Tacx Boost turbo trainer review

Occupying the lowest tier of Tacx’s turbo range, the Boost is a no-frills wheel-on trainer

Cycling Weekly Verdict

The Tacx Boost is a reliable and functional 'dumb' turbo trainer, delivering a reasonable ride feel, range of resistance and noise levels. However, its price makes it a hard buy to justify. The Tacx Flow Smart costs only £40 more, yet offers power readings, can simulate climbs of up to 6% and will connect with virtual training platforms, such as Zwift. The Boost also faces stiff competition from below, with other dumb trainers available which can be bought for less than half the price, at around £100.

Reasons to buy
  • +

    Compact

  • +

    Reasonable sound levels

  • +

    Good range of resistance levels

  • +

    Doesn’t require mains electricity

Reasons to avoid
  • -

    No thru-axle compatibility out the box

  • -

    No virtual platform connectivity out the box

  • -

    Value vs competition

You can trust Cycling Weekly. Our team of experts put in hard miles testing cycling tech and will always share honest, unbiased advice to help you choose. Find out more about how we test.

As a budget turbo trainer, the Tacx Boost is intended to provide an accessible entry into indoor training and so forgoes some of the functionalities seen in the higher tiers of the range.

>>>Read more: Best turbo trainers

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Stefan Abram
Tech features editor

After winning the 2019 National Single-Speed Cross-Country Mountain Biking Championships and claiming the plushie unicorn (true story), Stefan swapped the flat-bars for drop-bars and has never looked back. 

Since then, he’s earnt his 2ⁿᵈ cat racing licence in his first season racing as a third, completed the South Downs Double in under 20 hours and Everested in under 12.

But his favourite rides are multiday bikepacking trips, with all the huge amount of cycling tech and long days spent exploring new roads and trails - as well as histories and cultures. Most recently, he’s spent two weeks riding from Budapest into the mountains of Slovakia

Height: 177cm

Weight: 67–69kg