Sound Test: Tacx Flux 2 vs Tacx NEO 2 vs Tacx Flux S Trainers

Here's your complete Tacx 2018-2019 trainer lineup, put to the sound test! This includes the Tacx Flux S, Tacx Flux 2, and Tacx NEO 2 Smart trainers. I didn't include the Tacx Smart Bike because...err...it's not out yet. :-/
For this test I did two basic speeds: 20MPH and then a sprint. Super simple. I purposefully didn't use a lav mic for the sound portions because that would have impacted the sounds you heard. Sure, there's a bit more echo - but all things were equal, and everyone's home is different. Sound testing is a whole category of videos some day.
Enjoy!
---
The Site ► www.dcrainmaker...
Main Camera ► amzn.to/2vGjVcT
The Drone ► amzn.to/2LrPEoc
The Gimbal ► amzn.to/2vG9wh3
Action Cam ► amzn.to/2xBF9Km
All Camera Gear ► dcra.in/DCRCamera
Instagram ► / dcrainmaker
Facebook ► / dcrainmaker
Twitter ► / dcrainmakerblog
My Strava ► / strava
Most Music ► player.epidemi...
#Tacx #TacxTrainers #Trainers

[@Dcrainmaker]

Hey folks - if you're looking for a similiar test for the KICKR/CORE vs NEO, check out this video: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y2iodmN4a66mo7c - Note that I see the NEO 1 and NEO 2 sounds as virtually identical (technically there's a small laptop-like fan in the NEO 2 that turns off quicker/sooner which makes it quieter, but frankly you'd never know unless someone told you). To me, they're the same sound-wise.

[@PauloHaas]

That's the kind of video we are looking for. 100% informative, no bs.

[@Dcrainmaker]

Thanks!

[@JKEOJKEO]

I know you pay a fair bit more for the NEO 2, but If you close your eyes during the rapid sound test at 5:42 onwards it is really impressive. Thanks DC!

[@thestamsvideoproduction7427]

As always super helpful!! Trying to convince my other half why I need a neo 2t 😅

[@ArtzFenix]

good luck

[@basti5307]

ray, great work again. last two years youre videos helped a lot in searching the right trainer for indoor cycling!

[@nehrutinajero5627]

Thanks for the video. Great comparison.

[@aktivsoul1829]

Great video! Am trying to decide which smart trainer to buy, and this really helps!

[@shalenpillar2659]

I bought the flux S and I am loving it...It really works well value for money..

[@OmarTan]

Wow, the Neo 2 is very impressive

[@Voss27]

Ray is wearing socks! This must be a first :)

[@MstrRo1]

The recordings I did for Tacx I used an H1 about 12 inches away from the cassette.

[@gooders9093]

gotta love a Neo

[@Giannofman]

Great video!!! Also, maybe you need a good bike fit!

[@NGarcia]

What makes more noise is the chain, maybe would be an interesting video to show how make your chain /drive train more silent.?

[@Advcrazy]

Been waiting for this. Thanks Ray!!!! Soooo flux 2 vs kickr sound level? 🤷‍♂️

[@Dcrainmaker]

I did a video back in July showing KICKR 2018/CORE vs NEO. Basically the same. So essentially in this video you can swap out KICKR for Neo and get the same effect.

[@random_vid_tt]

thanks! Very informative!

[@simonrussell2642]

Excellent you can see/hear where your money goes, can you repeat with elite and wahoo?

[@ratcat104]

Thank you so much

[@dpstrial]

Well the Tacx Neo 2 has it. I just wish direct drives had silent freehubs.

[@Evilker]

Thanks

[@stoenggi]

What Brand/Model ist the traffic light reacting to the ambient Sound?

[@spartaktedoradze3753]

thank you

[@eecak1973]

Download a decibel app and put your phone 1 metre back and 1 metre to the side of the cassette like they do on car decibel measuring. That neo 2 chain noise is very loud though.

[@camd5348]

Any idea when we will see the flux 2 full review?

[@GoldenGaze1985]

That Neo 2 looks like the bike is about to fly off the cassette!

[@Tigrulin]

thanks!

[@billsedge7360]

That front wheel doesn’t half bounce up and down a lot !

[@tadeuszwodarczyk1288]

Trainers should stay in the same place, when they are tested. Move them and retest. In the worst scenario you will have stronger arms :)

[@Dcrainmaker]

Yeah ideally, or at least relative to the position of the camera. It was around 11PM I think before a flight the next morning, so just had to get things done. Sorry!

[@thestamsvideoproduction7427]

I think the test proved what it had to. Regardless of placement 👍

[@vent676]

Did you consult with someone who knows a bit about sound? It seems you are unaware of how it works. A decibel meter gives you a different reading if you hold it in a different place. That is because the sound pressure (and thus three perceived loudness) varies from place to place. Not because there is something wrong with the dB meter. Instead you use a disco light? Also, as someone else noticed, if you don't put the trainers in the same spot relative to your walls, that will dramatically influence the spl at the mic. Lastly, you don't provide a reference point to help your viewers relate the volume to something that they are familiar with. Now we have to go by the sound of your voice, which varies greatly as you move your face to and from the camera mic, or turn the mic on your head on and off.

[@dwreck5578]

Did you watch the video, @4:10, lol.

[@vent676]

@@dwreck5578 Yes... He was so close...

[@Dcrainmaker]

I've been doing this long enough (half a decade or so), to understand what makes usable sound comparisons - and a decibel meter simply isn't it. The more I do the more I realize how hopeless it really is to give folks a truly accurate view of the sound levels in videos (let alone measure them). There are a massive number of environmental factors that truly do have a huge impact (including on decibel meters): - The room materials (which can make trainers quieter or louder due to echo, noise dampening, etc…) - The size of the room - The exact distance of the camera and/or decibel meter - The mode of the decibel meter (seriously, I've got multiple, they differ) - The type of mics used - The sound levels of the mics used - The exact position of the mics relative to different sides of the trainer - How the mics capture different tones - How I edited the audio (normalized levels) - The speed of the trainer - The cleanliness of the drivetrain on your bike - The shifting accuracy (tuning) of your bike’s drive train - Whether or not I remembered to turn on the @#$@# mics - And other items I’m likely forgetting Any one of these items can make the entire trainer sound dramatically different. Thus, my goal is simple - it's on a single video by video basic to give you the closets possible comparison. The trainers could have been re-positioned, but given how far away the camera was (about 10-12 feet), and how close the trainers were (if you look at the feet of the trainers they're actually overlapping such that the offset is only a foot) - it had a negligible effect. Also, it's a traffic light - not a disco light. And it's actually super easy to demonstrate whether something is at an acceptable level. And all this ignores on where one should pace the decibel meter. Far away? Close? Next to the trainer? But then, why? Nobody puts their head next to the trainer. And which mode is the meter in? And how do you compare non-same places between videos?

[@vent676]

@@Dcrainmaker Didn't mean to criticize your professionality, I am as admirer of your videos. The thing that surprises me is that, given your knowledge of what impacts sound, you still allow for easy to avoid recording mistakes. Also, you really don't seem to be aware of how to use a dB meter. You don't have to place it where your ears would also go for it to be useful. You wouldn't say that overhead microphones are useless because no listener ever hovers above the orchestra, would you?

[@hannesvdvreken]

get. a. bike fit.

[@jacobsylvestkrab-johansen6679]

I got so uncomfortable just looking at this 😅 i really hope you listen to this guy and get a proper bike fit. Great video however 💃

[@dornorman9599]

Great vid! Can you estimate how does the Neo2 noise compare with the kickr 2018's?

[@Dcrainmaker]

Here's a video showing exactly that: kzbin.info/www/bejne/Y2iodmN4a66mo7c - Ok, almost exactly. It's the NEO 1 instead, but honestly the noise is virtually identical between NEO 1 and NEO 2.

[@fabioslink5867]

Which one is the less harder to drive? It’s seems to me that the neo 2 is the more hard to push

[@alejandrobianchi3510]

What about frame torsion?it looks like neo 2 is the best option for keeping the frame safe!!!

[@tahaguler2933]

Will u do review of flux 2 anytime soon? Thanks

[@pantster9855]

If you wanna try a test for the Neo 2, spin at standard rpm then spin out as much as you possibly can. Done this a few times now whilst on Zwift and it just doesn't pick it up, was spinning at 150-170rpm and kept showing about 90rpm

[@Dcrainmaker]

Yup, I talked about this in my NEO videos.

[@pantster9855]

Missed that, do they have any fixes lined up? Makes spin out drills tricky when it doesn't seem to pick up rpm over about 100

[@Dcrainmaker]

@@pantster9855 There's two elements to it: A) There was a firmware update a few weeks back addressing Zwift cadence issues with the NEO 2, and B) There isn't a plan to address the 'slip' that occurs on the NEO1/2 when doing a sprint from low cadence. I'd see if the firmware update fixes it first.

[@pantster9855]

Thanks very much, I did the firmware update and it stopped the crazy erratic rpm displaying (and since I've had one Zwift ride where the rpm just went to zero but still displayed power etc) but it hasn't fixed the displaying of high rpm drills from steady rpm. Hoping they fix it in due course, is it just an issue between the Neo 2 and Zwift?

[@Dcrainmaker]

@@pantster9855 Yeah, I'd have to look at my data to see if I saw it on other platforms, and with Zwift whether it's an ANT+ or BLE thing. May be worth trying to see on your regular bike computer (pair it to the NEO as a power meter) whether or not it happens there. I'm travelling at the moment, so I can't check myself on that one. Sorry!

[@1972andyb]

Will you be doing an in-depth review on the flux 2?

[@ScottBenson2]

Yes please

[@RixtronixLAB]

Nice video, have you tried Tacx Flux 2 with 39-23 and 12% gradient ? is it the real power generated compare to the real climb ? thanks

[@brianmuir9059]

My music is generally so loud there is no way I’m going to hear my trainer. In fact the fan makes way more noise!

[@zaahierstanley955]

Hi there . Was wondering if anyone did a review on the Gravat T300?

[@felipegiachinocastillo2034]

Hi! what do you think about vibration between Flux S vs Flux 2 and Flux 2 vs Neo2? I have a tacx bushido and the vibration is high and it is a problem for the neighbor below of me. Regards

[@jean-christophemagnon4145]

I've the same question...

[@xavitambu-biketambuvilla5894]

Hi, I have a question, I have a gravel bike with group 1x11, 11-42 and 42, do you know its possible to do with the tacx neo 2? O it's a problem because I need more cadence?, thanks, and goof job 👍👍

[@Johanbeerden]

Hey DC, knowing what we know these days, what would you recommend: Flux 2 or Kickr Core? I'm really stuck between those two in fact. And as I am not mistaken, I can't find a test with the firmware update of the flux 2 concerning accuracy. My weight is around 100 kg and quite powerful legs. I'm a little afraid that the balance of the Kickr Core (while putting a lot of force on it) and the cadance output of it (which is quite important for me) might be an issue. What are your thoughts and advice? Thanks a lot!

[@Dcrainmaker]

Easily Core. 100%, no question. There’s *still* accuracy issues with the Flux 2, even with firmware as of last week.

[@Johanbeerden]

@@Dcrainmaker thanks a lot! Ordered one and will arrive tomorrow. Very curious!

[@MrAgglo]

Any difference between NEO 2 and NEO 1? Thx

[@Dcrainmaker]

Negligible. I think I did it in my NEO 2 video, but basically they sound the same to me. Tacx says that technically it'll be just barely quieter, as they turn off/reduce one of the fans inside in certain scenarios. But I can't tell the difference.

[@MannAusNapalm]

@@Dcrainmaker - so apart from short rides downhill (with little need for cooling) it should be no difference at all, as I understand? Thanks for all the comparisons!

[@AaronGoodTimes]

I am already sold on the Neo so I will ask something else if that is ok. Not sure where else to ask you about a power meter, but I was wondering if there are any dual side power meters that would work with a 105 group set? If not I guess I will be going a step up in group sets. Hope you guys are having a great trip!

[@velogoo]

why not get a pedal based PM?

[@AaronGoodTimes]

@@velogoo I forgot to mention that I did not want to get a pedal based power meter. I have annoyed many youtube bike folks with various questions and have read a lot of comments from regular consumers that make me want to go for another kind of power meter. That being said I will not fully commit to giving up on power pedals, but I would prefer not.

[@wimboonstra8268]

I noticed the power on Zwift NOT responding at all to your sprint... And you needed 400+ watts to get to 20mph? Was that uphill?

[@Dcrainmaker]

Only the first unit was paired to Zwift. I used the Garmin’s paired to the other two.

[@MrBJPitt]

I'm no expert, but your arms still look way too extended in your riding position. Shorter stem needed?

[@JogBird]

ultegra crank w etap mechs??

[@Dcrainmaker]

Mix and match on trainers. No difference I've ever seen (I have a few SRAM cassettes around too).

[@luisenriquecisnerosloeza9909]

What about the "burning smell and slipping belt" issue on the tacx flux that many has reported on Amazon?

[@Dcrainmaker]

Never had that issue myself in all my units (had other issues, but not that).

[@johntrussell7228]

Wahoo Kickr 2018 is the best!

[@isaacybarra881]

YOU NEED URGENT A BIKE FIT DOU

[@gyuri647]

Why is that necessary to wear the costume? You can have some normal shirt and shorts

[@Dcrainmaker]

Why is it necessary to comment on this video? Obviously you have no interest in this type of product?

[@gyuri647]

DC Rainmaker How do you know I have no interest...anyway ignore my comment if you feel offended I was only wondering what is the gain of wearing such outfit since I am purchasing my gear

[@jaspreetsidhu5708]

@@gyuri647 your bum will hurt without the bib. Cycling gear is much thinner=less likely to sweat as much..........

[@willy9544]

Can you talk any faster at the start?? All your videos start off this way...