It’s not so often a deal will make us do a double take.
We’ve been trawling through thousands discounts looking for the best Black Friday Bike Deals – and there are plenty of good deals on quality kit which are worth snapping up, especially if you know you’re going to need that product soon.
(Image credit: Future)
But to see a half price Tacx Neo at £599.99, down from £1,199.99, is a deal simply on another level. That puts it at the same price as Tacx’s entry-level smart trainer, the Tacx Flux S (although that model is currently on an 8% discount at £549.99 (opens in new tab). If you’re interested, the cheapest Tacx smart trainer is actually the Flux 2, down at £489.99 from £699.99 (opens in new tab), all at Wiggle).
Sure enough, there is a bit more to this deal than meets the eye. You might have noticed that the name of this one is the Tacx Neo 2 Special Edition Smart Trainer, rather than the Tacx Neo 2T – with the latter being the smart trainer that most people are most familiar with.
Just scrolling through the specs won’t tell you much: both trainers have a 2,200w max resistance, a 25% max incline, power accuracy of ±1% and can power themselves without needing to be plugged in. Both are compatible with thru axles and will mimic surfaces such as gravel.
So what are the differences and is the 50% discount actually too good to be true?
Well, a big more digging confirmed that the relationship between the Tacx Neo 2T and the Neo 2 is that the former has an upgraded magnet design which allows for more torque at low speeds. The max gradient is the same between both of them, but heavier and more powerful riders might experience a momentary slip on the steepest climbs. Also the Neo 2 wasn’t compatible with thru axles.
So where does the Tacx Neo 2 Special Edition fit in? This is essentially a Tacx Neo 2 that has had its axles upgraded so it can take thru axles – a sort of hybrid.
Is it worth grabbing this deal while it lasts? Well, we haven’t ridden the two trainers side-by-side, but from the sound of it, unless you are a particularly heavy rider with an insatiable appetite for climbs, then this really would be a great deal to snap up while lasts!