Smart Trainers That Move: Tacx Nēra and the Motion Options for 2026

What “Motion” Means on a Smart Trainer

In his 2023 comparison of the Wahoo KICKR MOVE and Tacx NEO 3M, DC Rainmaker contrasts them with a completely static trainer and splits their movement into two kinds:

• Fore-aft (sliding): the trainer rolls a short distance forward and back on a track. At the end of the track a small lip slows it down, and on both trainers he tested you reach that lip whenever you sprint or surge hard. This is measured in centimetres of travel.
• Side-to-side (tilting): the bike can lean a little to either side, often through cushioned or flexible feet, such as Wahoo’s AXIS feet and Elite’s Flex Feet. This is measured in degrees.

Built-in motion is a compact alternative to a rocker plate, the separate platform you put a trainer on. DC Rainmaker notes that the built-in designs aim to take up far less space than most movement solutions. He also rates the sideways tilt of both the NEO 3M and Wahoo’s AXIS feet (on the KICKR MOVE he tested) as slight, nowhere near the tilt of a rocker plate.

The chart below shows what each maker publishes. Two gaps stand out: Garmin gives no range for either axis on the Nēra, and no figure for the NEO 3M’s sideways movement.

Does Movement Help? What the Evidence Says

The makers that sell motion all say it makes riding indoors better. These are maker claims, not test results:

• Garmin says the Nēra’s motion gives a “more immersive, comfortable and realistic ride”.
• Wahoo said the KICKR MOVE’s movement reduces fatigue and improves comfort during long sessions.
• Elite says its Flex Feet maximise pedalling efficiency.

Garmin has described its own testing. On its 2023 media call for the NEO 3M, as reported by DC Rainmaker, Garmin said its physiologists at Firstbeat ran blood lactate and VO2max tests and found no fundamental physiological cost to riding with motion plates. The only exception Garmin mentioned was a slight effect in a 3-second all-out sprint. We found no published version of this study.

Two peer-reviewed studies come close to the question:

• Swafford et al. (2025), International Journal of Exercise Science: 13 adults (12 of them inexperienced cyclists) rode a Wahoo KICKR Bike on a rocker board, once free to sway and once with the sway blocked, at four effort levels of 3 minutes each. Riders did sway when they could, by roughly 0.01–0.03 radians (about 0.6–1.7°). Oxygen uptake, heart rate, cadence and speed did not differ between the two conditions. The authors note the small sample and the mostly novice riders. The study did not measure comfort, and each condition lasted only 12 minutes.
• Wilkinson and Kram (2021), Journal of Biomechanics: on an ergometer that could lean or be locked, peak 1-second power in standing sprints was no higher when riders were free to lean than when it was locked. When the ergometer could lean but riders tried to keep it still, peak power was about 5% lower than with free leaning.

Put together: in the studies we found, sway did not change oxygen uptake or heart rate at steady efforts, and free leaning gave no more sprint power than a locked bike. The comfort benefit on long rides, which is the main selling point, rests on maker claims and reviewers’ experience. DC Rainmaker’s view is that the small, constant adjustments greatly reduce fatigue on long indoor rides. We found no controlled study of multi-hour rides.

Quick Comparison

Editor’s Picks

Individual Reviews

Tacx Nēra

Garmin’s press release lists power and cadence accuracy within 1%, sprints up to 2,200 W and simulated grades up to 20%. Garmin’s product page adds a 6.13 kg flywheel, a weight of 24.7 kg, folding legs with a carry handle, built-in Wi-Fi alongside ANT+ and Bluetooth, heart-rate bridging over Bluetooth, and a race mode for faster response in virtual races. Both versions cost the same: one with a pre-installed 11-speed Shimano/SRAM cassette, one with Zwift Cog and Click for virtual shifting in Zwift and ROUVY. The trainer also works with the Tacx Alpine, Garmin’s gradient simulator, which tilts the bike for climbs up to 25% and descents to −10%.

On motion, Garmin says only that the motion pods provide forward, backward and side-to-side movement; its spec sheet lists integrated motion but gives no range. the5krunner’s launch report notes that the movement is built into the trainer itself, with no separate plates. TOUR, which has not yet tested the Nēra, says the published information doesn’t show how far it moves or how it behaves at high cadence or out of the saddle. TOUR and BIKE, citing Garmin, describe it as a belt-drive design.

Garmin’s spec sheets also show where the Nēra sits below the NEO 3M: 20% maximum grade against 25%, 55 Nm maximum torque against 88 Nm, and 162.5 N maximum brake force against 260 N. In the Nēra’s favour, it has Wi-Fi built in, while the NEO 3M needs a separate adapter.

Verdict: On paper, the cheapest trainer here that moves both fore-aft and sideways, at €300 less than the NEO 3M in Germany and $800 less in the US. Until independent tests measure its range of movement and its accuracy, judge it on the specifications rather than the motion claims.

Tacx NEO 3M

Garmin launched the NEO 3M on 7 December 2023 at $1,999.99, with built-in motion plates adding front-to-back movement to the sideways flex of the NEO design. According to DC Rainmaker, Tacx built its existing Motion Plates accessory into the trainer: 2.5 cm of travel in each direction, 5 cm in total. BikeRadar reported that Tacx gives no figure for the sideways movement. Garmin says the motion can be switched on and off.

Garmin lists accuracy within 1%, 2,200 W, simulated grades up to 25% with descent simulation, and a virtual flywheel that can mimic cobbles and gravel. It also works without mains power for most riding; DC Rainmaker notes the exceptions are downhill drive and the optional Wi-Fi/Ethernet adapter. Wi-Fi is not built in.

DC Rainmaker’s tests favour it on accuracy. In his 30×30 ERG test, which alternates about 150 W and 445 W every 30 seconds, the NEO 3M overshot its targets by just 3 W, against about 15–20 W per interval for the KICKR MOVE. He gave the NEO 3M the accuracy win and the KICKR MOVE the movement win, because the MOVE’s fore-aft travel was longer. His main complaint in 2023 was price: at $1,999, he wrote, Garmin should have included the $129 Wi-Fi adapter. Garmin now charges $1,799.99 in the US and €1,299.99 in Germany, down from the €1,999.99 launch price BikeRadar reported.

Verdict: The only trainer here, still sold by its maker, with a known fore-aft range and a switch to turn the motion off, and DC Rainmaker’s tests rate its ERG control highly. At €1,299.99 it is €300 more than the Nēra in Germany; in the US the gap is $800, which is harder to justify.

Wahoo KICKR with AXIS Feet

The standard KICKR moves sideways only. Wahoo says its AXIS feet flex 5° side to side with your body. There is no fore-aft movement: on its KICKR MOVE page, Wahoo describes the KICKR as its current flagship with the same internals as the MOVE but without the movement platform. DC Rainmaker describes the AXIS feet as cushioned feet that allow a little more movement.

The rest of Wahoo’s EU listing: 2,200 W, a 20% maximum grade, ±1% power accuracy, a 7.25 kg (16 lb) flywheel, belt drive, 22 kg, 2.4 GHz Wi-Fi, up to three Bluetooth connections, ANT+ and a pre-installed 11-speed 11–28 cassette. At €849.99 it is the cheapest trainer in this guide. Wahoo’s website redirected us to its EU store, so we could not read a US price.

Verdict: The lowest price here and a published 5° of sway, with no fore-aft movement. A good fit if you mainly want the bike to lean a little under you and don’t need the sliding motion.

Elite Justo 2

Elite ships the Justo 2 with two sets of Flex Feet. Its product text says the red set allows 7° of lateral sway and the black set 4.5°, which makes it the trainer with the most published sideways tilt in this guide. The spec table on the same page lists both sets at 7°; we use the product text. Elite lists no fore-aft movement.

Elite lists a maximum of 2,300 W at 40 km/h, simulated slopes up to 24%, accuracy under 1% from an integrated power meter, a 7 kg flywheel and a weight of 17 kg, the lightest here. It connects over ANT+, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi and Ethernet, and comes with a 12-speed road cassette and 36 months of Elite’s My E-Training app. When DC Rainmaker first saw it in July 2024, he called it a minor update to the original Justo, adding Wi-Fi and the 12-speed cassette. We found no independent accuracy test of the Justo 2.

Verdict: The most sideways tilt in this guide, with two sets of feet (7° or 4.5°). No fore-aft movement, and about €275 more than the KICKR for up to 2° more lean (with the red feet).

Zwift Ride V2 (No-Motion Reference)

The Zwift Ride is a smart frame bundled with a Wahoo KICKR CORE 2, and it is here to show what similar money buys without motion. The V2, announced on 9 September 2026, keeps the price and adds five crank lengths from 160 to 175 mm, more saddle setback and a rider range of 146–198 cm, according to BikeRadar and Zwift Insider. Zwift’s spec sheet lists ±2% accuracy, 1,800 W, a 16% maximum grade and a 5.4 kg flywheel, and no movement feature. Zwift Insider’s Eric Schlange told a reader that the Ride can go on a rocker plate.

Verdict: A complete setup that doesn’t need your own bike, but with lower power, grade and accuracy figures than every trainer above, and no motion unless you add a rocker plate.

What Happened to the KICKR MOVE

Wahoo’s EU product page now says the KICKR MOVE was discontinued in June 2026 and is no longer sold on Wahoo’s website, though some retailers still have stock. Wahoo says there is “no direct one-to-one replacement for the KICKR MOVE’s fore-aft motion”. Wahoo rated its fore-aft travel at 20 cm (8 in), with an option to lock it, plus sideways movement from the base and AXIS feet. DC Rainmaker described the travel as 7 cm in each direction, and BikeRadar’s NEO 3M launch report put it at about 20 cm. Either way, it moved roughly three to four times as far as the NEO 3M’s 5 cm. If you want long fore-aft travel from a new product today, none of the trainers here publishes a figure close to it.

How to Choose

• Fore-aft movement, bought new: the NEO 3M has a known 5 cm; the Nēra moves fore-aft too, but its range is not yet published.
• Sideways movement only: the KICKR’s AXIS feet (5°) or the Justo 2’s Flex Feet (4.5° or 7°).
• Sprinting: on the NEO 3M you can switch the motion off. Garmin hasn’t said whether the Nēra’s motion locks. In Wilkinson and Kram’s study, free leaning gave no more peak sprint power than the locked setup.
• Training data: the four trainers claim accuracy of 1% or better, the Zwift Ride bundle ±2%. At 250 W, ±2% means up to 5 W either way, and your FTP and zones are built on those numbers.
• Wait for tests: TOUR lists what is still unknown about the Nēra: real-world accuracy, how fast resistance changes, how far it moves, and noise. If you aren’t in a hurry, those answers are worth waiting for.

Sources

• Makers’ announcements and store pages (read October 2026): Garmin, Tacx Nēra launch press release (20 October 2026); Garmin Tacx Nēra product pages (US and Germany); Garmin, Tacx NEO 3M announcement (press release, 7 December 2023) and NEO 3M product pages (US and Germany); Wahoo EU store, KICKR and KICKR MOVE pages (discontinuation notice); Wahoo Nordic store, KICKR MOVE page; Elite, Justo 2 product page (euro price); Zwift US and EU stores, Zwift Ride with KICKR CORE 2.
• Reviews and news: DC Rainmaker, “Wahoo KICKR MOVE vs Tacx NEO 3M: The Definitive Comparison Guide” (December 2023); DC Rainmaker, “Elite’s New Square Smart Frame, Avanti & Justo 2 Smart Trainers First Look!” (July 2024); Simon von Bromley, BikeRadar, Tacx Neo 3M launch report (7 December 2023) and Zwift autumn 2026 update with Ride V2 (9 September 2026); Eric Schlange, Zwift Insider, “The Zwift Ride V2 Is Here” (9 September 2026); the5krunner, “Tacx Nēra smart trainer has built-in movement” (20 October 2026); Marc Strucken, TOUR and BIKE, Tacx Nēra launch reports (20 October 2026).
• Research: Swafford A, Navalta J, Silvernail JF, Lough N, Mercer J (2025), “Physiological and Biomechanical Responses to Indoor Cycling with and without the Ability to Sway”, International Journal of Exercise Science 18(7):531–542; Wilkinson RD, Kram R (2021), “The influence of bicycle lean on maximal power output during sprint cycling”, Journal of Biomechanics 125:110595.

Prices are the makers’ own store prices in October 2026 and change often. We could not read US prices for the Wahoo KICKR or the Elite Justo 2 on the makers’ stores. No affiliate links were used in this article.

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