Buy a Kickr Core (which I have) which is a Kickr 2017. If you want the new Kickr check out DCR's review. IMHO save yourself some money and get the Core, its .5lb lighter flywheel (from what I recall) and no legs. I used to have an Elite Direto and its wonderful. I cannot say anything about the Tacx because I have never owned or ridden one.

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"see the world as it is not as you want it to be"

I had an Elite Direto for 3 years and it developed issues that seem to be in a fair amount of this trainer.

I replaced it with a Kickr Core and so far it's an improvement from the Elite.

My only suggestion is buy a trainer from a bike shop or brick and mortar that will help you with any issues.

You're buying a piece of equipment that will see a lot of repetitive use.

I was stuck emailing Italy, waiting for responses with the time change and language barrier. They never gave me a US rep to deal with or to send my unit to for repairs, even at my expense.

The Neo is a garmin product no? I'd do a search on garmin customer service.

.....same as un lucky. I had a Elite Direto that was perfect for 3 years, belt snapped and can't get a replacement belt to stay on the unit now. Fortunately and going above and beyond, Elite is sending me a replacement unit. I actually posted this exact same question here on ST a week ago and the answer was a split between the Wahoo and Neo 2T......although all the responses about the 2T were a solid positive about the unit itself......so I ended up ordering/reserving a Neo 2T from BicycleDoctor out of the classifieds - due in beginning of March. Do a search on Tact Neo Wahoo and the thread should show up.

I too had belt issues on a Direto. I bought from an online shop based in Australia. For warranty issues I had a protracted period of translating Italian to English and multiple attempts at replacing belts. After a couple of months Elite agreed to a replacement. I came to an agreement with the bike shop to replace with a Tacx Neo with a small cash adjustment. This was good move. I've had the Neo for a bit over two years with absolutely no issues. There are no belts to degrade/misalign. There is no requirement to calibrate.

I did a lot of research earlier this year and settled with the Neo 2T back in May. I haven't used a Kickr, but I am so far extremely happy with my purchase. I've put about 450 hours on it so far and it's rock solid. I have not had any issues, and I do feel I have done a good job of beating it up a bit. It feels great and is super responsive.

There probably isn't a major difference between the two in terms of use. They're both incredible units. The difference is the Neo is a true, direct drive virtual flywheel, unlike the Kickr. The technology is the next gen tech for trainers. Wahoo's Kickr Bike even uses this newer tech to create a virtual flywheel. I'm sure the next gen Kickr will switch over to this and ditch the belt driven flywheel altogether.

In addition, it looks like most virtual racing leagues are having the pro circuits solely ran on Neo 2T's. What this means, couldn't tell ya, but that's what's happening

You won't be disappointed in either, but as a user of the Neo 2T, it is well worth the money

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Strava

trifil wrote:

I am ready to purchase a higher end smart trainer. Any suggestions or feedback on the Tacx Neo 2t or Wahoo Kickr would be appreciated?

here is my recent post although I was asking about the Kickr Core and 2T. I was looking at of the 2T was worth the additional cost over the Core. Like I mentioned above, ended up ordering a 2T.

https://forum.slowtwitch.com/forum/Slowtwitch_Forums_C1/Triathlon_Forum_F1/Looks_like_I_need_a_new_trainer%3A_Wahoo_KICKR_CORE_or_Tacx_Neo_2T_P7450285/?search_string=mkirk#p7450285

This almost exact question has been asked at least 1/2 dozen times in the last year or so. There is no wrong choice. Here's my standard post on this question. I had a KICKR. I have a Neo 2. Both are best. They differences are personal preference. Here is my decision tree.

• Tacx if you do you Zwift and road surface simulation is important.
• KICKR if you do Zwift and climb simulation is important.
• Tacx if L/R pedal balance is important
• KICKR if you need to move it around often. (Tacx is ungainly and harder to move & setup.)
• Tacx if you stand & do power intervals often. (Tacx allows slight side-to-side sway which is a huge feel improvement.)
• KICKR (or 2T) if the virtual tire slip would drive you nuts.
• Tacx if working unplugged is important.
• KICKR if power accuracy at high flywheel speed is important.
• Tacx if you dig the glowing, color changing LED.

Thank you for all of the insight and feedback on this topic. This is what I was looking for.

Thanks again, PJ

I have a Kickr core and a Tacx Flux S. The Core is mine and the Tacx was for my 12yo daughter. Although we needed to swap so she is riding the Core and I am now on the Tacx. I know the Tacx Flux S is not exactly the same one you were looking at but a few things I have noticed between the two brands.

You can really notice the flywheel weight difference between the Core and Tacx. I think the Tacx is 2lbs heavier. There seems to be a 10-20w different feel. When doing a workout, 235W on the Tacx always feels like a harder effort than 235W on the Kickr. This is the reason my daughter is riding the Core. At her lower power output she can really notice the extra effort needed on the Tacx.

I really like the threaded bike mount inserts on the Tacx. The kickr core inserts just sit in the axle and are very loose and it takes a bit to get the bike in the perfect spot when mounting. I have had the mount shift ever so slightly during a ride causing a minor indexing issue that is very annoying

The Tacx seems slightly more stable than the Core and it is smoother spinning that is nice.

We both prefer riding on the core. The power seems smoother and it just seems to interact better with Zwift. Although the differences are all very minor Id go for the Kickr core again over the Tacx.