I have a first gen kicker, picked it up off here last October, have around 150 hours on it and no issues, I have TR as well and it works as advertised. It is the only smart trainer I have owned, but I would buy one again tomorrow if I had to.

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Ask me how much I love my Kiwami LD Aero Trisuit

Thanks for the info.

I have been using a Kicker2 for the past 3 months. I like it.

Isn't the price spread between flux and kickr usually $300 or so? Looks like you are getting a good deal on the Flux. I would lean that way. The $500 (or $200 savings) goes a long way in TR or other subscriptions.

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Get the Kickr. I had the Gen 1 and now the Gen 2 Kickr. I love mine.

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Make Inside Out Sports your next online tri shop! http://www.insideoutsports.com/

I know the smart move is probably the Kickr2 or Hammer, but honestly the Neo is the greatest piece of machinery I've invested in for triathlon. I think the biggest reason to opt for the Neo over the Kickr/Hammer is if you plan on utilizing Zwift or some other virtual training platform (such as Tacx Software).

Long rides on the Neo are absolutely incredible. There are sections of Zwift with quick rolling hills that the simulated downhill makes feel unbelievable. Road patterns are "neat" but kind of gimmicky in my opinion--though I'm thinking this could be upgraded through firmware updates down the road.

The Neo is so quiet (as long as you clean your drivetrain regularly) that you kind of forget you're sweating away indoors. It just disappears when you're riding, which is exactly what I need to make indoor riding more enjoyable--for the trainer to disappear.

Some cons:
It's a heavy mother fucker and pretty awkward to carry. I travel a lot for work by car, and I take it and my bike with me usually. It's a pain in the ass to haul into a hotel room, but if you get one of those luggage carts, it's so heavy you won't worry about it tipping over. It's expensive

It's expensive. But if you're like me and plan on actually using it, it's worth it. I've logged 5,000 miles (on Zwift) since Nov. 2016 on the thing. It's bombproof.

Let me know if you have any questions about it!

I just got a hammer. Upgraded from Powerbeam.

So far it's awesome. I looked at Tacx Neo and Flux, but quality control left a lot to be desired. Plus not based in US I worried about warranty replacement being readily available.

Stuck with Cycleops as their customer service has always been top notch. Plus still made in US.

I also considered Kickr and Elite Drivo. Ultimately I found a good deal on the Hammer that sealed the deal.

Not to derail the conversation, but does the second gen Kickr fold down small enough to slide under a couch? Roughly 6 in or so?

Nope.
If you lay it on it's side I think it is still around 10 inches wide.

+1 I love my Neo and am glad to take ownership of one when they first came out. I've had no issues, I have logged roughly 700h on it and it's still going strong.

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"Train so you have no regrets @ the finish line"

+1

I also got the Hammer so I could have customer service/warranty service in my own country. I got it right around the time all of the Flux issues were happening. I'm sure the Flux issues have been fixed, but having the company in my home country make me feel more at peace. Plus, it's an awesome piece of equipment!

any idea on the accuracy of the power readings?

How well does it react to cadence changes on erg mode? Does it give smooth intervals?

I've found it to run a bit off from my PT P1 pedals, generally around 12 watts. This was also before the most recent firmware update (I've been off the bike for 3 months) but I just take the reading off my pedals anyway, that way I can duplicate the accuracy outside.

I can't speak to the erg mode too much, I think I only used that mode twice before my break.

I friggin LOVE my Tacx Neo. I LOVE IT.

Its extremely quiet (your breath is louder than the trainer)
The power changes are on point (great when you do intervals)
Software updates (like a Mac, so your system always stays current)
Zero maintenance so far
Road-feel simulation is VERY good

I have no used other direct-drive trainers but I'm very happy with my NEO

I have close to 800hrs of operation

It's super close to my quarq. Maybe +/- 5 watts overall. Good enough for me.

And I find it super smooth. It gets power up to intervals super fast without being jarring. Likewise adapts to cadence changes super fast but without feeling like you hit a brick wall.

thanks.

Just ordered a Neo.

I have a gen 1 Kickr. No issues. it's great. But, if in your situation and if I were getting a new trainer, at this time the Neo is the one I'd get. See DC Rainmaker's reviews on the Neo and other trainers where he referenced the Neo.

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wovebike.com | Wove on instagram

I want to upgrade but my PowerBeam just...will...not...die! I'm thinking of getting a Hammer when they have their next 25% trade-in sale. I've had superb customer service from Cyclops in the past and believe that is worth the additional 5 decibels that the Hammer emits over the Tacx Neo. Either will be much quieter than my old smart trainer.

My powerbeam resistance unit just died, so I bought a Hammer to replace it. Will try sending back to Cycleops, so I could give the powerbeam away. Hammer is great so far!

My first one died about 1 week after the 1 year warranty ended...which Cyclops honored anyway. At the time, Cyclops was making a huge upgrade and they sent me - at no charge - a temporary mag trainer - then the brand new Powerbeam Pro a couple of months later. I don't even recall how many years ago that was. I ended up with 2 heart rate straps and 2 head units although I still use the old one (a yellow Joule 3). The noise improvement on the new direct drive units is the attraction along with more granularity in the ERG mode setting (sometimes 10 watts is a big jump).

I've owned a Hammer since April. There are two issues and if you search on Zwiftblog and DC Rainmaker's review, I'm not the only one to experience this. On certain sections in Zwift where there is a downgrade followed by a sudden incline, ie: the downhill leading into the Radio Tower or the Escalator in London, power will drop to zero and sometimes the avatar will stop and unclip. In a Zwift race it would mean losing contact and never coming back, I don't race (yet) on Zwift so it's merely a nuisance. I run my Stages power meter with it now and it solves the problem though, so would any crank or pedal based power meter.
There are lag issues as well, again noticeable when you hit the Escalator. It doesn't kick in fast enough and the trainer stats ''tight'' for a couple seconds even when you're on the flat ground after the grade.
Saris is aware of the problems and they have been working on the issues for a while now, I'm holding out hope but it is getting worrying that they may never fix them. Like I said the Stages solved it and the minor lag doesn't bother me, but having to buy another power meter as a work around sucked. Luckily I got the Hammer for a great deal though.
I also tested my Stages against the Hammer, and the Hammer read consistently lower, around 20-30 watts across the curve. I always thought through my RPE when I did intervals that the Hammer was lower than my other power meters, and my suspicion was correct. I tested 2 of my Power Tap hubs against my Stages and they both read about 10ish watts lower, which I expected as they are hub based and tend to read a bit lower than at the crank anyway.
If they can get the bugs worked out it is a great machine though, pretty quiet and built like a tank. There was an update recently for a better advanced spin down, but I haven't retested yet.

I'll watch for those updates although I haven't ever used Zwift and have no interest in it.

Aside from a couple people experiencing a popping noise, the only issues are when using Zwift. I should have mentioned that. It works perfectly doing an erg workout, although I only tested that once as I don't like it.

Me + ERG + Action Movie = Best way to train and suffer. :)

Hammer has great transition in power (ex: 150w to 240w) compared to the powerbeam pro. The ramp up is a lot quicker and smoother