Tacx Neo Bike ERG Issue

Bugs and Support
1

Hi Guys.

Sorry I am quite new to this. Trying to weigh up between the new zwift ride, wahoo shift and the tacx neo bike.

I might have an opportunity to get the neo bike for a decent price only 6 months old.

The issue is I do want to use zwift for training had I have heard the tacx neo had or has some ERG issues on zwift.

Has this issue been fixed with a patch or anything? Also is the tacx neo bike a little old now and better tech likely to come?

Thanks for the help. I did my best to search the answers myself first but it seems like a bottomless pit.

2

I have a Tacx Neo Smart Bike myself and have had no problems with the ERG mode so far. Neither with Zwift nor with other providers. However, I am still using the beta firmware v4.5.0, so I don’t know whether the problem can occur with an earlier or current normal version of the firmware. Just an FYI: If the bike is the Tacx Neo Smart Bike Plus - there was a recent manufacturer warning about using the external power supply.

3

There are no erg issues with the neobike other than it will use a high reporting frequency which makes the power trace look jittery but it’s just what you’re actually putting out. I wouldn’t expect a new neobike in the near future. I’m happy with mine.

This is a typical trace from one of my workouts. If you want the fake perfect flat lines for your reports you have to go to Wahoo. The occasional spikes here are me getting out of the saddle for a few seconds, not any bike-caused issue.

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4

Thank you for the advice guys. I appreciate the time and advice you have given me.

Would you go for this over the new zwift ride?

5

I suppose that’s what the Neo 2T is doing as well - I prefer that. I have both Neo 2T and Kickr Bike and when you watch the power readout on screen from each, they are quite different. They both read about the same, but the Neo 2T shows the finer steps in power increases.

6

Do you have ERG mode power smoothing enabled on the Kickr Bike? If so, turn it off and compare again.

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7

Never, but it’s just slow compared with the Neo 2T.

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8

For the Neo Smart (not Plus), there was an official firmware update, 0.0.46, that fixed the ERG issue. The 4.5.0 beta firmware added Zwift steering along with some custom settings and Bluetooth/ANT+ updates.

I’m happy with my Neo Bike and at the time of purchase it was the best fit to my needs/wants. I’m not sure what I would do today if I were buying my first smart trainer.

The Zwift Ride is intriguing but is mostly limited to Zwift (for free riding) currently, and the durability has not been proven yet.

The price point of the new Jetblack Victory is hard to beat. Pair it with the Elite Square for about $1600, and it’s half price of a full smart bike. If there were a smart frame priced closer to the Ride than the Square that worked with all the apps, that would make a hard to beat combo.

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