Glad I never offed the old Computrainers...

[robt57]

I have had one always at the ready in case of too many rainy days in a row. And winter etc. Have come close to trading off the second one a few times, but thought the 2nd load gen backup for what I'd net outta of a trade was worth more. Just in case.

It amazes me how well made and many hammers these have seen, and the ones before in over 20 years now.

I used to set these up and maintain for a few bike shops back in NJ turn of the century. So I always have had at least one. Lots of fun time inviting a friend over with bike for winter sweats!

So I dug up the second one and all the fittings and me and the wife are doing up some of the sweet visuals ERG Video offers for the 10.00/mo. subscription. Big TV up on the wall out in the shop, heat off. You make enough of your own heat...

With any luck our McKenzie Pass June ride will happen, CV-19 subside by them we pray. We should both be is shape for it.

[Steve in SLO]

A buddy of mine has a Computrainer prototype from ca 1986 that he still uses daily. Pretty impressive.

[glepore]

Yeah, it pained me to give mine away, I just got tired of indoor tires and the calibration. It was 15 years old and still going flawless.
The studio setup with ErgVideo is cool, probably one of its best features.

[robt57]

Actually, even with just using the handlebar controller in ERG mode without all the PC interface is quite effective.

Best part is in ERG mode, as ERG Video runs it, a SS bike is just fine. You shift it is just going to adjust to your watts setting anyway.

My permanent CT bike is a Alloy Sirrus junker frame with a steel kona for with no headset even in it. Just a bottom rubber frame save bushing and a bunch of o rings stacked in the top cup.

TRP brake only levers, cracked rear rims out of road service on both bikes with dedicated trainer tires. I do have a rear DR and and old 21T top cog 8 speed cassette. But just a short cable with the ball end in where the cable would come in to hold it on the 19 cog. The set back, reach, bar width/drop etc all exact to my road position.

I used to keep a full 9 speed nice old Allez on it until a friend asked me for the bike and I owed him some favs. The load generator makes for no need to use up a good cassette, or bike for that matter.

[bigbill]

I still have mine from 1996 boxed up in the garage. I think it was like $1400 back then. I never upgraded it, just had it set up in the last house on a decent TV and would either do Erg or one of the workouts. My favorite was setting the other rider at 270 watts and drafting my warmup before I'd drop back a few hundred yards then bridge back up and recover in the draft before doing it again. I used an old Cannondale 2.8 that only had a drivetrain.

[Look585]

Due to SFBayArea lockdown and severely limited outside riding, I pulled my CT out of cold-storage last week.

$27 USB Adapter Cable
$15 ANT+ Dongle

Everything fired right up and I was on Zwift in ~30 minutes. I have a PM and with proper Computrainer warmup and calibration, watts are spot on.

For a 20-year old piece of kit to interface that easy with modern tech is pretty cool. It took me *far* longer to get an old laptop cleaned up and streamlined to the point it would run the Zwift software.

[John H.]

I have 2 of them (in SF Bay area)- Would sell them for next to nothing $200 (each).
Both work well.

[robt57]

Originally Posted by John H.

I have 2 of them (in SF Bay area)- Would sell them for next to nothing $200.
Both work well.

Yeah, they don't sell for much. 200 for both? put the in the classifieds here. We may be 'IN' for the long haul, and these are viable tools.

We can start up a thread to help with setup etc.

Traded my last original 90s one in 2003 for a restored Ergo Campy Merckx Cora.

When I move to the PNW, well after in 2013 I bought a perfect used pair [the 2 I have still]. Included heavy plywood platforms, CyceOps full mats, pipe stands painted black for the controllers etc etc. All mint. Got the upgraded non zinc cast flywheels, there is/was a recall on those worth being aware of BTW.

Paid 1000 space buck back then, and these have some real use since. Especially one, last few years #2 got relegated as a BU load generator.

I bet someone here was the one I got them from. Although it was a local CL hook up then.... YADA!

[Alaska Mike]

My 5-month-old Kickr Core munched a flywheel bearing yesterday. Makes me appreciate my LeMond Revolution even more, with almost 10 years of heavy abuse and not a creak out of it. I guess building to last is not a viable business plan anymore.

[robt57]

After 3 days in a row doing the ErgVid Col De Cayolle, rest day for me.

My wife after two days off is doing it now, and I put up a Pink YouTube concert on the 40" TV audio into the old Prologic digs in the shop.

See if she rides for the entire concert.

Watching 2019 TDF before, maybe got her a little more enthused...