You're probably fine without these, but the motion plates make the trainer better to use. And regardless of how poor of a value it is to pay over $200 for some plastic feet for your trainer, you'll most likely never want to ride without them once you set them up. They make the experience on my 2T a lot more enjoyable. To be frank, I think my nether regions hurt less with these installed. My biggest gripe is that they are only connected by some relatively weak magnets and will fall off easily if you try to move or fold the trainer with them on. I've also seen reviews saying they don't do well for sprinting...haven't tried it personally, but I've done some standing efforts on hill climbs and they do just fine.
I upgraded my Lemond Revolution non-smart trainer to the Garmin NEO 2T to set up for post-ACL surgery recovery, knowing I would need more stimulus than the concrete floor.
I was a bit worried about the fussiness and configuration for a smart trainer, but setup was straightforward and I was able to use my existing Garmin Connect account to get up and running quickly with the Tacx app. Connecting to Zwift was a bit more complicated and required several trips to the web before success. MyWhoosh was a similar experience. Overall, I've been pleased with the reliability and ease of use.
Pros:
- The unit is very quiet, especially compared to the fan-driven Lemond. So quiet all you really hear is the chain going over the sprockets.
- Easy setup, for a smart trainer, and re-starts have been very reliable.
- Decent Tacx app experience with a nice set of demo videos and simple workout controls. Works with all other major services.
- Works without power, so if you want a simple ride or need to warm up on it before a race, you can.
- Fun features like road surface simulation increases the verisimilitude of the experience.
- Plenty of resistance--so far. I haven't pushed it to the limit yet but have no concerns about it.
- Solid and stable. It's a bit heavy if you are moving it around frequently, but it also doesn't shimmy or bounce around under harder efforts.
Cons:
- It's not the most expensive unit out there, nor is it the cheapest, but ~$1k is worth a second thought
- A monthly subscription ($10-15/month) is required to one or more services to fully benefit from capabilities of the trainer. If you're willing to drop $1k for a trainer, this probably isn't a concern.
- Setup is more involved than an analog trainer -- you need at minimum a mobile device to run the trainer and larger screen (tablet, monitor) to get the full experience.
- You also need a place to put the display so you can see it properly and interact with the app when necessary. You'll also want a fan for air circulation since you get very warm very quickly indoors. If you don't have a dedicated space and equipment for it, you'll be spending a chunk of time setting it up for each session. This however is true for any indoor cycling experience.
Very late to the smart trainer / virtual cycling movement. Finally made the leap and purchased the Tacx Neo 2T, set it up with a spare SRAM 10sp cassette I had collecting dust, and signed up for Zwift. The Neo 2T is fantastic: easy to set up, smooth and quiet, simulates road feel/tension/vibration well, pairs flawlessly with all my devices, and looks beautiful to boot. Indoor training is an absolute pleasure now, and I've hardly missed a day of spinning in the past 3 months.
The Tacx Antares rollers have been a pleasant surprise. They are well made, lightweight and ride smoothly. They are also relatively quiet. I prefer these to my Cycle Ops fluid 2 trainer. These compare well to more expensive aluminum drum rollers that I had many years ago. It took about 5 minutes to be steady, and the rollers get easier to ride with each session. I am not doing any roller tricks yet, but riding with no hands is a near term possibility.
The assembly instructions could be better. Garmin should make an assembly video to illustrate setting the length adjustment.
