I’v been on the Kickr G1 since it first came out and it hasn’t missed a beat, a real workhorse.
We have been switching bikes from mine to my wife’s for a couple of years and we recently decided to purchase a 2nd trainer. Reading the negative feedback on the 2018 kickr, and for the most part good reviews of the Neo 2T it seemed like a no-brainer to go with the 2T.
The 2T feels great on Z2 zwift rides and TR rides where I am riding under threshold, but I find it sucks on O/U workouts and Vo2 max workouts in erg. Feels like there is a brake on the (virtual) flywheel and feels like i’m pushing 10% more watts compared to the Kickr. I’ve used my Quarq to compare the 2 trainers and they are within 2%, when in resistance mode.
I’ve noticed the 2T in resistance mode doesn’t have the braking effect I notice in erg and spins freely if you come off the power a bit. Definitely not the case in erg! The 2T behaves totally differently in Erg, where I find the Kickr feels the same in and out of erg.
Anyone have the same experience? Any ideas on a different setting?
The Neo1/2/2T does have a different feel to it than the Kickr(s). It’s only really noticeable if you’ve come from something like the Kickr. This isn’t a “the Neo is more accurate” issue either. Some people call the Kickr inertia ‘free watts’… that’s also incorrect. You still have to put energy into the system yourself.
If you’re connecting to the Neo with Bluetooth then be sure to set your rider weight within the Tacx Util app. As I understand there’s no rider weight sent over Bluetooth so it’ll be simulating inertia/feel/gradient of a 75Kg rider.
Does the rider weight setting in the Tacx app affect the “feel” when using TR in erg mode? If so, would increasing rider weight result in more inertia and better “feel” or would it be the opposite?
I’ve done the same switch. I’ve been on a gen one kickr for about 4 years. I’ve racked up a LOT of sweet spot hours on it over that time, the thing is epic. For info the set up is a P3, power2max meter and I run on 54/14 (I know I shouldn’t) with power match on. I’m so used to riding this set up it almost feels more like being on the road than actually being on the road does.
Prior to the kickr I had a kickr snap which I rode for a winter and really liked. When I first got the kickr it killed my legs but I soon got used to it.
Very recent addition is the neo 2t. I’ve been riding this with the same bike, same workouts , same gear and again with power match on. Yeah it does feel different, initially I struggled but you do get used to it. A way to build up your ‘neo legs’ perhaps is to rack up some miles at 85% so you aren’t getting killed all the time.
The neo runs the sessions really well, even in that gear, perhaps better than the kickr which can feel a little ‘loose’ or forgiving in comparison.
Just bought a Neo 2T and have been on a Kickr since 2017. I want to love the Neo 2T - it’s quieter, I like the rocking of it, the ambient lighting while not the least bit necessary makes me feel fancy. Unfortunately I just for the life of me can’t get over the difference in feel between the two - primarily the smoothness of the kickr vs the 2T. As you mentioned I felt like I was going 10% harder on the Neo2T even on zone 2 work and over/unders/intervals in general were nearly impossible for me to get a decent workout in on. Ultimately I’m returning the 2T and just going to keep with my gen 1 kickr because while I prefer being on the road, I value what the trainer can bring to training but the 2T just made it to where I’d skip trainer workouts entirely and really killed my motivation for getting on. If I’m not going to use it then it’s just not worth it unfortunately.
I went from Gen1 Kicker to Neo (partner wanted me to get a quieter trainer, so wanted me to upgrade), regretted it straight away, I liked the Kicker, feel I put up with the Neo, makes some funny sounds at times (especially in Zwift) each time I hope it’s about to break
And before the Neo fanboy brigade attacks me “its great, I love it”