On Computrainers and the ilk

[Tom]

Yeah, it's June and I'm thinking about this winter. Let's not get into my pathology, eh? I'm thinking about how not to lose my fitness over the dark months and perhaps be able to ride as much as I'd like next year.

Anyway, I look at Computrainer's site. It appears that they wire up to a PC for their graphics and so on. I'm wondering, with the magic of small circuits and a compact Linux OS, if there isn't a product out there that'll do all that work on its own appliance and feed a stream into the i/p port of my very cool flat screen TV? For data store, one could do a memory stick much like a jump drive that could get rammed (get it? RAMmed? Ho ho!) into their PC much the way Polar uploads off the HRM.

Damn. I just gave away millions of dollars again.

[Too Tall]

Tom, you need to cut back on caffeine ;) Don't make this more complicated than it needs to be. A set of rollers AND a basic Computrainer is an awesome package. We have used Computrainer for 12 yrs. They are super.

If I were to do it all over again I'd take my investment in wattage meters (SRM and Powertap) and package that with any of the many many good fluid resistance units....and keep the rollers.

[coylifut]

I agree, put the computer on the bike and take it with you on the road. As far as trainers go, read the reviews on the 1UPUSA trainer. It's not a fluid unit and will not leak. Also, it's the only one I've seen with a lifetime warranty. It's super quiet and folds into the size of a large atlas and very easy to take with you to warm up before events. Riding rollers, especially on a fixed gear, is a must as well.