The Tacx brand History
On the 1st of May 1957 Tacx starts as a bike and repair shop in Wassenaar, the Netherlands. In ‘64 they start manufacturing exhausts for mopeds, the first step towards greater things. In these early days components were already being manufactured in-house because they were better and more profitable. With this move Tacx introduced the ‘there is always room for improvement’ mentality which is still anchored in the company. In ‘69 the bike shop in town gave place to a small factory in a business park.
Rollers & the first indoor bike trainer
In 1972 Tacx starts manufacturing roller cylinders. This is a small market at that time, but Tacx personally knows the Dutch pro riders and his goal is to help them improve. In 1987 the current factory premises, with an approximate surface area of 10,000 square metres, is opened. Among other things, the company invests in further automation and the use of welding robots. Tacx was one of the first companies in the Netherlands to invest in a robot for atomization purposes.
Aside from rollers Tacx also introduces indoor bike trainers and bike carriers for cars. Later on bottles and tools are added to their product assortment.
The development of the interactive trainer
Around the year 2000, Tacx is the first to connect computer electronics to bike trainers and introduces an entirely new way of training. A screen not only displays data concerning speed, power, cadence and heart rate, but also enables consumers to use their computers for riding through virtual worlds and competing online against opponents from all over the globe. After a while, cycling legendary bike tracks and races is added and the development of apps and the cloud follows in 2013.
Introduction of the Smart series
The introduction of the Smart series in 2014 is just one of the many giant leaps in Tacx’s development. The innovative, interactive Smart trainers communicate via ANT+ and Bluetooth and function with Tacx applications on tablets and smartphones and connect with third party software. It has never been so easy to receive, collect and share your data.
The only real direct drive
Just after developing the Smart series, Tacx develops the only real direct drive. The NEO is the result of unfulfilled needs of the market and the development of new technologies. This trainer features no physical transmissions, making it very accurate, realistic, powerful and silent. One year later, in 2016, the feature ‘road feel’ is added to the trainer, enabling it to accurately simulate the vibrations of the road’s surface.
Ride & run realistically on 1 product
Parallel to the development of the Smart series and NEO Tacx develops the, in their eyes, perfectly realistic trainer. The Magnum is the first treadmill you can ride on enabling you to ride completely freely and experience an actual slope, just like in reality. The innovative developments in this trainer are, amongst others, automatic speed control, dual material of the bottom, a compact direct drive motor and Smart communication.
What once started as a small local bike and repair shop and modest manufacturer of rollers has grown into a globally well-known brand which develops and offers innovative products for athletes in over 80 countries.
