ThinkRider X5Neo Direct Drive Smart Bike Trainer,Built-in Power Meter,Ready for Zwift,Max 2000 Watts,Simulate 15% Slope,ANT+ & BLE Compatible

Genuinely surprised at how well this works for being 1/3 the price of a TACX trainer. I haven't had a single issue running it with Zwift on my iPhone or current-generation Intel Mac. It truly provides seamless resistance changes in Zwift and trust me you can feel it. It's pretty dang quiet too, just a small fan without a lot of noise. The flywheel has a -ton- of inertia, this thing is a meaty beast.Going to ride this for awhile and post an updated review in a few months.Couple of notes:* It includes a "skewer" thin axle in the box. Nice. Although my gravel bike doesn't use this. Dang.* If you have 12mm thru Axles (like my gravel bike), you will need one long enough for you bike, as it's not included. An axle with a handle on it will not work, as you will not be able to turn it. It has to be an axle with a hex head.* You will _definitely_ need custom spacers/bushings for you bike if you have a thru axle. Your Bike manufacture may produce a spacer kit for a trainer. If a trainer kit is not available, you'll need to get creative. I 3d printed several bushings that space the frame properly to keep tension off the rear triangle, as well as proper space on the drive side to allow for proper shifting. This the downfall of many trainers and bike combinations thought and is NOT a problem specific to this trainer.* The trainer does not include a cassette. You'll need to purchase one. I bought a cheap cassette off amazon and while it works, it's noisy (which means chain wear) and doesn't shift well. I recommend buying an official Shimano or SRAM cassette.* The trainer supports 9s/10s cassettes with spacers. Supports 11s cassettes natively. May not support 12s (no idea), the hub body may not be long enough. Ask the manufacturer first if you have a 12s.

The Thinkrider X5 Neo was easy to assemble and get working. It was slightly tricky to calibrate only because I had to find and download the proper app, but once that was done it’s been working flawlessly. It’s smooth, quiet, and interfaces with Zwift with ease. For 1/3 the cost of the expensive smart trainers, this one is a no brainer. I love it.

Very happy with this trainer. I am impressed with the power output, road feel, and responsiveness to how the unit reacts with Zwift as it climbs and descends.

First let me say the bad. When unboxing trainer I immediately notice a leg mounting screw was missing. I looked thru box and foam packing material and nothing. I lifted machine and noticed a rattling sound, yes the screw was inside machine. I had to take panel off to get screw out. Luckily I knew enough not to try to use machine with rattling sound because only a higher power knows what damage it could have caused.The good. I really like machine it was pretty easy to put together and add the cassette I purchased. Wanted the same one on my bike so there wouldn't be any shifting issues. There are YouTube videos on getting it calibrated and getting on riding apps, again easy.I also purchased ANT + dongle so I could use my Garmin sensors. The Thinkrider doesn't have cadence sensor and what it showed during the ride without the Garmin sensors was way off. Overall I spent an additional $100 for ANT and cassette and I have what I think is good Smart trainer.As for sound, I think it's very quiet. Didn't hear anything as the trainer shifted for hills. I love the fact that it makes it harder on mountainess routes instantly. I'm an older rider so I think this technology is amazing. Now I don't feel the stress to get outside and ride when the weather is bad. I can have a realistic challenging ride inside and when weather is conducive I can slap wheel back on and be on the road in minutes.As long as I can get at least 4 years out of this trainer I would be happy with what I paid for it!