Back in February Garmin officially agreed to purchase the cycling fitness company called Tacx. Based in the Netherlands, Tacx has been in business since 1957 and has evolved in the technology sector to deliver indoor bicycle training equipment. With ownership being finalized back in April, the last couple of months has lead us to today’s official release of new Garmin Tacx indoor cycling trainers.
Garmin Tacx Smart Trainers: Indoor cycling that’s ‘realistic and accurate’
With the launch of NEO 2 Smart, FLUX S Smart, Flow Smart and Satori Smart, today’s Garmin Tacx announcement is full of goodies. The NEO 2 Smart, Garmin’s high-end trainer, delivers ‘one of the most quiet, realistic and accurate’ bike training experiences. Cycling data is measured accurately within 1% and a powerful motor can simulate climbs up to a 25% incline.
“Tacx trainers offer a highly realistic and accurate ride simulation, allowing cyclists to train in lifelike conditions, no matter the weather,” said Dan Bartel, Garmin vice president of global consumer sales. “When our customers aren’t riding outside, they can bring their training indoors with a Tacx trainer.”
The FLUX S Smart is a significantly more affordable trainer that takes a slight dip in the data accuracy department. It’s able to track workouts accurately within 3%, while providing power, speed and cadence measurements for each ride. An incline of 10% can be simulated. Riders will drop down to 7% with Flow Smart. While Satori Smart is the most affordable of the bunch, information surrounding incline simulations is not readily available but it does have 10 varying resistance levels.
Pricing and availability
The new Garmin Tacx NEO 2 Smart, FLUX S Smart, Flow Smart, and Satori Smart are available for purchase now. Considering that Garmin’s pricing ranges between $329.99 to $1,399.99, the company has delivered various tiers which can be accommodated by most low- and high-end budgets. Arguably many will find pricing extremely justifying solely based on the potential for year-round cycling.
Electronicsforward’ Take
While my home is located right on a bike trail, I also live in a state that experiences about six months of uncomfortably cold weather. When factoring in rainy spring and summer days, the new Garmin Tacx indoor cycling trainers seem like a worthwhile way to stay fit throughout the year.
Despite a lack of native integration with platforms like Apple Health, support for third-party apps like Zwift are a saving grace in this category. Not only can Zwift save workouts to Apple Health, it can also tie in with Apple Watch to link realtime heart rate data with active workouts. This significantly improves the experience and the initial investment an easier pill to swallow.
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