TACX i-magc vs. Computrainer

[Phil Stone]

hi phil
glad to see you here (i'm a newbee here..)
thanks for the great job you ( and others) are doing.
cant wait for the ergo video.
the lombardy Rlv is wonderful, i rode the whole thing yesterday as a preparation
for sunday's race (i'll be on the couch watching it on TV, ofcourse..) and i still can't walk straight .
keep up the good work
ori

For me the Lombardy & my favorite the Majorca Tour are the best for an all round workout, with a good healthy dose of grovel & spin! The intervals are shorter with the Majorca ride & that suits me just fine for the moment! Got some very cool stuff to come later this winter.

 

[chuckice]

For me the Lombardy & my favorite the Majorca Tour are the best for an all round workout, with a good healthy dose of grovel & spin! The intervals are shorter with the Majorca ride & that suits me just fine for the moment! Got some very cool stuff to come later this winter.

I have a tacx fortius...absolutely love it...it's pure torture sometimes, i.e. riding up the Vivione, but after using trainers/rollers/stationary for years in 6 months of using the Fortius if the thing went belly up tonite I'd order another in the AM.

 

[typ993]

For me the Lombardy & my favorite the Majorca Tour are the best for an all round workout, with a good healthy dose of grovel & spin! The intervals are shorter with the Majorca ride & that suits me just fine for the moment! Got some very cool stuff to come later this winter.

Hey Phil, is the Tacx forum still around? I get a page not found error if I go to the old URL.

Thanks!

 

[chuckice]

Hey Phil, is the Tacx forum still around? I get a page not found error if I go to the old URL.

Thanks!

http://www.tacxvr.com/phpbb2/

 

[LT Intolerant]

Two quick questions about the TACX...

1. Is TACX compatible w CyclingPeaks? Can I import TACX power files into CP? I believe the CT has this ability.

2. How accurate is the TACX unit when it comes to calculating power? There was a thread that I read on one of the power forums a while back that questioned the accuracy of the TACX. The complaint was that the TACX was registering values that were too high.

thx much

gene r

 

[Phil Stone]

Two quick questions about the TACX...

1. Is TACX compatible w CyclingPeaks? Can I import TACX power files into CP? I believe the CT has this ability.

2. How accurate is the TACX unit when it comes to calculating power? There was a thread that I read on one of the power forums a while back that questioned the accuracy of the TACX. The complaint was that the TACX was registering values that were too high.

thx much

gene r

1. The beta version I have running is compatible as it can export to hrm format which is compatible with Peaks . Hunter recently said that they are close to doing a direct import which would get you that 1second sample rate rather the .hrm 5second rate.


2. The Fortius is really accurate once you have it calibrated (warm up break & then run the auto spin down test). early firmware in the break seemed to slightly over estimated power (or rather underestimated friction losses as it knows how much power you are generating at the trainer & sending back into the mains). We altered the firmware so its closer to the SRM slope at its default factory setting of 100.

 

[LT Intolerant]

Thanks very much for the quick reply Phil. It looks like a great product. Love the thought of the RLVs. One last question. Is there a dealer in the Los Angeles area that might have a live demo unit set up that one can see?

If not I'm probably taking the plunge anyway but I thought I'd ask.

thx!

gr

 

[chuckice]

Thanks very much for the quick reply Phil. It looks like a great product. Love the thought of the RLVs. One last question. Is there a dealer in the Los Angeles area that might have a live demo unit set up that one can see?

If not I'm probably taking the plunge anyway but I thought I'd ask.

thx!

gr

I've got a Fortius...feel free to ask me any questions and I can try to help.

 

[Phil Stone]

Thanks very much for the quick reply Phil. It looks like a great product. Love the thought of the RLVs. One last question. Is there a dealer in the Los Angeles area that might have a live demo unit set up that one can see?

If not I'm probably taking the plunge anyway but I thought I'd ask.

thx!

gr

Have a look on the new Tacx website you can navigate to your local test center (shop that has trainers on display). As for the RLVs we have about 1200km on sale today with at least 400km on the way in the next two months. That should be enough to keep the average rider happily riding through a winter without having to repeat anything. I guess the most popular route is the Alpine Classic (Col du Galibier & Alpe-d'Huez) but I think the most scenic is the Pyrenees Stage (blue sky, 3 nice cols with views).

 

[chuckice]

Have a look on the new Tacx website you can navigate to your local test center (shop that has trainers on display). As for the RLVs we have about 1200km on sale today with at least 400km on the way in the next two months. That should be enough to keep the average rider happily riding through a winter without having to repeat anything. I guess the most popular route is the Alpine Classic (Col du Galibier & Alpe-d'Huez) but I think the most scenic is the Pyrenees Stage (blue sky, 3 nice cols with views).

And the climb up Pla d'Adet is LEG BREAKING!!!

 

[BullGod]

2. The Fortius is really accurate once you have it calibrated (warm up break & then run the auto spin down test). early firmware in the break seemed to slightly over estimated power (or rather underestimated friction losses as it knows how much power you are generating at the trainer & sending back into the mains). We altered the firmware so its closer to the SRM slope at its default factory setting of 100. [/QUOTE]
what about the Tacx Flow? If propoerly calibrated what sort of accuracy are we talking about?

How should one calibrate it effectively?

 

[Phil Stone]

what about the Tacx Flow? If propoerly calibrated what sort of accuracy are we talking about?

How should one calibrate it effectively?

If you download to the motor the latest firmware it should be within a few watts of a calibrated SRM Pro at all levels of effort.To calibrate the friction losses for your wheel/tire you first warm up the break for about 15-30minutes. Then run the auto spin down test, the software will ask you to pedal one revolution & then pause while the motor spins the wheel at about 20kph for a few seconds.

The flow has a similar test but you need to maintain a set speed. The flow calculates power from the drum speed so its not as accurate as the Fortius which actually knows the voltage (watts) your generating which is sent back into the mains.

 

[BullGod]

.

The flow has a similar test but you need to maintain a set speed. The flow calculates power from the drum speed so its not as accurate as the Fortius which actually knows the voltage (watts) your generating which is sent back into the mains.[/QUOTE]
do you by any chance know the test for the Flow?

 

[Phil Stone]

.

do you by any chance know the test for the Flow?

http://www.tacx.com/mediatheek/files/pdf/handleidingen/ergotrainers/t1680_flow_manual_2003_uk.pdf

Chapter 3 has the spin down test instructions. There is also a way to calibrate it to your power meter but its been a few years since Ive looked at the Flow. I will see if I can rake up this info.

 

[BikerScott]

Something else to note, not sure if the CT has an online league that allows you to compete against others around the world but the Tacx I-Magic and Fortius does. This helps keep me on the bike during the winters.

http://www.virtualcycling.org/dnn/