what to use with Netathlon

[confusedxx]

I am keen to get Netathlon 2.0 and start to do some indoor training since I do not have enough time during the weekdays to ride outdoors.

I have read about the Fortius and Computrainer on the forums. It seems neither is perfect. Both have flaws and with both there seems to be very little effort invested into fixing the flaws.

Foritus Flaws (EU Model):
Cannot go faster than 40km/h (regardless of % gradiant)
Very choppy at low speeds
Some strange effects I do not understand regarding riding uphill at 10% or above where the speed goes down for no reason.

Computrainer Flaws
Boring and videos are not very exiting
Unit Overheats if riding 10% or higher for more than a few minutes at low cadence (need extra fan).
Others ???

Which model would you guys go with based on the technology of the trainer?
Which model works best with Netathlon for the VR functions and to help eliminate the boredom?

Anything else that should be considered?

 

[grahamspringett]

Why not buy a decent fluid trainer, put a TV and DVD player in front of the bike and watch movies/race videos? If you're training in conjunction with a power meter you'll have plenty of carrots to encourage you if you're doing hard intervals, while the TV will entertain you if you're doing longer stuff.

I used to reeeeally want a Fortius but when I actually started using my fluid trainer seriously with my PowerTap I found that being able to control my own efforts was more handy than looking at the Col du Galibier.

If you're not using a power meter then I can see how a VR trainer would help keep you concentrating, but with a PM I think the opposite is true. But if you have neither, consider getting a PM as you can then use it on the road as well as indoors.

 

[confusedxx]

But if you have neither, consider getting a PM as you can then use it on the road as well as indoors.

I do not have a power meter right now and thus considered a VR trainer as it would be useful to figure out how to train with power. The entertainment value would also be very useful. I had an old stationary trainer and it killed me with boredom and the suprisingly loud noise it generated

Which power meter would you recommend that could be used with a trainer or outdoors? Can you also recommend a good book for learning how to train with power?

I was thinking that I would get a Computrainer or Fortius for home training which would be about 60 -75% of my training time and then a Polar with Power Meter for the road training. Maybe you have a better suggestion? A good book to learn about power and cycling would also be helpful

 

[kmavm]

Which power meter would you recommend that could be used with a trainer or outdoors? Can you also recommend a good book for learning how to train with power?

Any of the PowerTap, Ergomo, or SRMs should just work indoors and outdoors. I can personally attest to the powerTap. Some polar users claim they can be used on a trainer, but they tend to be the same polar users who claim they can cure cancer .

In the book dept., Training and Racing with a Powermeter by Allen and Coggan stands head and shoulders above the rest.

 

[Yojimbo_]

If you don't want to splash out the big bucks for a proper power meter, you can get a trainer with a pseudo power meter to experiment with.

By pseudo, I mean it isn't a real power meter. Since the trainer's power / speed curve is known from manufacturer testing, the manufacturer can provide a devices that converts your speed to watts. It's only good for the trainer though.

Here's a comparison between a pseudo power meter and a real one.

http://www.planet-x-bikes.com/triathlon/index.php?module=pagemaster&PAGE_user_op=view_page&PAGE_id=189