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TECH NEWS
2022 Tacx NEO Bike Plus - 1.jpegGarmin unveils Tacx NEO Bike Plus indoor smart bike – but it doesn’t come cheap
Garmin has released a new Tacx NEO Bike Plus indoor smart bike with updated shifters, more crank lengths than previously, and an easily adjustable seat position and handlebar stem with measurements in millimetres. There’s a big price hike compared with the existing Tacx NEO Bike Smart Trainer, though, from £2,299.99 to £3,499.99.
Garmin, which acquired Tacx in 2019, says, “The Tacx NEO Bike Plus offers a quiet ride and accurate power, speed and cadence metrics – even in sprints.
“Fully adjustable, [it] can quickly be customised to match the fit of an outdoor bike and is designed to be used by multiple athletes in the household. Plus, when paired with the Tacx Training app [you’ll need a Tacx Premium or Premium HD subscription for that] on a compatible smart device, athletes can follow structured workouts, participate in pro rides and ride the immersive Tacx films from some of the most beautiful courses around the world.”
You can also use the Tacx NEO Bike Plus with third-party cycling apps like Zwift and TrainerRoad.
> Check out the best exercise bikes and smart bikes 2022
The existing NEO Bike Smart Trainer got a glowing 9/10 review here on road.cc a couple of years ago.
Reviewer Dave Atkinson praised its incredibly smooth and quiet performance and gearing, and also the accuracy of its power measurement. It’s one of the best smart bikes out there.
The new Tacx NEO Bike Plus offers many of the same features, including the ability to simulate different surfaces, like cobblestones and gravel, when paired with the Tacx Training app or compatible third-party apps, and to measure the position of your left and right legs to analyse your pedalling technique.
You can also “mimic the feel of jumping into a different gear with the tap of a finger thanks to redesigned programmable shifters for Shimano, SRAM or Campagnolo.”
Like the NEO Bike Smart Trainer, the NEO Bike Plus has a claimed power measurement accuracy of within 1%, plus reliable, consistent measurements for speed and cadence. It can handle sprints up to 2,200 watts and can realistically simulate inclines up to a 25% gradient.
You can choose from five crank lengths while the seatpost and stem can be adjusted to the millimetre. The built-in fans are controlled automatically by your power or heart rate. Work harder and they blow more air.
The NEO Bike Plus features a 4.5in integrated display and two USB chargers so you can use training platforms on your smartphone, tablet or laptop without worrying about them running out of juice.
The Tacx NEO Bike Plus has a suggested retail price of £3,499.99 and will be available soon, although we don’t have an exact date for you.
Mat has been in cycling media since 1996, on titles including BikeRadar, Total Bike, Total Mountain Bike, What Mountain Bike and Mountain Biking UK, and he has been editor of 220 Triathlon and Cycling Plus. Mat has been road.cc technical editor for over a decade, testing bikes, fettling the latest kit, and trying out the most up-to-the-minute clothing. We send him off around the world to get all the news from launches and shows too. He has won his category in Ironman UK 70.3 and finished on the podium in both marathons he has run. Mat is a Cambridge graduate who did a post-grad in magazine journalism, and he is a winner of the Cycling Media Award for Specialist Online Writer. Now over 50, he's riding road and gravel bikes most days for fun and fitness rather than training for competitions.
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8 comments
Soon as I saw these minor upgrade and price leap, I decided to disregard the Tax bike.
I've decided to order the stages SB20. I already have a full rocker board, so my SB20 can go on that. My Tacx Neo 2 has been perfect for 3 years and many thousands of miles per year on Zwift. It will become the spare for family to use on Zwift etc
Garmin / Tacx have a very confusing sales model. I own a Tacx Neo 2T which I have also got (used) the motion plates. The reason for this, same as why so many buy wobble boards or Wahoo front wheel elevation etc is they offer a better road feel on their actual bike. This is the same reason why I detest riding on Stages or watt bikes in my local gym. They are heavy lumps that give no real feel and if I want to get out the saddle feel so weird and unresponsive.
Since Tacx acknowledge this, releasing a static bike that offers non of these benefits at an eye watering price seems a totally confusing postion. How can you say one product is your best if you produce another that counters its KSP?
Im regrettably convinced that the Tacx Neo Bike is an orhan product with no real USP or direction. They could put the motion plates on the Bike but havent.
If you just want a smartbike get the Neo original model or the Stages/Wattbike. If you want bells and whilstles the Wahoo wins hands down.
Completely wasted opportunity. I own the original and would never pay £1200 more for a tiny upgrade. More so since Tacx and Zwift have never go together to enable steering.
At this price the Wahoo Bike has significantly more features including steering and front back tilting.
piss poor show Garmin/Tacx.
PS the fans don't work in ERG mode under 120W
So, from what I can see, the differences between the Plus and non-Plus model is seat & stem adjustment, crank length adjustment and some updated shifters.
The specs of the flywheel, etc look the same, so this looks like a massive price hike for not much, I paid £1900 for the previous model last year.
Yeah, not the best written comparison. And the Plus indeed seems to be on the price more than in anything else. The motives to provide a new model seem to reside elsewhere than a desire to provide customers with something truly new.
Yes, some peculiarities with the pricing on this.
Tredz has the 'non-plus' version at £2199, which is £1300 cheaper than the plus.
Also the Tacx Neo 2T turbo on which they are surely based is now only £599.
I noticed also that the Wahoo bike is down £1100 at the big retailers to price-parity with the non-plus Tacx.
I've not seen the Neo 2T down to £600, it's still around the £1200 mark from what I can find. The Neo 2 is now £600, but that had a number of flaws that were fixed in the 2T.