What you need to set up the Tacx NEO 2
To ride the Tacx NEO 2 you need the following parts. No separate cassette is needed. The thru-axle adapters are included in the box.
As an Amazon Associate we earn from qualifying purchases. Links below go to the matching part category — pick the exact size/speed for your bike. Affiliate disclosure
Your parts checklist
Cassette
Not needed — this trainer uses your existing wheel and cassette (or virtual shifting).
Freehub body
Ships with a Shimano/SRAM HG (HyperGlide) body fitted.
Other freehub bodies you can fit (sold separately) if your bike uses a different drivetrain:
- SRAM XD Driver Body
- SRAM XDR Driver Body
- Campagnolo
Thru-axle adapter
Included in the box — no separate purchase.
Freehub body compatibility — Tacx NEO 2
Every freehub standard, including the ones this trainer has no body for. The cassette mounts on the body, so the body decides which cassettes fit — not the trainer.
| Freehub standard | On this trainer | Cassette speeds |
|---|---|---|
| Shimano/SRAM HG (HyperGlide) | Included | 8/9/10/11/12-speed · smallest cog 11t |
| Shimano HG 11-speed road | No body for this trainer | 8/9/10/11/12-speed · smallest cog 11t |
| SRAM XD Driver Body | Sold separately | 11/12-speed · smallest cog 10t |
| SRAM XDR Driver Body | Sold separately | 11/12/13-speed · smallest cog 10t |
| Shimano Micro Spline | No body for this trainer | 12-speed · smallest cog 10t |
| Campagnolo | Sold separately | 9/10/11/12-speed · smallest cog 11t |
| Campagnolo N3W | No body for this trainer | 12/13-speed · smallest cog 9t |
| Zwift Cog (virtual shifting) | No body for this trainer | 8/9/10/11/12-speed · smallest cog 14t |
No body for this trainer means exactly that: no part exists to mount that cassette here. Use the compatibility checker to find trainers that take yours. Smart-trainer compatibility checker
Mounting your bike
What the Tacx NEO 2 actually asks of you, in order — resolved from its own spec, not a generic manual.
- Take the rear wheel off the bike. A direct-drive trainer replaces it entirely.
- Fit the end caps or thru-axle adapter for your frame. This trainer covers 130 mm quick-release, 135 mm quick-release, 12 × 142 mm thru-axle and 12 × 148 mm Boost thru-axle and ships the adapters in the box, so nothing extra to buy.
- Fit a 12-speed cassette on the Shimano/SRAM HG (HyperGlide) freehub body, torque the lockring, then lower the bike on and engage the axle. The cassette must match your bike’s drivetrain, not the trainer.
- Spacer rule for the Shimano/SRAM HG (HyperGlide) body: an 11-speed cassette needs none, a 10-speed one needs the 1.85 mm spacer behind it. Getting this wrong is the usual cause of a cassette that will not seat or a lockring that bottoms out early.
- On 12-speed: Shimano road 12-speed fits this HG body, but Shimano 12-speed MTB needs a Micro Spline body and SRAM 12-speed road needs XDR — check which your bike uses before buying a cassette.
- Spin the cranks by hand before you clip in: the chain should run quiet and straight. Noise here almost always means chainline or cassette spacing, not a faulty trainer.