What’s up with the New Tacx VR Trainers?
The past two weeks have shown me that Fall is in the air, because people are calling about trainers! The Tacx Fortius Multiplayer is my trainer of choice because of a couple of key points, Virtual Reality for one, and the Motor Brake for two. Trainers can be awfully boring and that incessant load on your knees is not fun after awhile.
Some of my triathletes friends have done five hour trainer rides and to me, that deserves a Congressional Medal of Honor. Having video and virtual reality really helps with motivation and with reduction of boredom. Tacx has new software this year that allows you to download a course saved to Google Earth and ride it on your trainer. This means all the rides you find on MapMyRide or those you save to your Garmin GPS can be uploaded to Google Earth and then downloaded to your trainer. This also means that elevations will work and the trainer will adjust the resistance based on whether you are climbing or descending.
I have written a few articles on the way that a VR trainer can really help add value to your cycling. Since your bike fits you better than a spin bike, or should, it makes a great stationary trainer. So many people have home theaters or flat screen TV's now, that the ability to turn that space into a personal training studio and get the imagery of the trainer on the big screen is very cool.
Here is what you need to make this happen. First, get a Fortius Multiplayer trainer. They are around $1,950, with the steering frame and the new Trainer software. You will want two accessories, a trainer mat to protect the floor and a sweat cover to protect the bike. Add a fan like this one and a computer that hooks up to the flat screen and you have a custom bicycle training studio that is world class. I can help in all these areas, even in sourcing and installing a computer!
The only "gotcha" that I know of right now is the software only works on Windows Vista and XP in 32 bit mode. Many new computers are coming with 64 bit operating systems and the trainer software version 2 is due to release in November, solving that problem.
Many people have asked me to compare the Tacx to the Computrainer which is the other big player in this market. The Computrainer software is nice, but it doesn't have the Motor Brake and the trainer itself is long overdue for a makeover. The Tacx is much easier to use and your bike is able to be mounted or dismounted from the trainer in a jiffy. The trainer itself is much better made and the steering frame makes the ride more comfortable.
At the end of the day, please consider some way to keep that fitness you worked so hard to develop this summer. The darkness, rain and coolness will sap even the most dedicated athlete's motivation at some point and this is a really cool way to train no matter what happens outside.