iMagic or Fortius trainer? : Anyone got either or?

RSV_Ecosse

Next month I will find myself in the fortunate position of being able to afford a half decent turbo trainer.

I've been looking at either the Tacx iMagic or Fortius. The whole VR thing really attracts me to them. I just know I would get bored of a normal trainer very quickly.

Does anyone have any advice on either of the above Tacx units?.

I've been looking for info on the web, looks like although the Fortius is more advanced, the software etc is still very limited and buggy?.

Any huge differences between the two units?. Recall seeing something about the Fortius being able to simulate descents more realistically than the iMagic, but to be honest, that would not really bother me.

Any advice appreciated. 8)

willbevan

i have a standard imagic, rather than the fortius.

Software is the same for both, and i do like my imagic, bought one second hand, i only use the catalyst bit currently, i.e. ergo mode where you maintain x amount of power or hr

I would like the fortius with the motor brake so it can simulate declines, but well cost difference put me off

JWSurrey

Ah - Exactly the same questions I asked myself a couple of months ago before plumping for the iMagic.
My observations:
1. There seems to be a worrying amount of plastic involved in the hinge mechanisms, though it is sturdy enough.
2. I think the Elite trainers have a better clamp - The amount of variation for wheel size is somewhat limiting - I had to bodge mine to use a 25c tyre as it seems to only take a 23c tyre. If you want to use 26" wheels, you have to rebuild it with a different set of parts (supplied)! Compared to my Minoura where 26" and 700c fit with easy adjustment of the sturdy metal parts.
3. I wonder if there is a greater range of resistance on the Fortius, since the iMagic seems to max. out at around 10% incline. Lifelike enough though.
The variation/steps are noticable between resistance levels - but actually it's fine.
4. It is quite addictive and useful - It's brilliant with the video software.
5. When descending with the iMagic, you must keep pedaling to keep moving forward - even on a steep descent!.... slightly annoying after a 2 hour climb, but compared to forking out extra for the Fortius, it's not an issue!

They're great fun and well worth it - just buy some of their videos to go with it.
Training stats output (power/cadence etc) are great.
The video can be a bit jumpy and it's quite noticable that you're watching a video that was shot at c.30mph then slowed down, but good enough.

6. The iMagic doesn't seem to be compatible with the steering frame - again, not really an issue for me though.

Overall - yes, knowing what I know now - I'd go for the iMagic, but if I had money to burn, I'd go for the Fortius just for the added realism.

JWSurrey

Oh, not encountered any software bugs - other than the annoyance of having not uploaded my videos to hard disk, and now not being able to without complete reinstallation, as it now tells me I have upgraded the software (via web upgrade) and it is too advanced now for me to transfer the videos to the hard disk!.... i.e. I have to run it from the DVD itself.

You'll have fun assembling the clamp mechanism - took me a couple of attempts to sort it out, as the instructions are a bit pants (IMHO), and there's little technical info. that I could find on the operation of the device.

juggler

Software is the same. Only difference is that iMagic resistance max's at about 4 per cent, while Fortius can simulate up to 20. In reality not sure how much difference it makes as pushing a high gear on the iMagic is tough enough for anyone.
Supposedlly the Fortius pushes the rear wheel when descending but this has no training benefit. With the iMagic you need to continue pedaling otherwise it will 'Pause', but no great problem gently turning a low gear.

JWSurrey

juggler wrote:

Software is the same. Only difference is that iMagic resistance max's at about 4 per cent, while Fortius can simulate up to 20. In reality not sure how much difference it makes as pushing a high gear on the iMagic is tough enough for anyone......

Yeah - agreed - besides, if you want more resistance, you can always change gear!
My old turbo bike has cartwheel sized chainrings so it's more than tough enough!
Where did you find the info. on the max. incline simulation? I couldn't find any information in the literature pre-purchase.

inseine

I have the i-magic and you can you can use the steerer, though I don't think it's worth it.
I find the clamp holds the wheel very sturdily, though it is plasticy. Touch wood no buggy problems except the odd pause in video mode.
i find the virtual courses very motivational and i like being able to create my own programmes in catylist. It's a good tool generally.

RSV_Ecosse

Brilliant stuff guys - Thanks for the feedback, keep it coming!!!

Looks like I'm gonna search for the best deal online for an iMagic then. 8)

rjsmith

I've had an imagic with steerer almost since they first came out (about 7/8 years). Use the Fortius software on it now as the graphics are better. Steering frame is only really useful for new courses. Not bored with it yet and still use it loads. Nothing broken in all that time.

DaSy

I have a Fortius, which I decided on after quite a bit of investigation. The advantages of the vastly superior resistance are very important if you want to use the Real Life Video function. The Fortius can easily replicate the gradients you will encounter on Alpe D'Huez, Ventoux or the Tourmalet, making the experience really realistic.

Using a bigger gear to try and guess how hard these climbs are with an I-Magic is not the same as being ground to a near standstill in a 39x25 on the Fortius. I trained on the Ventoux climb on the Fortius and did a time within 5 mins when I visited the real thing this year.

Most of the bugs you hear about on the net regarding the Fortius are to do with the 110V version for the USA etc. The 240V version is much more powerful and doesn't suffer the same choppiness on climbs or max speed issues the 110V does.

The freewheeling on descents is a bit of a red herring, it will freewheel and drive the rear wheel for about 20secs before it will pause - this is a safety feature to stop you fainting at the top of the Tourmalet and having the rear wheel spinning at 30mph unattended, and decapitating small children. It does however give a nice sense of realism as you go over the top of a climb and feel the bike start to accelerate away. You still need to pedal on descents, but it is a trainer after all, freewheeling is pretty pointless in this application.

My Fortius is used heavily, and has been for the 2 years I've had it, it's robust, the software is good and the support is excellent from Fishers and Tacx.

Try both if you can, and especially on a long steep climb, the price difference is not that much, and the performance benefit easily justifies it in my mind. Do factor in the cost of a good PC with a high spec video card, and a nice widescreen display if you can, I have a 32" TFT dedicated to it and the RLV's look very real on it.

juggler

Think that the max resistance in the iMagic is approx. 5 per cent ... check the Tacx website for info. When the unit can not make more resistance it displays 'virtual speed' and the kph is displayed in red.
On some of the Rlv the Watts are well over 300, I'm on the limit.. on the big ring. So Fortius would be the same instead I'd be on 39/25.
Anyways really good bit of kit.. I am contemplating racing myself for best ever time on the Amstel Gold Race.. it will be 1.5hrs of hell. Video filmed ahead of the race in 2004 I think.

RSV_Ecosse

Thanks again for all the info guys.

@DaSy - That's been very helpful and informative. Thanks.

I have to confess that I agree with what you said about the difference in price between the iMagic and the Fortius. It would seem only prudent to go for the newer unit, the Fortius.

Our house at present has 5 PC's in it ( including 3 laptops ) , the PC I use for my web design work which is the "daddy" of the lot - well specced and capable of pretty much anything I throw at it is in a spare room/office so it wouldn't be used for the trainer.

The one in the dining room is the one I would use the Fortius on, it's more than capable of running the software ( E6300 C2D, 4Gb Geil ULL DDR2, 4870x2 ) but I think a larger screen than the 22" TFT I have would be in order. 8)

juggler

Yes Fortius better if 200 notes or so no diifference. PC spec should be fine. IMagic runs great on a 5 yr old top of the range Dell laptop. For me the RLV is the thing and that does not rely on the graphics chip, anyways a 5 yr old laptop with 128mb graphics has no problem with virtual reality element. I have it hooked up to a large screen display.

sloxam

JWSurrey wrote:

Oh, not encountered any software bugs - other than the annoyance of having not uploaded my videos to hard disk, and now not being able to without complete reinstallation, as it now tells me I have upgraded the software (via web upgrade) and it is too advanced now for me to transfer the videos to the hard disk!.... i.e. I have to run it from the DVD itself.

You'll have fun assembling the clamp mechanism - took me a couple of attempts to sort it out, as the instructions are a bit pants (IMHO), and there's little technical info. that I could find on the operation of the device.

i loaded up the alpine challenge to my hd today and i was asked to uninstall my previous fortius software to allow the older version to be installed. of course, i didn't bother but the video file is still on the hd as i went up alpe dhuez today.
so you should be able to sort it out too.

DaSy

The newer RLV's are now filmed in HD widescreen, and can put quite a big load on the PC. They are filmed at around 10mph, so if you are going significantly faster than that through a busy section of video, a town for instance, the PC is having to decompress a lot of frames very quickly.

A dual core processor is best, my PC is a P4 HT 3Ghz with 2Gb RAM, and it is now starting to show signs of being on the edge of it's capabilities with the HD RLV's.

In the VR application you need lots of graphics capabilities, so a good 256Mb graphics adapter is the minimum, better a 512Mb card. Shared graphics memory on onboard adpapters can be a bit slow and tends to make the display a bit jerky.

The bigger the monitor the better in my opinion. My 32" is mounted on a long arm so that it sits about 2 feet from my face when on the bike, and this gives a great feeling of realism as it tends to fill your field of vision.

Finally a really good fan is essential, as after 4 hours and 2 climbs of Ventoux, you tend to need a lot of cooling!

I really love my Fortius, and recommend it highly, any friends who come by to use it are always totally hooked.

TheStone

Is there any point getting the steering part?

How good are the RLV and VR for not such a quick cyclist?

ta

DaSy

The RLV and VR are what sets the Fortius/I-Magic apart from other standard trainers. You don't need to be quick, they just enable you to spend more than an hour on a trainer without going insane. In fact I actually look forward to riding on the Fortius, in the past riding a standard turbo was at best a necessary evil.

I don't have the steering frame, but am thinking of getting one soon, as the new HD RLV's allow you to pan left and right in the RLV's to see the nice views the widescreen filming has captured!

nferrar

Hmm I'm tempted reading this thread, I always got bored quickly on turbos and exercise bikes, an hour being my limit (with no desire to get back on anytime soon after). I figured the VR stuff would just make it a bit better for the dedicated person that is OK with normal turbo-training. Does it really make a big difference though? Anyone reading this bought one hoping it would keep them fit over the winter and it's actually just gathering dust next to their old trainer/rollers?