Originally Posted by
eagletree
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.
if your Emonda is 130, you have a non-disc bike. They all work fine for that.
The highend wheels on trainers (M2 and Snap) are good too. They are quieter than the other wheel on units. Wheel on is just lower flywheel, resistance, taller to climb onto, and tires wearing out.
If the hammer is that cheap and you’re buying it from a place you can return it, do that. They don’t get better than “meets your needs”. The hammer has a rep for noise, this is only on coast and you can put a bunch of heavier grease in the freehub mechanism.