Tacx Fortius

I have never owned or used a computrainer, but I did get a Tacx Fortius in Dec 2005. I thought I would really like the 3D (VR)virtual reality part of the software more than the RLV (Real Life Video), but that has not been the case. The VR software takes a pretty good computer and video card to run properly. I have a 1.4GHz Athlon, Nvidia 6600GT AGP 128MB video card and 768MB RAM and I get about 33fps at best and that is with no opponents (you can have 5 max). Maybe this is why I do not like the VR as much as I thought I would. The RLV is much more enjoyable and I had it barely working on a 700MHz laptop with a 16MB generic video card. The RLV plays video of an actualy road ride and the slope of the road determines the resistance of the motorbrake. The video will speed up or slow down depending on how fast you are riding. What really makes the Fortius special is that it is not just a brake, it is a motorbrake. It can actually drive your wheel on the descents. This makes it feel more like a real road ride. Also, it is capable of very high loads (up to 20% grade!!). I recommend getting a trainer specific tire for use on this unit (I ordered the Tacx trainer tire). I know the computrainer has the ability to work with Netathlon (so far the Fortius does not), it has spinscan (which analyzes your pedal stroke), and it has the ability to create rides using a special delorme mapping software that is an add-on.