worth spending on top turbo tech?

ianbar

i currently have the entry level cycleops turbo trainer. i am enjoying my sessions as i now have it set up ready etc. i train with my heart rate monitor on but i am getting my head turned by some of the shinny gear! i imagine its fun riding virtually and up climbs etc but is it worth it? plus all included how much would that kind of set up be? cheers

Alex_Simmons/RST

ianbar wrote:

i currently have the entry level cycleops turbo trainer. i am enjoying my sessions as i now have it set up ready etc. i train with my heart rate monitor on but i am getting my head turned by some of the shinny gear! i imagine its fun riding virtually and up climbs etc but is it worth it? plus all included how much would that kind of set up be? cheers

Between ~$1k and ~$15k for units that can control the resistance load for you based on being linked to a computer software package.

You might want to consider adding a level of virtual data to your existing trainer before investing in a resistance control unit, especially if you have a spare computer you can use with your trainer set up (or a laptop). You'll need a computer for most resistance control trainers in any case.

e.g. software like PerfPro Studio ($100) or TrainerRoad ($10/month) + cost of an ANT+ stick. The advantage of these is they will also work with some of the better resistance control trainers if you decide to invest in that tech later.

tim_wand

Look at ( some not all / WInters not that long) comments on the trainer road thread.

If you can get some ANT+ sensors for Cadence/Speed (i.e Garmin CSC10) and an ANT Dongle for your lap top (or I phone if you have one) you can train with Virtual power with Trainerroad and even overlay sufferfests Vids,

Should be enough to keep you happy.

I picked up all my kit (bar laptop and Turbo ) from Flea bay for about £55.

#david2012

I've just picked up a second hand tacx fortius trainer with a laptop and software and have to say I've been very impressed.... The resistance from the motor is very good and the visual feedback keeps me interested and time flies. I have only played around with it but intend to do a decent session on it over the weekend

bahzob

In my view yes. I have a Cycleops Powerbeam which is a very good trainer, well built, very quiet to use and feels like its built to last.

Coupled with their VR software it basically means I am planning to do all my winter training indoors and am looking forward to it, which I am afraid I can no longer say about braving the winter roads on a bike.

davidof

Cost of the turbo unit - which is more likely to break due to the complications plus a high end computer just to have an expensive electronic brake. I'm far from convinced it is good value.

PhunkyPhil

About a month ago I bought a Wahoo Kickr and love it. It much easier for me to structure a workout using some of the iPad / iPhone apps which helps me go for longer and be able to actually measure my fitness rather than guess.

They are expensive though but I figure I'm worth it.

dw300

davidof wrote:

Cost of the turbo unit - which is more likely to break due to the complications plus a high end computer just to have an expensive electronic brake. I'm far from convinced it is good value.

More expensive = More likely to break .. someone better get on the blower to NASA.

phreak

I've had a Tacx Flow for a few years now and it does all I need to, and I've probably racked up over 10,000km on it. I don't really see the point of the resistance feature on a turbo. Your power will be your power, you'll just go 'slower' with the increased resistance. In a training sense, doing a steady effort on a 'flat' road (ie low resistance) is going to be no different to doing a steady effort on a 'hill'.

You can easily get a whole lot of cycling videos to look at if you want to give your mind something to look at whilst you train.

Guess ultimately though it's your money and if you want to spend big bucks to pretend you're climbing a col whilst in the garage then you can do

Grifteruk

I use a Kurt Kinetic Rock n Roll alongside its I-ride cadence/speed and powermeter (total cost approx. £550). I have no doubt some will say it is not a proper powermeter (and its not in the sense of a powertap, SRM etc...) but having recently set it up and used it alongside my powertap wheel, the difference in readings was less than 1%.

Using this gives me all the data I realistically need and is very similar to data I get on the road. The gearing provides the change in resistance and when used with some sufferfests has produced some of the hardest workouts I have ever done on the bike. I don't see VR being able to give me a harder workout, but another guy in our club uses a virtual trainer and he loves it, so its personal choice.

wallace_and_gromit

I've given a lot of thought to getting some sort of Virtual Reality system for the turbo, but always conclude that a decent turbo (I've got a Cyclops fluid jobbie - smooth, quiet and realistic), cheap speedo attached to back wheel, heart rate monitor, watch and then DVD player / iPod is as much as I need. The money saved can then be diverted to Mrs Wallace and Gromit's cycling wardrobe!

Watching DVDs works best for steady state sessions. Mindless tosh on the iPod works best for hard sessions, as when I'm working hard, I tend not to be able to concentrate on the TV and flit in and out of what's going on.

bahzob

I agree each to his/her own and folks have differing sets of priorities.

That said I have found that having a VR turbo definitely makes me train harder (and I was training pretty hard before).

The two main reasons are
- VR is better than a DVD because of the link between what you are doing and what happens on the screen. This helps lose yourself in the session especially if its a climb you know well in real life and, like real life, you get rewarded for working harder by faster times/shorter pain. For me at least makes me push harder.

- It's possible to set up a training session in advance with everything predefined (so warmup routine, interval time/effort, rest time/effort, even music/video if you like). So "all" you have to do is pedal, the turbo will do everything else. I find this makes hard sessions "easier" to hit because you don't have to concentrate on anything but turning the cranks and it's harder to wimp out, the turbo acts a bit like a coach/another rider. You don't want to stop and let it beat you.

davidof

dw300 wrote:

davidof wrote:

Cost of the turbo unit - which is more likely to break due to the complications plus a high end computer just to have an expensive electronic brake. I'm far from convinced it is good value.

More expensive = More likely to break .. someone better get on the blower to NASA.

Given two out of the four space shuttles have blown up in flight I guess they know that already. :P