Tacx Neo Motion Plates

Tell us what the product is for and who it's aimed at. What do the manufacturers say about it? How does that compare to your own feelings about it?

The Tacx NEO Motion Plates are easy-to-mount motion plates aimed at the NEO, NEO 2 or NEO 2T smart trainers users. Garmin claims the plates allow for multidirectional movement and offer the 'most realistic ride yet'.

In fact, the plates add only forwards and backwards movement. They do have the significant advantage of being easy to use and highly compact, adding nothing to the trainer's footprint.

Tell us some more about the technical aspects of the product?

The Tacx NEO Motion Plates add 50mm of fore/aft movement to compatible NEO smart trainers. The motion is purely mechanical: each plate has a set of bearings rolling back and forth and returning to centre when movement stops.

Most recent NEO 2 and NEO 2T smart trainers offer a 3 degrees of side motions which combined with the plates help mimic multidirectional movement for a more realistic ride feel. This 360° feel won't however be felt as much on the older NEO smart trainer.

The technical notice does alert the user to limit the use of the plates for hard sprints with strong side motions. Installation is easy and requires no tool: simply remove the four rubber feet on the bottom the NEO smart trainer, and clip each Neo Motion plate in place, following the shape of the wings of the NEO smart trainer. The plates are light (1.55kg) and fit in neatly under the trainer thanks to internal magnets and look as if they had always been there: no added footprint, and only 25mm increase in height.

The plates come with a new wheel block to match, with max tyre width of 28mm. The block allows the front wheel to roll backwards and forwards and an arrow indicates which way is the front.

It is a very simple product, light and with a low footprint that makes it neater than other rocker platforms on the market. But for the price you would expect something perhaps more elaborate than a set of bearings and magnets.

The plates performed well in terms of back and front movement, but it would be nice to add further actual 360° motion. On the original Tacx NEO smart trainer, the ride felt more fluid but the change was only very subtle and hardly transformed the overall feeling of riding on an indoor trainer. Not worth the cost.

At first sight, the product seems robust. But it would be worth seeing how the bearings sustain intensive training over the winter months.

The weight can hardly be beaten. Compared to Tacx compatible rocker platforms like the Saris MP1 Infinity Motion Platform, the Tacx NEO Motion Plates weight 1.5kg against roughly 28kg.

The plates definitely add to comfort: the bike moves better as you move and the Tacx NEO smart trainer, already very quiet, makes even less noise.

Although it remains cheaper than other Tacx compatible rocker plates at £259.99, it is hard to justify it as a value-for-money kit.

Tell us how the product performed overall when used for its designed purpose

The plates allow for a more fluid ride feel, especially when sitting in the saddle and pedalling steady. When pushing on intervals, the plates gave the impression that the bike and trainer suffered less under the strain of the exercise: less creaking of the frame, an even quieter trainer, and a slightly more regular pedal stroke. However, the outdoor ride feeling promised by Garmin is exaggerated. Proper sprinting is still out of the question, and when you're riding out of the saddle the plates constantly roll back to centre, breaking your pedalling rhythm. The main movement remains back to front. If the plates could allow for further movement left to right, then perhaps your indoor ride would feel more like the real thing.

Tell us what you particularly liked about the product

A more fluid ride, making the overall impact of indoor training easier on the bike, on the trainer and on the rider. Trainer felt even more quiet than usual.

Tell us what you particularly disliked about the product

It is only a mechanical back and front movement, with no added side to side motion. While a nice addition it's only a marginal gain in terms of real-life riding feel and I don't think it's worth the price.

How does the price compare to that of similar products in the market, including ones recently tested on road.cc?

Other compatible rocker plates compatible with Tacx Neo smart trainers are more expensive. The Saris MP1 Infinity Motion Platform sells at an RRP of £999 compared with the £259.99 for these.

Use this box to explain your overall score

The plates are a nice idea in principle and their design and ease of use are extremely pleasing. Despite the added comfort the plates offer however, they do not truly deliver on the 360° riding feel and £259.99 seems a hefty price for only fore and aft mechanical movement.