Tacx Vortex Smart Home Trainer 2016

5.0 out of 5 stars

By Fuboon - Reviewed in the United States on February 3, 2018

I bought this used however the quality of it is like new. If you had told me it was ...

There are alot of conflicting reviews about this product. Reviews range form saying you need an ANT+ dongle, that it does work with zwift, that it does not work with zwift, that your blutooth device must be within 12 inches of this to work, and that you also need to purcahse a EU to US plug adaptor so I want to try to dispel some of this or at least provide you with my impressions. So first and foremost, this is based off of what arrived on my door step. I bought this used however the quality of it is like new. If you had told me it was new I'd have believed you. Original packaging etc, including warranty information. 1. My box came with a USA power cord. So if you live in the USA, and use plugs that we use in the USA, then this does/should come with a plug that works on USA power outlets. 2. This worked, via blutooth, with zwift right out of the box. I used an iphone SE. It found the trainer via blutooth within seconds and had no issues updating the firmware. 3. I used the Zwift mobile link to pair it via blutooth. Everything worked fine. I did not have any drop outs in connection. Zwift also controlled the resistance via bluetooth. There are reviews on here saying that you must have the ANT+ dongle for this to work. It is not true. If you plan on using blutooth, go for it. 4. I had the phone multiple feet away from the trainor at times and had no noticeable differnce in performance. I even kept it in my backpocket for a while as well as browsed the internet on it and sent text messages. No issues. 5. The reviews also talk about 2 flimsy plastic tabs that are easy to break. I dont know what tabs they are as mine has no such thing i could find. Either mines an updated model and they got rid of it or they reviewed the wrong product. 6. Set up is a little confusing. My best recommendation is to just throw the instructions away and go to youtube. Search for Shane Miller Tacx vortex review or Tacx vortex how to. You'll get great results walking you through it. Now that we have dispelled some myths, lets talk about the trainor! Its awesome. Feeling the resistance change when you go up and down is fantastic. It is a complete game changer. I do not race or compete but I like to bike enough that I do it year round. If your like me and on the fence on dropping $$$.$$ due to its more of a recreational hobby then my advice would be to a smart trainor out at a friends house or bike shop. If you like the experience, save up and wait for a great price. It is still not the same as being outside but this is as close as your going to get, but with 5,000 other people helping you along the way. TLDR: Works fine with blutooth right out of the box. Changes resistance just fine via Zwift/blutooth. Lots of fun

5.0 out of 5 stars

By Rosco - Reviewed in the United States on October 24, 2015

Little Blue Machine Rocks

I've used the trainer 5 times and so far it's performing exactly as expected. I ride using an online game called Zwift. Zwift controls the trainer, changing resistance as I ride hills, draft other riders, etc. No issues with connectivity, as it syncs in less than a second. I haven't tried calibrating the trainer yet because the reported watts seems accurate as is. It's a nice looking little gadget too. I couldn't be happier with my purchase so far. Also, I'm not an expert with wireless connectivity. I usually fumble through the process getting frustrated several times before getting things to work properly. I think this took me about 15 minutes to get the ANT device talking to the trainer. I believe my issue this time was that I didn't have the ANT stick plugged all the way into the computer, not the trainer's fault :) Zwift suggested buying a 6-feet USB cord, but I don't use it.

5.0 out of 5 stars

By Dr. Rosco - Reviewed in the United States on January 17, 2019

So far so good!

This is my first experience with a smart trainer after watching about a bazillion Shane Miller youtube reviews on all different types of trainers from different price points. I kind of just wanted to dip my toe in so to speak for now with Zwift to see if I would like it. My criteria was inexpensive (comparatively to the $1200 trainers out there) and smart capabilities so I could connect to zwift without a bunch of added accessories and lastly I wanted one that offered resistance so that it would mimic hills, etc for a more realistic feel while riding in Zwift. After my first hour long ride, I feel like I can confirm this trainer seems to handle all of those things perfectly well. Set up was pretty straight forward and the USB ANT thingy that I bought recognized the trainer right away. Also, an added bonus, I found out I can go into the settings in my Garmin Vivoactive 3 and broadcast the heart rate sensor, which was also picked up right away by the Tacx Vortex's built in bluetooth. You can see the devices the Vortex is connected to in the Tacx app that I was able to download from the play store (Android). The app only gets 2.5 starts, I don't know why. It is a very simple, no frills app that worked perfectly for me to update the firmware, calibrate the trainer for the first ride, and connect the garmin watch. My only "regret" if I were to have one is that this trainer only offers resistance up to 7% grade so not a completely "real" feeling, but I have to say, when you hit a hill you know it and I had to get up out of the saddle, down shift and put some grunt into it to get up the hills. Regardless, I knew of the resistance limitation prior to buying and the trainer executes perfectly on what it promised and I couldn't find another one that had the same capabilities for the price (the one I purchased from Amazon was "used like new" for $387) This one also had a really good review from that Shane Miller guy who seems to know his stuff and has reviewed what seems like every trainer on the planet. Two thumbs up here.