Buy the KICKR (2022) unless ERG precision or the motion plates are worth about $750 more to you. Garmin lists the NEO 3M at $1,799.99; the KICKR’s US list price is $1,049.99 (Cyclingnews, confirmed on two US retailer pages), and it has sold near $850 in sales. Reviewers agree both are accurate. They split on features: the KICKR has Wi-Fi, the NEO 3M has better-rated ERG control and about 2 to 5 cm of built-in movement.
Side by side
Specs are manufacturer claims; findings are the named reviewers’. Prices checked 29 September 2026.
| Attribute | Wahoo KICKR (2022) | Tacx NEO 3M |
|---|---|---|
| US price | $1,049.99 list (Cyclingnews, and Trek and Human Powered Health US listings; Wahoo’s US page unreadable to us); Amazon sale $849.99, 28 Jul 2026 | $1,799.99 on Garmin’s US store (launch price was $1,999.99) |
| Claimed accuracy | ±1% | under 1% (Garmin spec table) |
| Max power / grade | 2,200 W / 20% (down to -10%) | 2,200 W (sprint stability) / 25% |
| Flywheel | Physical, 16 lb as stated by Wahoo | Virtual, variable inertia up to 125 kg equivalent |
| Weight | 47 lb / 22 kg | 52 lb / 23.6 kg |
| Connectivity | ANT+, ANT+ FE-C, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, Direct Connect | ANT+, dual Bluetooth; no built-in Wi-Fi (Garmin sells a separate network adapter for Ethernet or Wi-Fi) |
| Motion | none | about 5 cm (BikeRadar), about 2 in fore-aft (OutdoorGearLab) |
| Noise (BikeRadar) | about 61 dB at 30 km/h; just over 65 dB in sprints | 63-65 dB at 150 W; over 70 dB at 600 W |
| Included cassette | 11-speed 11-28; cassette swap for 12-speed | 11-speed cassette included; Shimano 12-speed Hyperglide+ compatible |
The noise rows come from different test points (a speed against a wattage), so do not subtract them. See the published noise readings for the caveats. Freehub details are in the cassette and freehub matrix.
What each set of reviewers measured
KICKR (2022). BikeRadar (Nov 2022) found power tracking a Verve InfoCrank and Favero Assioma Duo pedals very closely, and described a new ERG ramp that gives roughly 10 seconds to restart after a pause. road.cc (Dec 2022) saw Wi-Fi readings hold through sprints, and up to about 6% gaps on one-second sprints over ANT+, which it blamed on signal dropout. Both are launch-era reviews.
NEO 3M. BikeRadar (Feb 2025) found it matched both reference meters throughout and rated its ERG the best of any trainer it had tested, but marked it down for no Wi-Fi, no high-speed data mode and no sensor bridging. OutdoorGearLab (Apr 2024) saw power within 0 to 2 W of pedals and ERG reaching target in 3 to 4 seconds without spikes. DC Rainmaker (Dec 2023) called it one of the most accurate trainers he had tested and criticised the price and the bulky rear housing.
Where they overlap: both trainers were called very accurate. The ERG praise for the NEO 3M is stronger and comes from three sources, where the KICKR’s ERG comment is one feature (the ramp) from one. That is an imbalance in coverage as well as in quality, so it should not be read as proof that the KICKR’s ERG is worse.
The price gap in use
| Comparison | KICKR price | Gap to NEO 3M ($1,799.99) |
|---|---|---|
| At list | $1,049.99 | $750.00 |
| Amazon sale, 28 Jul 2026 | $849.99 | $950.00 |
| Zwift New Year sale, with Cog and Click (Dec 2025) | $599.99 | $1,200.00 |
Sale prices come and go, and only the Garmin figure was read from a store page. We saw no discount on Garmin’s NEO 3M page on the date checked, so the gap is likely to be wider than $750 whenever the KICKR is on sale. For scale, $750 is more than a KICKR CORE 2 at its $549.99 list price.
Which to buy
- Pick the KICKR (2022) if you want Wi-Fi, a lower price and a normal trainer feel, or you mean to move it between rooms (both weigh 47 to 52 lb, so neither is light).
- Pick the NEO 3M if your priority is ERG-based structured training, you want the movement, and you accept losing Wi-Fi. OutdoorGearLab says it is better suited to a fixed basement than to moving about.
- Pick neither if a steady plan in Zwift or TrainerRoad is the whole use: the CORE 2 or a JetBlack Victory reproduce most of it. The power accuracy guide explains why the 1% versus 2% claims rarely change training.
- Consider the NEO 2T at $1,099.99 (Garmin also showed $899.99 on 29 Sept) if you want the virtual flywheel without paying for motion: see the 2T review.
How this page was researched
Researched from Garmin’s and Wahoo’s product pages and independent reviews listed under Sources, checked 29 September 2026. SmartBikeWiki runs no tests of its own; every measurement is the named reviewer’s, paraphrased. Wahoo’s US store was not readable from our fetch, so the KICKR US price is Cyclingnews’s. Reviews of the KICKR date from 2022 and say nothing about later firmware.