Should I Sell My Computrainer?

[velobob]

I got a great deal on a Computrainer 3D this summer and I am thinking of selling it now that the fall is approaching and they are fetching good prices on eBay. I quite like the idea of being able to setup workout files and I have used this for intervals. However, it's a lot of money to have tied up and I'm not sure if it add's much value over and above what I can do with my Powertap and fluid trainer. I have also played with the Spinscan but I am not convinced of it's value either. Finally I don't have a big need to ride simulated courses. Opinions?

 

[park]

The one thing you can do on the computrainer that you can't do with a powertap/fluid trainer is intervals in ergometer mode. Unless you have tried this you may not understand the difference. With the powertap/trainer you pedal and generate a certain wattage. In ergometer mode on the computrainer you select the wattage that you will be doing the interval at before you do the interval. If the cadence drops, the wattage stays the same. With the powermeter/trainer the wattage is going to be all over the place and sometimes it can be difficult to tell what you are generating. This makes it difficult to track progress. With the computrainer it is very easy to make precise increases in wattage from week to week, like adding plates in weightlifting. I made good progress last winter doing these but a friend of mine made such gains that people are wondering if he is on drugs. I'm not saying you can't make progress with the powertap, but I think the ergometer mode is very useful tool.

 

[velobob]

The one thing you can do on the computrainer that you can't do with a powertap/fluid trainer is intervals in ergometer mode. Unless you have tried this you may not understand the difference. With the powertap/trainer you pedal and generate a certain wattage. In ergometer mode on the computrainer you select the wattage that you will be doing the interval at before you do the interval. If the cadence drops, the wattage stays the same. With the powermeter/trainer the wattage is going to be all over the place and sometimes it can be difficult to tell what you are generating. This makes it difficult to track progress. With the computrainer it is very easy to make precise increases in wattage from week to week, like adding plates in weightlifting. I made good progress last winter doing these but a friend of mine made such gains that people are wondering if he is on drugs. I'm not saying you can't make progress with the powertap, but I think the ergometer mode is very useful tool.

thx for the feedback - I have used the ergo mode as well and hadn't fully appreciated the benefit of it - the weightlifting analogy is very good