I used to have a KK Road Machine and I did like it but upgraded to a Kickr SNAP just about 6 months ago. For me it was worth it because I can do workouts in ERG mode (much harder) and also when I ride on Zwift it adjusts the tension based on the terrain/gradients. Basically it makes it much more fun to ride for me since I do 90% of my riding indoors.

If you don't ride much inside or care about the ERG mode or adjustments to terrain then I would skip it. I could go back to my KK but I would miss the things that I just mentioned.

I got mine at REI during their 20% off sale they do a couple of times a year and it ended up being $480 before tax. Not bad and I have not had any problems with it at all.

I guess just like anything depends on your goals. I own a Kickr V2 and love it as I upgraded from the same CycleOps trainer you have now. It's certainly not necessary, but I train inside half the year due to weather in Pittsburgh so it gives me a smoother ride, more options for workouts and as some may dispute, accurate results.

The automatic control of the resistance and/or setting a power wattage to work at automatically is worth it for me. Couple all that with TrainerRoad and you can really get serious about improving. However, if you don't plan on using it consistently then spend the money on something else.

Fitness gains? No

Other advantages? Yes, some have a power meter and other technology. If you know what you are doing, you can make your trainer rides more efficient.

The 'smart' trainers can help give that feedback on effort. Before I owned a smart trainer, I found that I tended to go too easy on my trainer workouts (e.g., I would have a hard time getting my HR up). The smart trainers (and Trainer road) help to keep my effort levels up!

what's worth it to me may or may not be worth it to another person? I think ERG mode is nice but you can certainly train well without it.

It depends how you intend to use it.
There are 4 basic types in my view, although they are possibly not this clearly separated in reality:

1. Cheap dumb trainer
2. High quality dumb trainer
3. Basic "smart" trainer (some electronics but specifically power output, however no ERG mode or other external resistance control)
4. Controllable smart trainer with basic resistance unit/flywheel (often a basic mag resistance unit with small flywheel and may not have a true power meter)
5. High-end Controllable smart trainer (good power accuracy and good quality resistance unit with good inertia or electronic simulation of same)

I use a KK Road Machine which I would put in group 2 above. I use it mostly in combination with Zwift for which it works very well. It's very robust, relatively quite and feels good. I don't see any benefit, but several cons in moving to group 3. Group 4 would offer some nice benefits like the option to use ERG mode and simulate hills when using Zwift. However on the downside, potentially less stable and robust and feel less smooth to ride (limited inertia). I've tried ERG mode once on a friends trainer and didn't enjoy it but that's not to say there are not training benefits or that I wouldn't get used to it. Group 5 should provide the combination of good pedalling feel with good stability/robustness, accurate power data and control with good simulation of gradients.

If you can afford it, and you expect to use the trainer frequently, I'd go for group 2 at least. After that, it depends whether you want to use it with software and if so, what your priorities are. As is so often the case, there is no right answer for everyone.

x2 For me, it is far and away the best feature. Just set it and grind.

The Tacx Neo and Zwift are probably the best things to ever happen to my cycling.

what's limiting you on your current trainer? if it's boredom - which is usually the case - i doubt the fancier machines are going to change that.

Cyclops is about to go start a promo for trainer trade ins March 17-27th for 20% off Magnus or Hammer at dealers.

Agreed, though I would amend this statement to say they are the best thing to happen to my indoor cycling.

I had a KICKR with no Zwift and truly hated riding indoors. NEO plus Zwift has been a game changer for me. I actually look forward to my indoor workouts now. A month or two into indoor workouts, I hit a new max HR (192 vs 186 on the road) - I think because I can go so deep on the trainer and not have to worry about toppling over on my real bike outdoors.

If you are going to ride indoors with any frequency, then the #1 hardware contributor to your experience will be the trainer. Well maybe that and your saddle. But the point is, not much else matters - wheels don't matter at all, di2 becomes practically irrelevant... If it wasn't so easy to get my bike in and out of my NEO, I might consider getting an old beater bike and just hooking it up permanently.

The software component is important, but luckily is pretty cheap - ~$10/month for Zwift, Trainer Road... If you really need to justify the expense, remember that you don't go through tires/tubes/sealant on the trainer. And you don't have to clean your bike nearly as often.

So if you're only riding indoors a bit, then sure, it's harder to justify spending a lot of money on a trainer. But if you are going to be on it a good bit, then save money elsewhere and get a NEO.

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Amateur recreational hobbyist cyclist
https://www.strava.com/athletes/337152
https://vimeo.com/user11846099

Going from staring at my blank wall to playing on Zwift with power/HR/cadence/zones/other cyclists was a game changer for me others are content on Trainer Road.

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Madison photographer Timothy Hughes | Instagram

In typical ST style, this question never got answered and went way off topic (If I'm reading your question correctly)

I haven't rode your trainer, but I have rode several other mag trainers, some wind trainers, lots of fluid trainers, and a couple of high end smart trainers.

There is not a lot of difference between the mag and fluid trainers when it comes to smoothness. The more expensive trainers are a little quieter and may last longer, but it really comes down to construction and features. Both the smart trainers I've ridden were identical in smoothness and construction quality to my KK Road Fluid trainer, which supports my opinion that the KK and Cyclops fluid trainers are the sweet spot of the non-smart trainer.

If your mag trainer is working fine, you don't mind the control on the handlebar, and you are not going to jump to a smart trainer I wouldn't change.

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"...the street finds its own uses for things"

Different perspective to go against the grain...My own experience was a definitive "no." I found the ride quality of a Kickr Snap noticeably worse than my Jet Fluid Pro. If you are going to the next level, the ride quality should be better. But, I also personally didn't like ERG mode or controlling resistance on the trainer and prefer to do so by shifting. And, since I already have P1s, I didn't need another power reading and having another one was overkill. I switched back to my Jet Fluid, saved $400 and couldn't be happier.

I feel like it has made a big difference. I purchased a used fluid trainer and had a dedicated 10s wheel that I'd swap on whenever riding. My coach liked to incorporate alot of low cadence sets into the workouts and being a larger guy, I couldn't get the trainer to give enough force to allow me to stay in the correct power zone for the lower cadence. Once I switched to a smart one, I simply put it in during ERG mode and I was given the correct resistance at the right cadence. It may not be a huge difference, but as a type "a" person it made me feel like I was doing to workout correctly.

I'm in the market for a smart trainer. Why is a Neo better than a Kickr or CycleOps, especially on Zwift?

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Zen and the Art of Triathlon. Strava Workout Log
Interviews with Chris McCormack, Helle Frederikson, Angela Naeth, and many more.
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For me, the NEO has about as good of a "road feel" as any trainer I've ever used. It feels more natural than my KICKR1 felt (I have not tried the KICKR2). I find it to be extremely stable and it tracks very very nicely with my Rotor 2Inpower crank-based PM. But since you mentioned Zwift, the NEO's ability to re-create the feeling of cobbles and wood planks is super cool and just adds to the immersive experience. In Zwift's workout mode, the road feel is turned off and every time I approach cobbles or the wood planks in workout mode, it just feels "off" as I am expecting that realistic feeback through the pedals. Also, the NEO does not require any warm-up, calibration, spin-down, etc. Finally, it has just enough side-to-side flex (not as much as a Rock-N-Roll, but it's there) that it feels more comfortable and natural than a rigid trainer.

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Amateur recreational hobbyist cyclist
https://www.strava.com/athletes/337152
https://vimeo.com/user11846099