Tacx Vortex Smart Trainer

I have returned my turbo trainer, the customer service from Amazon was fantastic. I am not sure if I had a bad unit or whether it just did not live up to expectations. The trainer comes with rear skewer and front wheel riser block.I spent a long time researching a smart trainer and went for the Vortex, partly because of the price on Amazon and the fact that I had a lot of Amazon vouchers. Also many of the reviews I read did not really show any major advantage of the more expensive wheel-on competition over the Vortex. I used the Tacx for 5 weeks before returning it, so I think I gave it a fair testOne of the many reviews I read compared the Vortex to the Nintendo Wii and in many ways this is accurate. It is a fun entry level trainer. I should say that a number of my cycling buddies have the Vortex and they are quite happy with it.On the plus side it is very easy to set up and connected automatically with my chosen app, The Sufferfest. I used a Garmin cadence sensor and a Tacx turbo trainer tyre. To connect to my laptop I used a Wahoo USB ANT+ dongle. All worked fine. It tracks the App really well on Erg mode. Compared with my old "dumb" trainer the experience was a bit better (because of Erg mode)- previously I used my old Cycleops Fluid 2 with virtual power based on speed sensor.The downside...The first thing to do is to calibrate the trainer using the Tacx Utility App and this is where I had the problems. The calibration kept telling me the pressure on the tyre was too great but when I loosened it off the tyre slipped. In the end I ran it with the calibration right at the tight end. I still found that with low cadence/ high power efforts the tyre slipped. It is possible to compensate for this to a degree by using the gears on the bike but not completely. I was left in a situation where the calibration said the tyre was too tight but the tyre was slipping. I contacted Tacx and entered into an email exchange, the end result was that they suggested I return the trainer. I did not get another Vortex as I was not convinced this was definitely a fault with the trainer and I cold not face the same thing happening again.The lesser negatives I noted were: the lack of adjustable feet so you need a level floor and the light weight materials used- as you tighten the trainer against the rear skewer you will see the whole trainer frame expand.In the end it was my feeling that if you use a turbo trainer a lot and are a keen cyclist this may not be the trainer for you. I now have an Elite direto, obviously a lot more expensive but so far seems to be a big improvement.

I purchased this trainer after getting out on the bike after a bit of a layoff due to weather etc and realising I'd lost quite a bit of fitness. If you couple this trainer with Zwift it's is an absolute revelation, I am now riding more than I was in the summer. The trainer gives out plenty of resistance on up hills and and soon has you sweating buckets. This was a my first trainer but I have friends who have had dumb trainers in the past and once they saw this trainer in action they purchased one straight away, it is an entry level trainer but packs a big punch for it's price point.

Ok product.If you're looking for a starting level interactive smart trainer, this will be a good option.However:Not the easiest to assemble really. I spent at least an hour because it took forever to get the resistance reader set in the correct wheel size. Then the piece where you tighten up the wheel was loose.Then the worst of all: didn't lift enough off the floor. I had a floor mat and it took me a while to realise it wasn't the resistance's noise I was hearing, but rather the rubber of my mat being scrapped off by the wheel. Solution: got a few pieces of styrofoam to lift those feet up.It's great value for money, don't get me wrong, but it's annoying trying to make some sprint on Zwift and almost fall off the bike because the styrofoam came off. Shouldn't have to have it in the first place.Would like to return it but have no information on who to contact.

Had to send the first one back but that was made pretty easy and it was replaced within 24 hours. As a result I waited to write a review but the replacement seems fine. Great entry level machine, wasn't amazingly happy about having to fork out a monthly fee to make best use of it and it's not fantastic on the steeper gradients (virtual speed), but to be fair it does say that up front. Overall very happy.

Great turbo trainer works with zwift, trainer road and others. Takes the boredom out of spinning in your spare room. My first one had a rattle after a few hundred miles but was replaced under warranty in 3 days. The other little gripe is it was a little tricky to setup initially but thats the only thing. If I had read the instructions properly I would of selected the correct wheel size before I bolted it together.

What a bargain to start with !! Got it for £200 off here and for that there is no better smart trainer.That aside it is a great trainer anyway. Works great with all 3rd party apps like zwift and trainerroad.Would I buy another one ? If I could get it for £200 again dam right I would.

Linked the Tacx ipad app to apple tv which in turn is linked to a projector. The virtual films have changed indoor training for me. Who knew indoor training could be so much fun!

Stopped working for no reason after 6 months use, currently trying to get a replacement