What TURBO TRAINER

cosmaboy

Hi all,

Quick question regarding Turbo trainers, so i'm have an exercise bike at home but do get bored using it and am wondering whether i would get bored on a turbo trainer too.... so i've seen the Tacx i Magic Turbo trainer which i beleive you can hook upto your laptop and ride along a vitual race or real photage..... all sounds good and does cost a bit, but i was wondering whether it was worth it.....

i haven't been out much during the winter and want to get fit for the spring.

anyone have one that can give a opinion or anyone's views are welcome..

thanks
Mat

STEFANOS4784

Get out and ride, if you're bored of a exersise bike and telly then what difference do you think a pc and(from what i've heard) noisy turbo trainer will do?

P.s i only answered as no-one else did and it saddens me to see a post fade away with no replys

P.p.s to reiterate that, i've never used a turbo trainer and only an exersise bike down the gym which i found useless because i overheat quite quick and the local gym seems to be set to about 70 degrees C :? :shock:

Mister W

I use a fairly cheap turbo trainer with some spinerval DVDs in the winter because I have an irrational fear of being killed on the roads. If I want a decent ride I have to head for country roads and they're not a place for a cyclist on a dark winter night, however well lit up you are.

At the weekend, however, I take my Pompino or Kaffenback out and enjoy the crisp, chilly air.

inseine

I bought an i-magic a couple of months ago and I love it, but if your bored on the excercise bike you'll probably be bored on the i-magic. I was already doing 3 x 1hour most weeks on the turbo for 8 months of the year (long story why) so i wanted something to encourage me to ride a bit harder and I do find that now I look forward to sessions and 'chasing' a virtual opponent really motivates me to push on.
It's a good tool if you already have a reasonible level of turbo tolerence.

scapaslow

I got a Tacx Fortius a couple of months ago and really enjoy using it - this is similar to the imagic but is capable of greater resistance than the imagic. Prior to this i'd had a few shots on a standard turbo and hated it.

I mainly use Real Life Videos which you ride very much like real life and can go as hard or easy as you feel like. There are a whole new set of these RLV's coming out now in HD widescreen that look stunning.

For the VR side you need a pretty capable pc/laptop with decent graphics to run it and you must always connect the turbo to the pc even if you want to use it as a standard turbo. I think you also need the steering frame. The setup can take a wee while before you are ready to go (if you have to setup/down every time like me) but you soon get into the routine and can do it in a few min.

I'd say it was well worth the cost but i guess you'll just have to suck it and see for yourself. There may be a Tacx dealer near you who can give demos?

Try the Tacx forum for more info/views

inseine

To clarify, you don't need a streering frame to use the VR (but of course you can't 'free ride'. I plug in my (very cheap, but reasonibly new) lap top each time and since you can set it up via the handlebar mounted control you can do it while warming up.

Scottyeaster

I've tried quite a few turbos in the past including the i-magic and grand excell. I now use a Tacx basic, by far the best option in my opinion. everything you need and nothing you dont...
I found the i-magic to be just a gimmic that just got in the way of 'propper' training, To stop myself getting bored I just stick an old Tour dvd on.

paul_or

Well I bought one at the weekend, I think the brand is 'ROTO', they are Italian. It is only basic but has resistance adjustment. I've had a short go but as I managed to get out on the road on Sunday I haven't really used it yet.

I think the VR stuff is all very well in marketing terms, not really sure it's going to be any use for real life training. As others have already said - if you want to see rolling countryside going past you then get out on the road - if you want to train when you can't get out on the road, then I would spend a hundred quid and get a basic turbo trainer, which is what I did.

details of what I did here: http://paulmor.wordpress.com/2008/11/29/71/

Hope that helps.

inseine

Well, Scotty and paul, I'm sure you're right.