Tacx Trainer Software 4.0 Download
Stephanie Dejoode
The axle on the Neo 2T is asymmetric, with the drive side extending further from the centre of the unit than the other side - this off-centre design may mean that an amount of flex to the right is inherent in the design. But I am not sure if this is expected, or if my unit perhaps suffers more than most.
My bike has QR 130 dropouts and I am using the correct adaptor for this. I can use the QR 135 adaptor and this improves things a bit (positions the trainer more centrally between the dropouts). However, I am reluctant to use that because it is the wrong hub width for my frame.
The lean is very subtle. Only just detectable by eye unless you examine it very carefully. More noticeable is the feeling while riding it, where my body weight (80kg) seems to cause it to flex slightly further to the right that it does the left.
My guess is the small flex that happens to the frame is being favored to one side when tightening the QR down. I find that the less I pay attention to how its seating in the dropouts the less issues I have. My procedure is to sit the bike down into the drop outs, lift the front end, and let gravity line up the back. Sit it back down and tighten it down.
Although the shims do pull the bike upright, the asymmetry in loading means there is always more flex in one direction than the other. It never feel properly neutral. I recently got to use a Wahoo Kickr during a bike fit. That thing was so stable and bolt upright! I noticed the difference as soon as I got on. Makes me wish I had bought a Kickr instead.
I purchased the original Kickr when it came out and it was faultless, but moving to a new apartment late last year I upgraded to the new Kickr (Kickr 2018). It made all kinds of noises. Went in for repair and came back just as bad if not worse.
I then returned it and purchased a Tacx Neo 2. I tried to use it with either of my road bikes: 2018 Cannondale Synapse Hi-Mod and 2019 Specialized Allez Sprint Comp Disc. Both bikes ended up with the rear disc brake caliper flush against the side of the trainer. Once I put some watts into the trainer the caliper banged back and forth against the side of the trainer and I was forced to stop before my bikes were damaged.
I thought the latter issue was what was happening for me and started playing around and realised it was the adapter on the drive side that was bottoming out. I unscrewed it slightly and got rid of the play (see image).
Have you noticed the thru axle adapter on your drive train side pressing onto the outside of the frame and indenting the frame? Seems like there should be some kind of rubber stopper or something to cover the metal on metal and in some cases metal on carbon.
This has been a known issue for more than 8 years when Tacx began making turbo trainers with the tractor-fed metal sleeve design. To diagnose my trainer, I learned that a relatively quiet Tacx trainer can produce upwards of 88db @ 55kph if inflicted with the disease. After downloading a sound level app on my phone, my fears were confirmed as my Tacx Genius had it bad: 100db max, 92db average, and soft-pedaling uphill still produced a horrific minimal noise level of 86db. Very bad indeed.
Step 2: Tape off all areas of the trainer with the exception of 4 holes (you can only work on 4 holes at a time, so you will need to break the process up into 3 parts to get to all 12 holes). The tape will help stabilize the roller and keep the epoxy from getting inside the trainer.
Step 4: Apply the Epoxy
When adding the epoxy to the holes, I used a toothpick and a pin to apply. You can be as messy as you want and use the taped areas to scrape off access epoxy or to scrape more into the holes as needed. Use the needle and swirl the epoxy into the hole to ensure air is not trapped inside.
so my Bushido Smart has developed this clicking sound and its getting increasingly louder as each ride is complete.. starts out quiet, clicks kick in once the roller heats up (and the metal expands). Sad, given the unit is 2 weeks shy of its first birthday and i have only ridden 1,200kms.. more or less. Im in Hong Kong and shipping the unit back to australia for repairs is not an option, even if under warranty. for a AU$900 unit, the build quality is disappointing. Thanks for the pics.. Im going to into surgery on it this weekend..
On closer inspection my vortex their is not movement of the steel sleeve, but rust by each of the holes. Anyone think the superglue fix may resolve issue. The PU looks to be good, see no gaps in the hole.
Dorset UK. I have used my iGenius almost every day for just over 5 years. I have a spinal cord injury C3/4, sustained falling off a road bike 6 years ago, so the turbo is a mainstay for my fitness and sanity. The increasing noise problem started about 4 months ago, looked at this epoxy fix, did it last weekend. Brilliant solution; now just as quiet as normal bike road noise.
We drilled out all the holes, using a vacuum cleaner to obviate poly bits, having first masking taped the ventilation slots. Used Araldite Rapid epoxy, mixed in small doses, kept it workable with the careful use of a hairdryer, left any residue apart from the tyre contact area. Tried it out after 24 hrs: puuuurrrrrfect!
Paul,
I have a couple of years of experience of the noise and the DIY solution. The good news: it works! It is easy to carry out the repair. If you read all my posts. The Anom message before yours is MY latest message.
You can generally center the wheel on the metal band somewhat by reversing the skewer in the wheel / frame. Having the quick release on the derailleur side is awkward, but centers the wheel on the roller much better.
The box containing the Bushido is a fair bit smaller than I expected. Nice and tidy, all in a single unit. As you can see however, the fine folks at UPS did assist in the durability testing a bit though.
In the case of aerobars, it would be 90* offset. So my solution is using the CompuTrainer stand with a 4-Cup Oxo measuring cup. Works perfectly. And the measuring cup can also fit right over your aerobars as well, using that as a stand.
It should be noted that both the trainer (aka brake) and the head unit have firmware that can be frequently updated. I participated briefly in a beta program for firmware for both units, prior to it being released over the past few weeks. Tacx does frequently update both the firmware and the software, introducing new features and fixing bugs.
First up though is a quick note that your user account is saved online. This is pretty cool in that all your settings are stored magically up on their servers, so in case your computer dies, you can re-download it all again.
The Catalyst mode is the mode with the least amount of graphical and/or entertainment distraction. It simply gives you a real-time graph of your effort, along with data fields along the bottom. While this may sound odd, for me, this is the mode I actually use the most.
Real Life Video mode allows you to train watching integrated videos taken in real locations, with the trainer adjusting the resistance based on the terrain you see in the video. The videos are generally recorded in conjunction with major cycling races, so they attempt to replicate the feel of being at the lead of the pack.
As you can see along the bottom of the screen you have metrics around your current data. You can also adjust the display of the screen using the controller (head unit) to display additional information such as the virtual elevation graph of the ride, or your current location:
You can adjust the level of detail, based on what you think your computer can handle. The above screenshots were taken with a middle of the pack two year old laptop with an integrated graphics card. In other words, most modern computers can easily handle it.
But, as a brief overview, the multiplayer function requires the purchase of an extra package, though not terribly expensive at under $50. This then allows you to connect to their systems, or engage directly with other users.
The myth goes that once a year he leaves his home country (spain) and visits all families with kids to bring gifts and chocolate.
Amazingly, he delivers these goods by going from roof to roof on the back of his big white horse and descending down the chimney of each house where he drops his gifts and chocolates for the children.
The second concern was related to posts concerning accuracy of the power measurement and control. People have complained that they have trained with power before and the Bushido power measurement and control did not appear to be consistently accurate. Similar to how you compare accuracy of GPS on the various watches I would be interested if you could test the accuracy of the Bushido power measurement compared to your bike power meter (and computrainer).
I have used the Bushido for about a year and have not experienced any problems with either the hardware or software. For the most part, the software works fine as long as your PC meets the specs recommended by Tacx.
how does the unit handle cadence measurement? also, the genius model description on the tacx website makes reference to left/right power differential with their cadence device, probably similar to spinscan on the computrainer
My BIGGEST complaint i that the elevations are not accurate. If I use google earth(the coolest) feature or import a file from my Garmin, the hills are near impossible to get up. A 8% grade for me is not that hard but a 6% grade on the Bushido is deadly. When I create known courses, they are nothing like the effort of really riding them.
Also, I find that the Bushido brake works at an ideal cadence of 80rpm. Any thing above that gets increasingly easier. It would be nice for riders who pedal at a higher rpm to get accurate resistance.
The Tacx was towards the top of the list but a lot of comments on the web are negative. You put a lot of that to rest. Seems like similar issues to Garmin with their firmware problems, but they are always updating.
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