Riders who are taking to their turbo trainers to avoid the winter weather and dark still want an enjoyable, immersive experience with a realistic ride feel, whether they’re doing structured workouts or riding or racing in the virtual worlds of Zwift, the Tacx App, and other training games.
Trainers are getting ever more sophisticated and the Tacx Neo trainers are the pinnacle of trainer tech. Tacx offers lower priced alternatives, and there’s also the Tacx Neo Bike if you’re looking for an all-in-one solution.
Tacx is owned by Garmin, so you get great connectivity to its cycling computers for your workout data and Garmin bike computers can also act as controllers for Tacx trainers. You can use the full range of other control options for Tacx smart trainers like smartphones and tablets as well.
Here’s a run through of the Tacx trainer range and the technology that each offers.
Tacx Neo 2 and Neo 2T
The range-topping Tacx Neo 2 and Tacx Neo 2T trainers give you amazing tech to make your workouts more interesting. At their core is a virtual flywheel. Rather than relying on a large rotating mass, this uses an electric motor to generate resistance as you pedal. Both have powerful electromagnetic resistance, with the Neo 2T adding even stronger electromagnets than the Neo 2 to provide a more linear power curve.
As well as supplying resistance, the virtual flywheel motor can also drive the unit to simulate descents. It can increase realism by simulating the inertia that your weight provides when riding outdoors and it will give a different feel when you’re riding at high speed to when you’re climbing.
Using a virtual flywheel rather than a physical one opens up a range of other innovative features.
To start with, the Road Feel feature can mimic the effect of riding over cobbles, mud, gravel and other surfaces using changes in the motor’s resistance when using Tacx’s software and compatible apps such as Zwift and others.
The Neo trainers can simulate climbs of up to 25 per cent and have a maximum resistance of 2,200 watts. Their power measurement is calibration-free and very accurate too, down to +/- 1 per cent. You can add Tacx Neo Motion Plates to Neo trainers, which let you rock the trainer from side to side, again improving realism.
The virtual flywheel also makes the Tacx Neo 2 and Tacx Neo 2T very quiet, as it connects directly to your bike rather…
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