About a month ago I bought myself a Tacx Neo. Set it up as per instructions and put my Felt B16 Time Trial bike to it. The start wasn’t that great - I had some trainer firmware glitches where it would lock up after a single 500-700W interval and I had to shut the device down, wait for 4-5 minutes and turn it back on. However firmware update seemed to fix that.
About a week ago I started having another issue. After riding for about 5-10 minutes I start hearing this weird noise from the trainer. Basically it starts to click/clank - usually 6-7 clicks, then it’s quiet for 8-10 seconds, then it starts clicking/clanking again. I can actually feel that clicking through my bike in my handle bars and I’m afraid I’m going to damage my bike frame. Also, that sound is very annoying since the whole point of why I got Neo is that it was supposed to be quiet (which it would be, without that clicking noise).
First I suspected it has something to do with my chain, rear cassette or bottom bracket, but since the clicking sound doesn’t come at each crank revolution (I can usually do 2-3 revolutions between each click, and there are completely silent periods in between) I don’t think that’s the reason.
DC Rainmaker has really provided terrible reviews lately. First the BSX thing which is clearly a failure; now tacx trainers. And Clever appears to have terrible customer support. I’m really getting tired of overhyped tri junk.
DC Rainmaker has really provided terrible reviews lately. First the BSX thing which is clearly a failure; now tacx trainers. And Clever appears to have terrible customer support. I’m really getting tired of overhyped tri junk.
I’m a regular DCR reader and appreciate what he does, but my first real purchase based on his recommendations was the Fenix 2. It’s a piece of junk. Since then, I’ve taken his posts with a grain of salt and much caution.
The Neo looked so good on paper, but this is why I still recommend Computrainers to my friends. As good as some of these new trainers seem to be on paper, they are just not designed to last. One of my Computrainers is 15 years old and it still tracks pretty darn close with all my Quarqs and they all track pretty darn close to the 1 Lab unit I have as well as my Velotron. They get a raw deal, in many ways deserved, but at least their hardware just works.
If all you care about is getting rid of wires and hooking up your ipad/iPhone or Android device, then have at it. If you want a consistent workout where the only thing you need to worry about is the fact that there are wires then go for the tank. I like my gadgets too, but at the end of the day the BEST trainer in the world is the one you use every day.
DC Rainmaker has really provided terrible reviews lately. First the BSX thing which is clearly a failure; now tacx trainers. And Clever appears to have terrible customer support. I’m really getting tired of overhyped tri junk.
People gave me a lot of crap for bashing his trainer review. I really didn’t feel he focused on the right factors and his final results were too subjective. He bashes on the Computrainer for the software (as well as the wires), but everyone uses either TrainerRoad, PerfPro, Zwift or ErgVideos anyway. I do like reading his reviews (for the pictures) and at least some of the information he presents, but you do have to take his conclusions with a grain of salt and do a LOT of your own research.
Slightly off topic but since you mentioned it. I actually had good luck with the BSX. I didn’t get it due to his review, but haven’t had any issues with connectivity or getting tests to complete. Without a doubt, his review leaves out a lot of the facts, as do the BSX folks. Their customer support is absolutely horrible. They haven’t really answered any detailed questions as far as how they make their determinations and all that. With that being said, I did complete 4 tests with the Gen 1 and 1 test with the Gen 2 and they were pretty close to my regular FTP tests (not that LT2 should match FTP but they will be close, LT2 is often higher). In any case I can do their LT test and be fine to do another workout later. If I do an FTP test I need a day to recover. Since it seems to match up pretty well for me, I will mostly stop doing any FTP tests.
I hated my rear flats on my CT, but I also hate that I have to use my SRM to control my current KICKR because of it over- reporting power.
Those problems seem pretty minor compared to the shit going on with the early NEO’s though. Seems like a disastrous launch.
I’ve heard of some folks having issues with flats on the CT. Without inspecting such a setup I really can’t say why it happens, but in over 15 years of using 2 different CTs, I’ve never had any flats ever. For the vast majority of the time, I did have one bike dedicated to the trainer and left it there all the time. So it didn’t see road usage or pick up any debris. I used a Conti Hometrainer tire and never inflated above 100 psi (I had no issues with accuracy or anything with 90-100 psi). I also always put my press on force to 1.75-2.00. I never did steep hill rides with a low cadence and never had slippage with that press on force. Only other guess I can make is perhaps a spoke was pushing through and with press on force of the tire after it heated up was enough to make contact. In any case I have seen threads about blowouts happening so clearly it does happen.
Going to agree that the Neo is off to a bumpy start and more often than not, the ‘squeaky wheel gets the grease’. Realistically, out of the well over 1200 or so posts in response to the DCR Neo review, only about 10-15 actually reported any issues with about the same number on the Tacx user forums. I do seem to recall a similar thread for the Wahoo Kickr when it was released, but the main difference being Wahoo addressed issues much quicker than Tacx. Tacx natively handles manufacturering, distribution, and customer service but software/app development and QA is 100% outsourced, and while communication has improved with the release of the SMART trainers, it still needs improvment.
As I posted when the Neo was first coming out, I can’t believe anyone would drop that kind of money on a company with such a consistently horrible track record with VR trainers. The software is terrible, bugs don’t get addressed quickly (or ever). This is no surprise at all. If you have a Neo, I’d return for a refund if that is an option.
Sorry to be a Debbie Downer…
In another CT thread I believe it came out that some people rode in erg mode in a very low gear, so that their tire was being subject to pretty extreme forces at the contact point, leading to them always getting flats, while people who use erg mode differently may get no flats.
If the tire is doing 10m/s, it only takes 30N of resistance from the roller to create 300W. If the tire is doing 2.5m/s, now there’s 120N being put sideways on the tire surface, which probably heats it up and wears it away much faster. Especially since the 2.5m/s user will then have to have a crazy clamp-on-force to prevent slippage.
I’ve heard of some folks having issues with flats on the CT. Without inspecting such a setup I really can’t say why it happens, but in over 15 years of using 2 different CTs, I’ve never had any flats ever.
In five years and probably around 500 hours of CT riding I’ve had two flats from worn out trainer tires but never a flat otherwise while riding. I think I’ve had a valve stem failure while pumping up but that is minor. I find the wheel contact surface to be an ideal design for the trainer because it neutralizes equipment variation. I run an older bike with 9 speed as a dedicated trainer bike but I have a variety of bikes with different wheel size and gearing that get put onto one of my CompuTrainers depending if kids or wife are using it that day. A cassette based solution wouldn’t work out so well but wheel contact is ideal to support all of this.
Lol. It’s honestly just comical at this point. Is there any trainer related thread that you and Donzo can’t turn into the same tired thread about CompuTrainers?
I should hope you guys get some sort of kickback for your diligence.
Lol. It’s honestly just comical at this point. Is there any trainer related thread that you and Donzo can’t turn into the same tired thread about CompuTrainers?
I should hope you guys get some sort of kickback for your diligence.
I don’t get any kickbacks nor do I want any. In fact, I’d rather the company go under so someone with a real vested interest in cycling could take it over and improve things. With that being said, when looking at what products are out there you need to look at how long they last as well as how good they look on paper. The Neo should have been the best trainer out there for folks looking to set something up at home. On paper it is, but it looks like their implementation fell short.
DC Rainmaker has really provided terrible reviews lately. First the BSX thing which is clearly a failure; now tacx trainers. And Clever appears to have terrible customer support. I’m really getting tired of overhyped tri junk.
I’m not exactly sure where I wrote a review of the NEO, nor a review of the BSX device. I think you’re mistaking first look posts for reviews on/about announcement days. First looks are exactly what they say they are - a first look at a product. If you want a generic PR release to go from, then you’ll have to go somewhere else. I’m using the product in a first look, even if briefly, and talking about it. If I see issues with it, I’ll note that.
In the case of the Tacx sound issues, I simply don’t have them on two units. And as another reader below noted - there are thousands of units shipped. Many users have reported no problems at all with noises. Obviously, some do have issues, which Tacx has been overwhelmingly forward on QA/QC problems with and trying to track those down. I even called out these sound issues in my 2015 Trainer Recommendations Guide.
(As for Clever Training, I haven’t really seen anyone upset with customer service there. In fact, most people are thrilled with the customer service there.)
I’m not exactly sure where I wrote a review of the NEO, nor a review of the BSX device.
If you want a generic PR release to go from, then you’ll have to go somewhere else.
In the case of the Tacx sound issues, … Obviously, some do have issues, which Tacx has been overwhelmingly forward on QA/QC problems with and trying to track those down. I even called out these sound issues in my 2015 Trainer Recommendations Guide.
I haven’t really seen anyone upset with customer service there. In fact, most people are thrilled with the customer service there.)
I’m not sure what you want here, and I’m not interested in spinning this up into a classic slowtwitch thread. I think the above statements are interesting.