real axiom or tacx forteus

shocka

Can anyone help me? I know there have been posts regarding this before but they are quite old & I'm sure the software has changed in the trainers.
Which one do I buy? Convinced myself I was getting the real axiom then the guy in the bike shop said most people go for the tacx!
Please help!

scapaslow

I've no knowledge of the Real Axiom - don't tend to hear much about it. Might be a reason to steer clear of it?

I've had a Tacx Fortius for a few years now and use it regularly. The front end software has been updated recently - i'm still using the original Fortius software so i can't run the latest RLV's anymore. Older users have to pay to get the new software which is now included in the box for new purchasers which i think is pretty poor customer service from Tacx. I'm not entirely sure what the new software improves upon (a bit of google earth and a nicer "look") but it does introduce a new licensing system for the RLV's to prevent piracy.

The Tacx Fortius is popular and has a lot of high quality RLV's of famous cycling climbs and routes. IMO it only replicates climbs under 10% gradient properly although it may claim otherwise. New RLV's of ever increasing quality are made available periodically - usually in the autumn each year and cost around £30.

It can also do Virtual Reality courses and online racing but i've never used them. It can also be used a s a standard turbo if you wish.

The newer Bushido might be a better bet as it is wireless and i think can be operated without a PC if you wish and it can do everything the Fortius can.

I've certainly not regretted buying the Fortius. i enjoy riding the RLV routes and can easily spend over 2/3 hours on it. I couldn't hack a standard turbo at all. In the winter it's a real bonus when the weather is poor.

Some people seem to have problems running it on their PC and some of the software upgrades seem to cause many initial problems (see Tacx Forum) but these are the exception rather than the rule.

The only problem i've had with it is that some of the wires connecting the motorbrake to the trainer can work loose and need periodic retightening. When loose the unit will suddenly brake of it's own accord in random fashion. It may be that this issue has been addressed in newer models?

neeb

I've also been using a fortius successfully for a few years now, every winter basically. It's a godsend if you live somewhere where you get "proper" winters...

The RLVs are my mainstay, especially the famous climbs. The training you get from it really does translate pretty well to real climbs. The hardware works (assuming you are in Europe and have the 220-240 volts version), although if you want reliability and consistency there's a bit of a learning curve for setting it up optimally.

My biggest gripe is the new software - it half-finished, buggy cr*p. The older software was much more solid, but unfortunately it won't run on newer computers (can't remember if it was 64 bit or Windows 7 that was the problem). I shelled out a lot of money to buy the new software a year ago when I upgraded my computer, only to find that it was completely inconsistent in terms of power measurement and comparability to the old software, and didn't provide proper analysis tools for viewing ride statistics. I ended up going back to using the old software and keeping my old laptop solely as a dedicated machine for running Fortius.

So now that time of year is coming around again I need to dig out the old computer and see if it's still working... Either that or see if Fortius have fixed the new software yet, but I'm not holding out much hope...

The thing is, when I think about it the reason I get so annoyed with Tacx is that the product has become indispensable to me, so I need it to work properly. I'd far rather put up with its idiosyncrasies and the occasionally maddening behavior of Tacx customer support than do without it all together. Not sure if that's a recommendation or not...

mudshark

I've used a Real Axiom for a few years now. The software was a bit buggy in the earlier versions but is now really stable and has loads of functionality. My main problem is that I want to use the video courses, as I enjoy doing them, but think I would benefit more from using the training software to get a structured training programme.

geoffgomez

I've just bought a Tacx Vortex (one down from the Bushido) and the PC upgrade as it works out cheaper than the Fortius (£410 for the trainer from Wiggle and £145 for the PC upgrade direct from Tacx) and can also be used without the PC if you just want to run it as a basic trainer. The software update hasn't arrived yet so can't comment on that but have just tried out the trainer and it's great.

TheBigYin

Sounds an interesting option Geoff - has the software update arrived yet, and have you had chance to try it out ?

geoffgomez

Software arrived on Thursday, have had a couple of niggles setting it up on my laptop (check the minimum specs for your PC, particularly your graphics card, mine isn't up to scratch but it still works) but got it going in the end and am really happy with it. Strangely enough, although I was mainly interested in the video and VR modes I've been really taken with the google earth plugin option where you input a route and it simulates it and displays in fly-past mode (probably not the right words). I really like the fact that I was able to ride a route that I've done in real life. I can now say that it does a really good job of simulating gradients up to about 10%, less convincing after that, but to be honest I'm not sure if anything would be. I also really like the fact that it measures your power output. I've never really done much serious training before, really just ride for fun, but I'm finding that seeing numbers is really good for motivation, it lets you set little targets during your workout and long term I think will allow me to set and measure against goals. I haven't tried the multiplayer option yet, too much of a coward to race.

Also, as an aside, I found out that you can get it for £390 from www.rosebikes.co.uk a few days ago, thought I'd done quite well up until then

TheBigYin

Thanks for posting an update Geoff - particularly interesting you mentioned the Google Earth bit - it's one of the things I was hoping for. Thing is, I'm due for an operation soon which I'm informed will stop me riding on the road for a couple of months - but they have no objection to my riding an "exercise bike"... So - my devious plan was to get together something like your kit, and use my existing GPS tracklogs to keep me riding on my familar training runs etc. as well as using it to "try out" some other routes that look interesting from say Garmin Connect to help "fight the drabs" of riding in my spare bedroom