can't watch TV, but that can be overcome by switching to a larger cog at the back while riding in ERG mode. The beauty of ERG mode is it will set the power to the required level whatever gear you are in. You can be spinning at a cadence of 120 and pushing 1000 Watts; while in real life this would mean you were on your big chainring and smallest gear at the back ERG mode will simulate this precise effort for you on a large gear to make it much quieter. Both trainers have ERG mode. I must say that when I made my purchase the New Kicker (Kicker II, 2016 Kicker, they haven't really given it a new name. It's the one with the convenient handle for carry) wasn't available in SA yet. That is significantly quieter than the original kicker and I may just have gone for that at the right price. Really comes down to three things1. Neo is still a bit quieter than Kicker II. Not by much. You could watch TV with the Neo, probably need headphones for the Kickr.2. Neo simulates "real world" peddling better by swinging from side to side slightly. It also simulates different road surfaces like cobbles or gravel very well. Kicker remains perfectly flat. You might not like the flex you see on your expensive carbon frame chainstay with the Kickr. I actually don't like the swinging on the Neo. It's great when sitting down, but when you get out of the saddle it just swings way too much compared to real life and I struggle to put the power down.3. Price. Unless noise and the swinging make or break the decision for you, I'd say go with the best deal you can find on either. If both cost the same, go for the Neo. It offers slightly more. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NeoOne Posted February 9, 2017 Share I own the Neo, and had Kickr for about a week. They're both awesome bits of kit and simulate real world feel equally well. I sent the Wahoo back because of the whining noise from the belt as it does get loud on a wooden floor above 250W. Its easy to setup either of the two units, but I prefer the noise reduction and the fact that you dont need re-calibrate the trainer every ride. I haven't had to use Tacx after sales service or to troubleshoot anything yet, so maybe check with other users for that perspective. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slowbee Posted February 9, 2017 Share can you put a mtn bike on these things ? what about an old old dualie mtn bike ? will the "pop" affect the unit? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christian van Zyl Posted February 14, 2017 Share can you put a mtn bike on these things ? what about an old old dualie mtn bike ? will the "pop" affect the unit?Only the KICKR is MTB compatible. Neo is road bike only. Also consider that the KICKR comes with a cadence sensor and a 11spd cassette included. PLUS you get amazing support on Wahoo locally. You can search the threads vs TACX. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
igg Posted February 14, 2017 Share Only the KICKR is MTB compatible. Neo is road bike only. What makes the Neo road bike only? It's supposed to come with a 135mm spacer, and you can get a 142x12 conversion kit. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capricorn Posted February 14, 2017 Share What makes the Neo road bike only? It's supposed to come with a 135mm spacer, and you can get a 142x12 conversion kit. plenty users on the tacx forums using Neo with their MTBs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Christian van Zyl Posted February 20, 2017 Share What makes the Neo road bike only? It's supposed to come with a 135mm spacer, and you can get a 142x12 conversion kit. plenty users on the tacx forums using Neo with their MTBs. Quick release only. We found that 80% of of our KICKR sales for MTB uses through axle. The trainer will be around for a couple of years where bike change often. Your trainer should be "future proof". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Capricorn Posted February 20, 2017 Share Only the KICKR is MTB compatible. Neo is road bike only. Quick release only. I hope you realize that's not what you initially claimed. Context is important, clearly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garfield2010 Posted February 20, 2017 Share I have ridden my Kickr for about 2 years and love every minute of it. The reason I went with the Kickr is because Tax software was known to have major issues back then. I assume the Neo has sorted that out and you can make use of all the other apps out there. I my Kickr broke today I would buy one again. I also suggest you use Trainerroad, Virtual Trainer and or Zwift as software for it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
plane^driver Posted February 22, 2017 Share Id like to ad the Cycleops Hammer to this discussion. Initially I wanted to get the Neo but Chain Reaction dont have stock but they do have the Hammer its also cheaper. Ive read lots of reviews about all three and they do see to be very closely matched.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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