Yes folks, you can actually make a single-speed if you want to! I shot a message to Zwift to see whats up. It works today on iOS, but not Windows. There is however a single USB port located below the tiny display that shows which gearing youre in. When you squeeze the brake levers today itll slow the flywheel, but wont slow your avatar on Zwift, because thats tied to power, not speed. I understand that the Neo is a direct drive, meaning the cranks drive the resistance unit without a belt, while Wahoo still uses a belt, which will degrade over time and will have to be replaced. Finally, as part of the final Wahoo KICKR Bike In-Depth Review, Ill include the metallic shimmering sound if Wahoo determines that is of normal volume. It should be an awesome winter training season between indoor bikes and FatBike snow riding! Probably a similar issue with the other bikes. I rub on both the KICKR Bike and Tacx Bike, but not on the Wattbike Atom. 3500 is a lot of money buts in line with other good quality exercise equipment. They look and feel like them. Also very interested in this a lot of time has passed. They only method Wahoo supports right now is ANT+ FE-C for control, and Bluetooth Smart control for control. But all three bikes also have both upsides and downsides, and all three have quirks. I must have missed this in the reviews. although havent seen anyone who has ridden one mention this as an issue so far so assuming all that flex combines to trick the user into a feeling close to being on a free moving road bike? Speaking of which, downhill drive is basically when the trainer spins the flywheel forward to replicate the rear-wheel continuing the spin as you go down a descent. I used to think the market for bike trainers was pretty small, and a few years ago it was. You just connect the sensors and off you go. Heres my aerobars attached to the KICKR Bike: Beyond the aerobar attachment, all other TT/triathlon-type aspects would really fall more under the FIT section outlined above. Just so much dang money for a TRAINER bike. Is there any News about this topic? You can click here to Subscribe without commenting. Despite both solution types resulting in indoor cycling, the amount of overlap may be too low for some buyers to consider them as alternatives to each another. Apart from that, the price should move around 5000 , if the AtomX is ever sold to private. Rather opposite, or? Hopefully theyll add stickers to both sides, as it just makes it easier to do quick fit adjustments or movements between riders. Tacx Neo Bike Road Feel Simulation: This was first introduced back some three years ago on the Tacx NEO series, and since the NEO Bike is part of said series, it gets it too. Throughout the next 5 years we will see big development in this area. That said, the KICKR bike is the louder of those two in a few core areas. One only needs to look at the side-by-side photo to realize why the WB cant possibly be as stable as the others under load. If it were just me, and I had a space with easy access in/out, then maybe I would consider keeping a trainer/bike combo. Definitely some serious teething pains of early adoption. Thanks. Whereas the Tacx and Wahoo bikes will. I believe something is up with production. And Tacx says that theyll be rolling out other countries pretty quickly with the Tacx NEO Bike. Id be amazed if theyd restricted it. Wooden boards. Depending on your seat height requirements, the Tacx and Wahoo will fit. Btw Ray, have you seen my video on Facebook? Below that tablet is a display thats leveraged differently depending on which apps your in. Beyond the Wattbike, its mostly a wash between the Wahoo Bike & the Tacx Bike. They both go up to around 90cm to the top of the saddle. Simple physics. Though Ive only skimmed your excellent review, I did not see anything about noise. Maybe they discovered something in my return unit and some others that caused a general stop. Tacx Neo Bike Lighting: Look, theres a reason this item is the very last thing I mention. RE: Riding the same inclined vs non-inclined. So lets break it out for now in the following way: Tacx NEO Bike: $3,199 Already available Either Im doing something wrong, riding in the wrong place, or theres a problem with mine. I see the $1699 market. Yes, its a bigger step than all the steps of the larger group set, but practically its better given the shifter design. These bikes are expensive. Wahoo KICKR Bike: Price TBA Shipping in 2020. Correct, sadly its true. At 8ft youre totally good (or, at least I am, even in standing sprints). This is the reply I got back from Garmin re the Tacx Bike in the UK. The Neo bike is much quieter than any bike/trainer, but it is the shifting that seals the deal for me. As for these bikes (Tacx/Wattbike) nope, theyre all rock-solid. Overall it seems good, but those little details. My Photography Gear: The Cameras and Equipment I Use Daily, DC Rainmaker 2021 swim, bike, run, and general gear list, Copyright DC Rainmaker - Updated May 21st, 2022 @ 4:39 am, UK/South Africa/Australia/Scandinavia/USA, Wired or Wireless data transmission/control, Can electronically control resistance (i.e. I agree. Fantastic writeup as always, hard to find info like this all in one spot. Its an incredible feeling. Plus there are smart trainers here, all in these guides cover almost every category of sports gadgets out there. Damn thing got more expensive than a decent frame so I gave up. That means that all factors were identical, with the camera equidistant to all of them (about 3 meters/9-10 feet away). Enjoy! I aim to leave no stone unturned. It seems the qc issues are real. My comment was in response to Jennemans comparison of tacx magnum and wahoo bike. Trust me, if wahoo made climb available to other trainers, I would definitely get one during a fall/spring sale, but I am under no illusion that it is 80%+ gimmick. But they arent amazing yet. I cant actually find anything on wahoos website specifically addressing this. I am unhappy. so many people using garmin, etc that would want that data. I have been very much looking forward to this comparison, thank you very much Ray! (3) You pay a great deal for locking up real estate in your house with one of these things. Thats either because theyre not having issues, or because theyre just not shipping in big enough quantities for those comments to bubble to the surface of the interwebs. No roll-down possible or needed. Take for example the boxes. For our last major section, well cover some brief party tricks that each of the bikes has. Think my written reviews are deep? How about the cassette? High end hardware costs money. Same goes for other units that are either not shipping today, not in-house, or not compliant with industry standards. Maybe i could buy and modify a medium sized cheap frame to fit is both somehow and leave That combo on the patio? I frequently train at 05:15am, before work, and at that time every minute counts. It includes bits not originally in the text post like rider and shifting movement, noise, etc Also, a few jokes. recorded? Though, what I was aiming for there was something app-integrated with the setup process. Wahoo KICKR Bike: This does not include any aerobars, but you can add your own. I wouldnt hesitate to buy from them. Just a quick update Ive added a new section to the post a noise/sound comparison. The Wattbike isnt a loud bike by any means, its just that these are quieter. Atop that, Zwift isnt displaying the shift data yet from either Wahoo or Tacx bikes. The entire side panel comes off and then it looks like most things are fairly accessible. I was incredibly critical on numerous things. The most common issue being an overheat warning, which depending on the cause requires either a simple firmware fix or replacement of the entire unit. Its about understanding the differences between the units so that you can make the right choice for you. I would love to get just the Kicker Bike style frame and just add it to my existing trainer setup. Just didnt seem to matter much. Its got me from level 15 20 on zwift so far with not 1 problem, and myself and my wife can share it really easily with no fuss, just a quick change of seat height (which has a much better configuration for those of us who are short). Tacx NEO Bike: Tacx has had some teething issues as new units have gone out, though most of these issues seem related to the inventory they had been stock-piling over the summer. Must raise some questions over long term durability however which is surely one of the key reasons to go for one of these bikes rather than a real bike/trainer solution. In the case of the Wattbike Atom though, it offers those measurements on both left and right sides. Get all your awesome DC Rainmaker gear here! Does that mean that if I load a route into the Garmin and then connect the the Garmin as a trainer and ride the route, that i would get the data from the ride in a fit file? Personally Id say to others, dont waste your money on the fancy Tacx or kickr just for the sake of it feeling more like a bike, indoor trainers are just that, indoor trainers and the WB has the same stack, reach, seat position etc as any normal bike and you wont notice any difference in q-factor or any loss of compliance. Heres a couple of screenshots below. Mixed feelings. On my to-do list to ask why on earth those metrics arent included since that was kinda-sorta the entire point of allowing one-way ingest from only training apps with favored nation status. It has less moving parts, less functions, and thus less things to break. Not to mention the space. That makes sense theyve been making them for two years, and have made bikes for many years before that. But this section is about cool fun things not critical things. Im very tempted with the Atom. First, just generally speaking its louder (though, still at basically library whisper most times). Wahoo started shipping about two weeks ago. Id probably wait to see both the Wahoo & Tacx early production teething pains dissipate. Its how it knows how difficult to make the trainer gradient. :-/ Finally I think we need to start talking about; what can we expect from riding indoors? More importantly, if you were looking now would you wait for version 2 of any of these? Note those aerobars currently have both a waterbottle holder and a bike computer mount that you see attached to them. (2) You lose the ability to take your bike off the trainer and go outside with the exact same setup so that indoor and outdoor are one in the same in terms of components, etc. Enjoy, and thanks for stopping by! I think its important for a $3,000 product (well, its also important for my bag of $2 M&Ms too, for that matter). Im roughly having to wait for people to report issues and see if those issues are growing or shrinking. No. I get theres workarounds, but seriously 3k and they dont have a built in quick release adapter. Though admittedly our sample sizes are small. The refinements for all the bikes seem known and publically out there. This is important for multi-user situations. I see this comment posted a bit on sites and if there was not a market then they would not make them? A nice trick is to buy a spare saddle clamp, and clamp it on the seat post just above your regular one. As I talked about in the display section, its just not good. So here is the most up to date list of products I like and fit the bill for me and my training needs best! In your Twitter you mention Truekinetix bike. Any thoughts or experiences? we can both use it. IRL we have lots a movement from the bike. Mechanically its one year ahead. Obviously, the Tacx bike is just a solid rock, going nowhere. The critical difference is support for TrainerRoad, Zwift etc. See if that works or not. No problem done, instantly, via the app. I was a little worried that an Atom v2 hardware version would be released soon as the hardware is old compared to the others. We will not open up for that. At the moment all the bikes seem to have some small issues, maybe Wattbike have improved the feel on the Gen 1.5 device. but that doesnt mean they will break. I confirmed with Wahoo this morning its on purpose and the design of the hardware accounts for that. They are all pretty much selling out, admittedly at initial quantities, but clearly a number of people want them. Swapping the bikes sounds like bigger pain than changing the bikefit; where would I put the three not used bikes? This applies equally to both NEO Bike and NEO 2T right now. Good feedback yeah WB would definitely trump the Tacx or Wahoo bikes; Ive just decided to save myself a grand and stick to a H3. The key difference though is that the Wahoo & Tacx bikes dont have your bikes drivetrain (which is what actually causes noise on most trainers). For family. I think thats right. Im super excited about the Wahoo Kickr Bike and really want to get one. ;-> The feeling on this is pretty darn good, and that ignores the cobblestone and such replication I talk about later in the Party Tricks section. However as I already pointed out I didnt think that was a enough big market. I can grab a focused hour here and there, where I could justify going out on the road bike. That said, I do find the re-riding of outdoor rides on indoor trainers sometimes fiddly. 1) Bike storage is in the basement, trainer on the roof And they are still quieter than my fans are or my drivetrain was on my Neo. Im 202 cm and Im afraid I may not fit in any of them. In the table it says that the KICKR Bike supports a roll down procedure. Nonetheless I must say, the hardware seems to be better polished than NeoBike. This means I can charge my phone if need be but also charge a tablet. I ordered it (I assume like majority of users) on internet to get it delivered by logistics company to my appartment. I would say no. This is the sort of integration that matters, and the sort of integration that automatically occurs in the Peloton world that Zwift sees itself competing with on a per-family dollar for bikes type scenario. From center of bb to the floor is just a touch under 32 cm. In prime trainer season? Id love to know if the changes to the resistance system have impacted ride feel which seemed to come out the bottom in your testing. Of course, as I say often quantifying this is really tricky, if not impossible. Realistically, I cant imagine apartment folks would have issues with any of them. There was no audible click (its barely audible in a silent room, certainly not once pedaling with a fan blowing), no feedback from between your legs via the frame that you shifted gears. Id probably wait to see both the Wahoo & Tacx early production teething pains dissipate. rudy. Unless the Wattbike display does not hide the view of the 32 inch TV. I hate these static bikes. As for shifting, at its base these bikes allow you to shift through these virtual gears. I dont understand why these bikes go to all the trouble of allowing easy adjustment but then drop the ball on enabling saddle and bar swaps. God its so good at shifting. Of course its going to be dramatically cheaper than either the Peloton or any of the new smart bikes. Am I wrong in believing it brings a real simulation to indoor training. ;-> Additionally, you can manually control/override the grade using two buttons on the handlebars to go up or down as you see fit. I have decided that I do want a dedicated indoor training bike that is not one of the bikes I like to ride outdoors. Dont be confused there is a market for these. Imagine a 100 kg guy putting down 1200 watts. Why havent you yet released a review for XYZ product you mentioned months ago? Looks to me like a complete sales stop. (When I say should, Im talking about physics. The unit has both a flywheel light as well as a downwards facing light emitting out of the base of the frame that will light the ground below you various colors depending on how hard youre going. Would I be disappointed with the feel of the Atom compared to my older 2015 Kickr? Not sure how well 100 micro-adjustable resistance levels work with Zwift, TrainerRoad. See that second part is actually far more important. Ill place a $1 bet that 6 months from now that box will be different, because Im gonna bet theres gonna be more damaged bikes down the road. First, theres the more practical aspect of availability. a lot the things were mentioned by Ray and GPLama already. Good things to come in the future I am sure. Essentially its like the Philips Hue of bike lighting. For $3500 Id want motorized size adjustment with memory settings like a you get with a premium car seat. All of which is to say that its OK. Its not fantastic, but if you didnt know any better youd say it felt just fine. Fortunately, its not an issue for our multiple user family (5 11, 6 2, 6 4, and 6 6); we also havent had any performance issues. I think for the price it will do exactly what I want it to do. So which is the right bike to get? On pourrait penser que le vlo KICKR souffre dun problme de stabilite! I was on Canyons site yesterday looking at tri bikes, and astounded with how expensive they are, even by Canyon standards. Great!! Youre probably right. Regards But then again and back to this stationary position it will never be the same. The reason I have contacted Tacx/Garmin directly was to get the replacement. Any plans to get hold of a Wattbike Atom Next Generation. Hi DCR, any answer on the screenshot please? Theyve been around this block many times. Heres the full list: Concrete plates I logged my first and probably last few minutes on the Neo Bike. No way any single point can be as solid and as strong as a normal frame like the tacx, watt, or stages. The wattbike is a monster success in Europe because its price is so low. Hi! Part of that may be customs inspecting them, but they actually have no direct side padding. Hello, 9 Months in and one of the belts on our TNBS started slipping. It has nothing to do with not wanting to ride outside. Most companies that do this sort of apps tend to do lots of elevation smoothing and normalizing, which isnt done when you just take a file as-is and re-ride it. Corrosion from sweat had caused the hex bolt to seize on my Atom, I tried unsuccessfully to free it with WD40 but then ruined the head of the hex bolt so its no longer adjustable. And eventually on the Wattbike (way eventually). I have nothing to compare to it, but I am very happy with the purchase. But its just an application of the equivalence principle: an acceleration is an acceleration and you cant tell how theyre produced.) @DCR Can you and The Girl ride comfortably on the same lenght cranks? That means two users, so it would either be double the cost of two trainers/bikes/etc or to get one of these. All of which you can view over at the product comparison tool page. Im rarely going to declare a winner in a category but this one is easy: KICKR Bike. I think if I were a regular buyer in this category, Id probably wait a bit. Fore/aft adjustment on the seat post and handlebar is done with an allen key. I simulated a ride today, one that I originally did on my gravel bike in the mountains on Wednesday, using my 830 on my STAC Halcyon, and it came out as a virtual ride. Really? I simply spliced the three rides into a single video and then I show on-screen which bike youre listening to. In some cases, probably a bit better off since they can seal things a little bit better not having to deal with attaching a bike to it. Wattbike have taken both my money and a mates because neither Tacx or Kickr are able to deliver in the UK within a reasonable time. So much so that Wahoo has stopped taking pre-orders on their website, and asked retailers to do the same. Said differently: Its simpler. If I look at my case specifically, theres been a number of manufacturing build issues that Wahoo says were tied to early production runs primarily with moving or creaking parts. What I would love to know is if it will be possible to get extra brackets to easily swap the saddle without having to get out tools. I put on 1,100 mile before the whole trainer portion of the bike went out of wack and resistance and power started jumping all over the place. Good to know, thanks. Wattbike sells seat posts to allow this. Then hit up Wiggle at the link below! The problem will be in getting cost down to where its not much more if not less than a basic beater frame. We used to use Kettler Racer few years ago, but got it replaced by Neo, Neo2 and Kickr as Kettler is very closed ecosystem (no Zwift etc). The shops do not have it, so not only that I am supposed to carry/ship 60kg parcel, I will actually be without the trainer. Theres no single person whos sole job is that. Wahoo Bike: Unlike the existing Wahoo trainers, the KICKR Bike is an entirely different design. Wattbike Atom: 1,599/2,149 Shipping already [Mainland EU distribution mixed] Completely agree with this. Still, its super cool. Which is nothing wrong with that crowd, hardly. I have a Wattbike Pro that Ive used on Zwift for the last three years. Initially I heard soon, but that was almost a month ago. I havent taken any apart, so I cant quite say. link to forum.trainerroad.com, It gets mentioned in this TrainerRoad discussion by stevemz, I think I speak for almost none of us when I ask, But how does it stack up to a Velotron?. I dont see the need, but some seem to like a bit of movement. Both are 198cm and the other guy has relative long legs. Im hoping the climb function of this unit makes it feel more realistic. That way you just drop your seat post in, and it will always be the same length. Nice people to speak to on the phone too. If its hardcore cyclists/triathletes, as others have mentioned, those folks could buy a bike and a proven trainer for the same price. Tacx Bike: This has a storage area thats roughly big enough for a phone, plus a few gel packets. I dont think they will offer it. Kettler sells top end model Racer RS pretty much for the same money as Tacx NeoBike. So, what if youve got multiple users in your household? You can put all sorts of stuff there from your phone (and charge it), to gels, to candy to pay-off your kids and buy you just enough time to finish that workout. Having been riding a Kettler bike for years, which are VERY solid, before jumping the smart trainers in late 2017, I can tell that the answer to above is not easy. Realistically its what people want: An everything inclusive platform. It gives you a tiny bit of movement or play, just like a real-bike. Sowhat is stopping Zwift from using the ant+ protocol to show Di2 gear display on screen? At present, thats slated for next week. The unit does this by essentially stuttering the electromagnetic flywheel for a few milliseconds. having tried their smart bikes in Gyms it seems they might have more experience in designing and manufacturing hardware that is easily adjustable and durable. Many in the target market will reply that your option (which I also use) falls apart when two users want to share the same hardware. I am not upset and frustrated because the bikes are not working 100%. Cobblestones (soft) Well, at least on the Tacx and Wahoo bikes. You can already record ride on pretty much any trainer on a Garmin watch. Thanks for your thoughtsI think youre spot on. In the case of the KICKR Bike however, the effective saddle height is actually two different components together: Stand over height + Saddle height. PS . Wait wait wait. Dont worry, itll make sense in a second. Fixed! Having flex is very important to me too. I presume thats on purpose, but more than I think I realized until I was going back and forth one after another and holding a camera pointed down. I ordered a Tacx many many months ago and eventually gave up and ordered the WB, which arrived just a few weeks later before xmas (the extra lead time is because people have given up waiting for tacx and just gone for a WB). Tacx Bike shipping estimates slipped back by 2 months on all European sites. 200w), Includes motor to drive speed (simulate downhill), Can directionally steer trainer (left/right), Can simulate road patterns/shaking (i.e. In the UK would have gone for a Wattbike given the cost differential but 8-10 weeks lead time?? Their community is ok. So after waiting 14 months from pre order date (which was only supposed to be 3 months) I had less than a month of riding on it before it broke and now I have to wait an additional 2 months (with that date maybe slipping into 2020) and then hoping it does not break again. I bought an almost unused carbon framed bike with Shimano 105 off eBay earlier this year to use as a dedicated indoor bike with my Tacx Neo 2. What bike is the best for her? In most cases, they arent making it more difficult to determine them. It doesnt feel right. However, it is worthy of note that mid-last week Garmin & Tacx have halted Tacx Bike Shipments for a few weeks to sort out some sort of issue. If it is higher then Ill hit the ceiling . Is that what you want? Thanks. Functionalbut tight. Thats all part of learning things. I suspect at the end of the day in a few months theyll sort all these issues out. But first Wahoo has committed to putting together some sort of triathlon bar addition, which would include connected shifting. And really nice vid great work and very interesting to see them all in action side by side simultaneously. In addition, the Tacx bike has squeezable brake levers. Heres a bunch of random trip reports and daily trip-logs that Ive put together and posted. And less maintenance. Even though Freiburg Winter is not the same as regular winter (more like a cheap shot autumn ;)) you are pointing out what i was afraid of, I do have an Elite Direto which is a few years of age and could well live on the patio but I have several (tremendous) reasons for upgrading: I think the 11-speed was the biggest change specifically, along with things like on-screen gear display. C) Enter in your height and inseam, as well as preferred position (relaxed/endurance/race) and itll give you the KICKR Bike measurements. Ive had a pre order of the Tacx Bike for over a year in the UK and in all that time I have not received a definitive answer as to whether the Bike will be suitable for both me and my wife. Im headed to Paris what do you recommend for training or sightseeing? They see it as a prototype of sorts, and are selling it that way (for example, they dont have certifications). Heres what it looks like on a KICKR Bike: This movement occurs automatically since apps already send gradient to the trainer as part of the trainer control profiles. Your review suggests that the bikes are good but no amazing. link to forum.trainerroad.com Your brain still knows its indoors. In summary wait until version 2 of all of these next year. The easiest way to explain that is that if youre just riding along with a group at a nice talkable pace, and then someone in your group surges ahead how does that surge feel. Thanks as always for your work! I always thought that it did not matter, because Zwift just takes the power data and calculates the speed based on what is configured under the Zwift account. Theyre finding out the same thing Tacx found out, but on a year timeline: Getting manufacturing up to speed on these bikes is incredibly difficult. Do you have any insight into new releases? Sitting on a post isnt fun. My gym membership is up soon. Thanks! On the Tacx Bike, I think if youre getting a newer unit (which, you would because theyre all sold out otherwise), the chance of an issue is highly diminished. Thanks for the review. I mean, sure they get you through the basics, but then it feels like it kinda ends. They are pretty narrow in rpm range- they usually start and stop in a 5 rpm window or so. See if you can measure your room height, as I can make a mic-stand the same height and see if I bonk. I saw a post in a forum somewhere that Wahoo had power/cadence broadcasting on the to do list and hoped to have it out this year. I cant get road feel on my Tacx Neo Bike setup so I assume I do not have the correct combination of settings. Thanks for the work you do! Keep in mind: You cant ride a 10 speed chain/bike on an 11 speed cassette! Thanks, but this is not only the mini saddle height that matters. No flashing lights, vibrating seat, or tipping sensations here. Oh, and note, you can find two out of three of my full in-depth reviews of these bikes on the pictures below. There are other surfaces too like the wooden planked piers/bridges in Zwift, or even the gravel. Looking for the equipment I use day-to-day? Zero sway. This might make the Tacx and wattbike better? Any now landed here in my room. I have a Neo 2 and would not go back to the Kickr b/c of the lack of it. Wattbike Atom: I cant think of any party tricks here. If it is unsuitable we will go for the Atom which we know will fit, but I have a question about the virtual gearing. Then it started to smoke, resistance gone, ERROR blinking on display. Is anyone here considering the wattbike over the tacx/wahoo. I can try and figure it out tomorrow at full up, and then a sprint. Apart from availability issues, If magnums price was the price of these indoor smart bikes, it would have been the ultimate indoor training platform. There must be a reason why none of the bikes put the resistance unit right at the cranks. PES (Pedalling Efficiency Score) has been a revaluation. I have one Smart bike on order in Germany, and it was going to be Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. etc. Just like that t-shirt I sometimes wear. Im only reviewing bikes that you can run widely used apps like Zwift, TrainerRoad, The Sufferfest, and more on. the Polar Beat App and get those data? Was thinking the same thing and doesnt look to just be flexing from side to side but, as its unsupported where the front forks would be, it looks to be rocking/flexing quite materially on that vertical axis as well. Thanks. Though not tried it, Im sure its equally smooth and compares well to reality. And then behind the scenes they actually allow you to configure any shifting type you want. Thanks, added! Cattle grid