Which Turbo - Direct Drive

[CrazyCanuck]

jesusbuiltmycar said:

Tonight I am going to pack the Zumo up and take it back for a refund. I can't see any point in exchanging it for another one as I have no confidence in Elite as a company - they clearly have no functioning QA/test department, haven't repsonded to my request for techincal support and I have read about other people's working Zumos suddenly developing this kind of fault.

As for my original question - "Which Turbo?" - for now the £99 Tacx one I bought 2 years ago coupled with a Quarq is the best bet - it simply works,
there is no chance for buggy firmware/software to ruin a ride,

@jesusbuiltmycar - Would you mind contacting us - [e-mail] and indicate FAO Peter Lago. Our CS team replies 95% of the time in 24hrs , 100% in 48hrs so this is strange that we didn't reply. Thank You. Peter.

[jesusbuiltmycar]

Elite have been in touch -

elite said:

Please make the following test:
From My E-Training go to Workouts -> Level Mode
Click on Start and while you are pedaling change the level from 1 to 16 and check if you feel the resistance variation.

In negative case:
With the help of the video of this link: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B_4_odhFmqXdSi1j... please take a video of the internal moto while you power on the trainer (start the video with trainer powered off) and send me the video.

I tried the suggested test and can confirm that when the resistance does change slightly with the levels, but the lowest setting of 1 is still a huge amount of resistance.... Level 16 is slightly more.

I also performed the other "test" which involved taking the case off and videoing the motor at startup; I can confirm it does perform a range test at startup (wind the motor all the way in then back out)....

On the plus side I had a fantastic ride on Zwift tonight - "The Herd Gallops with Chris", using my dumb trainer ...

[WestyCarl]

Don't wish to state the obvious, but what gear are you starting in?

I have an Elite and it's worked perfectly, however if I leave my bike in top gear it can take some effort to get the flywheel spinning.

[jesusbuiltmycar]

WestyCarl said:

Don't wish to state the obvious, but what gear are you starting in?

I have an Elite and it's worked perfectly, however if I leave my bike in top gear it can take some effort to get the flywheel spinning.

My smallest gear - 34x28, requires about 200W + for a cadence of 85rpm; on a flat raod I would be in 50x17 for that wattage and cadence.

The price has dropped a further £30 at Halfords in the 2 days since I bought it, so with British Cycling discuont they are now £360 (I paid £386) time to return it for a refund.

From what I have read other direct drive turbos in this price range come with a bunch of issues (Tacx Flux, Tacx Flux S, Tacx Flux 2, Elite Suito etc) and I dont want to spend £800+ for a Kickr Core or a Tacx Neo....

Zwift / turbo training for me needs to be time efficient and I will not tolerate any tech-faff after work; I'll probably hang on a couple of weeks and possibly get a "wheel on" Wahoo Kickr Snap - my undestanding is that it is reliable and should have a better raod feel that my current budget wheel on trainer.

Edited by jesusbuiltmycar on Wednesday 20th November 09:14

[WestyCarl]

jesusbuiltmycar said:

My smallest gear - 34x28, requires about 200W + for a cadence of 85rpm; on a flat raod I would be in 50x17 for that wattage and cadence.

The price has dropped a further £30 at Halfords in the 2 days since I bought it, so with British Cycling discuont they are now £360 (I paid £386) time to return it for a refund.

From what I have read other direct drive turbos in this price range come with a bunch of issues (Tacx Flux, Tacx Flux S, Tacx Flux 2, Elite Suito etc) and I dont want to spend £800+ for a Kickr Core or a Tacx Neo....

Zwift / turbo training for me needs to be time efficient and I will not tolerate any tech-faff after work; I'll probably hang on a couple of weeks and possibly get a "wheel on" Wahoo Kickr Snap - my undestanding is that it is reliable and should have a better raod feel that my current budget wheel on trainer.

Edited by jesusbuiltmycar on Wednesday 20th November 09:14

I've used the Elite Direto for 2yrs with zero problems, just worked out of the box (with TR), it's currently £550 @ Halfords. Being 3yrs old I guess they should have solved any "teething" issues.

[anonymous-user]

As others have said, Ray Maker has reviewed it in depth recently

https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2019/11/elite-zumo-sma...

and likes it

Zwiftinsder has also joined the Zumo fanclub

https://zwiftinsider.com/elite-zumo-699/

I have a Wahoo Kickr Snap that I bought direct from Wahoo as a reconditioned unit in July 2017. I'm happy with it

Edited by anonymous-user on Wednesday 20th November 13:13

[g7jhp]

I've been eyeing a Taxc Flux S (£549) or Flux 2 (£699), Neo 2 (now BF £899) or Wahoo Kickr Core (£699) or Smart (£999).

Buy only the Neo 2 has a discount.

Wondering if Wahoo will discout later.

Any suggestions on the above?

[jesusbuiltmycar]

g7jhp said:

I've been eyeing a Taxc Flux S (£549) or Flux 2 (£699), Neo 2 (now BF £899) or Wahoo Kickr Core (£699) or Smart (£999).

Buy only the Neo 2 has a discount.

Wondering if Wahoo will discout later.

Any suggestions on the above?

You could always try an Elite Zumo, you may have more luck than me as I am sure most work straight out of the box. DRainmaker's reviwe is very detailed and he certainly recommends it, however it is worth bearing in mind that when any piece of kit is reviewed by an "influencer", the company (e.g Elite/Tacx/Garmin etc) will make sure that the unit sent for review is properly tested prior to shipping.

I took my Zumo back to Halfords yesterday for a refund; if Elite had been a little more pro-active in helping me rectify the issues I would have probably tried a sceond unit..

I am now going to hold off for a week and see what Black Friday deals there are - I will probably get a Wahoo Snap (£429) - from what I have read; they are ultra reliable and that Wahoo have good customer support. The positives about the Snap is that I could use any of my bikes on it, the downside is that my new bike would require a Thru Axel Adapter which is a further £45..

The Tacx Flux 1 is currently £449 at Decathlon: https://www.decathlon.co.uk/flux-smart-direct-driv...
I saw on the comments that DC Rainmaker woudl choose the Flux1 over the Wahoo Snap but I have read elswhere that all Taxc Flux models have mechanical issues (belt noise after 6 months use?). It also is my understanding that Taxc have good customer service.

Edited by jesusbuiltmycar on Thursday 21st November 07:50

[jesusbuiltmycar]

The Wahoo Snap (as recommended by JPJP)n is now £379 on most cycling websites. I purchased one yesterday and it arrived today.

Setup took less than 5 minutes - I plugged it in and it just worked I have just had a brief 10km test ride on tired legs, having already ridden 70Km round the forest earlier.

My initial impressions are that it is an excellent piece of kit, The ride feel compared to my dumb trainer is fantastic - the change is resistance when encountering a hill feels natural and if I stop pedalling it continues to spin for quite a while.

This was probably the first Zwift ride where I have used the little chainring. One thing I noticed is that when riding up hill it seamed a lot easier to put out more power (note: I am still using my Quarq for power readings). - not sure if this is because I was in the right gear for climbing, a bit of new toy excitement or a combination of both!

All in all I am very pleased with it, looking forward to giving it a proper ride tomorrow.

[anonymous-user]

Nice!

Hope it works out for you

[g7jhp]

So Wahoo are doing reconditioned 2018 Kickr for £599.99 down from £849.99 with a 3 year warranty.

Is that better than a Flux 2?

Thoughts?

[jesusbuiltmycar]

g7jhp said:

So Wahoo are doing reconditioned 2018 Kickr for £599.99 down from £849.99 with a 3 year warranty.

Is that better than a Flux 2?

Thoughts?

Is that the Wahoo Kickr Smart (RRP £999) or Wahoo Kick Core (RRP £699) - from what I have read both are very good trainers (and better than the one I purchased). Not sure how they compare to the Flux 2 - but I have read that the Flux has issues with belt wear and noise and DC Rainmaker's 2019 trainer recommendations didt not include teh Flux 2 due to inaccuracy in ERG mode.

See also DC Rainmaker's 2019-2020 trainer recommendations:
https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2019/10/the-smart-trai...

[Usget]

Full Kickr was £599. Kickr Core (which I've bought, awaiting delivery) was £479.

DCR is very complimentary about the Core, saying it's basically all the good features from the 2017 Kickr with added quietness and reliability. So I'm hoping it's a good one.

[BMWBen]

I recently got a flux S and it works alright. Erg mode works, resistance changes/starting/stopping are all ok. Not sure what the £3-400 more expensive models could do differently that would be worth the money. Can't add more than that really!

[fergus]

What are the key differences between the pre- and post- 2018 versions of the KickR trainer? Is the later version worth the premium? Is there a substantial difference in functionality over the "core" other than max available gradient?

[Ian_sUK]

Are there any direct drive smart trainers that will work with a 148 boost mtb with xd freehub?

[mie1972]

Sorry to jump on this thread, my Tacx flow has finally stopped working, so in the market for a DD, similar budget - up to £600.

Tempted by the Zumo, friends have the Direto, but the Suito is now £529, including cassette, which is tempting. Or the KICKR core still at £699.

Everyone I know with a flux/flux s has taken them back, they work for a while. The only Tacx DD trainer to recommend is the Neo, but out of my price range...

[WestyCarl]

I've had the Direto for 12months and it's worked perfectly. I've calibrated it every month and it's always been bang on.

[snobetter]

In case it's any good to anyone here: - Elite Drivo Direct Drive Smart Turbo Trainer
£499 from £1200
https://www.halfords.com/cycling/turbo-trainers/tr...

[Omegatt]

Got a Drivo from Halfords, good trainer for what I want it for, just be aware that when using ERG mode there is a 10 -15 sec delay while the power ramps up to target level. Maybe not so good if Zwift racing is your thing