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.

Nailed it. Only thing I would change is:

• KICKR if you do Zwift, climb simulation is important, and you plan on purchasing a KICKR Climb.
  

Neo simulates up to 25% so the only advantage of the KICKR is KICKR + Climb.

The slight side-to-side movement on the Neo is what converted me to a Neo.

I have not tried the Neo, but have been an early adopter of both the KICKR and Zwift.
If you're happy with the KICKR, not sure why you feel a need to change. It's accurate, reliable, and dependable. That's pretty much all you need.

I've used both a fair amount, it really comes down to individual factors and preferences. I like the ease of use of the Neo's but if sold at the same price I think it is a very individual decision. Customer service doesn't seem to be any better with one over the other in my experience.

Given a fully functional version of either (not a given) I'm personally happy with either one. I've tried the Climb and it doesn't interest me, so that doesn't factor into my decision, I do like the rocking of the Neo (when they don't squeak, also not a given) but you can make any of them rock if you really want to set it up that way.

Lets put it this way... wahoo is moving to replicate the magnet drive system of the neo.

I went neo as it allowed slight lateral sway, and the big one... excellent low noise and power accuracy with zero calibration.

This is true at lower flywheel speeds. But, get the flywheel above around 25 MPH, and the power accuracy goes to crap. I have observed this on 2 Neo 2 trainers, and GPLama posted the same observations. I have not seen a 2T first hand, so maybe they fixed the accuracy in the latest-and-greatest incarnation.

Do you mean in game speed over 25mph (say zwift?). Do tou have the gplama link?

When the virtual speed of the cassette is in the low 20s MPH, so yes, if you are a Zwifter, that would be in-game speed. Here is a post from GPLama, and somewhere after this he references one of his videos where he explains it. And it is not just a little bit wrong, it is tens of watts wrong.

So, you are likely to see Tacx Neo power accuracy issues any time you are in a ~52x16 or harder gear.

https://forum.slowtwitch.com/...ost=6960857#p6960857

The gist is that if you are racing in Zwift on a Neo, you are at a significant disadvantage (as in 20W to 30W) on fast sections.

i'm in the same boat. gerard vroomen and i are noodling a monthly podcast we'd do together, but a podcast recorded while we're on a bike ride, that is, we'd both be on our bikes, on a zwift ride, easy conversational pace, but on gravel bikes, the podcast would be exclusively on gravel themes, and we'd deploy zwift's new (and expanding) list of offroad features in the routes we choose. we'd use some funky new tech i'm learning now (obsproject, twitch, whatnot) to get this done. point being, tacx has up 'til now been considered the leader in road feature feel up thru the trainer. so this is what i'm wondering too.

i've always been a saris guy, love saris's H3, am hoping to get an MP1 platform, but the NEO seems a fit for what gerard and i are contemplating and i think offroad and road features are going to become a bigger theme for zwift. i'll be interested to see what wahoo's response to this is. and saris's.

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Dan Empfield
aka Slowman

I'm guessing the road feel would get real old real quick? Any long term users confirm-do you turn this off once over the novelty?

Its funny, bikes aim to remove vibration and riding a glassy road is amazing, then people want vibration and bumps on their trainer??? Crazy..

I think i recall that data now that you mention it.

I dont zwift race, but if i did it matters little as i find many are doping anyway, and it would be just for motivation.

But without any data, my “butt dyno” tells me that on downhills in high gear i make less power on the trainer for a given effort, so i buy it.

I wonder if the 2t solves the issue.

Sounds gimmicky but it's one of my favorite things about the NEO. Feels like a good foot massage. It gets disabled when in ERG mode though.

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SmartBikeTrainers.com || YouTube || My Twitter

Can you also shut off/stop the rocking?

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To defy the laws of tradition is a crusade only of the brave.

Reach high, think big, work hard, have fun.

I’ve been on a Neo for 3 years and have started riding the Saris H3, also use OBS/Twitch l/FB Live stream with great regularity for Zwift stream.

Let me now if you have any questions Dan—is be happy to help!

No you can’t stop the side to side rocking. It’s very minimal, not like a Kinetic rock and roll trainers

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SmartBikeTrainers.com || YouTube || My Twitter

we have one of each in the garage. i use the tacx, she uses the wahoo. both live on rocker plates.

take away the ever so slight built in wobble of the tacx and i dont see any benefit to the tacx at all. the kickr is smaller, lighter, and more compact when folded up and comes with a nice little handle to tote it around.

if i had it to do over again i would have bought myself a kickr, but at the time i went with the neo because it was silent. thats a moot point now from what ive read regarding the newer model kickr.

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80/20 Endurance Ambassador

This is the one feature that would keep me on a Neo if I were buying today. Either that, or a rocker setup for a KICKR. That wobble makes standing intervals feel massively better and it relieves inner-thigh pressure from the seat during routine riding over the course of the ride. It is subtle, under appreciated, and a total game changer.

Currently debating between a Kickr Core and a Neo 2t.

I don't really zwift (playing around with it in the offseason, but I'm not likely to stick with it). So road surface and climb simulation are irrelevant. Don't care about L/R balance. I haven't moved my current dumb trainer in 4 years. I never stand on the bike when training indoors. Working unplugged is not a consideration. Glowing LEDs also not a consideration.

So... that's down to the tire slip and accuracy at high flywheel speeds. I don't put out big watts, realistically it would be pretty rare for me to go over, say 500W. So top end power isn't a consideration. But I do run 1x with a 52t ring. So the flywheel thing seems like it could be an issue with the Neo?

I can get a Neo 2t for only about $300 more than a Kickr Core, which I know is a good deal but I'm struggling to justify what I'm actually getting for that extra money. I don't need to the higher gradient simulation or higher wattage rating, and don't care about the road feel simulation. I don't see the calibration thing to be a big deal either. I get that the Neo is a "better" trainer, but it seems to be better in ways that I don't need, and given my 1x setup the flywheel speed thing could be an issue. But I have power meters on my bikes and don't zwift race, so maybe it's not an issue for me?

From a pure economics standpoint, the Core is the best choice for you. The fact you use a PM on your bike (and PowerMatch, I presume) means that the power accuracy issue is a non-factor. Since all the stuff the Tacx is good at is a non-factor for you, get the Core.

You are getting a more solid and stable frame in the Tacx over the Core. Same as if you got a big KICKR... the frame on the big KICKR is way better than the Core. And that left-right sway of the Tacx significantly improves ride comfort, even if you aren't standing.

very good to know! i will certainly be stalking you about this.

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Dan Empfield
aka Slowman

Yeah, that's what I figured. Either way I'm probably going to build a rocker plate for whichever trainer I end up with. So that would handle the "sway" and it would mean the trainer is bolted to the plate, so should equalize any stability differences.

rocker plates make indoor riding so much more bearable.

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80/20 Endurance Ambassador

Did you buy one or build one?