I recently picked up a Tacx Neo 2 from Halters and figured I would post up my first impressions. I’m coming from a sorta-smart Tacx Satori, which is an older wheel-on model.
The tl;dr: I like the Tacx Neo 2 and recommend it. It really improved my Zwift experience.
The details: To start, I’m honestly not a fan of Zwift. I tolerate it, barely. I used it last year in the winter and I admit one can definitely blow themselves up on a Zwift ride, but it’s still a far cry from riding. Yep, you get a workout, but staring at screen while working hard just isn’t for me. I’ve never been able to feel connected at all to the experience.
All that said, the Neo 2 has definitely helped change my experience and attitude toward Zwift.
I never found the Zwift experience “immersive” in any way (maybe because I didn’t have a gaming system growing up and don’t game now) but the Neo 2 has a feature where it rumbles with the terrain. Who would have thought such a simple change, that probably requires some serious engineering, could make such a difference in the experience. Going over dirt it rumbles. Going over wood slats on bridges it “ka-thunk ka-thunk ka-thunks” just the right amount. Added to that butt-rumbling, the resistance increases on climbs and decreases on descending. Being someone who has struggled with sitting in front of my TV for an hour sweating my ass off, it’s made the experience better. I normally want off in ten minutes. I can do an hour now and not want to hang myself.
Set up was easy. Right out of the box, it’s all assembled other than the cassette and your bike. It’s a heavy unit so it’s not going anywhere. It has a battery, so it can work without a power cable which is nice if you need to move it around. Connecting to the Zwift app was a breeze. I am not tech person and get frustrated when stuff doesn’t work when it should… I didn’t have an issue at all. A nice surprise.
This trainer has made me consider getting one of the fancy smart fans that adjust with speed. I feel like having the equipment react the way this trainer does really makes it that much better for getting a ride in when I’m in the house. This is giving me the flexibility I need to hang onto the ledge of fitness with my fingernails.
5/5 stars.
The tl;dr: I like the Tacx Neo 2 and recommend it. It really improved my Zwift experience.
The details: To start, I’m honestly not a fan of Zwift. I tolerate it, barely. I used it last year in the winter and I admit one can definitely blow themselves up on a Zwift ride, but it’s still a far cry from riding. Yep, you get a workout, but staring at screen while working hard just isn’t for me. I’ve never been able to feel connected at all to the experience.
All that said, the Neo 2 has definitely helped change my experience and attitude toward Zwift.
I never found the Zwift experience “immersive” in any way (maybe because I didn’t have a gaming system growing up and don’t game now) but the Neo 2 has a feature where it rumbles with the terrain. Who would have thought such a simple change, that probably requires some serious engineering, could make such a difference in the experience. Going over dirt it rumbles. Going over wood slats on bridges it “ka-thunk ka-thunk ka-thunks” just the right amount. Added to that butt-rumbling, the resistance increases on climbs and decreases on descending. Being someone who has struggled with sitting in front of my TV for an hour sweating my ass off, it’s made the experience better. I normally want off in ten minutes. I can do an hour now and not want to hang myself.
Set up was easy. Right out of the box, it’s all assembled other than the cassette and your bike. It’s a heavy unit so it’s not going anywhere. It has a battery, so it can work without a power cable which is nice if you need to move it around. Connecting to the Zwift app was a breeze. I am not tech person and get frustrated when stuff doesn’t work when it should… I didn’t have an issue at all. A nice surprise.
This trainer has made me consider getting one of the fancy smart fans that adjust with speed. I feel like having the equipment react the way this trainer does really makes it that much better for getting a ride in when I’m in the house. This is giving me the flexibility I need to hang onto the ledge of fitness with my fingernails.
5/5 stars.