Garmin Tacx Neo 3m Review: Erg mode excellence
From CyclingNews.com
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For a few years, there was a kind of status quo in smart trainers. Every major brand had an entry level product with slightly lower specs. Generally that meant a 16% max gradient, accuracy at +/- 2%, and somewhere around 1800 watts max resistance. It was decent for most people and you could save a bit of money. If you decided to go for a more premium experience then you’d look at the next level and price point. These premium offerings felt about the same but looked nicer. They were also more accurate and could simulate a 25% max gradient. This year the whole system changed.
Although our list of the best smart trainers still has a variety of options, nothing looks quite the same. The low end was already hard to pick winners in and the Zwift Hub decimated whatever choice there was. Now with the Zwift Hub One and Wahoo Kickr Core offering essentially the same product with virtual or mechanical shifting respecitvely, it makes very little sense to bother with anything else for a lower spec trainer and that shift seems to have opened up the top end. Now the major players are competing for your dollars by trying to top each other.
The Garmin Tacx Neo 3M is the latest high-end trainer to try and compete in this new landscape. In some ways Wahoo entered the market first with the Kickr Move, but Garmin Tacx isn’t standing still. The Tacx Neo 3M is a smart trainer that’s more than the sum of its specs. If you are looking for the best indoor training experience available, keep reading to see if the Garmin Tacx Neo 3M is worth the money.
