turbo trainers & bike24.com

on_the_nickel

I know it's early to be talking about these things, but I'm really busy in work, doing lots of travelling and feel like my kids have aged 10 years every time I see them so I want to do my training during the week after their bedtime instead of during it!

I've been having a search on the net and here but I'm still not sure what to get. I've ruled rollers out btw.

Tacx Satori looks good, but you don't seem to get any monitors with it, which kind of defeats the purpose for me. I looked at the Tacx Flow and bike24.com seems to have a massively lower price than the usual suspects. Anyone had any experience with these guys and does anyone want to throw any alternatives into the ring?

https://www.bike24.net/1.php?content=8;navigation=1;product=1788;backlink=9|2||1000,5,69||0|0|2|;ID=34f879c944533d4193ff751963d454c5

adodsk

Bought a Tacx Fortius off them last year - they were the cheapest at the time and may still be...

Great prompt service. I'd recommend them anyway.

Stokolan

Bought mine from them, they were cheapest by €80 if I remember also fast delivery.

DirkVoodoo

Beware the flow! The features are interesting and certainly useful, but it is not as "scientific" as it claims to be. It will record maximum and average values per session but you can't graph these against time like you can with other models.

I've been reading around and you can spend another few hundred euro to upgrade the head unit to a T1925 i-magic unit with fortius software. Unfortunately there are many problems reported on the tacx forums to do with wildly inaccurate power measurement (order of about 40W versus a PT) following this upgrade so it doesn't seem worthwhile. Apparently it's a problem to do with the software not being suitable for the flows electromagnetic brake, I think if you get a unit with a motor brake it works.

The unit is also quite sensitive and will require you calibrate it before every use following a 10 minute warm up. You can see here that the power measurement tracks reasonably well with an SRM but it's still not great.

As a relative measurement tool, i.e. last week I did 300W for 20 minutes, this week I kept it at 310W it's pretty good, but don't take the power outputs as gospel.

I hope to do my own tests in a few weeks if I can rent a powertap, but I think I would go for a Satori and train by HR.

mloc123

The power figures have no real world relevance but, they are useful providing you use the same tyre and check the preasure each time

dare2be

Ah feck

Just in time. I was heading off tomorrow to buy the flow. However with Dirks opinion on purchasing the Satori (saving approx £70) this has thrown me off now..

What to do? Anybody already have one of each that can help persuade me what to get?

Caroline_ie

Bought my turbo off them 3 or 4 years ago and it was there very fast by DHL. It was also the cheapest at the time..I recommend.

metamorphosis

i ordered the satori off them last week and still awaiting it. shipment tracking shows it @60% complete. Im getting impatient!!

DirkVoodoo

One other thing, the flow doesn't work with Garmin ANT+ heart rate straps. The HR icon flicks on and off, and when it was reporting HR mine was in the mid 200s. I ended up just using my garmin so it was fine, but if you have a garmin and you are still considering the flow, remember: power measurement is not that reliable and if you use a Garmin HR strap then you will have to use your garmin training, in which case getting the cheaper satori is probably just as good.

tunney

DirkVoodoo wrote: »

Beware the flow! The features are interesting and certainly useful, but it is not as "scientific" as it claims to be. It will record maximum and average values per session but you can't graph these against time like you can with other models.

I've been reading around and you can spend another few hundred euro to upgrade the head unit to a T1925 i-magic unit with fortius software. Unfortunately there are many problems reported on the tacx forums to do with wildly inaccurate power measurement (order of about 40W versus a PT) following this upgrade so it doesn't seem worthwhile. Apparently it's a problem to do with the software not being suitable for the flows electromagnetic brake, I think if you get a unit with a motor brake it works.

The unit is also quite sensitive and will require you calibrate it before every use following a 10 minute warm up. You can see here that the power measurement tracks reasonably well with an SRM but it's still not great.

As a relative measurement tool, i.e. last week I did 300W for 20 minutes, this week I kept it at 310W it's pretty good, but don't take the power outputs as gospel.

I hope to do my own tests in a few weeks if I can rent a powertap, but I think I would go for a Satori and train by HR.

By and large Turbos are NOT power meters. They will not measure your power, but the will give you a repeatable number. I've had friends claiming they held 350watts for an hour but yet get dropped at 300 on a slight lump. They will - provided tyre pressure and other things are kept the same - be consistently wrong to the same degree so you can track improvements.

If you really want accurate power on a trainer either get a PT and a turbo or a CT.

That being said a Flow would be a fantastic investment and the power, will not accurate, is a great training aid. (Although I'm not embracing the whole ANT+ thing)

pgibbo

A bit off track but I found it interesting to read in Nicholas Roches column today that he bought an SRM. Up to now all his training was HRM based. He's looking to get more scientific next season.

I assumed all Pro's trained off power rather than HR.

pgibbo

tunney wrote: »

If you really want accurate power on a trainer either get a PT and a turbo or a CT.

That being said a Flow would be a fantastic investment and the power, will not accurate, is a great training aid. (Although I'm not embracing the whole ANT+ thing)

Dumbass question alert - what is a PT and a CT? I assume PT is a power meter of some sort?

mloc123

pgibbo wrote: »

Dumbass question alert - what is a PT and a CT? I assume PT is a power meter of some sort?

PT - Powertap
CT - Computrainer

tunney

pgibbo wrote: »

A bit off track but I found it interesting to read in Nicholas Roches column today that he bought an SRM. Up to now all his training was HRM based. He's looking to get more scientific next season.

I assumed all Pro's trained off power rather than HR.

depends on the style of the rider their coach (if any).

Very slow on the update in french, spanish and italian teams and riders. More popular in the Germanic and Anglo nations.

(Roche effectively being a frog)

pgibbo

mloc123 wrote: »

PT - Powertap
CT - Computrainer

Given the cost of the CT, I would assume that most people would go the PT + Trainer option. At least that way you can bring the PT out on the road with you.

Mind you, videos of routes, etc looks cool on the CT.

tunney

pgibbo wrote: »

Given the cost of the CT, I would assume that most people would go the PT + Trainer option. At least that way you can bring the PT out on the road with you.

Mind you, videos of routes, etc looks cool on the CT.

I got a CT last year simply because I recognised that the majority of my riding was going to be in the shed for the foreseeable future.

DirkVoodoo

tunney wrote: »

By and large Turbos are NOT power meters. They will not measure your power, but the will give you a repeatable number. I've had friends claiming they held 350watts for an hour but yet get dropped at 300 on a slight lump. They will - provided tyre pressure and other things are kept the same - be consistently wrong to the same degree so you can track improvements.

If you really want accurate power on a trainer either get a PT and a turbo or a CT.

That being said a Flow would be a fantastic investment and the power, will not accurate, is a great training aid. (Although I'm not embracing the whole ANT+ thing)

I think I said more or less the same thing, no?

tunney

DirkVoodoo wrote: »

I think I said more or less the same thing, no?

Yip - was agreeing

dare2be

So in summary, go with the flow then??

vigos

tunney wrote: »

I got a CT last year simply because I recognised that the majority of my riding was going to be in the shed for the foreseeable future.

Where did you buy the computrainer online or does anyone sell it Ireland?

tunney

vigos wrote: »

Where did you buy the computrainer online or does anyone sell it Ireland?

Simon Ward from UK.

tridying

Really need advise I want to train with power over the winter, planning to alot 3-4 time a week indoors and a long ride at weekends.do I buy the tacx i magic/fortius, the computrainer or powertap. all have advantages/disadvantages worried about the accuracy on the tacx. computrainer is expensive to sit at home while I am doing an Ironman. and the power tap wont fit both ordinary wheel and disc or will it? SRM too expensive.

tunney

tridying wrote: »

Really need advise I want to train with power over the winter, planning to alot 3-4 time a week indoors and a long ride at weekends.do I buy the tacx i magic/fortius, the computrainer or powertap. all have advantages/disadvantages worried about the accuracy on the tacx. computrainer is expensive to sit at home while I am doing an Ironman. and the power tap wont fit both ordinary wheel and disc or will it? SRM too expensive.

Cinqo?

Powertap built into a decent rim with a disc cover for racing on?

Power is an invaluable tool for IM pacing. Need something thats on the bike.

Depends on your budget really.