Have narrowed my options to a tacx flux s and the elite direto. They’re both the same price for me and I want to use it mostly for Erg mode on trainer road. Which is most reliable or which one would you buy?
Have had both. Only reason for having had both is my original flux continually failed. Got 2 replacement flux s’ and both had issues. Managed to get my money back and bought a Direto.
Used the Direto close to every day over the winter from October through January. Never had any issues. Still use it the odd day here and there.
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I had issues with the Flux twice, and then issues with the Flux S. But some folk have no problems at all.
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I can’t make any comparisons as I’ve never used a Flux but I’ve had a Direto for the last 18 months and (touch wood 
) it’s been solid piece of kit. I do a fair amount of indoor riding so it’s taken a lot of use.
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+1 for the Elite Direto, great piece of kit, and the 2019 version is specced as +/-2% accuracy. Read reviews on new flux etc, glad I went with the Direto. GPLama does a really good review, and it’s what really helped me decide when I purchased a month ago.
This has made me lean more towards the Direto, this thread was the first time I’ve seen people mention problems with the Flux. Good thing they’re the same price but LBS has to wait for Diretos to get shipped in.
And no way am I getting the Kickr
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FWIW, I have a Flux S and it’s been solid since I got it (last November). I’m no 300W FTP 1500W sprinter, however.
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Direto user here. I have the original. No issues and power measurement has been tracking within a watt or two of my Pioneer dual sided power meter. I have been happy so far.
I have the original Direto. Had it for about a year now and I ride 3-6 rides per week indoors. The trainer has been superb. The accuracy is within 1-4 watts of my Power2Max and 1-8 watts of my Stages, so I don’t even bother with Power Match. I’d buy it again in a heartbeat.
It’s my second Direto. The first was faulty when it arrived and I had it replaced by the vendor within a day. Even got a 90 Euro discount on the second.
This pretty much me too. I’ve used mine since December pretty extensively. I honestly don’t even bother calibrating it any more unless I move it. It has had the same spin down value since I bought it. No complaints at all with it and I would recommend one. Don’t have any experience with the Tacx but I’ve had 3 Kickrs, never again!
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I’ve recently upgraded to a Direto (from a bushido) really happy with it so far. Its within 5 Watts of my vector 3s, really smooth resistance changes and pretty quiet. I’ve not problem recommending it.
Direto has been working great for me since January. It was the best value for money in its bracket everywhere I looked. I use it 4-5 times a week and I’ve only had a few small issues(it’s dropped out twice in all the times I’ve used it, but it immediately reconnected and I continued on).
I’d highly recommend it.
I have original Flux, I got it right when it came out. The very first one worked fine but made a little burnt rubber smell and they warrantied it and sent me a brand new one with return shipping for the old one. After 2 years, I haven’t had any real issues with the Flux.
I also have a Neo and it’s also great, but that’s a different ballgame.
I have an original Direto. Belt started failing a bit after about a year. Seemed like a belt tension problem at first. Adjusted the tension back to spec, then that didn’t last long before feeling like it was off again. Found out the belt was literally pulling apart, and had a replacement part sent out. It’s been fine since, though I’m now unsure if it’ll happen again or not.
Support was good about letting me know what to do, and sent parts out quickly once we identified the problem. It’s not particularly complex inside the unit, so it wasn’t that hard to swap out parts. I will add that one of the tension screws has a specific torque value that you’re instructed to set things to. What I found most annoying about the whole process was that screw was recessed on the side of the unit, and there was just enough room around the screw to fit my Allen wrench next to the screw. It was set back a good bit, so it was a pain to actually get onto the screw, instead of next to it. And that I had to do that multiple times if/when the belt tension was reporting out of spec, while adjusting the unit until tension was reporting that it was spot on again.
This was doing somewhere between 300-400 tss average over that time. So not a ton of volume, but it did get used regularly. And I’m not a sprinter, so my efforts were rarely going over VO2max power.
It works well otherwise. And its quiet, if that matters to you. My fans make much more noise than the trainer does.
I’ve got a Direto purchased from Performance Bikes. It’s been ok. Some startup issues that were more related to TR software than the Direto. No reliability issues.
Never used the Flux so I can’t compare.
I’ve seen/heard a lot of people complain about the way their Direto oscillates around target power. Almost like it’s underdamped. I don’t notice this but you’ll find a lot of text on this forum discussing it.
Good morning everyone.
it is time for an upgrade, and I’m stuck with 2 choices:
Tacx Fulx S or Elite Direto OTS 2 Percent.
It will be paired to a mountain bike. Any recommendations?
And since it’s my first wheel off, proper trainer after the most basic trainer for a few years, what else do I need?
Thanks in advance.
Elite Direto hands down. 2019 model comes with a riser block. Get yourself a foam mat from a Depot store. Side table for bottles, gels, handtowel etc. 2x fans( one either side in front of you), Laptop or tablet/phone for TR.
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Thanks everyone. I ended up going for the Elite. Arrives in 2 days!
Excited to get some training done in ERG mode, (never tried it) on a wheel off trainer.
Almost 3 years on a dumb 100$ trainer, with VirtualPower, speed and cadence only was enough. Nothing like upgrades to keep you motivated! 
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Make sure to plan a new Ramp test right away, because your power measurement will change.
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Absolutely!
Will spend the first afternoon tuning everything, from the trainer to the plan and FTP.
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