TACX Neo 2t Cadence Measurement

Equipment
1

Just did my first ride on this machine. Seems to be very good investment. There is a problem with cadence indicating a low value on Zwift. It reads 64 rpm but I’m doing 80 rpm. It is consistently low by 12 to 16 rpm. Has anyone had this problem with this machine and is it fixable?

2

Are you running the latest firmware, as I believe there was a fix for cadence?
I assume you’re running another cadence sensor to verify your rpm?

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3

Thanks Dave. I’ll look into the firm ware. I use my watch and count the revs to check my cadence.

4

I tried to find firmware updates but am confused as to how to do it. Can you direct me in the right direction as to where to find the update?

Thanks

5

Tacx utility or tacx training from the app store. Connect over Bluetooth (make sure nothing else is connected to or trying to connect to the phone) and go to the update section.

6

Check out the post above as that covers everything you need to do.

7

Thanks to all. The firm update didn’t help the cadence accuracy. Going to talk to Garmin.

8

Any chance your manual cadence measurement may be the issue?

As a sanity check why not borrow a cadence sensor from someone and see how that stacks up against your trainer and the manual method?

9

I use the same method for my heart rate and my results compare with whats indicated on Zwift via wahoo heart strap. My previous smart trainer would indicate, for example, 80 rpm cadence and that was just what I got using the watch. So my method is ok for my purposes. I noticed today on a long Zwift straight the indicated cadence was slowly increasing over a period of time. It got all the way up to 75 when I was pedaling 82. I’ll live with it I guess. Although for 1300 bucks maybe the cadence should be a bit more accurate.

10

Check out the first paragraph of this post:

11

I believe the problem here is the cadence sensor placement. I don’t have an external cadence sensor. I’m relying on the 2T’s internal cadence sensing ability. The carbon fiber Trek 2300 was my first fairly serious bike purchased 1991. My Grandson is still riding it. Shifters on the down tube, rat trap pedals and 7 speed cassette. The shifters were indexed or friction.

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12

The cadence sensor depends on detecting your heel passing by the trainer. It’s not very reliable - depends on your foot length and heel position. I suggest a separate cadence sensor. I had the same problem as you with a Flux, now using a Wahoo cadence sensor. Picked it because it’s BT/ANT+. Only issue with this solution is if you’re running TR on an Apple TV, which is limited in the number of BT it can support.

13

I’m pretty sure the cadence sensor is magnetic, and in place to detect the pedal spindle specifically, not the heel. Even with that, I think it is less stable and predictable than a dedicated sensor (based on limited testing I’ve done with my Neo 2, which features similar sensors and function).

14

They have one on the Flux, and the pedal spindle doesn’t get closer than 10cm from the trainer body. I’d bet it’s a cheap motion detector rather than magnetic (which would have a hard time with anything else than a steel spindle).

Edit: confirmed, it’s a capacitive sensor.

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15

Capacitive sensors will work with a wide variety of things. It works when I wave my hand across the sensor area.

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16

Hi… Did you fix the problem… Now I have the same with my Tacx Neo 2T

17

You may not be able to fix it completely - the design seems flawed (I have a Neo 2T which I love, but I’ve learned not to trust the cadence readings too much - I sometimes find that it fluctuates more late on in long workouts … possibly because my foot placement/movement differs a bit by then?).

I recall from discussions elsewhere (may have been on the Tacx Facebook group) that there was a time when Tacx would placate customers who complained by sending them a metal strip (like a dessert spoon) to strap onto their crank to trigger the sensor more reliably. I can judge my cadence pretty well, so I just live with it. If I really cared about my cadence, I’d just buy one of these and strap it to my shoe:
https://www.wiggle.co.uk/wahoo-rpm-cadence-sensor-bluetooth-40-and-ant

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18

I have a Flux 2 abd always thought it measured cadence by counting impulses from your (always slightly uneven) pedal stroke?

19

Thank you… ! and about the power red light my still blink :man_shrugging:t4: Thanks

20

Nope. Proximity sensor on the left side. Similar to the Neo. And with the same issues. These sensors are cheap now, they are in every mobile phone to detect your proximity to the screen.

I went the Wahoo Cadence way as well. Works well (except on the road, where lower cadences in steep climbs do happen, the sensor cuts off around 50 rpm).