We rode (almost) every current Garmin Tacx indoor trainer to see which one is the best. They were fire. Thanks to our channel sponsor Garmin for making this video possible.
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I don't want to sound like a spoil sport but the integrity of the cycling media has come into question in recent times. Considering one of your "Sponsors" is Garmin aka Tacx, you may want to consider marking the video as "paid promotion".
This channel is going to end up like GCN.
I do agree, but they do say it in the intro. As a consumer, that’s enough for me. If we are only thinking of ethics and nothing else, then yeah it’s a little grayish
@@plsjesse I'm sure they didn't do that because it affects the algorithm.
Before watching this and knowing Garmin sponsors the channel, I called that the newly released 3m would “win” and be the best turbo. Wasn’t disappointed. The 3m has been panned for being 2 years late and £400 to expensive…..
I'm ok with it also as they did mention sponser. I did find it informative as i was wondering the big advantages in the more expensive trainers. And i do know there are other manufacturers with a similar range of products.
On your list of criterias is missing the noise level. You mention it sometimes but it should be on the list.
How easy, with a smartphone or smartwatch, to measure the decibel level for each of these trainers?
Once you get to direct drive trainers, your drivetrain is likely louder than the trainer.
@@jhoff80 Except for the simulated cobbles on the Neo series. That has "wake the napping baby" vibration if you are doing it on a marble floor without a trainer mat underneath. I have at least one empirical data point to verify that it can wake a two year old daughter sleeping across the room.
From my experience, the cheap wheel on trainers are the loudest (very tire dependent though, some tires just screech). From there is doesn't vary much but in general the more you pay the quieter it gets.
I have to use a big fan to prevent dying of heat stroke within a few minutes. Between the fan and my own labored breathing and occasional muffled swearing, the trainer itself is the quietest part.
Rollers are awesome! It's like running on a treadmill where the belt twists and turns uncontrollably all the time, and the surrounding is covered in huge rusty nails...
0:39 Antares 3:08 Boost 4:54 Flow 6:47 Flux S 8:44 Neo 2T 11:27 Neo 3M 13:58 Neo Bike Plus
They need the single cog like zwift made for the hub. The ability to put any bike on is game changing.
I agree, wish Wahoo had this feature too. Both companies could probably add this functionality to existing trainers with a firmware update considering the cog is just a piece of metal.
Absolutely. That feature of the Zwift Hub is a huge game changer. It makes the Zwift Hub, at its price point, a incredibly compelling choice for a large percentage of the indoor riding population.
Even better: other apps should support it. All of them
@@MrLuigi-oi7gm Except you can only change gears when using Zwift - any other app and you're stuck on a single gear.
Wahoo is releasing that feature very soon
The movement on the Neo 2T is worth so much. That little bit of rocking back and forth makes it possible to ride in comfort for SO much longer. I just have a Zwift Hub, but I've added some tennis balls to the bottom with some little 3D printed feet and it makes a huge difference.
4:47 Beautiful soundtrack selection for the special effects here, brought a tear to my eye 😂
Having owned the Flow, Flux, Neo and NeoBike I definitely agree that the nicest to ride start at the Neo end of the line. That said the internal bearings wore out on my Neo (original not 2) after about 6,000 miles, and the NeoBike has been replaced a number of times. First with left crank arm issues, and most recently with a worn bottom bracket. Garmin UK have been amazing about it every time, and as frustrating as it is to lose the bike for a week at a time, having a new (refurb) one delivered is always nice. Have to agree with the movement side of things, the Neo's have that little bit of movement on them, where as the NeoBike takes some getting used to after a Neo, with no movement at all. I would add, to the advantages of the NeoBike being that there is no roadbike component wear. If you don't have a dedicated trainer bike, there is still wear on expensive components, not to mention sweat corrosion. The road feel of the Neo range is more of a gimmick for most, but is great at showing how energy sapping rough road surfaces are. Not something you can measure properly on a bike with a power meter, but are definitely aware of. I would never want anything less than a Neo, but my overall choice is the Neobike, simply because of the control you have over groupset choices, ride set up, and the ability to tweak your bike fit with reference numbers. Solid video guys, nice one.
Antares roller user myself. It was cheap and got me to ride indoors. It took me a long, long time to get comfortable and feel comfortable on it. I crashed off of it several times. I feel it has made my balance much better. I feel way faster outside too. While it does get noisy at times, it does have a replacement belt and rollers available, both of which I have needed. Good video to really compare all the options. Really making me consider an actual smart trainer. I'm never giving up my rollers. I'm with Francis.
i just bought a zwift hub a couple months ago. does the job of enabling workouts no matter the situation outside. also makes for a great stand for cleaning the bike.
I have a Elite Qubo Fluid which is similar to the Tacx Boost. As I just use it for keeping in shape during bad weather and Swiss wintertime that's good enough for me. I keep the saddle flat, so I can comfortably sit upright and read a book while I pedal ! (no joke) :-)
I've used the Flux S since 2020 but think I may consider going to the Neo 3 if it ever packs up. Thank you for the vid, it's the best one you guys have done to date. This is fast becoming my favourite cycling channel.
I don't want to do threshold and VO2 in the house so rollers seem perfect for me. Plus I want the challenge of learning rollers! Great video and perfect timing as I'm looking at the Galaxias. Cheers lads.
I have a Cycleops Supermagneto Pro Trainer from many years ago. Easy to setup, attach the rear wheel and go. I have cadence & a rear speed sensor. In New England it's the only way to ride in the off season.
I picked up the Flux S a couple years ago just after the new year. It was a returned Christmas purchase and the store was remodeling and hadn't had a chance to check out all the returns, so the manager said I could have it for $300 if i was willing to take the risk (I could return it for store credit only). Great value at that price. Contrary to what it claims, it feels like it really only simulates up to 6-7% grades, but still way better than the wheel-on trainers i had been using. I don't do a lot of indoor riding so I'm not as concerned with the lack of features. One thing to mention, even though it needs to be plugged in to get power/cadence/grade simulation, without that it still gives a ride feel similar to a decent fluid trainer IMO (slightly less resistance, though), so can still be used for a pre-race warmup tool, even if it's a bit unwieldy to carry.
I've had a Flux S for over three years, it does everything I need. I would like to have a little movement when I get out of the saddle. I had flat rollers many years ago when they were the only option. You work with what you have. A note to those who have never ridden rollers, when you go off the side - and you will - you do not go rocketing across the room like some cartoon scene as you have no forward momentum.
Honestly, I had the Neo 2 because I thought I would like some of the features like simulating surfaces. After a week, I turned that off on Zwift because there were bumps programmed into the game in the Neokyo expansion at a few too many places and it got somewhat annoying. The only advanced feature I really liked from the Neo was its effort lighting on the floor. In the end, though, I swapped the Neo 2 for a pair of Flux S trainers so my son could ride at the same time I did. Instead of buying a new Neo 3, I'm afraid I'm going to just buy more Flux trainers as the younger kids start to want their own. That's the real sweet spot of value, if you ask me. Everything you need, but not much you don't.
I got the Galaxia rollers for Christmas and have been using them daily since January 2nd. Only 7 days in and I feel like I got the hang of it.
I have the original neo and it works really well.had it for about 6 years without any major issues other than rebuilt freehub body
A cool overview with enough info for a beginner. I am looking to buy one of these for the winter/rainy days. In my search for recommendations, I watched a recent video on GCN about the home set-up where they said that nothing below the flux s is worth investing in. I just want to be able to spin the wheels at home when it is snowing and raining outside. As flow is the best value for money, that's the one I will go for. Thank you, greetings, keep up the great work.
Great video! Really enjoyed it! I’d like to add something related to the used trainer market and something that happened to me just last week. I bought a used Tacx Neo 2 back in December and it was perfectly working. Last week all of the sudden it decided that it was not going to work at all anymore. I contacted Garmin explaining the issue, and right away they agreed to receive the unit back and to send me a replacement unit without paying a cent. At this point, I’m waiting for the replacement unit to arrive today and I’m excited. A lot of people is afraid of buying used because of the fear of exactly this, but thankfully Garmin customer service will probably have your back in the eventuality of something going sideways.
On the rollers, you completely glazed over one of the features offered by the Antares that makes them great for beginners: Garmin make a fork mount for those rollers which lets you get the ride feel from the back wheel while keeping the front of the bike in one place.
I have had a Flow for a few years and for basic training and zwifting it is absolutely fine. One upgrade I have made recently is getting an old steel frame and building that into my trainer bike as steel flexes a bit more and thus is more comfortable, also the weight penalty doesn't count on a turbo so you can use heavier and cheaper components.
I have the Neo Bike Smart. I agree the price is far to high. But just as mentioned in the video it's verry usefull because wee have multiple people who use it. Everyone can set it up on their own needs
Thank you Francis , Jimmi and Emily... I just bought a refurbished Flux S for $400. My first indoor trainer ..
Got a great deal on a Tacx Neo 2 some years ago now (2019) when the 2T came out. Still running great.
I love my neo bike plus. Rode 5000 km on it last year. I use the Tacx training app with it as well
Rollers are almost like riding a unicycle. It would be great to compare these with the Wahoo products; especially the Kickr, Core and Snsp
They’re a Garmin sponsored channel so that would be unlikely that they would feature other brands. Similarly you won’t see any Tacx trainers on GCN due to their Wahoo tie up. Best to go to someone like DC Rainmaker for in-depth independent reviews of all trainers.
+user-vm... You can ride your unicycle on the two rollers in the back haha
Very well done and useful comparison
~45 years ago (yeah, very old) I got rollers (crappy) and perfected riding in the basement of the house I grew up in. Part of me wonders what happened to them. I've got the 2T now, it's great, but honestly, do miss the rollers and may get a set. IMO, you learn a valuable skill with rollers.
Love my direto xr, accurate, reliable, but i am starting to miss some of the features the newer trainers that came out in the last 12 months have. Also one thing I really wish were a standard option on these smart trainers is easy manual resistance adjustment, like the cheap wheel on trainer in this video. I'm personally not a fan of erg mode and most (basically all) apps dont have a well implemented manual resistance adjustment feature.
Still using the wheel-on Elite fluid trainer from 2016. Still works great in low noise, quieter than my fan. Can’t justify upgrading even for the smart features. I have added cadence and speed sensors and gathered my data including heart rate on my Apple Watch.
Same here, great for keeping you moving when the weather gets grim
Same, a wheel on trainer plus a few sensors is what I have too. Mostly we can ride outside even in winter here, so I can't really justify upgrading to a direct drive smart trainer. Our winters are short too.
Great video guys. I have the Tacx Flow and I really enjoy it. Don't do too much indoors (live in South Africa and have great weather) so it works well for me. Would probably upgrade to the FluxS but also like the Neo3T. The Neo3M looks amazing though but both are pretty pricey.
I started with tac anatares rollers when I first did indoor training. The plastic roller eventually warped over time due to being stored in my garage that has tempurates fluctuate quite a lot over the winter and summer. They lasted about five seasons before the rollers were warped enough I that it impacted riding. Also the end caps started grinding against the side of the rollers leaving fine plastic dust after each ride. I suspect if you live somewhere that doesn't get as extreme tempuratures they'll last longer. After those died I bought a nice pair of Krietler alloy rollers. They feel 10x better and you can hook up a resistance fan than will let you do over 2000 watts before spinning out on them. You're not stuck in zone2/3 with them. Highly recommend, but they're expensive.
I bought a refurbished tacx flux in 2019 and I've done thousands of miles on it, however I am currently on my 3rd set of freehub bearings and they are not easy to change, although you can buy a complete new freehub (easy change) for about £50, I'm also on my second drive belt but it's an easy change. Not perfect but no regrets, money well spent for me.
I enjoyed the video, in the comment the presenters mentioned they actually own 3 of the units. I have some old rollers, a flow and now a 2T, road feel wise I'd score the rollers and flow above the 2T, probably due to the wheel, the pedalling dynamics just feel more realistic on the flow and rollers, that said the downhill simulation on the 2T is handy, the surface simulation is also good as the roads I ride are not velodrome smooth..
I use elite arion mag rollers, you get no resistance and then 2 levels. They are awesome. Use them in resistance 1 and they're perfect. Been using them years now. Use them in the garage so they fold away easy and that's where my bikes live so just pick up and ride
I bought a Flow for £60 used as entry to turbo training without really knowing what I was looking for. It has everything I need for now and feels like a bargain having watched this video. Will definitely be dipping into the used market again if I feel like upgrading to direct drive.
Great review guys..However in my opinion I think your being a bit harsh on the Tacx neo 2t trainer in the set up score..it’s too easy to set up,also would have given a better score on the ride feel.I’ve just upgraded from rollers after 4 years and the Tacx Neo is fantastic trainer..👍🏻👍🏻
Happy with my Kurt Kinetic Road Machine, Conti 26" Hometrainer tyre on a Surly LHT and 4iii crank power meter.
Should I be using a riser block with a direct drive trainer? Previously I had a wheel on fluid trainer and then moved to a Elite Direto direct drive. With a wheel on the riser levels out the bike due to the rear wheel being off the ground to accommodate the roller.. but on a direct drive set up is this still required? Cheers.
tacx busido smart. quiet, folds away, doesnt need to be plugged in, connects to everything. seems to me better than these newer ones. also has power effort lights if that matters. I use it regularly. sitting on a static trainer is very dull though. better to ride outside
good job with the flames!
This was a great video. I spend a lot of time on my direct-drive trainer, and building a rocker for it massively improved the ride feel and comfort. Find a way to look at that more in-depth in a future video, please. You do talk about the movement on the neo models, which is cool. But movement can be added to any trainer pretty inexpensively.
How would you change your review of the 2T vs the 3M if you have the accessory back and forth plate on the 2T? More interested on the ride feel. Do they become the same or 3M still better! Thanks.
They are probably the same, that’s why they didn’t compare the new one with the old 2T with motion plates… so they can say what Garmin want them to say, that the new and more expensive one is the best.
Great vid! Although, how on earth did the Neo 2T get a higher value for money score than the Flux S?
Well, if you look at the rating, they gave random higher numbers and that's what Garmin want, they want to sell higher priced models.
Tbh Flux S (or any iteration of Flux series) is probably the worst performer in that mid-range price category. Neo 2T after being discounted after the release of 3M is really mich better value for money than Flux S.
@@jeskli11 Maybe so, but these ratings having nothing to do with competitors in the price range - its completely isolated. They are comparing against the other Garmin products. Unless I'm misunderstanding you?
@@alextipping Simply: Flux S is not a very good trainer, Neo 2T is an amazing trainer. Hence why the Neo gets more points in that category even though it's significantly more expensive. My point with the competition was, that perhaps if they were comparing Wahoo or Elite lineup (they're all fairly similar), these brands would have as equivalent to the Flux S likes of Kickr Core or Direto XR and as equivalent to the Neo 2T likes of Kickr V6 or Justo. In these cases the Kickr Core/Direto XR would likely get in such comparison more points than the Kickr V6/Justo, because they are not as far behind the better model in the other aspects as Flux S is behind the Neo 2T.
@@jeskli11 I get you're point, and you're not wrong, but by the constraints of their scoring system the score just doesn't make sense IMO. They gave the Flux a good score for most of the categories. If it had bad scores for the other metrics then ofcourse a lower value for money score would have made sense!
I should add in my shed I have a Kinetic rock n roll fluid trainer that while old has fantastic feel and movement
Love my rollers easy Z2 rides on zwift with a power meter
I've owned a few Tacx products from Roller up to a 2T and other than the rollers I broken them all! Had a few with belt issues then a 2t with Board heat issues, I then tried Elite but I broke the Casting that the arms screw into! Now I'm riding a Xplova Noza V which was from wiggle this Christmas £699 down to £250! So far it's been fantastic very smooth fast to react rubber mounted and the only noise is basically drive chain, will it survive I'm not sure 😂 but it's a very nice product from a company I know little about. All I know is their first trainer the Noza S got ok ratings from Shane Millar so they went away acted on his recommendations and had a second pop at it, so far so good 🤙
How does the Neo 2T plus Motion Plates compare with the Neo 3M?
I just bought a tacx neo 2t but i have the sensation that is very hard tu make in movement and maintain the speed. I hate the hum noise from the magnets. Do you ever try wahoo kickr core? Is seems more silent and natural feeling are you agree?
Elite also does smart (classical) rollers, which can even simulate inclines and be used with Zwift, mywoosh, etc.
I’ve the Tacx Neo 2 T2850 , happy with that one
I just ordered a Tacx Flux 2, but haven’t seen any happy customers nor good things about it. Should I cancel it?? And go with Elite Direto??
I've been happily using a FLUX around 4 hours a week for 6 years. I have only had to replace the free hub body (after 5 years).
If space is less of an issue, rocker plate with fore and aft movement changes experience. I use wahoo and gone for mid range turbo and have always said if my legs exceed the power rating will upgrade to top of range, think my money is safe. It's a very time efficient way of training
Great video! Looks like the 3M might be my choice but the Neo looks good too...
Can any of them be used with 12 speed Shimano road cassettes yet?
Noise level is a key factor imo. My best training is while everyone else is asleep. I was loaned a friction/wheel-on trainer, an older Tacx with the handlebar clamp. Never got on with it. Very chintzy and fake. Faffalicious with the tire/roller interface. Using KICKR core now, jealous of that rocking- both types. My out of saddle feel on the KICKR is really fake.
Rollers are awesome. I've just upgraded to a set of Elite Nero Smart Rollers.
Rollers are awful! Thank goodness for trainers....now we have a use for our road bikes. Because we all ride gravel bikes now and felt pretty guilty about that road bike in the corner. But now it's our "trainer" bike!! Guilt free living!
I have the flux s. The ride feels better after it is warmed up. The noise gets lower and the ride feels smoother. Do these things happen to your trainers too? I want to know.
was gifted a manual trainer by a friend and i haven't used it yet because i'm too worried i'll knack my bike.
So I just got some extra cheap rollers and I actually like them, perhaps I'm masochistic like that. What are your thoughts on the models with switchable resistance?
I had the first Neo and really liked it, but I couldn't justify spending over a 1000 euros on a Neo 2T when the old one broke. So I got the Zwift Hub, and it's nice. Not as nice, but 100% good to use for 90 min workouts, that's all I need from a turbo
I Got a 2nd hand Tacx Vortex Smart Trainer for £80 It was a bargain easier to pack away and setup works for me. 🙂
I love my wattbike atom but that Neo Bike plus looks really appealing
Agree that a proper smart trainer is totally worth having but worth pointing out that even the rollers can be used interactivity with a very cheap speed sensor and heart rate monitor. You can even ride Zwift etc... not realistically as gradients aren't simulated, but still fun to be had.
Francis as a roller guy I would love to see you review the Trutrainer roller...they strike me as a well sorted trainer, I'm curious of your opinion.
I have a trainer it's hanging in the garage collecting dust. I prefer to ride outside regardless of the weather but that's just me.
Yes I mostly only use my trainer when I feel it's dangerous to ride outside. Ice on the roads or 60mph gusts are not my thing. Fine with rain and cold, even snow on the ground for off road , but if the weather means I might well crash where the cars are too, that's where I draw the line.
Trip down memory lane to uni days when indoor cycling was staring at the wall and getting annoyed with that lever that always spins on the handlebar.
Bought my Tacx Flow Smart for 208 pounds from Decathlon. Happy with it :)
I guess for out of the box, this is technically correct, however they do have slider rails for the 2T that makes that trainer almost exactly like the 3M. They just attach with magnets so you can put them on or take them off, depending. The only thing I wish they would have done to the 2T is put that handle on there like the 3M has. Just my $0.02... Great video!!
I absolutely agree with you on both points. A secondhand Neo 2t plus motion plates gets you to the same plus (for normal people) as the 3M and this should have been mentioned imho. I do like the carry handle and (as my turbo bike is a gravel bike), the front block, I wonder if they'd sell me the front block on its own...
Probably a stupid question but ive never used a turbo trainer, all the ones with a cassette on how does it work with chain wear/cassette wear? Do you take the cassette of the wheel and put it on the trainer? Or do you just replace the cassette on it at the same time as replacing the cassette on the bike so it doesnt wear the new chain on the bike (as i assume if the chain was previously worn it would wear the trainer cassette?)
If you don't have a dedicated turbo bike, People tend to leave a cassette on the trainer full time separate from the one you use in the real world. That way you can relatively quickly put the rear wheel back in if you want to go for a ride on a nice day. Regarding cassette wear. If you check and change your chain regularly and change them as soon as they need it, the cassettes last a few chains at least. On the turbo, because weight of components isn't an issue, you can use a cheaper cassette made of heavier materials thzn you might have on your nice groupset, so long as it's compatible with your shifters and mech still. If you do that, the cheap one won't wear as fast as your lightweight expensive one on the wheel does.
Now buy the Garmin TacX motion plates and throw it on the Neo 2T and save hundreds over the Neo 3M with the same features
So, I've got a Neo 2T with the motion plates thingies on them. They cost iro £200. The video doesn't mention this, which is a shame as you can basically get all the features of the 3M (unless you are reeeally putting down the watts) for £1300. As "degraded" tech that's been out for a good while, you'll likely be able to pick up a used Neo 2T, making this (plus the motion plates, they are good) an even better vfm option over the 3M. I think the boys could've mentioned this and so agree with some of the comments about this being a bit advertorial. The only things about the 3M that make me (a bit) twitchy with my chronic upgraditis are (i) the carry handle and (ii) the reversible front wheel block. Oh, and I've turned off the ride feel thing as well, I'm with Jimmy on that!
I love the Neo. But as a heavy and punchy rider, the electromagnetic motor is not strong enough to withstand the forces generated when doing surges of following moves in races. In these scenarios we get virtual tire slip, which is very annoying. In my case the tyre slip occurred around 600w, and is the case on the T1, T2 and the bikes the T2 was a bit better, but still not enough.
The last one, does it come with pedals with powermeter ?
Ok, this is not EVERY tacx trainer, but it's pretty good
Rollers are great to develop balance but also a supple pedaling style.
Used to have the Flow, it is pretty good as far as necessary features go, but its horribly loud and wears down the average rear tyre quickly. Eventually i didn't end up using it very much, because it was not as convenient as i hoped it would be.
I started with a flow and it was decent enough, but so fucking noisy. Then got a 2t and it's amazing, so much quieter and feels way better. Got a flux S for the lass and it's spot on as well. You can feel the step down from the 2t, like not having that bit of side to side movement makes a difference and I'm 6'5" so I feel like if I was giving it the welly I could probably tip it. But I reckon if I'd got that 1st rather than the flow I probably wouldn't have bothered getting the 2t.
tubeless for roller trainers? also i've seen some 1000 plus dollar roller trainers that have just as much as some "turbo" smart trainers. ebikes vs trainers since their price start to get pretty close at the upper end and the kits that retro fit standard bikes to e bikes?
Nahhh I've done some zone 6 roller rides. Try doing a roller 10 mile TT. Takes about 10 mins at 150rpm haha
2nd hands they way to go, I paid £360 for a Tacx NEO 2 hardly used over a year ago from FB marketplace, used it all winter no issues at all.
Simple, for me the Tacx Neo bike is the best. We put the thing in our attick and both my wife and I use it. Quick set up and no need to get our bikes up the stairs all the time
I would like to add that the wheel on trainers eat your tires, so best to use a different tire on them. And I agree with Jimmy, cobbles are the worst thing ever and they shouldn't be simulated at all.
So maybe I missed it but....These off wheel trainers can be used with both rim or disc brake axles? PS: been on rollers for many decades now 😉
I’ve got a dumb trainer, and Zwift set up smart trainer and a set of rollers - my favourite??? Always the rollers - always feels like actually riding a bike
The maximum simulated gradient should come with a super huge caveat. I had a Tacx Vortex, which was supposed to simulate up to 8% gradient, but at mere mortal riding speeds, the resistance doesn’t realistically match the gradient. For me, once I hit about 4% the resistance didn’t change however steep the gradient got, just the simulated speed. To get a semi-realistic feel to the gradient I never used the small chain ring and had to change to a higher gear as it got steeper. On the plus side, if racing, it over estimated my power. I now have the Neo 2T. I’m never ever going to push it to its limits re: power, but at the speeds I am riding at (I’m 65) the resistance on hills is closer to real life. Also, smaller changes in gradient are noticeable. If you are mainly doing structured training in ERG mode, to set power levels, it probably doesn’t matter. If you use sim mode it is something to consider. Finally, with the Tacx desktop app, if the Neo is connected via Bluetooth the pedal stroke analysis is available on screen.
Boost for me. Mount the bike in front of the tv, get some training video on, and join in on a ride in the alps or somewhere along the rivers in central Europe - all for the cost of about €75 used.
My homie has the tacx flow entry level one and it's decent, but for probably the same my wahoo snap blows it away imo.
The "Flow" wheel-on trainer needs to be calibrated and that's a PITA. And it's sensitive to the inflation level of the tire so you have to pump up your tire to the same level before each ride. And the resistance changes as the tire warms up during your training ride. And a regular road tire breaks down quickly so you are going to have to buy a tire designed to be used on a wheel on trainer - which is a hassle to change tires as you go from riding on the road to having a session on the trainer - so you wind up buying a new wheel and cassette to go with your trainer-specific tire.
Was that recorder playing bit from the christmas gift?
The Flow is definitely underrated compared to the Anteres and the Neo 3M shouldn't have "ride feel" 10 as it can't immitate gradiance as Wahoo KICKR CLIMB Indoor Grade Simulator does. As for the Neo Plus, its price is also discussable as no bike needed and it would be cheaper than Neo3M + resonable bike.
While my Genius smart works I'll stick with it, 2000W 20% climb and it's just me so I can turn up the music to cover the noise.
Love my neo 2t
The bike is expensive but has a ton of unique advantages. You never have to mount or dismount a bike, it's always just ready. Most people I know who do a lot of indoor training end up having a "trainer bike" anyway. Bikes are a compromise of strength and lightness, weight doesn't matter with the Tacx bike so everything is overbuilt. You can sweat all over the Tacx bike and not worry about it. Anyone in the house can ride the Tacx bike. You can get a rocker plate if you need the "ride feel" you mention. Lastly, it's utterly silent and vibration-free. It's not really comparable to anything else here.
I think the value for money is oddly skewed to favor the more expensive options.
Rollers are amazing😂