Originally Posted by
jfranci3
I'd go with the one that is the smoothest and quietest, as it's all the same hamburger .
My observation is that the Kickr is smoother than the Hammer h1, but the later versions are the same. The Kickr lies to the traininer app on workouts, so it's easier to follow the app workout plan (sprint ramp up / ramp down).
The Neo doesn't have a belt to cause issues. I haven't used one though.Probably the MOST likely to work you into a trainer death spiral if they don't have software around this, which I'm sure they do.
The hammer probably has the most flexible with axles. The heavier flywheel + gearing probably better for sprinting. This trainers flywheel will spin forever after a sprint, so you miss the low power effort on the training app after every sprint.
Look at axle handle / derailleur clearance (bottom and interior)
I've been studying them today. The NEO 2 is the one that's on clearance and the NEO T2 doesn't appear to have any features I'd be needing, just better ergonomics for road feel. But apparently those are the quietest of the bunch which is worth something. Axle wise, I have an Emonda which I think is likely very generic, and if I'm measuring it right is a 130, though the Hammer doesn't show compatibility with that, unless how they are measuring is on the outside of the frame (I'm still studying just what the standards are for axle measurements). The real issue though is the price. Right now, 599 gets the Hammer and 998 gets the Tacx NEO 2. There are few other shown in that lower price range, but I have no idea if they would be any good. I'm especially concerned about maintenance, and I didn't find anything good about Elite when I was trying to see if I could repair my antique Elite. I couldn't even find a website that mentioned it or support. The Kickr is higher at 1199, and if as you mentioned, it doesn't play fair in it's reporting, I should probably avoid it. It's a baffling market given the number of brands and price ranges. There is also Saris and Kinectic in the lower range. I probably should just grab the Hammer if as you say, it's flexible on the axles, it would have to fit such a common bike as mine.