So this week just can't get any worse can it??? You saw my previous post about my computer, the one that hooks up to my Tacx and has all of my photos on it. Well it still isn't working.
Then there are the $90.00 running shoes I just bought this week that I discovered I couldn't run in yesterday. Yep, 30 minutes into an hour run there was PAIN shooting up my right leg. I had to walk back to my car. If I had any wits about me I would have phoned in the rest of my planned workouts for this weekend. But no, I had a 5 hour hilly bike ride scheduled for today, the Dam Loop plus Limecreek road (home of the Triple Bitch climb - trust me you don't want to know) then back home on 360. Brutal, hilly and hot. But like some famous blogger named Chuck says, "Miles make champions."
Well 2:15 into the ride, right a the foot of said Triple Bitch the entire drive train on my road bike explodes into a gazillion pieces. I kid you not. My rear derailleur was in pieces all over the road. My front derailleur, what was left of it, was lodged in between my large and small chainrings. I had to call Du Shun for a ride home. Thank God I forgot to text him last night or he might have been on the ride with me. 40 miles is a long walk in cycling shoes... I thought about swimming later but decided to stay home in the house where I'm safe. Right now I don't think I should go anywhere near the water given the week I'm having.
4 comments:
Lemonade, anyone? ;-)
Hang in there, Ace.
Ace are you pretty happy with Tacx?
what made you choose that over the computrainer?
The Tacx was a gift. I hadn't heard of it until I got it about 2 years ago. I like the Tacx. Actually, I like it a lot. And free is always good. ;)
I had always wanted a Computrainer. Stuff like spin analysis and the ability to import routes, especially some of the ones around here, had made it high on my wish list for years.
I think price wise the Tacx might be a little more in most folks budgets. At the time I got mine there were two different braking units at two different price points. The lower end one, the I-Magic started at around $600.00 US, and the higher end one, the Fortius, around $800.00 US. Add the steering attachment to both units for an additional $150.00 and in either case your get a very usable VR trainer for less than you can get a Computrainer. Both units use the same software so are capable of the same computer generated experience and information. The I-Magic uses a magnetic braking system and the Fortius uses a motorized brake.
The advantage I saw after getting mine was the variety on the Tacx which can incorporate things like wind, sand, or rain into the equation through the steering mechanism and the braking unit. I find the Tacx very engaging and realistic. Sort of like playing a video game while training. But for most workouts I turn the steering off so I can concentrate on other things without worrying about crashing.
You can also add video of real courses from races around the world. This is a feature that the Computrainer just added recently.
I also like how you can choose and adjust the fitness level of the avatars you race against when you run the system in that mode. You also get all the info you would need to get a valid assessment of the quality of your training in some really simple interfaces.
They also update the software pretty regularly so now I have the ability to race online and connect to other Tacxs on a LAN, say at a bike shop spin class.
There is also the Velodrome add on which is one of the coolest things ever. I'm not ashamed to say it took me a while to be able to ride in that environment though. I never realized the power track cyclists have to generate to get through those turns until I experienced the Tacx.
Either way I'm sure you get a good training tool. I can say after getting the Tacx I haven't thought too much about getting a Computrainer.
One final note, I don't know about the Computrainer, but the better your PC on the Tacx, the more advanced features you can enable. Sort of like some of today's high end video games. Hope this info helps. If you want to know something more specific let me know and I'll try to answer it.
Train well...
Thanks for the info.that's a great gift. Somebody must really like you.:)
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