TACX Bushido T2780

dokko · 1 Apr 2019 at 19:51

Hi all,

I'm looking for a turbo trainer and seen a decent deal (£200) for the TACX Bushido T2780, but worried about the mixed reviews (mainly you either get a good one or it never works) especially since returning will be a faff on.

I was wondering if anyone had experiences (good and bad) of this trainer or if the lottery isn't worth it and there are alternatives out there around the £200 price mark.

Cheers

Shimmyhill · 1 Apr 2019 at 20:45

I have a Tacx Vortex and as I understand it it’s the same as the Bushido but needs a plug and so far it’s been good for the 600km I’ve done on it. Mine works fine with no issues so far but I really do fancy an upgrade for next winter to a direct drive as these are a little slow to react to changes - not idea, when you get a 30 power ramp and you lose a good few seconds while the turbo catches up.

I actually went for the Vortex over the Bushido due to more negative reports on the Bushido but I paid around 200 earlier this year for it, Bushido would have been more likely at that price.

dod · 2 Apr 2019 at 08:17

I've got one, fact it works without being plugged in is great. I had a couple of service issues but the Customer services team in Holland were very quick to respond.
Edit: also got a direct drive which I use mostly now

dokko · 2 Apr 2019 at 17:10

Thanks for the feedback. Still not 100% on this, just need a final push.

mrthingyx · 3 Apr 2019 at 09:11

I bought one recently and I have never had a turbo before. It works flawlessly, was easy to upgrade and calibrate and connects instantly with both the Tacx apps on my phone and Zwift on an AppleTV.

I don't know if it makes any more or less noise than any other tyre-on trainer but I wouldn't class it as noisy.

It was also a bit concerning looking at the reviews, but so far my experience has been great.

Roady · 23 Apr 2019 at 14:55

I had a Vortex for 3-4 years. No issues. Very study, very stable and reliable.

Now using a direct drive (Flux) and just as reliable.

No problems with Tacx, run the lottery but do it from a vendor who'll honour warranty/returns. Halfords are good (10% BC discount) and a physical store. They're also more likely to do a straight swap than look at it/send away for service. I used the same discount on CRC to get a great deal on my Flux - a V1 like mine was a real lottery, but most of those problems should be old news now (unless a vendor is holding onto old stock). The Bushido/Vortex won't have the same issues, they've been around a good number of years more.