Computrainer Question....

[oldguy00]

With the computrainer, are you essentially forced to give a set wattage you want to maintain, and then the resistance unit kind of forces that on you? Like if you shift to an easier gear, it increases the resistance to make up for the gear shift......essentially preventing you from resting or pedaling easy when you want to??

[1centaur]

While you can use the CT that way, it's real advantage is that you program in terrain so you get the climbing, flat or descending workouts you want, rather than the ones nature provides outside your door. It increases and decreases pressure on the tire to simulate the changes in terrain.

If you have a totally flat course, you can shift to an easier gear and rest if you want. You can also program in descents where you think you'd like to rest, if you like.

Outside of the program, you can use the CT in ergometer mode where you set the watts and it adjusts to your gears - that's done before each ride to calibrate the powermeter, for example. It's a useful option if you want to work that way, but it's not the real point, or pleasure, of the CT, which makes winter training far more interesting and productive than churning away on a regular trainer.

[Dekonick]

Who has courses to download?

[1centaur]

The Computrainer site has a lot (racermate) and Performance Central is the most complete and useful site, but it is a subscription site. I paid, and it's worth it to see the course characteristics before you download. I believe if you Google "Computrainer courses" you might find a few other sites.

It's also interesting to use the Slopes of Europe site to get hill profiles and then program your own courses (maybe takes 10 minutes a course). You don't get the twists and turns, and you're only getting the 1km slope averages of course, but still I programmed in the Galibier and Luz Ardiden and the Tourmalet and the Glandon and felt accomplishment when I climbed them. BTW that Slopes of Europe site will really bring home the point that the TdF slopes are pretty mild compared to some out there. Mount Washington is also on that site, but it's not the steepest!

Here's an URL for it, but if you Google "Slopes of Europe" you can find it easily.

http://ciclismo.sitiasp.it/motore.aspx?sid=30c9027b92734cc7816c66dd375ad53f&lingua=eng&da=az

[Dekonick]

Thanks!

I have been looking for some other courses besides those offered by racermate.

[Frustration]

The Computrainer can be used for steady state or anything else you can think of from intervals of every kind... You can add the Topo software and it will allow you to ride the ups and downs of any road route in the USA.

Nice frikin tool, especially this time of year (for places not Arizona...)

[oldguy00]

From what I can tell, Racermate hasn't developed a way to use the computrainer online so that you can ride with another person???

Thats really too bad for those of us who wouldn't have other computrainer owners nearby to physically hook together the trainers...