- Hey what's up guys,
this is Tariq here from smartbiketrainers.com.
The Direto X and KICKR Core and FLUX 2
are very similar in many ways, and different in other ways.
In today's video, I'm going to walk you through
the differences between these three trainers,
and we'll go through the specs,
the accuracy of all three,
and if you are interested in seeing
or hearing how loud each one is, then stick around.
And if you find this video helpful,
I would appreciate it if you hit the like button.
And if you want to learn more
about smart trainers and indoor training,
make sure to hit that subscribe button.
All three trainers retails for $899 U.S.,
the FLUX and Direto are housed inside a plastic frame,
where the Core is in a solid-steel frame.
The FLUX legs are not foldable,
where the KICKR Core and Direto X are foldable.
All three trainers communicate
in ANT+, FE-C and Smart Bluetooth,
however the Wahoo KICKR Core has a multi-Bluetooth,
which basically eliminates
most of the connection issues
that you might encounter using Bluetooth.
This allows the KICKR or KICKR Core
to communicate with more than one app using Bluetooth,
where other trainers can only communicate
with one app who are using Bluetooth.
So if you connect the Direto or the Tacx FLUX to one app,
it will not be available to connect to a different app.
So for example, if you connect the Tacx
to the Tacx utility app,
to update the firmware or calibrate it,
and forget to disconnect the connection,
then you won't be able to pair to Zwift, for example.
So that's the one big advantage to the Core.
All of them measure power, speed, and cadence,
and broadcast that through ANT+, FE-C or Bluetooth FTMS,
this makes it easy to pair to devices,
especially ones with limited number of connection
like the Apple TV, for example.
None of these trainers measure cadence directly,
instead they calculate it,
and that calculation can be off sometimes,
especially when that resistance is very low,
usually in Erg mode and in a steady-state effort
they are pretty good.
However if having very accurate cadence measurement
is something that you care about,
then getting a separate cadence sensor
might solve this issue for you.
The Direto supports up to 2,100 Watts,
while the FLUX supports up to 2,000 Watts,
and the Core supports 1,800 Watts.
Now this is not that big of a deal,
most of you won't be able to hit these numbers anyway,
and if you can do more than 1,500 Watts,
then probably looking at a Tacx Neo or a Wahoo KICKR
is a better option for you.
The FLUX and Core both supports up to 16% gradient,
the Direto supports up to 18%, so 2% more,
so that is an advantage to the Direto X,
but it's very minimal and most of you won't notice it,
but the Direto win this category.
The steepest incline, or the steepest climb in Zwift is 17%,
and it's very small section.
The flywheel is what sets these trainers apart.
On paper, the FLUX wins this category by a big margin
with a heavy 16.8 pounds flywheel,
but it's a single layer flywheel
and does not really feel like a 16.8 pounds flywheel,
it actually feel like a smaller flywheel,
actually like the Direto X nine pounds flywheel.
The flywheel is good for two things,
road heel and in workout mode.
The heavier the better, you'll get more inertia
and just an overall better feel.
In workout mode, whether it's in Erg mode or slope mode,
a good and a heavy flywheel gives you
a much bigger range of power,
regardless of good gear selection.
So, for example, the FLUX and Direto have a hard time
getting you to a very low Watts that you might need
during recovery sets, between harder intervals.
Let's say your recovery is set at 100 Watts,
the FLUX and Direto might have a hard time
getting you there, without going to an easier gear.
You'll also find this limitation when using a bigger gear.
For example, here is a workout in TrainerRoad.
Ignore the blue line
and pay attention to that thin, green line.
I was not feeling that good that day,
and I had to lower the intensity,
so that's why, just pay attention to that green line.
So my target Watts here was 224 Watts,
and I was using a 53/12 gearing, so that is a big gear.
As you see here, this is in Erg mode,
I was pushing close to 260, 280 Watts,
the flywheel just did not have enough momentum or speed
to bring down my Watts to my target around 224 Watts.
The KICKR Core, however, was best at this,
I did not experience these limitations with the KICKR Core.
Also keep in mind that this 12 pound flywheel
you see in the KICKR Core,
is the same flywheel Wahoo used
on the KICKR 2017 and earlier models.
This was a high-end flywheel,
and one of the best in the market,
so even though on the spec sheet
the FLUX has the heaviest flywheel,
but the KICKR Core wins this category, hands down.
And as for accuracy, the Direto is by far the best
with its built in OTS power meter,
and accurate within 1.5%.
The Core comes in next at 2% and the FLUX at 2.5%.
The Direto and Core are just so good in measuring power.
All three trainers require calibration
the first time you use them,
and then just calibrate it
once every couple of weeks or so.
The FLUX just did not do well in Erg mode,
and I talked about that in details in my review
which you can watch up here.
It was under-reporting, but the Direto
and KICKR Core are just so good,
both did very well in Erg mode and responded very well.
As for the noise, here is how all three trainers sound.
And you will see me demoing the KICKR
instead of the KICKR Core, just because I did not have,
I don't have the KICKR Core right now
to measure the decibels when I made this video.
So, but both sounds very similar
and if you don't believe me,
you can go and watch this video up here,
and you will see that they both sounds very similar.
If anything, the KICKR has the bigger flywheel,
so if anything it will be the louder trainer.
(trainer wheels vibrating)
All three were very good.
The KICKR, or KICKR Core,
wins this from a measurement standpoint using my ears,
and the decibel measurement.
I think this covers it all,
let me know if you have any questions
down in the comments section.
And if you wanna buy any of these trainers.
Make sure to check out the price tracker
on smartbiketrainers.com before purchasing any trainer.
I look for the best prices and deals every day
on all these major brands.
And that's all I have, if you find this video helpful
please hit that like button and subscribe,
and see you in the next one.
(instrumental music)