Tacx Neo Motion Plates (Fore-Aft)

Equipment
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nice, but to expensive, i am not sure, i want to replace my Tacx Neo2 with a Kickr Bike, but hopefully a v2 version (so i have to wait), so i think a invest in this Motion Plates not very useful

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$300 :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:

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Yeah, price is a notable obstacle and will likely limit adoption.

I do welcome the new option, like I do for all motion related products, especially one from a giant within the industry. It lends validity to what we have pushed for years and hopefully opens the door for wider acceptance generally speaking and more products.

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Of the people who have tried fore/aft motion, is there any consensus on whether it’s as good, better, or worse than rocking? Just curious, if people could only have one, which it would be. I’m very happy with my Rockr Pod Lite, which cost $100 less than this, so it’s hard for me to get too excited about it without knowing more.

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I don’t think there is a firm consensus. I have boiled the common F-A question down to the info below:

F-A Pros:

  1. This motion can improve comfort in the saddle. Some people claim this has more benefit than the Left-Right Rocking motion.
  2. This motion can improve the stability and feel during transitions between seated and standing positions. It adapts to the shift in center of mass that we experience during these large body movements.
  3. This motion can improve the feel of standing efforts at regular power outputs. It adapts to the shift in center of mass that we experience during these large body movements.
  4. This motion can also improve feel during all-out sprint efforts.
  5. A rocker without this motion can wiggle around on the floor during these big efforts, while rockers with this motion are more stationary and stable on the floor.

F-A Cons:

  1. This motion typically requires more parts and complexity to allow and control the related motion along with the regular rocking motion. Rockers with this motion are typically more expensive as a result.
  2. This motion can feel odd at certain powers and cadences. Much of this depends on the centering forces related to the motion, rider weight, pedaling style and other factors.
  3. This motion may even lead to power loss as the bike is moving in ways that counter the power production cycle while pedaling. But this is far from settled and experiences vary widely.
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Thanks Chad!!

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I think the review by DC Rainmaker as usual is excellent. I fall into the category of user that has the NEO 2T and limited space (in my case, ceiling height), such that this solution looks ideal. My LBS already has an order in for these and I will be picking one up. I don’t like the price, but it is a custom solution, and I like how seamless it looks. Will report back once I have had a chance to thoroughly test this.

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Based upon a quick look alone, or some actual experience related to plastics design and materials specs?

I ask because I have a fair bit of experience designing & testing parts made from plastic inject molding, with a range of materials and I see no major points of concern here from the pics & vids. The loading is relatively restrained (lots of compression loading in particular) and there is plenty of ribbing within the various sections of the parts from what I see. Couple that with the lack of knowing the precise material in use, and I’d say it’s a fairly wild guess to cast doubt on these parts without more specific info to review.

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  • Please do!!!
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OK, I am aware of the issues with the Neo feet cracks and seen some of the external pictures posted at least. That loading case may well be quite different to what we see here, so it’s hard to say if they are related enough to be an area of concern with this design.

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  • Just like the Wahoo Climb (where they stated it’s not acceptable for use on a rocker), I’m betting it’s only a matter of time before we see someone on the DIY group put that combo together.

  • I would want a closer look at the finer details of retention between the top and bottom sections of the feet, but I think this could be added onto a pure lateral lean rocker. It’s possible that with proper retention (mainly sideways limits) that this could be a “simple” way to add F-A to an existing rocker.

  • But considering the cost of these feet, it would really not make much financial sense to add these unless you already had a rocker investment and didn’t want to seek out one of the other multi-directional options.

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Like many, I suspect, I would willingly pay something like £100-150 for this, even though there’s not much to it. But £260 feels just rude!

I do find it quite a surprising move, really. I mean there’s not an awful lot of obvious eye catching improvements to be made for the next generation of trainers, so I would have thought that making a Neo 3 with more movement (side-side and fore-aft) would have been a really good idea, and would have maybe helped to persuade owners of older units to upgrade. I love the fact that they’ve brought this out for all existing units, but I just can’t see them selling loads at that price.

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I just watched Lama’s video. That squeak would drive me nuts. Definitely need to put a towel or something under the wheel.

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I have an Omnirocker, which has fore and aft movement as well as lateral rocking. Having tried other rocker plates without the fore/aft movement, I think that the fore/aft movement really improves the feel for me personally. It makes the feeling of getting in and out of the saddle feel better, and in combination with the rocking makes the whole movement of the bike much more natural. It is definitely of value as an add-on to the rocking. Not sure how much benefit it would provide without the rocking though.

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I do like the fore/aft that my home-build plate gives, so I think for many types of indoor riding this would be nice. The price, however, is not. For me, that is really the only thing wrong with it - for $100 or $150 I would have been very positive about this. “We charge $300 for a $150 item because we can” doesn’t really build brand loyalty.
If they add some additional and adjustable side to side flex in the next Neo, they will have a pretty complete solution, which I don’t think anyone else has.

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I did like the point that dcrainmaker made about price, yes it’s expensive for what it is, yes it suffers from the Garmin Tax, but whats the cheaper alternative,

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Pricey, but I think I’ll probably get a set :money_with_wings:

I have a 7yr old OG Neo which has been awesome. Currently waiting on 2nd gen smart bike (Neo or Kickr) to come out. In the meantime, this can both scratch my itch for something new and likely make longer rides on the trainer a bit more comfy.

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The closest thing at present for sale, is the KOM Cycling F-A option at $350 USD

Notably, that includes two full-sized decks along with the F-A motion parts. So at a price of just $50 difference, the KOM device has a fair bit more to it depending on your point of view.

Honestly, the general trend in the DIY side of motion training has been a focus on the leaning action first, and the fore-aft action second. As such, there are more examples and options of the rocking action on it’s own than F-A motion on it’s own. But considering the motion itself, doing a pure F-A DIY could be done will relative ease and low cost, at least in some ways I can imagine.

Maybe this new Neo option will spark some of those options, especially for those that have a preference of F-A motion vs leaning.

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I really hope they’re working on something new for the NEO range. The 2T is almost three years old now… and the best they could do are two plastic rails that costs more than an entry-level laptop computer. :thinking:

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