So, yesterday I had the opportunity to get a lightly used Tacx Neo 2t for a really good price from a nice older gentleman nearby.
I haven’t had a chance to set it up yet but last night I stumbled on many discussions and videos about the longevity of these trainers. I have read many threads about dead trainers, bad bearings, etc. In particular is this issue of the bad bearings on the 2t not being serviceable like previous models.
Now I’m scared. I know this trainer works for now, but I’m worried it might not last long and as a second owner I’ll be out of luck.
Any long term users out there? Where are we on this bearing issue? Should I resell? For not much more money I could have gotten a CPO Kickr Core.
You’ll find groups like this for every brand of trainer. Don’t forget that happy customers with no issues don’t go online and tell everyone how pleased they are, so you get a misleading impression.
I’ve used my Neo 2T almost daily for about 13 months now and it’s been great. I even mistakenly left it out overnight in the rain last summer - I dried it off thoroughly before I next used it, and it was fine.
yes great to hear you have used it outside I wanted todo that as well as our outdoor patio is upstairs and because I’m a cyclist with NO upper body strength I haven’t move it
Tim_Gee
I picked up a Neo 2T in the 1st week of November 2019 and have been following TR Century Program 98% execution rate. I just finished 1st 4weeks of the Specialty Block and I have had zero problems. Until this week my connection was Samsung Galaxy S9+ and it worked like a champ. This week I got the Tacx Ant connector. Yes it is Tacx product. Here is what I have experienced since using HP laptop . Connection almost immediate . Power output intially was off I did a calibration via device screen TR but it still felt like I was missing pwr. Note I was in small ring with the Galaxy. So I switched to the big ring and smaller cog and calibrated and it works like a champ for two workouts so far.
The only think I noticed since switching to the big ring was slightly more noise coming from the drive train. But I embarrassingly admit that it has been a while since I have lubed the chain so that could be a cause of the increase in the drivetrain noise.
With that said, performance has been outstanding.
I am pleased and would recommend the Neo 2T to both friends and enemies And I would buy it again.
Hope that helps.
Had mine over a year now and no issues at all. Liked it so much got myself a Neo Bike and so nice. Now I have a 2T sitting there as a backup unless I decide to sell it.
If and is an if you have an issue I know Garmin has taken care of people.
Yeah, from about this time of year to roughly September I do most of my trainer time outside. I cover the Neo up at night with an old plastic BBQ cover to keep the rain off. If it’s raining at the time I want to train, then I get a bit of extra strength training in, and lug it temporarily back into the shed.
No issues for me, I’ve been really happy with the trainer. I power match so can’t speak to the power accuracy but almost used in erg mode 12+ hours a week for over a year. It is a bit awkward to move but if I’m traveling for work (drive throughout MO/AR) I usually bring it and a couple fans and do workouts in my hotel room too. Big reason I picked it was how quiet it is.
Had mine for about 10 months. All good so far. Lots of erg plus some long rides on zwift including the uber so it’s done some full days. Really good at erg even with a stupidly big gear. Also really good on zwift, I’m a fan of the road feel. The slight movement seems to also help on long rides.
I’m not seeing this issue. When there’s an issue with a trainer you need to be concerned about, it’ll be continually posted about in forums. The early Kickr18 and ESD issues are a good example here, also Kinetic and their accuracy or connectivity issues… the ATOM and ERG mode… the list goes on. Neo bearings just don’t make the list.
Re: Bearing replacements. Garmin/Tacx sell complete replacement bearing kits a LOT cheaper than the tools required to pull/press them yourself.
Do other manufacturers even sell bearings for their trainers? I don’t recall seeing those available from Wahoo for instance. (but I’ve never called or inquired directly.)
iv’e been thinking about a Neo 2t to replace my Direto. The Direto has been good to me but it’s four years old at ths point and is very loud and clanky. Also, the “road feel” for lack of a better term during Zwifting is not great. The gradient changes are unrealistically aggressive and you wind up having to slam through gear changes (adding to the noise).
But my only concern is whether my bikes are compatible. I have a FUji Jari gravel bike with 142mm thru axle in the back (11 spd Shimano), and a Specialized hardtail MTB with I believe 135mm QR (10 speed shimano).
And I would buy it again.