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So I have had a Tacx Neo 2 for probably five years now and am thinking of swapping it for a next generation Wattbike Atom. One of the reasons for this is the ability for other family members to be able to use the bike. I have a couple of reservations and would appreciate if anyone might have any insight or advice.
1) Having watched a few Youtube videos, the Wattbike Atom does seem to be very noisy. As I cannot compare it to my Tacx Neo 2 it's difficult to deduce whether it is louder or whether it's just a different type of noise.
2) There seems to be many posts on the ERG mode not being very good. I use ERG mode all the time on the Tacx as I like to do structured workouts based on my FTP. Does anyone know if the ERG issues have been fixed on the latest bikes?
Thanks
Just a thought have you looked at the Stages SB20? Saddleback is doing them at the moment for £1699. Reviews say built like a tank and are very quiet and have a lot more adjustability than an Atom. Considering one myself after screwing up my order a few months ago for a Wahoo kicker V1 and missed out when they were going for £2000
A most recent review ofthe SB20 from 3 months ago and not 3 years.
Grab one of those Carrera 9 speed hydraulic disc folding bikes on sale and buy a quality replacement direct drive turbo instead?
I have the new gen Atom. I can’t comment on noise as little to compare with, and with noise cancelling AirPods in I don’t hear it anyway !
There was a software update very recently that smooths the power in ERG though can’t say I noticed an issue with it before. I regularly sit in Z2 ERG mode for an hour and it works perfectly.
Posted on here a few months ago as I will swap my wahoo kikr for an atom. Smaller footprint and don't have to dismantle my road bike.
Watching eBay carefully as lockdown purchases are coming on line.
Just a thought have you looked at the Stages SB20? Saddleback is doing them at the moment for £1699. Reviews say built like a tank and are very quiet and have a lot more adjustability than an Atom. Considering one myself after screwing up my order a few months ago for a Wahoo kicker V1 and missed out when they were going for £2000
A most recent review ofthe SB20 from 3 months ago and not 3 years.
Having watched DC Rainmaker review this, I am not most definitely thinking of the Stages over the Wattbike. It's super quiet and the heavy fly wheel must really help with the road feel. Thanks for mentioning that option!
I have done the same thing. I have the Stages SB20. I have had it for 6 months and so far it's been faultless. I can't comment on using it in ERG as I mainly do group rides and races. It is quiet much quieter the the Elite XR trainer I had. Just remember its built like a tank so you don't want to be moving it around. Position and forget. Set up wise is about 1 hour build time and it just connects and goes about its business. One think of note is that the power meters in the pedals need resetting occasionally but that's a 5 second job using the app.
* I am now most definitely ...
Should never have engaged on this thread - I'm now £1700 poorer.
Should never have engaged on this thread – I’m now £1700 poorer.
Haha. Me too now!
Good timing with this thread.
I’ve been looking for something that’ll replace my Kickr and go in the spare room so both my wife and I can use it. I was looking at the Wattbike but the Stages seems to be much better.
With regards the training programmes, are there any that work well with two users rather than having to have two separate subscriptions?
BKool has a family sub for £110 a year. Used it when i set up my KickR - may go back or explore Zwift etc.
We traded up from a direct drive smart trainer to an Atom gen 2 a couple of years ago. We got a factory refurb direct from WB + my wife's NHS discount so it was a very good price.
Similar use case to the op, me and my wife both zwifting. She 5ft5 and me 6ft0, we can both use it happily and changeover takes about 30 seconds, so much quicker than changing over bikes on a turbo. There are some aftermarket parts to make adjustments of the handlebars and saddle quicker than normal.
It takes up so much less room than a bike+trainer, just sits in the corner of the home office ready to run. It is noisier than the trainer it replaced but not obtrusively so if the door is shut.
There is a handy tool hidden on the WB website for measuring your bike of choice and mirroring the setup. There is a good user group on Facebook which is helpful too.
The ERG mode has improved over time with software updates and I'd say no it is very stable as ERG mode is what I use 90% of the time on zwift.
Oh, and re Wattbike customer care, mine was getting a bit of a random rattle the other week, well within warranty. Service guy was out within 3 days, was delighted that I watch him open it up and he explained all the innards to me. Replaced a loose tensioner and popped on a new chain as he was there anyway. Cost to me zero. He couldn’t have been more helpful tbh.
Should never have engaged on this thread – I’m now £1700 poorer.
Haha. Me too now!
Just ordered one myself as well.
We went through the choices in our abode a couple of years ago as the wife had a Neo and I had an aging KickR 1st gen.
As we ride together occasionally and are totally different heights, we ended up with two bike trainers. I got the Neo bike and she a KickR bike.
Only thing I found that was annoying is that only the Kick R bike can be adjusted to accomodate somebody less than 5 foot 2" with short legs. The Atom also didn't have an option to go to 170mm crank position. Not sure if these have changed but worth looking at if you want a shorter person to ride.