Last week Garmin, owner of Tacx, announced the upcoming release of the Tacx NEO Bike Plus. This is the successor to the Tacx NEO Bike and includes the following upgrades:
- Revamped handlebar and shifter design
- Ability to customize shifters and replicate Shimano, SRAM, and Campagnolo
- Increased crank length options to 5 (165mm-175mm)
- Seat tube width reduced by 10mm to minimize thigh/leg rub
- Redesigned quick adjustment levers
- Increased USB power in one port
Of course, it also comes with a price increase – the NEO Bike Plus is priced at $3999.99US, a full $800 more than the NEO Bike and equal in price to the new Wahoo KICKR Smart Bike.
More Specs
Apart from the upgrades listed above, the specs of the new NEO Bike are the same as the old NEO Bike. Which doesn’t mean they aren’t impressive! These bikes, on paper at least, are as good as anything else on the market:
- Power Accuracy: +/-1%
- Max Wattage: 2200W
- Max Gradient: 25%
- Road feel (cobbles, bricks, etc) on supported platform
- Easy bike adjustment/fit
- Works without being plugged in
- Downhill drive simulation
- Pedaling metric capabilities
- Built-in fans
- Integrated (small) display for data metrics
Availability
Garmin says the NEO Bike Plus will be available in January 2023. You can register to be notified when the bike is available here.
Digging Deeper
Early reviews on the NEO Bike Plus are saying Garmin did a great job with the new handlebar and shifter setup… but power accuracy issues exist which need to be fixed. Overall, once the power accuracy issue is addressed, we think this new NEO Bike will be seen as a minor upgrade to its predecessor. (It’s not enough of an upgrade to justify replacing your current NEO Smart Bike, but people shopping for a new smart bike will want to give the NEO Bike Plus a look.)
Looking for more? Here’s a full review from DC Rainmaker and below is GPLama’s video review:
Questions or Comments
Post below!
Suddenly Zwift Insider is pushing pop ups onto my desktop every morning. 3 per day. Aaaaagh make it stop!
Recession is knocking on the door which means more marketing crap from online masseurs.
None of the new features are relevant to me sadly. I think i need a Neo Bike Minus 😀
I find it incredible that Tacx/Garmin can release a high end smart bike with exactly the same power accuracy issues at the previous model released 3 years ago. Who would buy this when there are clearly better alternatives in this price segment?
Not everyone is a midget that can ride on a Wahoo Bike.
Shane Miller of GP Lama has already tested the bike and called it a flop. It is a well-known fact that Garmin makes beta testers of all users, basically every product requires a few firmware updates to be usable.
We’ve had so many issues with our Neo Bike’s drivetrain. We have had to get two replacement units on warranty because of issues. We won’t be considering a Tacx product in the future.
Same here 2x in service alteady in watranty time
Same for me – 4 replacements in one year due to knocking noises in the drive train. Gave up and got the cheaper Stages bike