RacerMate Computrainer vs. Tacx Fortius

grv

I could give that a try and see how it goes. I also posted on the RacerMate forums, and one suggestion was to ride 8-10% climbs within supported distances, interspersed with short downhills / flat sections to let the unit cool.

A combination of the two would probably be a good starting point.

Or I could drop $5k for a velotron. Of course then I'd have to buy a house too, because I wouldn't be welcome where I live anymore...

cbjesseeNH

I keep a fan on the CT load unit and it works fine under low cadence and high load. Of course, it's in the basement where the temperature is lower than upstairs.

I really have become enamored with my CT as I can get erg files from Hunter Allen (http://www.trainingpeaks.com/hunter/) and excellent erg videos (www.ergvideo.com) where video of rides and workouts are coupled with controlled power dosage based on your FTP.

The ErgVideo videos offer road/crit rides, TTs and various short/long intervals that you can plan and organize yourself using a tool on www.intellicoach.ca You build your own segments of existing rides and intervals by choosing and repeating as desired.

There is constant development for the CT by RacerMate and other developers that will keep the technology fresh for a good while to come.

rmur17

overheating and power droop isn't a big issue IMHO.

Over the years I've found a few things help:
1. In ergo mode select a gear that produces a wheelspeed of 35-40kph. That IME keeps the unit from overheating and also helps alleviate the 'low inertial load' feeling. Whoops forgot to include that in my "term paper"

2. For 3D courses, I've gravitated towards those with sustained grades of 5% or less. One fav. SST course is 50mile-5% ... max longish grade is 5%

3. For those long indoor Saturdays, I built a custom course featuring 15km grades but only at 3-3.5%. IOW grades in which I can ride tempo at 30kph. The CT stil 'feels' fine around that speed. 7-8-10% grades at 15-20kph much less so.

4. As insurance and to pretty much eliminate ergo drift, after my std. 12-15min warmup at tempo power and setting RRC, I turn on my small 6" cooling fan that's on the floor pointed right at the load gen. Using that, even in basement temps up to 20C, I get very, very little drift over the course of either hard L4 work or longish L3.

5. Wrt. ergo drift, it IS real. I was finding real power reported by the PT drifted down up to 10W over say a 1.5-2hr tempo effort 300-350W. That's not large of course - just something that I prefer to mitigate.

__________________
rmur

dazman

I have both. I ordered the Computrainer and then wanted the Tacx for real life videos as I thought it would keep me on the unit longer.

Anyhow the Computrainer works a treat and the Tacx is in the store room as it was dead on arrival (have to wait until I’m next in Europe for warranty repair). The computrainer will shortly have real life videos also.

The computrainer matches my powertap perfectly so if you do power based training, the data is representative indoor and outdoors also. Something like a Hunter plan also keeps you occupied with all the changes during the ride.

I can vouch for all the above positive comments on computrainer but I will say they need to seriously bring the design and electronics into the 21st century – I also like stuff that’s in my house to look good!

grv

I hear you there. It's the plight of the small business, I suppose. You can't focus on everything, and in their case they are taking care of stability at the expense of aesthetic. Only so many hours in the day, and given that, I think they made the right choice...

Lots of great advice from everyone here. Sounds like the CT is the way to go. I was reading on the Tacx forum, and many of the users riding RLVs with long climbs (Alp d'Huez, etc.) were experiencing loss of resistance and overheating warnings, suggesting that the Fortius suffers from the same issue.

If I do take a crack at the longer, steeper climbs, I'll get a fan to point at the LG for those rides. From what I gather, people point it at the side with the sticker, which is where the air inlet is.

Squint

Check out their Velotron. It was made after the CT and looks like a lot of R&D went into it.

JIM WV

I hear you on that point. First purchased my CT back in '96 as the old-school Nintendo "Donkey Kong" machine. Rode that for years until I upgraded to the new 3D version a couple of years ago. In today's throw-away world, it is refreshing to buy a product that one can easily upgrade over the years for a fairly small price. I use erg. mode a great deal but the difference between 3D and the Nintendo version is massive for sure.

All in all, given the fact that the basic core of my CT is now nearly 13 years old (I can't tell you how many frames, wheels, etc. I've had in that time frame) it has been probably my best all time cycling purchase. Best thing is that it still matches my SRM +/- 2%.

drcobol

Thanks to all of you great folks out there for your insights. It's the little details that I like to get before making an investment of this caliber. From what everyone here has provided, I believe the CT is going to be the better choice for me and once I finish my Christmas shopping for my friends and family, I will give myself a practical and useful gift. It sure beats yet another scarf or necktie! Can't do much with either.