TDF training bike...any good?

[Mr Haematocrit]

Ah, the picture i saw had the front forks in a rack.

There are a number of models and options, a lot of the kit is built to meet a price point than functionality. You have to do your research and get the right products for you

 

[redcard]

Boris, does the Flow have all the VR gubbins the more expensive options have?​

​

I'm looking around for a feature comparison but can't see anything.​

 

[Mr Haematocrit]

Boris, does the Flow have all the VR gubbins the more expensive options have?​

​

I'm looking around for a feature comparison but can't see anything.​

The flow is not a VR unit, you do not get virtual comp editors displayed on a visual representation of your route which you can chase, and you can not race other people. Its a turbo trainer which does speed, cadence, heart rate, distance and power. It is a really good Turbo with regards to getting information and data from it

There is a VR based flow model however called the i-flow if you want VR but the price is vastly different.

You can also buy a kit to upgrade the flow to the flow but it works out more expensive, but gives you the option of taking the price hit in two chunks

The tracx website is good for seeing features of products.
http://www.tacx.com/en/products/trainers

 

[Milzy]

MY PC is a powerfull gaming rig. Now how much is the trax thing, £300?

 

[Hill Wimp]

When its really horrid outside its my exercise bike an iplayer for me. Kills 2 birds with one stone, I keep fit, and catch up with what I have missed on tv

 

[redcard]

The flow is not a VR unit, you do not get virtual comp editors displayed on a visual representation of your route which you can chase, and you can not race other people. Its a turbo trainer which does speed, cadence, heart rate, distance and power. It is a really good Turbo with regards to getting information and data from it

There is a VR based flow model however called the i-flow if you want VR but the price is vastly different.

You can also buy a kit to upgrade the flow to the flow but it works out more expensive, but gives you the option of taking the price hit in two chunks

The tracx website is good for seeing features of products.
http://www.tacx.com/en/products/trainers

Thanks.

Didn't realise the i-flow was a different machine.

 

[ColinJ]

I'm cracking up ... I just watched a Tacx promo video and they made a thing about 'realistic' simulated weather conditions. So you don't fancy going out because the weather is bad, get on your expensive turbo trainer and ride up a virtual mountain into a virtual thunderstorm - ha ha!

 

[Mr Haematocrit]

Thanks.

Didn't realise the i-flow was a different machine.

IMHO the i-genius multi player is the one to go for, I have owned a couple of VR trainers and just wanted more features all the time, which ultimately resulted in me selling them. The i-genius has all the features and then some.

 

[redcard]

IMHO the i-genius multi player is the one to go for, I have owned a couple of VR trainers and just wanted more features all the time, which ultimately resulted in me selling them. The i-genius has all the features and then some.

What features does the i-genius have that the i-flow doesn't?

 

[Mr Haematocrit]

What features does the i-genius have that the i-flow doesn't?

Muliplayer, ANT+ compatible (traffic free strava ), wireless communication with devices such as trainer and headset, more resistence, cadence without sensors, power back (your energy is not wasted, its turnt into electricity to power the device and feed back to the grid so its more cost effective to run)
It also has the full suite of software other than some videos and Google earth rides as standard.
Its also the first device to get updates.

You can get some of the features buy buying upgrade packs for the other trainers, but not all the features can be obtained. You can not for example make a wired trainer wireless as theres no upgrade pack to do this.

 

[redcard]

Do you get together with other folks and organise virtual races? Are there enough users around?

 

[Mr Haematocrit]

Do you get together with other folks and organise virtual races? Are there enough users around?

A couple of guys at work have them, so I race them a lot, but its generally not to bad to search and find people to race across the world. The servers are reasonably lively.

 

[redcard]

A couple of guys at work have them, so I race them a lot, but its generally not to bad to search and find people to race across the world. The servers are reasonably lively.

Cool. The Tacx forums seem pretty quiet with a lot of folk struggling to organise a bunch.

What about the training DVDs? They seem a bit pointless - I'd much rather just watch a regular TDF video or something.

 

[smokeysmoo]

Now how much is the trax thing, £300?

NOPE!

 

[Mr Haematocrit]

Cool. The Tacx forums seem pretty quiet with a lot of folk struggling to organise a bunch.

What about the training DVDs? They seem a bit pointless - I'd much rather just watch a regular TDF video or something.

I generally find it OK to arrange rides, and know a few people with them. If you are searching for people a lot depends upon what time you are trying to do so and you generally need a decent connection, if there is to much latency you may not have full availability. But I find the servers to be reasonable. I know some don't, perhaps they think its going to be busy as a Halo gaming server at which point they will be disappointed. You get quiet times and its busier in the winter but its OK imho

The DVD's I have are nothing short of rubbish, not even sure where they are.