Going on my third Core in 16 months now. Wahoo upgrading me to a Kickr, to their credit… but still…
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Hmmmm. Maybe they’ll upgrade me to the kickr bike the next time mine breaks 
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Yup, and the H3 as well:
Point being that each and every brand and model can have problems. I only pointed to the Kickr issue because it was specifically mentioned as fixed, and I feel that is not accurate.
Sadly, I see the 3rd gen of smart trainers as the worst batch. I lucked into the 2nd gen on the Neo, Hammer and Kickr (actually 3rd really as a '17), and have not seen the issues that the newer models are showing.
I can’t recommend any current trainer with a strong asterisk that we have seen more issues with these than prior years. I am hoping that the next round will address these issues, but not at all confident considering that many of these issues here are still happening despite claims from the makers that things are better.
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I can recommend a now dead trainer. The Stac Halcyon. No issues in 12 months of ownership…
But man…it is ugly and no DD. 
I agree… seems like overall reliability and quality are trending in the wrong direction. Not sure exactly why that is but typically you’d expect by the 3rd -4th generation of a product they’d have things figured out. My 2016 Kickr has been rock solid and I would’t let it go for any price given the current state of the high end trainer market.
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Same. I’ve seen close friends have issues with the new Wahoo and Tacx products. I’m amazed that it’s been this long and the problems continue, even for new buyers. It’s absolutely not an “old stock issue”. This is a market dying for someone who cares about quality control to step in and dominate.
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Well, these latest gen models all made very notable changes from their prior designs (that were generally solid for reliability):
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Tacx Neo 2T swapped to much larger magnets in the resistance unit, to address the “wheel slip” issue that exists at low rpm, high torque loads. Those happen in sharp sprints or steep climbs and were noted in a number of reviews as well as users.
- The 2T largely solved that slip issue (with some still claiming slip apparently) but lead to some early issues with power reporting and ERG response (too fast). Much of it seems to be addressed in firmware.
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Wahoo Kickr 18 and Core swapped belt and pulley design to a ribbed (vs cogged) that was aimed at being more quiet.
- They got super quite (in line with the Neo, that was their goal), but they ended up with a large number of bearing and shaft related issues, failures and noises. They claim to have it fixed, but we still see more failures on “new” or replacement units than I would expect if they were actually resolved.
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Saris H3 did a similar change to their pulley and belts to address noise.
- It worked, like the Kickr, but they have belt slip issues and some with noise.
So, in all the main cases, there were real design and function changes that were “new” to each maker and is more understandable for seeing issues (vs the existing designs that were “stable”). We can only hope they learn from these mistakes to make the next steps better and reliable to the level we’d all like to see, and they offered in prior models.
- Totally agree and it’s the reason my Neo 2, H2, and K17 are staying right where they are with no plan to replace them until 6 months after the next steps are in hands of users and seen to be any better for reliability.
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I’ve got an elite zumo… It was only £330…you get what you pay for.
It’s actually fine but wouldn’t trust the power numbers from it, especially anything vo2max and above, if it wasn’t power-matched to my faveros.
I have a Kickr 17 - no issues at all, not noisy, not quiet… simply absolutely fine
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My Kickr 17 direct drive is also a keeper
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Purchased Tacx neo 2t at the start of the year and thoroughly impressed. No issues so far. Pretty quiet, easy to assemble, works seamlessly with zwift previous and Trainer road now. Recommended.
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We have a Kickr Core and Kickr 18 and never has an issue with either. In my experience they are simple lug and play but hey that’s just my experience.
There was a period where wahoo was having massive QC issues. I personally went through 3 trainers with wahoo to get a non-dud. Solid unless they weren’t.
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Agreed. Kickrs feel like either they are bullet proof, or very much not. I just sold my original pre-Gen1 (I got it before the official gen1 date), only because I got a Stages SB20 so my wife and I could share. A cycling friend of mine now has my Kickr, and is happily using it on Zwift.