I have just brought a new Tacx Neo 2 to replace my noisy Kickr1. Having a problem with the resistance, tried to do Zwift calibration but no spanner shows. Earlier tried to complete a group ride and within 15 mins my HR was almost maxed because of the extra effort needed. Going downhill there is still resistance. Trying to push pass 200 w is to hard it feels like the brakes are on. I am 34 level so been doing rides long enough to know something is not right. Any ideas
First off, the Tacx Neo 2 does not require any sort of calibration/spin down. One of its âplussesâ is that it measures power accurately without having to do regular spin downs.
Downhill resistance could be caused by having the Zwift Difficutly slider set farther to the left than to the right (i.e. more closely mimicking a dumb trainer than a smart trainer).
As for not being able to put out more than 200 watts, thatâs a tough one (presuming, of course, that youâre sure youâre comfortable putting out more than that). The only thing I can think of on this (which might possibly be leading to the downhill pedaling issue) is that your trainer is set on Erg mode.
Also, be sure youâre downloaded the Tacx app to your phone or tablet and then updated the trainer to the latest firmware.
I hope you find a fix, as I have a Neo 2 and like it much more than the Kickr Core I had previously.
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Hi David,
all of Nigelâs points are good advice. I had a similar experience and the firmware update did improved it for me.
I think Iâm right in saying that the Neo is very accurate and many users who switch to the Neo can experience a reduction in their output of watts. This happened to me and can be a bit of a shock. It certainly was for me anyway.
My Neo felt quite different from my previous set up which I really liked, however I have never bothered with my previous setup, as I am super happy with my Neo even though my watts are reduced.
Of course none of the above may apply to you.
I hope you are able to get it sorted. Let us know if you can.
âRide Onâ
Make sure to use the FE-c option when pairing power and controllable if you use ANT+.
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Still having problems, used tacx utility to put my correct weight in, realism set on 100% and all running FE-c option. The steeper the descent the more resistance and going up its the reverse. I have to use a bigger gear going uphill to get some feel and no matter how hard or fast I pedal going uphill the speed hardly alters so must be reading the power output. Group rides have become a pain as I do not get any relief on the easier parts to get heart rate down. I have noticed I am not the only one complaining of this problem.
You need to report that to tacx. It might be a trainer issue.
A factory reset seems to have cured the problem, maybe anyone else with their machine not feeling right should try. Now where is that shifter to change down for hills.
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How did you do the factory reset? In the Tacx utility app or is there a HARD reset on the machine itself?
Try this link: https://tacxfaqx.com/knowledge-base/resistance-factory-reset/
I would add a power cycle to those instructions after the reset and before you connect it to anything else.
I did through the tacx utility app, but you will need to read it up on the web before trying. Some of the graphics where different though. My neo works fine now since doing.
Sorry ⌠Whatâs a power cycle ?
âPower Cycleâ refers to turning the power off, then back on. Or, in the case of the Tacx NEO2, unplug the power, wait 10-30 seconds, and plug it back in.
Hope this helpsâŚ
After an hour of searching Iâm hoping this (very helpful) thread will be a life saver. Took delivery of my Tacx Neo 2T yesterday and, after setup (Inc. firmware update) hopped on for a 10 min spin on Zwift. And what a shock I got - 140w felt like 220w on my old trainer (admittedly a wheel on) and the whole thing just felt like wading through treacle.
Most forums unhelpfully referred to the âreality checkâ and I was resigning myself to a significantly downgraded ftp. But still, seemed ridiculous that general pedaling on flat road (albeit virtual) should feel that hard (similar to the âbrakes onâ feeling others inc the Op reported) in anything other than lower gears.
Using the link above I looked at the steps to perform a factory reset. I notice this refers to the isotonic settings in the Tacx utility app - funnily enough I had played around with the testing platform yesterday prior to loading up Zwift, figuring it was just that and wouldnât affect any settings on the actual trainer itself. Now I wonder whether I have somehow messed those settings up and thus affected the riding experience.
Going to try the reset when I head out to the garage this morning and will report back.
Hi Paul,
out of interest what was your previous setup?
As I said above, I had a similar experience to you.
I went from Elite Rollers with 3 Magnetic resistance settings and a powertap hub power meter, to the Tacx Neo.
I loved my original setup, but have never bothered to go back to it, even though I may have lost 50w or so.
Now as I think back, it took me a while to fully click with the Neo as it was a very different feel to my rollers which I had used for a number of years. I could never get on with a static trainer until I found Zwift.
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So itâs been quite the journey of discovery this week. In short, I have come to realise it was me, not the trainer.
To answer your question re: previous setup Troy, it was an Elite Novo Smart wheel-on (which I had used for a year).
To follow on from my last post, I tried the resistance reset function this week and that didnât really make any discernible difference. Have completed a couple of short test rides, retaken my FTP (dropping 33w) and then some structured power interval training. Combined with much research I now understand a few things:
- The power readings on my old wheel-on were inflated. This is something I have to accept, and have done so. I now have a new FTP and something to base my training on over the coming winter months.
- The feel of the Tacx Neo is completely different to the Elite, and I have gradually started to come around to this. I gets better with every ride - but there is clearly going to be a âbedding inâ period.
- There is no âpower smoothingâ on the NEO that I had become used to during workouts on Zwift with the Elite. At first I thought the unit was faulty as the power output was jumping all over the place (although resistance was changing to keep me within certain wattage zones), but seeing numerous other posts elsewhere on this and then watching a few videos on Zwift Insder, I realised this was simply a lack of understanding on my part, and that what I was seeing was a true representation of power output during these sessions - instead of an artificially fixed wattage. I actually prefer this now, as it forces me to adjust my cadence and pedal stroke to stay as near to the target wattage as possible.
- Trainer difficulty setting - I too was experiencing too high a resistance downhill, until I discovered this setting and understood what it does. I have now adjusted from 50% to 75% and downhill feels so much better, allowing the inertia feature of the Neo to come through. On hills I also get a more realistic experience as I am forced to use a wider range of gears - as I would on the road. I strongly suggest anyone else experiencing this look into this feature.
- As for flat roads (0% gradient) - again initially this felt so at odds the previous trainer, but I have started to use my gears more and build power as my cadence increases. Yes, this is still arguably quite different to the same experience on a real road, however when you take into account wind and other conditions outside, itâs a happy medium.
All in all I am growing to really enjoy using the Neo, and will no doubt benefit over the course of the winter - far more so than my old trainer. I have also noticed my average watts start to creep back up within the space of a week. Yes, Iâm still getting used to working within different wattage parameters, however this isnât really a big deal and I would far rather take accuracy and useful data over an inflated FTP 
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Great update Paul,
Glad to hear the Neo and you are on friendly terms now. 
All the best.
âRide Onâ
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I just got a Neo 2 which replaced the 1 gen Kickr. It seems that the Neo 2 is giving me more resistance than the Kickr. I see that you changed the difficulty from 50% to 75% meaning you increased the difficult level on Zwift for your Neo 2. Is that correct? I would have thought that reducing the difficulty setting would help with the resistance levels going downhill.
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â⌠I would have thought that reducing the difficulty setting would help with the resistance levels going downhill.â
No. Assume a 10% gradient. If trainer is at 100%, Zwift will simulate 10% uphill and 5% downhill. In other words, Zwift does downhills at 1/2 of what is shown on the screen. If the Trainer Slider is at 50%, uphill will simulate to 5% and downhill to 2.5%.
Zwift wants you to work going downhill.