Review: Riding the Tacx Neo 2T Smart Trainer with new Motion Plates add-on
The Tacx Neo 2T is well-regarded as a powerful, accurate, quiet and responsive trainer. Adding their new Motion Plates to the mix goes a long way in alleviating the repetitive intensity of indoor training, writes Kylie Hanekom..
What is it?
The Tacx NEO 2T Smart Trainer | NEO 2T is a fully connected indoor trainer with a plethora of features adding to the indoor experience. The inbuilt rocker provides for slight side-to-side motion, a cobble effect simulates the vibrations of uneven road surfaces whilst the power (and cadence) accuracy is slated as being within 1%. Tacx NEO is a direct-drive trainer with no belts or gearing meaning it’s one of the quietest on the market and it is one of the fastest to drop to zero watts after an effort. It simulates inclines up to a 25% gradient, handles explosive sprints up to a whopping 2200 watts and has pedal analysis tools to help you refine your technique. It can also be used as a stand-alone trainer.
Tacx NEO Motion Plates | Available as an upgrade to the NEO, NEO 2, and NEO 2T Smart Trainer these motion plates add 5cm of fore/aft movement into the mix, creating a more realistic indoor ride. They ‘snap’ in place and attach to the underside of the trainer with magnets.
Ride Impressions
It’s been a while since I dusted off my Zwift account and set up a pain cave in the lounge (strictly speaking not since Cyril’s level-5 lockdown in 2020), so I jumped at the opportunity to give the Tacx NEO 2T (and motion plates) a spin.
As the inhabitant of a very small apartment, space is a huge concern when it comes to any indoor training setup. Next is manoeuvrability, and ease of assembly and disassembly. I have to be able to quickly pack up and put away any training unit, without needing an entire toolkit or muscled handyman present. The Tacx NEO 2T ticked these boxes admirably. I was able to set up the trainer and install the motion plates in a matter of minutes, thanks to a bit of help from Google. The unit ships with pretty every thru-axle adapter you might need. The only tools I needed were for removing the cassette from my road bike and installing it on the trainer. (It is worth noting that the unit does not ship with a cassette so this is an additional expense to consider when setting it up at home for long-term use.)
A quick firmware update via the Tacx app, and I was ready to roll. Connecting to Zwift, my preferred indoor training platform was a no-brainer, and I had no issues with signal dropping during the ride, or with lag during structured sessions. A bonus in my eyes was not needing to calibrate the power meter with a spin down every couple of rides, and the power meter is claimed to be accurate to within 1%. But, all the specs and info you could ever need can be found on Garmin’s website, so I’ll get straight to the heart of the matter: how did it feel?
In short, a lot more interesting than a static trainer. The Tacx NEO 2T has a small amount of lateral movement built in to create a more natural ride feel even without the motion plates. In addition, when connected to an external power source, the trainer has descent simulation which mimics the sensation of freewheeling downhill, making for a more “realistic” ride feel.
Adding the motion plates allows forward and backward motion as well, and results in you shifting your weight, and body position constantly to adjust to the movement. This does a lot to alleviate the repetitive intensity of indoor training, and the resultant strain on contact points, and makes the overall ride experience more entertaining, especially when free-riding in Zwift.
Where the Motion Plates do fall a little short in my opinion is when trying to do more high-intensity structured intervals. Putting in a sudden big effort, such as a sprint does create a bobbing effect which is a little disconcerting. My solution here, would be to do high-intensity intervals without the Motion Plates, and use them for steady-state efforts and free rides.
At a recommended retail price of R6299 for the Motion Plates, they are a fairly hefty addition to an indoor training experience, but one that does something to relieve the tedium of a static setup. If you put in big hours indoors they may be a worthwhile investment. More: garmin.com
| Tester: Kylie Hanekom | IMAGES: Troy Davies |
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