Equipment Advice

General Discussion
1

Hi all,

I can’t really consume all of the content on trainers, bikes, etc., in the amount of time that I have to make decisions (likely days).

After some years, I’m moving on from the Wahoo KICKR Bike (nothing bad to say about Wahoo, but it’s been a troublesome product for me: brilliant when it works, not so awesome when it doesn’t).

I tend to do most of my riding indoors due to work, kids, etc. So, my indoor setup matters to me a lot.

I have learned that I don’t want a full-on smart bike due to fears around troubleshooting and replacement costs. Plus, they are incredibly difficult to move, sell, or ship.

I have used a Zwift Ride before. I found it quite usable, but a bit on the loud side and I don’t really care for the button setup and hoods. I also like the idea of using a Tacx Neo 3M (a rip off for sure, but I really like the Neo accuracy, ride feel, and downhill drive) and I know it doesn’t work with the Ride frame.

I do like the notion of having a dedicated trainer bike solution that I don’t care to sweat on, etc. I had looked strongly at the Elite Square (which is on discount presently), but am turned off by the compatibility issues and the fact that it doesn’t seem to work reliably with Tacx.

I do like the climb simulation with the Kickr Bike, but it’s not a huge deal.

Basically, I need to figure out if there’s a viable alternative to the Zwift Ride or Elite Square that can work with the Neo series of trainers that doesn’t cost $3B in the US. The alternative to that would be to buy a road bike for the trainer and for traveling, but I really don’t want to buy a beater that just lives on the trainer in that case.

Any and all suggestions welcome.

2

Given that you want a 3M which has motion built in, I think you’re looking at getting a bicycle.

3

You can lock the motion out, though, right?

I could also get a 2T instead, but don’t love the lack of WiFi support.

4

Yes you can lock the motion out. If you did that, you could use it with something like a Caveworks Rivet frame. If that sounds worthwhile, it should work. While I’m spending heaps of your money… it may be possible to use the Caveworks frame with the Tacx Alpine and that would allow you to keep the 3M motion enabled. Not sure if that’s really a better option than a bicycle though. You could ask Caveworks if it’s compatible. It does have a front axle.

5

LOL, why does everything is cycling have to be so dang expensive? I’m reluctant to strap my only bike at the moment (a Cervelo S5 with Princeton wheels) to a direct drive trainer. But, maybe I’m just being a baby

6

I would find a steel frame/bike in good shape and call it a day. I have been thinking about that route as I have some extra parts I could use and get it installed with not much issue. The Caveworks is nice but a used frame would come in less $$.

7

Note the 2T with motion plates cannot be motion locked; and the cost of the motion plates are… well, an additional cost.

IMO the lack of wifi support is seriously not something to be massively concerned about; if anything, those with wifi support have had more issues in the past year than those without it thanks to their ability to auto-update and receive bunk firmwares which has been the entire cause of those issues.

As far as a frame you don’t care to sweat on… well… you can replace all the corrosive parts with parts that are less prone to corrosion over time; but everything will struggle there. Pack on enough grease and don’t let a soaking wet towel sit atop things and that’s a better start than how most people treat their equipment. A weekly wipedown is a better start than most; but nothing will be pain-free if you don’t do even a basic wipedown.

I really like my 2T with the motion plates and the Alpine; I almost… almost find it an upgrade over my Kickrbike except for the instant shifting and lack of fear or chain catches which is where the belt driven stuff will always be vastly superior; or in Zwift’s realm… virtual shifting.

But if you’re going down that road and ALSO don’t want “just a bike stuck on a trainer”, then… the reality is you need to figure out what you’re after. Once you connect the Tacx and Alpine to a bike, it’s going to take more than just a few minutes to take it off safely to ride it outside. There’s nothing quick about it, and in a hurry is a great way to damage a frame.

Heading into year 5 of my kickrbike v1 and I’ve yet to experience a single issue with it though personally.

My hot take is, you don’t fully know what you are actually after.

But it sounds to me something almost along the lines of the Kickr Shift could almost be worth looking at. Yes it’s a smart bike, but it’s lighter weight, it’s built like a spin bike so it’s EXTREMELY quiet, and probably the easiest thing to keep clean from what I’ve seen on the market.

I got a Tacx setup to ride outside under the deck when it’s cool outside. I used it that way about 5 times before summer heat took over; that setup got moved to the garage with an Alpine, and now it doesn’t move, and a 50" tv is hooked up to it, and that bike doesn’t come off either.

Alternatively; do just that… get a Tacx for the fun of it like I did.
Tuning the road-feel down to 50% and then let your feel fall asleep on the cobbles of Paris.

If it sounds like I’m poking at you OP it’s because I am.
You’re talking about something that has been described as bulletproof by majority of owners, and then talking about wanting to replace it with something that literally requires mechanical knowledge and tools to repair over time.

The two don’t add up.

To add to that… I’d recommend looking up the weight of a Tacx 3M before you think moving a normal smart trainer is any better or easier. Moving my 2T has nearly thrown my back out each time I went to take it outside.

To put things into perspective; a Neo2T with Alpine alone weigh more than a Kickrbike does; and despite being in two parts, doesn’t make it any easier (maybe the 3M does since it has a handle lol).

But the argument of being heavy and concerns over moving things due to their weight… is also… something you’re going to have to get over; because the grass is not greener, or in this case.. lighter.

Kickrbike Shift on the other hand weighs only 79lbs

8

I could write a small dissertation about how the Kickr Bike versions (and I’ve had a v1 that was replaced at least twice and a Pro that was replaced once and is now in the process of getting refunded; Wahoo support really is outstanding) have left a lot to be desired on the reliability front. Noise is my biggest complaint. Not the “drivetrain” but rather the creaking, cracking, groaning that I’ve experienced across several units. I had hoped that the Pro update would’ve addressed those complaints, but it didn’t, at least for me. It is an incredible experience when everything is working as it should. Ironically, the one Kickr Bike that I had that was dead quiet ended up developing a resistance issue and just randomly died one day.

I am tall (189cm) but not particularly heavy (maybe 76kg right now). Maybe I pedal like a caveman or something. Either way, the Kickr Bike just didn’t work for me.

I do understand that the Shift is a bit of a different, mechanically less complex, design. It’s also less about the weight to me and more about the dimensions and non-modularity. If something goes down, then the whole thing has to be dealt with as opposed to dealing with one smaller piece.

9

I hate to say it, but if you’re having minor issues like that with a kickrbike… literally nothing is going to be any better.

But no, underneath the Pro is just a V2 with new controllers, and the V2 was just a V1 with likely one board change internally to include dircon (V1 has an RJ45 port but it’s for Wahoo internally).

You are heavier and likely more powerful than I am though; but that won’t make anything better anywhere else. The Kickrbike is quite heavy duty; going to a 3M or any trainer with a regular bike is absolutely going to suffer the exact same issues, and certainly have a lot more.

Unfortunately I can’t say I’ve had the same experience though, I’ve used my kickrbike every day since purchase with zero downtime… so I realize I’m not the best response.

But again, if some complaints are things like creaks and groans… (again not something I experience with mine, but I did pack my kickrbike with grease in lots of places Wahoo didn’t)… no road bike setup is going to be any better here but significantly worse; as they do flex, and aren’t designed to deal with anywhere near as much sweat on them.

The modularity argument I get, still, just be aware of the weights of these trainers; the 3M is 52lbs… but at least it has a handle! (SERIOUSLY the worst thing I hate abou tthe 2T is the lack of a handle; it’s so awkward to move, and can absolutely destroy your fingers if you aren’t careful folding the legs up).

If you seriously want to go down the road of a traditional trainer setup, my real recommendation then still is the 3M or the Wahoo KickrMove.

The fore/aft motion is wonderful, which I find it more comfortable than my kickrbike on a KOM Rocker plate; though I do wish I could lock the motion on my 2T like the 3M can for when I want to do sprints for example.

And I do really like my Alpine that I’ve only gotten to use a handful of times. The steering is… mildly annoying and I don’t use it all the time, but the range of motion is bonkers compared to the Kickrbike.

My takeaway… if the Shift isn’t for you (it’s not for me without the tilt personally), I’d look closely at the 3M and an Alpine as an addition down the road; but don’t expect to move things around once you get to that point.

It’s a weird benefit to know the Tacx can also work in case of a power-outage or… literally complete off-grid as well, which is not something any other trainer can do on the market; along with road-feel. Most users disable it… personally I like it once in a while and just have it set to 50% or lower.

I think you will greatly miss the instantaneous shifting of the kickrbike though; I do.. and after countless issues with Zwift’s hardware, I took it all off and am back to a regular chain setup on my first bike which at least has di2; but going up and down fast rollers, I greatly miss the instant shifting.

Lots of things worth considering!

But no, I don’t think you’ll find anything built any more superior in any way shape or form.
Maybe the Wattbike Atom (Not sure what the QFactor is on that thing) or TacxBike but those don’t appear to be options either.

Whatever you do come up with though, curious to see where you end up!

Oh one other addition to note, the Tacx also does allow freedom of left/right movement… also something no other trainers really seem to do that well / at all.
But of course this comes at a cost, as it is harder on the internals, and I’ve had a few teammates have to replace the main bearing on theirs before, which is down-time.
Downside to this though means… you can’t really comfortably use a gravel bike that’s too flimsy.

10

Discontinued product but now US$945 at Competitive Cyclist…

11

That’s unusual - my original kickr bike is silent in all respects.

I had to do some work with pedals and the bars to eliminate creaks and since then it is silent.

If Wahoo support is still good to you, I’d work with them.

If a kickr bike doesn’t work, then a normal bike on a normal trainer is even less likely to be more reliable. As said above, Kickr Bikes are usually pretty solidly built.

12

ffs… since when did they abandon the kickrmove???
Did that happen when Wahoo fired their the majority of their staff?.. bet it did.
Welp, guess I should stop recommending that (which I did to a teammate literally 3 weeks ago..)

In response to Chris saying his kickrbike is silent, mine is far from it; I actually think my Tacx setup is significantly more quiet than my kickrbike; but it’s purely belt noise and harmonics; no creaking etc. besides my rocker plate.

Important grease points are where the saddle and stem push away from the center with the big flaps at the top (my flap bolts are well grease packed as well); extend those as far as you can and lather them up with grease, that protects them from getting grimey inside as well. Obviously should have grease in seatpost and all areas around the stem and bar.
Wahoo usually does a good job of greasing the overall height using the big black lever under the saddle in front of the flywheel.

All other noises are going to likely come from stem and bars maybe needing a re-torque and grease, or saddle, or pedals. Hard to really gain access to other parts that I know need greasing like the tilter and main hinge.

But yeah the harmonics on my Kickrbike are.. significant.
Noise cancelling earbuds are worn no matter what trainer I’m on though which gets ride of most of the noise anyways.

Definitely give it a once over anyways; something you’d have to do with a normal trainer and bike setup anyways.

Another thing worth noting is I’ve replaced a vast majority of the user-settable hardware on mine; drilled out the clamps and put in higher torque capable bolts that don’t rust… that’s always a good thing to do if you can.

13

June 2026 was when they announced it