There are free apps though Golden Cheetah is one, and other smaller developers too. While the H3 is slightly higher in price, its also so often on sale for $800-$850USD, that one should at least check the price before making a purchase decision. But most of this all boils down to two core methods: ERG Mode: Setting a specific power level i.e., 200w. So if this was a one-off, then its no competition. I have just had an email from Garmin/tacx. If this doesnt get resolved I will need to invest in the Neo. I find the sweet-spot around 1-3 seconds. But, in general it took about 4-6 seconds for it to stabilize from ~140w to ~428w, sometimes 4 seconds, sometimes a second or two longer. I am deep in the Garmin ecosystem so figured it would be better to just stick to a Tacx. I picked up one of these in January, unfortunately before seeing your review. If youve got a SRAM AXS bike, youll also need to get a different freehub adapter from Tacx as well. Flux S: Basically a Flux 1, but with long derailleur cage support and some internal manufacturing tweaks I'm one of the ones that do. ANT+ Speed/Cadence Profile: This broadcasts your speed and cadence as a standard ANT+ Speed/Cadence combo sensor But, it didnt ever drop the connection, or spike, or dropout. Without question, those are within range of the specs. Tacx is trying to track down the issues. To be fair, the Flow cant put out anywhere near the power, or accuracy, of the Flux. The Flux 2 road-feel isok? Yes. On the first 3 intervals above I was in the smaller front chainring as recommended by TrainerRoad, and was in one of the two highest gears on the cassette (closest to the wheel). Heres the levels being sent (the blue blocks) by TrainerRoad (in this case via Bluetooth Smart on iPad) and how quickly the Flux 2.1 responded to it: Well come back to that random spike prior to the first interval. T2805.51 CAMPAGNOLO (Direct Drive Body). I find the Flux 2.1 is just as hard to ride on the flat and downhill, as it is uphill. So much so that I even put a warning up on my previous Flux 2 announcement posts saying straight up Do not buy. Whereas sometimes over ANT+ FE-C itll work/trigger. hopefully . The most common question I receive outside of the whats the best GPS watch for me variant, are photography-esq based. Tacx sent me the Flux 2 for this review and I have been using it for a short period of time. Returned it and waited a few months for new inventory. Still, if we set those moderately significant annoyances aside, and look purely at power accuracy, the units all follow each other pretty darn closely. Elite dont need seem to have the functionality of updating firmware via their app, leaving such problems unsolved. I've had this for years, and use it in places where I don't have a big screen or desk, but just an iPad or tablet on my road bike bars. More on that later. Once you ensure you have the latest firmware, you need to run the calibration to ensure the brake is set properly. Wattage is not hard-set, only incline levels. Do you think that is worth it considering other trainers out there? There is another version, T2875.51, but it is supposedly for the Neo 2T. Add a few more months and as part of my review cycle I ran into accuracy issues in ERG mode that made it inaccurate at upwards of 10% off. With the current $899USD pricing, the road feel and audible noise of the KICKR CORE is just a better option for the same price (plus multi-channel Bluetooth connections). Any tips please? The whole mounting approach for these direct drive trainers feels like it is broken and in need of a standard. Ensure that the number of speeds matches your bike (e.g. Very good. You would buy the skewer that is appropriate to your bikes and then it mounts to the trainer. This process will take you about 1-2 minutes: For a size comparison, I took this photo at the start of this entire review process more than 2 years ago. None. I still find it quite rediculous that you buy a quite expensive piece of equipment and you actually have to also have a subscription app with it to work. Ray, thanks for all you do! I've been using it as my main trainer desk for a long time now and love it. All very concerning/confusing. Anyone done similar test as above with this latest FW? Ive installed it on mine but hard to tell any difference since I dont have a powermeter. Is there anyway to know what version is being sold online? Sure, they're not as powerful as a Wahoo Headwind, but I could literally buy 20 of them for the same price. Flux 2: Far more powerful Flux with 16% grade simulation, increased accuracy claim. Golden cheetah is the only one that eats gpx of old rides as far as I know. Ive always had good accuracy results with the Flux. The app/pc will record the trainer and the 530 will record the pedals. Specifically, the following tweaks were now in this new version: Flux 2.1: Revamped internals to more accurately control the resistance, native 12mm thru-axle support without adapters, improved regulatory stuff related to voltages and global certifications. However, despite all that, it still didnt solve the ERG accuracy issues entirely. First, road feel. The Flux I had discarded due to the quality issues so was not as interested, but perhaps the Garmin takeover would resolve this issue. I think theyre awesome, and really help illustrate the power of this trainer (despite the connectivity issues). Upon connecting, youll see options at the left from the menu, including the ability to check/update firmware: You can also go into a testing dashboard youll never use, as well as the ability to update the rider weight. In this case, the trainer did an uncommanded surge in resistance to roughly 350w+. I think the apps/services are the driver, not the other way round. Doesnt matter how many calibrations, latest firmware etc. The changeover happened fall 2019, and inventory for trainers globally has been such that especially this past spring, there was zero availability anywhere. The Flux 2 road feel is good when comparing it to other mid-range trainers in its class but not as good as high-end trainers like the NEO for example. . However, it is beastly and fairly stable. Even if you don't have a 4K TV, the 4K version has more powerful graphics than the base, worth the extra $30. You can also mix and match and create your own trainer comparison charts with just about any trainer on the market in the aforementioned/linked product database. I recalibrated it in the Tacx app and the problem is gone and everything is perfect. In this case, you need the chain whip since you cant get a good grasp on the flywheel. They agree though that this likely isnt a connectivity issue by WiFi or such. However, if you dont have one, you might be able to go by perceived exertion or heart rate to see if it is significantly harder to hold the same amount of watts in the small chainring as you do in the big chainring in the front. Thanks! Is the Flux 2 that far out to lunch on watts Im looking at guys on Rouvy over 22km rides pulling off 5.1 w/kg and outside dont do 2 w/kg.. so frustrating when youre playing with these guys on a Neo yeah I understand ride for yourself, but still. So I am now waiting to see what they announce and may be taking a chance on the Flux. I bought one after my order for other trainers keep getting cancelled through lockdown. Still, a mere one minute into it I get punched by the power surges. Dont really know if its related at all. Am I thinking this is a bigger problem than it really is or should I stick with a wheel-on trainer since buying two direct drives might land me in ddep water with the wife (looking for cycling exersize and not swimming)? As the saying goes: Its not the size, but how you use it. Your email address will not be published. Some days theres a tiny bit more disagreement than other days, but within the state specs of the combined units its relatively close on ERG and SIM mode. Would rather have a firmware fix if possible. Any other differences I am not knowledgeable enough about. You probably stumbled upon here looking for a review of a sports gadget. Notify me of followup comments via e-mail. I received my Tacx Flux 2 and set it up very easily and took it for a spin. I've been using it, and a similiar European version lately with great success (exact EU variant I use is automatically linked at left). Wanna create comparison chart graphs just like I do for GPS, heart rate, power meters and more? Like I always say for me personally, its hard to separate the fact that Im riding indoors from outdoors. So in efforts to combat the amount of emails I need to sort through on a daily basis, Ive complied this My Photography Gear post for your curious minds! First up is installing the leg. Ive just been reading the comments on the Drivo 2 review . My question for Ray is: For others who are about to order a trainer, is it still worth considering Drivo 1, given its now 525GBP in the UK? The Flux estimates cadence rather than measuring it directly from the source. He's an avid triathlete and enjoys the outdoors and a good cup of coffee. I have just asked to be upgraded to a neo and the response was we cant do that as they are not in stock. Still, I find it almost never matters. Tbh, from that review, it sounds flawless. It technically doesnt impact how fast you go on Zwift, but in reality it does make it easier for most people on climbs to have a lower difficulty level. Theres the Elite Direto X slightly cheaper, but good luck finding that in stock. After doing that, the resistance was in and out, as if a clutch was slipping while going up hills. Is very easy maintain a target power. Ive ridden it for about a month and a half now, and noticed that I cant detect any increase in resistance for grades over about 8-9% even though the stated range is up to 16%. Well, many moon phases later, last summer in Aug 2019, Tacx semi-quietly revamped the internals to a new version (oft called the Tacx Flux 2.1). Thanks in advance for your reply. Are there any other mid-range-trainers supposed to get a successor in the foreseeable future? Thanks for your review. If trainers or apps dont support these standards, then it makes it far more difficult for you as the end user. Approx 6% or 17w low at FTP of 275w. cobblestones), Support rolldown procedure (for wheel based), Supports ANT+ FE-C (Trainer Control Standard), Supports Bluetooth Smart FTMS (Trainer Control Standard), Supports Multiple Concurrent Bluetooth connections. The surge lasts a few seconds and then returns to whatever it was doing prior. Ive also experienced the 5s or more ERG mode delays which are a total pain when Zwift racing and a perceived power inaccuracy compared to the Flux 1 it replaced under warranty (another story). I lack a power meter as well, which makes it difficult to explain this problem. Wondering your thoughts between the Flux S and Flux 2. Privately selling a less than satisfactory trainer is unappealing. Itd honestly depend on how stable your pedal stroke is/etc I cant quite see scale here, so its hard to know of the bumps are +/- 5w, or +/- 10w. To my surprised it is quite abit quieter than the direto 1 it replaces. Plus there are smart trainers here, all in these guides cover almost every category of sports gadgets out there. Plus ca change. I occasionally use erg mode, but it is not a priority, and dont use Zwift. It had no effect though on how quickly it could get to that point. While creating the maps yourselves would be a drag (pardon the pun), a post discussing this would be invaluable for people like me, whove never used a smart trainer but am thinking about one for the winter in case gyms (here in the UK) dont reopen/close again in the winter, and I cant access my beloved Wattbikes. Once you perform the initial calibration, you should be all set for a while. . It ultimately led to Elite making the Direto the following year (substantially increasing performance, as well as a minor bump in accuracy), and then also led to Wahoo offering the KICKR CORE (which in turn mostly killed the original Fluxs appeal).