Mind sharing where you see the Vortex Smart for $300?

Not the OP, but bike-discount.de has it for 302 + shipping while the "TDF" branded one (it believe it is the same except it is yellow and includes a tablet holder) is 298 plus shipping

http://www.bike-discount.de/...rtrskCFYmuvAodExsIPA


http://www.bike-discount.de/en/buy/tacx-proform-vortex-smart-t2180-tdf-edition-holder-for-tablet-t2092-475905


The exchange rate means the price is variable, when I bought the regular one from them earlier this month it was $296 (US dollar) plus $22 shipping. Unfortunately shipping from Germany is painfully slow so it was shipped 15 days and it hasn't arrived yet.

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Matt

When I looked into this the Vortex Smart was not a consideration because the resistance unit has only half the power of the one on the Snap. I know at least for me I can exceed the capacity of the Smart, which is never a good thing if you want a trainer to last for at least a decade.

I'm currently using a Kurt kinetic with pro flywheel. I really like the road feel of the high inertia.

Has anyone compared a Kurt kinetic and tacx vortex? The price of te vortex is really good and I quite fancy trying erg mode in trainerroad. I am worried though it might feel a bit like the trainer I had before the Kurt, which had a tiny flywheel and the ride was very choppy.

When you ride in erg mode the road feel is gone because as soon as you slow down just a little the trainer will start cranking up the resistance. That's how erg mode works. That's all good as long as you are pedaling at a fixed cadence but say you are stretching the legs by standing up, your cadence will drop and the resistance goes up, and you'll have to work against that resistance to speed back up. So inertia doesn't play a role in erg mode, but it makes a big difference in a other modes with a resistance curve, or riding courses where you can maintain speed and still stretch the legs out.

DC Rainmaker seems to really like the Tacx especially given the price point. Pulled the trigger on one yesterday on Amazon for $500.

Agreed, his endorsement is worth a lot, though various folks' beefs with Tacx's hardware, software, and customer service worry me a little.

Did you consider the bike-discount and probikekit offerings of the same trainer at about ~$330 shipped?

I don't see that for $330 US from either of those retailers.

Ok did find it for close to that from that Dutch bike discount store. If mine hadn't already shipped today I would have canceled and saved the nearly $200. Wow that's a good deal!

I ended up going with a Snap for a few reasons:

-nervous the vortex would end up being weak (I'm no beast, but my kg is up there helping my FTP look more beastly, lol)
-worried vortex inertia was too low
-wahoo seemed to support kickr well from observations
-price was closer in the US, scared to deal with support issues ordering Tacx via EU (partly because I've seen some Tacx issues on various forums)
-wahoo tended to have more app sport, but the main apps seem to work fine on both (at least if you're ok using ANT to control). I've been using an iPad or iPhone more lately and always needing that ant dongle was annoying, so More open BLE of Wahoo seemed like a positive.

So far the snap seems quieter than my Kurt and I think I notice a generally different feel due to the flywheel. Now I notice my drivetrain may be dirtier and need a slight adjustment due to the quiet :)

Can't say much about hardware but for software you have solutions from other vendors for every need: Zwift for game like environment and races, TrainerRoad/PerfPro/etc for workouts, Veloreality for best videos/group riding etc. etc.

I'm a newbie to trainers...so I can control the trainer through an app installed on an iPhone or iPad, sounds like there's an ANT+ dongle that comes with the trainer that enables this connection, or does it work via Bluetooth already integrated into the phone? And if I wanted to use a computer to control it and do more sophisticated things with it, I could use something like Zwift instead, or I could get the Tacx PC software and hardware (http://www.probikekit.com/...ftware/11166737.html), which seems to have some issues, so I'm assuming I'm better off with something like TrainerRoad or Zwift?

Sorry if I'm asking silly questions, help appreciated!

All I am saying that if there is a concern then there are solutions from many vendors (us Veloreality included). Whatever is "better" is up to you. Every worthy vendor will give you trial period or equivalent of to play with their product and see if you like it and all of them support that new ANT FE-C protocol where hardware allows.

Yep, makes sense, and I appreciate your input. So to be able to control the Vector Smart from my iPhone or my PC laptop, am I correct that I'd need to acquire an ANT+ Lighting-compatible adapter for the iPhone or an ANT+ USB adapter to be able to use the PC? Or should that come packaged with the trainer? I can't seem to find that information on any of the sites selling it or the manufacturer site.

Also, and this may qualify as a dumb question, but do I need a trainer skewer to put my Specialized Roubaix on the trainer? Can't figure out whether that comes with the trainer either. Assuming not, it's cheap enough, but another dumb question--not finding the specs for what skewer length I need, I'm thinking there's a 150mm norm, but wouldn't 10-speed (which I have) and 11-speed differ?

Having just researched this myself... i personally found it a bit confusing but i can answer a few questions. The Vector does not come with the Ant+ adapter, that has to be purchased separately. I'm hoping my generic Ant+ adapter i purchased last year to use with my powertap also works with the Vector.

The skewer "should" come with the trainer but if it didn't i would order the tacx skewer as it appears to be shaped a bit differently than some other trainer skewers. I just ordered the TDF version of the Vector from bike-discount.de and they state it does come with the skewer... i honestly can't imagine any trainer shipping without a trainer skewer but we'll see when it arrives. And no 10 speed and 11 speed are the same width, they're both 130 mm, 11 speed uses a narrower chain which lets them pack the cogs a bit closer together.

That's helpful. To be clear, I don't need an ANT+ adapter to control the trainer with an iPhone or an iPad, because they use Bluetooth, but I would need one to control it with a PC, right?

Almost correct. Bluetooth is supported by few vendors on PC as well but way less comparatively to the support for ANT+. So on PC side you'd have more choice if you go ANT+ road.

I picked up the Tacx Vortex Smart. Unboxed, updated software and started riding. Works awesome! Feels as solid as my old Cyclops fluid 2 in construction.I am very pleased. Trainerroad has never been so much fun.

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You can't fix stupid ..

Thanks, all clear now! This is a brave new world for me, appreciate all the insights. Ended up ordering the Tacx Smart Vortex, couldn't justify spending more than twice as much on the Kickr Snap.

I've been riding with a vortex smart for over two months now and couldn't be happier with itI The Vortex Smart definitely offers a lot more than its price point might suggest.

enjoy.

I can't say anything about the Snap as I have never tried one. I DO own a Tacx Bushido Smart and a Kurt Kinetic. I use my trainer primarily on Zwift and Trainer Road.

Tacx Pros - Cheap, I got mine $600 USD from Starbike shipped. Quiet, with a Tacx trainer tire it is nearly silent. There are LOTS of software options for the ANT+FE-C Tacx Trainers. The Tacx Real Life Videos are great to mix it up.

Tacx Cons- Flywheel is obsolete essentially in the Bushido so there is almost no coasting (this really isn't an issue but it does affect the feel a bit)... Tacx customer support wasn't the best when I thought I had an issue (turns out it was Trainer Road's software)

Trainer Road and Zwift are BOTH having issues with ERG mode an ANT+FE-C ... they basically can't command an exact target wattage. I am in contact with both developers trying to help figure this out. It's not the end of the world as it still kind of works, but it's far from ideal. I wouldn'y buy a Tacx for ERG purposes solely.

Overall I am very happy with the Tacx. I think the protocol stuff will be sorted out on the software sooner than later. The SIM mode works flawlessly in Zwift and that was my biggest reason for buying it.

EDIT: I should mention that I bought a rear wheel style trainer so I could continue to utilize my powertap hub numbers during winter. I have been happy that with a proper spindown my Tacx's numbers are very close to my powertap #s... but without a frame of reference I would be off a lot of the time as the spindowns don't always seem to work properly. Food for though.

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"4 wheels move the body, 2 wheels move the soul"

Just ordered the Kickr over the Neo. I'm in NZ and frankly the thought of dealing with what appears to be deeply substandard customer support at this distance from anywhere really doesn't appeal. Very much looking forward to what I anticipate being a far more effective indoor training tool than my Jet Fluid Pro - which has given me very significant but "dumb" benefit in the last four years. Strong possibility of an addition to the family this year so getting the most out of the least time I can is a must.

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Does anyone know if the Tacx Vortex Smart works with Cyclops Virtual Trainer? It's not listed in the CVT compatible smart trainers list, but I can't see why it wouldn't if it's ANT+FE-C compliant.