mrblue

Hello,

I've been considering getting an indoor trainer lately. Not just because of the California "shelter-in-place" order but also to use during the cold/wet winter months. Having said that I've been looking at the Tacx Flow Smart Trainer.

Does anyone have any experience with this particular trainer? If so, do you know if it works well with Zwift and what extra pieces of equipment (cables, dongles, etc) are needed for Zwift? Or does it work right out of the box with Bluetooth?

Thanks.

Jakedatc

That is pretty low end for smart trainers.. only 800W capability and only goes to 6% incline feel. a Kickr Snap would be better if you have to keep the budget down.

personally i think going direct drive is worth the extra money for accuracy, reliability and ease of use. Clever Training has a few on sale in the 6-700 range that should still be fine.

Marylander

I have a tacx vortex, which is one step up from the flow, but looks like they have more similarities than differences. It works fine with zwift. I already had an ant+ dongle from an old garmin watch so I'm using that to connect my stuff to my pc. My pc does have bluetooth and so does the vortex but I actually never tried connecting that way as ant+ worked right away. I'm also sending my heart rate through ant+ to zwift/my pc.

Canker

I also have a Vortex and it is alright. Chain Reactions was dumping them last year for around $230 so I figured why not give it a try. The 800 watts limit could be an issue if you are strong, vortex goes to 950 and my all out sprint is a bit over 700. Not really a problem for me and even if I could break 800 I can only do it for a few seconds anyway. The bigger annoyance is the max incline if you want a more realistic feel. When it says 6% max what that means is no matter how steep Zwift says the climb is you never feel any difference once you hit 6% and you spend a decent amount of time doing climbs greater than 6%. If you can get the Flow cheap enough it is a good way to try out a smart trainer without spending a ton of money on a good one.

eduskator

FYI, if you are not an experienced cyclist, you will like the Flow. 800w & 6% is more than enough for casual riders. Buy whatever fits your needs, not what other people here tell you that you should buy.

If you're looking for a little upgrade, check the Vortex (950w & 7%). CCC had it for 200-250$ I believe last fall, it was a hell of a deal.

It comes bluetooth ready & ANT+ I believe. You will be able to connect it to Zwift if you have a laptop with bluetooth or an Ipad, for instance. If your bike has Thru Axle, you will need an adaptor. If you have quick release, you will be able to plug it to the trainer. It comes with a Tacx QR.

dmanthree

Tacx, in general, makes good gear. I'm using a direct drive model and it works perfectly. That said, consider a wheel-off trainer if this is something you'll be using regularly. The wear and tear on the rear tire and wheel may cause you to replace it, like it did for me, and some road tires simply can't handle trainer use. If you do go wheel-on I'd suggest setting up a dedicated rear wheel for trainer use with an appropriate tire.

alcjphil

This is a very good question. To the OP: You are looking long term, beyond the current crisis. The trainer you are asking about is entry level for "smart" training. It is very good as an entry level product, but if you are a serious cyclist as far as training goals go, you may quickly outgrow it, especially if you start to enjoy indoor training and its benefits.Wheel on trainers are hard on tires(unless you use trainer specific tires), and wheels, and they are tricky to calibrate. Direct drive trainers only stress your chain in a very clean environment(no road grit). Long term, for a serious cyclist interested in home training, direct drive trainers are a better choice

Marylander

New review on the flow trainer:
https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2020/04/...th-review.html