Wahoo Kickr vs. CycleOps Hammer vs. Tacx Neo & Flux
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- čas přidán 27. 08. 2024
- The in-door cycle trainer conundrum broken down!
Gabe Sullens, Owner of Urban Pedaler (an official indoor trainer dealer based in Melbourne), walks us through the main differences between and Tacx Neo, Tacx Flux, Wahoo Kickr, and the CycleOps Hammer.
In addition, Gabe provides a deep dive into the flywheel and what impact it has on the 'real life' ride quality of these indoor trainers. This is a great review for people either looking to purchase an indoor trainer for the first time or upgrade their existing indoor trainer.
Thank you for the review. I have read much of it before but it was interesting to hear real world comments about the ability to swap out thru axels vs quick releases. Good to know!
Kelvin Lillico thanks for the comment Kelvin, glad to hear the video was useful for you 👍 Cam
Probably the most comprehensive overview on CZcams! I wish I’d watch it before I ordered my smart trainer…
Cracking review, very well presented and informative as I am about to invest in a trainer...Thank you..
Having trained on the Direto, Kickr 18 and the Neo, I went with the Neo.
I can use it for warmup outdoors since it can be run without electricity. It is super accurate, can take high wattage and doesn't require calibration. And yes, it is dead silent. ..
Thanks for sharing Alexander. Cam
I love how being under 200lbs still qualifies you for "big heavyweight" status!
Great, I was debating on which to go for. If I can, I'll get a Neo.
Disagree about the chat on the flywheels. I agree on the technical side that the Tacx will give a more realistic feel, but no trainer really feels quite like riding outdoors. The point of indoor training is to maintain fitness (in my opinion). This is done through resistance. If you use TrainerRoad then flywheel doesn’t make a huge difference. It will make more difference for Zwift. As long as you can get the training stress into your body in accordance with your training plan then really the flywheel is a pretty insignificant piece of the puzzle. The best part of the direct drive electronic trainers is the erg mode which allows the trainer to lock in your power setting in accordance with the training software to ensure you complete the prescribed training session.
Thanks for the video Cam. Awesome review.
Tom Goold and thanks for providing your thoughts. Always good to get differing opinions on theses things. It gives buyers / researchers the best 360 degree view after they watch the video. 👍
Flywheel works the same on trainer road as it does on Zwift it only loses it's importance as your cadence drops it will not be the same as outdoors as on the road you have forward momentum weight of your body and your bike going forward this decreases as you start to climb but you still have slight movement of body from side to side etc which makes it different from a trainer
I use mine only for base training during winter, low intensity longer hours right from the comfort of my home.... Keeps all the fat right off ya, and has ya ready for all your spring phase, have the flux and for the price does the job.. Money well spent. 👍
Comprehensive video and I wish I'd see this before I went with the TACX. I just don't get the natural feel at all. It'll be a long winter or else I'll just have to get out in the awful weather.
Nice informative video, goes into some details which other reviews don't cover. I'm curious to know how much lower my bike would be using say a Kickr Core as opposed to a Kickr Snap. I know that it feels really hard hurdling over my crossbar with my Snap as it is raised up 4cm.
thank you!
I had a kicker 2018 less than 1 week and it started producing so annoying noise in the wheel, so I could not use it.
Thanks for sharing Walter.I've personally had a kickr for 4 years without any issues. Sounds like you got a dud! Very frustrating for you. Cam
That's a common issue with the kickr2018
My KickR is less noisy than the fan I use to keep everything cool - compared to a dumb-trainer + power-meter, it's no contest. (This is only for power in my range - 250-300W tempo, with bursts to 650-700 - I don't bother 'do' sprints).
That said: my fan is bitchin' - its nickname is GIGANTOR, and it runs loud.
I got a kicker in December 2018, it wouldn't provide resistance for more than 10 minutes then it'd quit. Got a replacement. It didn't work at all...
Great information! Thanks!!
Thanks Cynthia! Is Cynthia your actual name? Cam
Cam Nicholls Yes, Cynthia is my actual name. 😀
Super clear,thanks
I am finding when I use my Flux I need to make rear derailleur adjustments for downshifting. I have to shift twice to get it downshift. Is this a common problem or am I missing something? Upshifts seems to be fine for the most part. My derailleur shifts fine when I have my wheel on and I'm running eTap 11-speed. When I mounted the cassette the Tacx directions said no spacer was needed so I believe I have everything set up properly. Any help is appreciated.
Try adding a spacer. Le cogs aligment on your trainer and your wheel are probably a bit offset. So your derailleur is setup correctly for your wheel but not for your trainer.
What happens when you use MTB with smaller wheel dia as compared to a road bike with bigger wheels? Can we lower the trainer height?
Not sure myself here mate, sorry
Looking for a trainer than can deal with 280 lbs. I'll be putting a steel bike on it, so I think the frame should be okay?
Good insight. I've personally found Elite Direto to be the best one.
Interesting. I'm not familiar with that one. I'd be interested to hear what you like about it? Cam
Direto is about 30-40% cheaper than the Kickr and Neo. A lot quieter than the wahoo and a has less complicated internals than the Neo. Really accurate power data and a lot quieter than the Kickr (my fan makes more noise)....keeps the gf in the next room happy.
LOL - that's very important! Interesting and thanks for sharing.
the negative is it has a poor wattage floor.
slopes, up to 14%, with a 1400 Watt power output at a 40 km/h speed. not the highest but certainly not low
How do you guys rank the four? 1-4th place.
I would need Gabe to answer that one. I have only ridden the Wahoo myself. Cam
Cam Nicholls thank you. Hope to hear from him.
Found the Hammer (H1) yesterday for $599 USD new AND compared to the NEO at $1300,,,, it was a no brainier. I will take a well reviewed flywheel, wheel off trainer, for $599 ALL DAY LONG.
I'm on Wahoo kickr V4 2018 number 2 and soon to be number 3 due to noise issues. Thinking of changing to Neo
Interesting re noise issues - what sort of noise? Cam
Cam Nicholls its a loud rumble and starts at around 40kph or if your pushing up hill. It’s that loud you can’t listen to iPhone while riding unless you use earphones. When you first get the kickr it’s awesome and silent but put in 500km and the noise starts.
Wahoo claim it’s only 3% that are faulty but there’s to many people out there on there 3rd and 4th one.
Jim Poobear that’s interesting Jim, thanks for sharing on his thread. I have personally had a Wahoo now for 3 years and used it a lot. Never an issue, but I’m glad you raised this for others to consider. Cheers, Cam
Flux or kickr core?😊
Unsure Adrian, I haven't had a go at the Flux personally! Cam
I’ve had a flux for 2years, all n all quite happy with it... when on erg mode zwifting when hitting sprint power efforts 600w-1200w you need to be in mid cassette or lower, and attack the effort 1 to 2 seconds before to hold the chosen power 👍 good luck deciding
Plus the neo is silent. Big difference between all the trainers.
Thanks for sharing mate. Appreciate it. Cam
What matters the most now is the software. All of the "direct drive" hardware is fine. The consumer-level software available sucks. For all of them. All. It just amazes me. Worse IMO is that the "Coggan power cult" has created a full generation of athletes that don't even think about how they actually create power. ERG modes need more advanced options to create windows and soft recovery not just to make it "feel" more realistic but to create better, more productive training sessions. Indoor training should focus on power and cadence targets with power as a calculated derivative. Power-based intervals should be used for submax training and maybe as an observed number for sprints. Average power is only used to compare one session to another against cardiopulmonary loads. If you want to have consistent loads (for structured training and a clear roadmap for progress) you need to break it down by force and velocity, not to mention the advanced torque analysis available only from Cycling Dynamics or similar proprietary tools from the big name power meters.
Thanks for sharing your insights mate. Much appreciated.
Dude looks like Wiggins.
Hear that a lot Adrian. Cheers, Wiggo
Cool, Cam! Interesting overview.
E-Motion Rollers (especially with Smart Resistance) are of course our favorite. We're also huge fans of the Wahoo Kickr though. So much so that we created the E-Flex motion system which brings it to a completely other level: www.insideride.com/buy/kickr-e-flex
Tacx Neo is hands down the best trainer
I'd be interested to hear what you personally like about it? Cam
I've owned both the Wahoo Kickr (for over two years) and a Tacx Neo. The Neo is so much quieter, there is no comparison and there is also no vibration. It also does not require calibration. The Kickr could never be trusted to give accurate power readings, even with calibration. The Neo is so smooth and you always know that its readings are accurate - very important if you are training to specific power zones. The only thing better about the Kickr is that it takes up slightly less space when unfolded. However the Neo does fold down nicely. The other awesome thing about the Neo is that it doesn't even require power - it will power itself as soon as you start pedalling!
That's some good intel there! Thanks for sharing. Might need to put that on my ever-growing list of new cycling items! What is your first name (no sweat if you don't want to share it) so I know for future reference? Cam
I couldnt buy Tacx after buying a couple of their machines. Neither lasted more than a few months before breaking and after service is a farce
Generally we find Tacx reliable, but the 2-3 warranty repairs and replacements we've had in the last year have all been Tacx. It's still a very low defect rate, but that still can put the damper on a good training ride.
soooo Expensive!
A lot of the training regimes are built around cadence and wahoo has no cadence sensors :(
The Wahoo Kickr now comes with a bluetooth cadence sensor in the box alongside an 11sp cassette. With heartrate, you can get a wahoo Tickr model that works on bluetooth or ANT+ aftermarket.
Words out the kickr's are getting worst and worst every year.And price is going up and up.
Yes it is. Had my 2018 replaced 2 times. First made the clicking noise, 2nd worked for a month or so then started making same a first. Just gave my third a test and no clicking noise which they reported they've fixed, but when on small back ring at high speed, it moans very loud.
So much crap
Thanks for the insightful comment Dr Deepak
@@CamNicholls He's got a point.No need to elaborate.
Lemons into lemon juice. :D