Amazing that 6y later, this is still useful

What a brilliant video. Well paced, no unnecessary waffle and lots of great information.

Shane you have been killing it!!!! Honestly every smart trainer I look at you have done an amazing review of it! Thanks matey! :)

Yay thank so glad you made this one! Been waiting for it :)

Hi Shane thank you so much for doing as always a great review on this particular product. I have had this for about one year now with very little instructions. I agree you do have to learn how to ride this especially in erg mode. I had installed tacx training and couldn't figure out how to update the firmware now sorted that out and up to date. I enjoy your videos keep them coming. This product like you said is very good for entry level but of course you always want better so looking to upgrade in time to tacx flux.

Nice review and very educational for a first time indoor cyclist. Started cycling ‘bout 6-7 months ago and a friend gave me this Tacx Flow in exchange for a bottle of whiskey 😎 Now I know how to set it up. Can’t wait to try it out during rainy days.

Great thorough review !

As a returning rider who's never used such a trainer before, seems like this thing will be perfectly adequate. The main thing for me is to gain the interactivity that will make indoor training fun.

Awesome video! Thanks always for the great content

Just ordered one - thanks for your video, the only place to figure out it contains the compatible quick release, no need to order a separate one :)

Yep. For bigger wattage intervals harder gears and greater wheel speed are required. It works the same on Vortex.

Thank you. I am new to riding and found this test review/set up very helpful

Cheers Shane, just ordered one as a present on the back of this review.

Great flooring in the new pain cave. Keep up the reviews of both the high end and lower end kit. It's interesting to compare them

Great review. Just bought myself tacx Flow smart in Decathlon for 199,95eur :) For now i did 2 rides on zwift and I'm loving it!!!

Thank you ! very nice review, good job !

Very helpful, I'm reviewing my 'cheap smart trainer' options, many thanks!

I bought at Decahtlon 200 bucks! Delighted! Don´t care lack of accuracy. Having power data bring home training to another level. Much easier to motivate!

Great review. Super helpful

Hi Shane had one of these for a year good in parts but terrible in others. Tacx quality control leaves something to be desired unit delivered with no qr or bolts. Unit struggles to register low cadence high power efforts in zwift work outs. But just got my direto delivered yesterday after your recommendations and it is the bomb thanks for all the vids keep going!

Great video, thanks for posting.

Thanks for the useful video! :)

I bought a flow smart from a buddy who had it stuffed in a closet for 18 months without using it. For me as a new cyclist i thiink it is a great product, it´s still in better shape than i am so no need for an upgrade anytime soon.

Great review. I got one of these as my first smart trainer, and I can honestly say, for its price range, and specs, its a good first trainer to have, for riding about Zwfit. I've now upgraded to a direct drive, but despite the thoughts of selling this on, as a back up in case my direct drive breaks down, (which its done so once already, and was kindly replaced by the manufacturer).

Great review, makes me want a higher end model now :D

Great in depth review. Thanks

Hey dude - I like seeing the power stats in all your trainer videos! It might help also showing a time aligned plot of speed as well, then dividing power by speed (in rad/s) to show torque too (I'd certainly be interested in seeing that). My hypothesis on the delay and accuracy: There is a delay in power measured at the trainer because there is a component of torque generated at the crank which goes into the rotational acceleration of the rear wheel (and other rotating masses). The trainer has to imply this from changes in measured speed, calculating rotational acceleration. For better accuracy (and reliability) this speed signal is probably passed through a moving average filter introducing a delay. Accuracy is lost with respect to a "wheel off" trainer because it has to assume a value for the moment of inertia of the rear wheel (this is clearly known for a "wheel off" trainer). Again this is probably well known to the road biking community to which I'm a noob!

Tks Shane! Great review! I believe these products are a big chunk of the market, especially for the other countries like here in Brazil that we do not have the products officially imported, besides being expensive. I thought the Qubo Digital Smart Elite seemed better, I'm right? Anyway these products are not for the very high requirement. This week I'm going to start zwift, and I'm anxious, it's a simple trainer with ant + sensors, but the desire to pedal in Watopia is huge, thanks for your videos, you have a big part in it.

great info thanks so much was very helpful

I had two and had to bring them both back, moved onto a Tacx flux S ...so fingers crossed

Another great Lama production! :) ... Due to bad snowy, slippery weather here in the Netherlands I couldn't ride for a couple of days and started looking at some trainers that can be hooked up on Zwift. I'm a long-ish distance average recreational rider. I'm aiming at making my flight time up to 100km a week to get through the winter. So, I'm not the sprinter, heavy wattage and what not total freakout user, but I am a sucker for quality. Have said that ... Comparing the Flow with the Vortex, as far as judging them on video goes, the Flow looks/feels a bit flimsy. I would like a more high-end trainer but I'd rather invest that in outside gear because cold and rain don't bother me ... Just want to keep paddling through those few truly horrible weeks :) ... Thus, Viewed your Vortex review as well and I think my heart is set on the Vortex. Thanks again, keep it up and enjoy the good stuff!

This is exactly what I've found. I have a Flow Smart for indoor with Zwift, and also a 4iiii power meter. The Erg mode is extremely laggy, and does require gear changes to match. Weirdly, it's a lot better in TrainerRoad than it is in Zwift.

Thx for a great review. I've just bought Flow and hope it will be fine. Greetings from Poland :D

Just bought one today.. Hope it's good!! Halifax, Canada

Great timing with this review :) I'm looking to get a smart trainer and was wondering what the differences were between the Vortex and the Flow and if it the Vortex was worth the price difference. I think the Flow will do just fine for me. Just discovered your channel a few weeks ago by the way. Fantastic content. I watched a bunch of your videos. Great insight, great reviews, great discussion. Keep it up!

My trainer. Its really good. I know what he means regard ing the fly wheel speed.

I just ordered this today I’m new to indoor cycling, so I think this would be just fine for me. Until I become professional❤️🥰😜

love the videos! What would you recommend the flow or the elite qubo interactive trainer? I am torn between the two.

Great review Shane! About the inaccuracy of the 350W intervals at slower flywheel speeds, isn't that just the unit hitting the maximum resistance? I mean, the unit is specified as 800W at 40km/hr, but that also means that it will capable of substantially less than 400W (300 to 350W?) at 20km/hr. It would be interesting to see the sped plotted in the same graph. Generally, thumbs up! Really helpful reviews.

I’ve got this turbo trainer coming tomorrow so I’ll let you know how it goes!

Getting this as a present for Xmas, great review - can’t wait to get started on it. Questions though - what does “erg mode” mean?

I was using a Neo in a cycling studio until I moved. The Flow was a no brainier for me at £180 new. It’s decent in workout mode - that said ERG mode isn’t he smoothest - but honestly this will do me nicely until I can do a under the radar Flux or Neo purchase.

The lag in reported power reading is due to the internal smoothing on power measurement. Since it needs so much, this suggests internally the readings may be noisy.

Hi, great video. I need to strengthen my leg after a ligament tear. I was told that cycling would do this. Would this be good for leisurely exercise while I watch TV. Could you recomend something else not to noisy.

I have the Flow Smart and I am quite happy with it... The only bad thing I can say about it, is that it is a bit noisy... but I've never had another trainer to compare it with, so maybe it's normal for such type of a trainer...

Have one, amazing good for price

Great video. Suggestion....since these bikes are typically for newbies, you were right on until the firmware update was completed. As a newbie to the whole bike trainer world, I was lost. Would have been nice to show how to use the app vs jump right into Zwift.

I have the same "problem" with the Vortex in ERG mode, but really it's not that big of a deal, you just have to change to a bigger gear when it asks for more watts. Still, ERG mode is way better on the Vortex than on the Drivo ! What I wish you would review, is the actual slope simulation: the Vortex is supposed to simulate the slope "up to" 7% but in my case I don't feel any difference above 4-4.5%.

I've been running the Flow for just under a year now. I got a good deal from Halfords with BC discount, £171 IIRC. Overall the Flow's been a great starter unit with no problems or faults. 95% of the time I'm using it in ERG mode on one of Zwift's training plans. In those workouts I am consistently having to change gear to adapt to the power required. As this is my first trainer I assumed this was normal. Also I cannot get my unit to register above about 580 watts. I concede that I may just be a weakling (my FTP = 257) but I was surprised to see Lama could get his to 850w. Overall a good starter at an affordable price but I will be looking to upgrade mine to something a bit more capable this winter.

Thanks for the instruction. Do you need to change anything on the bike before you put it on the trainer?

Good review Shane, I've had my Flow for nearly a year now and it's been brilliant for the money, looking to upgrade now but definitely happy with my choice for an introduction into the smart trainer world. £200 from Halfords not bad!

Novice with bikes, only have a spinning bike, have been advised affordable price and quality reliable will more than likely go for this and get a bike to go with it that is compatiable and affordable again with quality. Wanting to sign up to Zwift when all completed and purchased. Great informative video very informative for my needs.

accuracy for this one on tacx web says

Thanks Shane. Does this work with a disc brake bike 142x12mm through axel ?

Hi Shane, nice review! in your opinion whats the best smart trainer on a budget between this Tacx Flow Smart and the Elite Qubo power mag smart? Someone tell me that found some problem on the Tacx calibration. thanks

Hi Shane - I just got Tacx Flow for Christmas! I'm having trouble calibrating. I suspect its because I'm running tubeless tire at 82PSI. I'm afraid to inflate it to 100PSI as it's not recommended for my wheel and tire. Should I just go back to tubes so I can inflate to the Tacx recommendation of 100psi or is there another solution to calibrate with tubeless setup? Thanks a bunch and love your videos!

love to see an indepth on the qubo like this if youve still got one.ive just bought one off the back of your original review and the one done by athletic tech review. more than good enough for the money but seems to have similar drawbacks with lag and erg.

I’ve used this trainer for 9 months and had already sussed out the need to change 2 to 3 gears to hit short power intervals in ERG mode. The BLE dropouts mid ride have been very frustrating. Only recently found out that the Flow has a known overheating issue at low rpm and power over 250 watts. Now need an extra fan trained on the Flow to avoid that.

Hello! Just about to buy one for me. Do i need anything else do conect to Swift or ir has cadance, speed and power output already on it?

Can you tell me if it is possible to connect the tacx flow smart power sensor with Ant + to garmin fenix 3 ??

There's an Elite model called the Intera Ritmo, here in Canada at $599. Wonder how it stacks up!

Does this type of trainer go through tires faster? Please excuse my lack of knowledge, just started looking into indoor trainer.

You obviously posted this sometime ago but still a good video...!

Hey Shane, enjoy your videos and reviews!! Which wheel-on smart trainer would you recommend at this point with all the current offerings? Thinking about asked no for that for Christmas for my wife...

Given this review is a few years old, I'm guessing not sure much has changed.. Finally pull(ed)ing the trigger on a smart trainer with what my wallet could currently comfortably allow right now, and it was between this and the Kinetic Road Smart 2. Weighed the pros/cons on both in terms of tech, and the personal reviews on both, but after getting a slight headache about this, I went with the the Tacx Flow! And should arrive in 5-7 business days.. I'm a new Cat3 living in California, and hopefully this will do what I need it to do Lol Also to note; I'm going with TRAINERROAD for training, and have the Favero Assioma UNO pow'met, so hoping for the best!

so the only real difference between this and the vortex is that it has less max watage and less max incline?

Do you have to use the resistance system?

I have the Vortex and I find it also suffers from the ERG mode peculiarities, you do have to learn how to ride them. Having said that I do love it and would recommend it as an entry level smart trainer.

Greetings from London. Just wondering, have you or any one you know paired the Flow or the Vortex with a Polar M460? If so, your thoughts or theirs? What sort of information is transferred. Any information would be appreciated as I’m looking at getting either. Keep up the good job.

I a have a old Satori, looks similar.

Hi Shane, would be interesting to see a review of Tacx Genius Smart now and see how it looks compared to Vortex and Flow (high end wheel on trainer vs. entry level).

Is the flow smart any good with the sufferfest app?

Even with the flux I have to shift up to hit some numbers as it can only simulate 10% and I like riding in the 34 23 gear... But for say 400e I have to shift 3 cogs down

Guys Im very new to this so sorry if the question is dumb: this trainer can simulate like a uphill where I would need to shift my gears to spin more? If Yes, how that works? I mean, the pressure of the trainer on the wheels change according to the road?? Can't understand that

After 20Km ride started to make strange sqeaking noises when manually turning the wheel. Also there is a periodic thump when going hard on it. I'm dissapointed in the quality, will take it back. Also it seems there is a big delay between Zwift incline and resistance adjustment, and between actual power output and what Zwift displays.

These units are on sale atm. Is it simple/easy enough to use for a beginner cyclist with a spare bike that just wants a late night exercise option. Like I have an electric mountain bike that I’ll take outside when it’s light/dry enough and an entry level road bike I don’t get to use much. I also assume I’d need to figure out the whole cleat situation for an indoor system like this but I’m mostly just worried that it’s a bit tricky to balance on etc.

Great review. It seems to me that just about every trainer, even high-end need to be ridden in a certain way to get ERG mode working properly: when I do intervals with my Elite Drivo, I need to shift down to hit the low power, high RPM intervals such as 100W @ 120RPM. Is this the case on the KICKR and the Neo? Another question: you are very smooth when sprinting out of the saddle on a trainer. Do you sprint the same way outdoors or have you had to adapt your sprinting style indoors? Ride On!

Hi Shane. I am loving the videos! What are your thoughts between this and the Tacx vortex smart trainer? I am in the UK and am looking for my first trainer for an indoor set up and to test out Zwift. I can get the Vortex for £169.99 and the Flow for £189.99 here in the UK. Which would you go for at those prices. Thanks again.

One question: Do you replace the blockage for the tire?

Wow Shane, thanks for this review. I have been riding rollers, occasionally for the last 35 years. They bore me to tears. So, I was thinking about getting a "smart trainer", but the pricing was to steep! I'm in my 60's now, and I have Garmin Vector 3 pedals, so I could get "real power" readings from them. Is that right? For me steady state training is probably the way to go, and intervals at 500 watts and lower are realistic for my abilities. I can hit 900+ for seconds so I do not think the wattage ceiling of this unit will bother me. Does that sound right to you? Thanks for your spot on reviews and honest assessments!

did you change the pin of the rear wheel?

i have one why so hard to pedal ? shoul i upgrade to higher end ?

ok good video, but what if you have a thru axle? What type do you need to use to mount the roller?

3 months after purchase mine is dead...power supply failure?

Great review! Il i have a power meter on my bike, can this be paired on the trainer?

On many forums there is a complaint about faulty clicking rollers. I think people are over-tightening the tension with the calibration app - it’s not accurate. Check the metal roller with your thumb and see if it clicks.

Was wondering how much you have to turn the tension dial, to have the right mount of resistance on the rear wheel. I am getting a Cycleops Fluid 2 in a couple days.

O máximo de watts que vem especificado nele e 800 watts .. e você ultrapassou essa marca. Não tem perigo de quebrar?

Hi - thanks for the review - i'm thinking of buying one of these, and wondered if you could help with a question. I havea old iMagic trainer (which has now died), and one of the features of that was the ability to ride at any cadence and have the roller adjust to maintain the same cadence - ie, I could ride at 80 rmp or 105rpm and i'd still be at 300 watts - I think it the app I was in was called 'Catalyst'? Does this trainer allow me to ride at a set wattage?

Great vid Shane, I have a dumb question how do I turn ERG mode ON/OFF on my TACX app? I do not have Zwift.

Shane great review. I have noticed that the Tacx training app has the facility to show/record data such as calories burned, km/h, wattage, bpm etc. Does this particular trainer show/record all this data on your phone/tablet app?

Pretty old video, but I’ll try anyway. I got this trainer after this video was posted, and I’m really happy with it for my needs. Like you, I’ve purchased a tru-axle bike since then, and I wonder how I can fit it to this trainer. The bike is a Focus with R.A.T tru-axle, so not really a «standard» tru-axle either. Any ideas?

You should try to get your hands on a Kinetic Rock and Roll trainer they look cool. They should make an interactive front wheel chock that adjusts the wheel height to match the grade on zwift.

Hi, does this unit transmit data to a Forerunner 935 (including power readings) as well as Zwift through bluetooth at the same time? Thanks

I have a tacx flow multiplayer t1901 can I do zwift too?

I got one three weeks ago, great when it's working....but I have had the annoyance of having it replaced twice. Am really enjoying zwift with it.

Shane, could you explain what you mean with big and small rings for more precision? You mean front (chain) rings or rear cog rings? I am confused. Further, i'd like to use the device in offline mode in a separate room without electricity for some time and basic training. DC Rainmaker in one of his reviews (Booster?) could set the power mode to a defined level (e.g. 200W preset), then unplug and the trainer would stay in the same 200W mode (magnets distance to the wheel). Is it the same with the FLOW smart? Decathlon is selling them at a very exciting price at the moment and I am willing to klick on the "buy" button.

Hey Shane! So I'm about to get my very first smart trainer for zwift! Should i get the vortex or flow? Or any other lower end smart interactive trainer?

This looks like essentially a vortex with the a different resistance unit. I heard that the pedal cycle is a bit choppy with dead spots, did you feel any issues with pedaling smoothness?

Hi. That moment starting from 10:18 , when you run Zwift and start selecting devices, which of them are additional and which are included in the trainer?