Yes! I think the 11 speed cassette is ridiculous on something costing $2000.
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And so someone with an 11-speed might think if Garmin chose to ship it with a 12-speed stock.
Much like their pricing, Garmin/Tacx are behind the times and missing on the clear example set by Zwift with the Hub offering users to choose up frontā¦ and get what they want (baring the oddity that not all 12-s is really āthe sameā).
Considering the highest price point they chose, picking any single cassette is a mistake regardless of the cog count, IMO.
PS, I recognize the delta here with Zwift being strictly direct to consumer sales and Garmin doing that as well as stocking dealers. So they might have to pick a winner for those sent out to said dealers. But I canāt see why Garmin couldnāt take similar steps as Zwift for the web based orders direct from Garmin at the very least.
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Definitely too soon to tell. The reviews were all saying the last gen Neo and Kicker issues were mostly resolved long before people stopped getting new units with issues.
For the record, both my Tacx NEO 2T first look post and my Wahoo KICKR V5 reviews point out (quite loudly) how bad accuracy was for both at launchā¦with both taking about 4-5 months to resolve.
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Absolutely true, but people were still getting units with those issues long after that. They might have been resolved at the factory, but it took at least a year for the consumer noise to die down.
iāve stopped using erg mode, more often than not I turn down trainer difficulty for zwift and lately I just run trainer control from my trainer in grade mode. At this rate Iām a step away from just going back to a fluid trainer!
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Theory on the pricing: They canāt come close to competing on price for the target demo that is price sensitive (Hub, Core), so they went for broke and assumed that people willing to spend a premium donāt care that much between $1500 vs $2000.
As an owner of a āpremiumā trainer (KICKR V6) this isnāt true for me, I waited until I could get 20% off to get it down to 1K and I personally was fine with paying an extra $400 for diminishing but not insignificant (to me) quality of life improvements. No way I could extend those mental gymnastics out another $1000.
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Well, the Neo Smart+ is only twice the price. Yikesā¦ And no āmotionā, so far.
(I did get a new replacement earlier this year of the āoriginalā Neo Smart, and they apparently shorted the grease on the freehub, and it failed; so if you buy one, buy the new one, the ā+ā: JIC)
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And I bought a Kickr Bike after the pandemic hit, and was shocked at the shoddy engineering, and support. I had to stop reminding myself that I bought āThe Most Expensive Trainer On The Marketā just so I didnāt put a bullet hole in it. I found the various audio recordings of the bikes I had, and wowā¦
But, IMO, at least the Neo Smart seems a lot more reliable (currently). They said the ā+ā shifters would be released RSN (Real Soon Now), but I havenāt heard anything. Still, itās a solid machine, so far. (After replacing the freehub that turned up on the new unit that was starved for grease) It could have the Climb gimmick, but itās still rockināā¦
I got several LOUD Kickr replacements, but they could have been sketchy refurbs (more like they WERE refurbs). I found they stamped the bikes with a āborn on dateā, and some of the replacements I received predated my original purchase date.
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Let me introduce you to our Lord and Savior the Kurt Kinetic Road Machine.
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I have one I keep at my parents house and Iāve been using that lately whenever we go down instead of hauling everything with me, and aside from some small inertia things and the fact that I use 8 speed, I feel it still holds up well against a smart trainer
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Nothing wrong with a good fluid or mag trainer.
Itās just a matter of if the downsides like noise, no erg mode, tire wear, need a separate PM if training by power are a deal breaker.
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I recently heard an old cyclops and while I remembered they were louder, I had forgotten HOW MUCH louder.
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I do have my old cycleops fluid trainer in the closet as a backup. Although I need their thru axle adapter if I wanted to use it.
I havenāt used it in so long that I definitely donāt remember the noise level.
Iād be okay using the fluid trainer but Iād miss having a controllable trainer on Zwift. Sometimes i donāt want a structured workout and would rather ride around on Zwift and left the terrain dictate my effort a bit
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Iāll never go back to wheel on! When I got my Kickr, I didnāt even realize it would be such a game changer.
If my current Kickr died, Iād probably just get the Core or whatever I could find for $500. I donāt need any fancy features and I already use my bikeās power meter.
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Up until last year, I used to move between two locations, having a Neo in one and my OG Kinetic Road Machine (RM) in the other. The RM did a solid job of work, for sure, but whenever using it I always really missed the Neo. I really noticed the āinertiaā (kinetic energy) differences, with the Neo feeling in a totally different league (realistic) vs the RM, which always seemed to really tax the hip flexors or something with its much less realistic pedal stroke (low kinetic energy).
Having said that, the RM was a star of its era, largely bullet proof, and felt amazing compared to some Tacx mag trainer I had from the late 80s. That sucker used to set my entire accommodation block resonating at some nasty humming frequency, with my housemates & neighbours begging me to stop 
Regarding the Neo 3M: at the announced pricing itās hard to see anyone other than existing Neo owners (& fans), whose old Neo has gone kaput, from even considering it. If (when) my Neo 1 bites the dust one day, a 3M would be a natural replacement, but at that price? 
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The same!
I regret I sold my old Turno and buying Direto XR. No ERG mode, but everything else was justā¦ better!
Dumb Turno VS smart Direto XR:
- Steep resistance slope, easy power changes using only maybe 3-4 cassette cogs on small ring - quiet, easy and effective
- No plug needed to work
- Lighter
- A handle was so much better - and I often travel with my bike and turbo trainer so it matters.
- No power meter, but I use ANT+ dongle and use only crank power anyway as Elite messed something up with last update and I donāt trust Diretoās power anymore anyway
- I never adjusted belt tension during 4 years of intense operation end then sold it still working perfectly. I canāt say the same about my Diretoā¦
- Using resistance mode on dumb trainer you can easily ācustomizeā any interval any time because your legs are the controller. You donāt have to āchange the modeā and then click 8 times to change the resistance and changing gears the same time. Ridiculous.
You know, maybe I will really do what you just mentioned. I mean buy again a ādumbā better one instead of this smart rubbish
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What a head scratcher the long awaited Neo 3M has turned out to be. Perhaps future features (virtual gearing, etc?) via software/firmware updates might make the price more palatable. The integrated motion plates and optimized power accuracy is great and all, but thatās one expensive handle 
.
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