Trainers & Netathlon

i find watching rambo or karate kid movies seem to help. if you have surround sound that will boost the effect of the explosions.

 Sorry, no help with the software, but I will probably show it to my DH who also wants a Computrainer.

I know this thread is a little old now, but I finally managed to pickup a used i-Magic with steering column.  It's a bit older so it has the actual i-Magic software as opposed to the newer Fortius software.  I know I'll want to upgrade to the Fortius software (I think it is a requirement for the RLV's) but I wonder if I can keep both software applications and perhaps run the older one if I feel the need - or will the upgrade wipe out the older software?

Wow that sounds awesome! Aside from all this trainer talk, winter bike training has me chomping my nails down to nubs. I'm hoping that I can convince some of my fellow triathlete friends to schedule weekly "rides" where we all meet somewhere [our basement is big enough] and throw in a video of some sort and all ride our trainers together, just to break up the monotony. Something to think about also.

Bob, do you use the Catalyst feature much?  I see that you can create the workouts based on power, slope, etc.  It looks like you could create some programs that would kick your butt quite a bit.  I'm trying to decide if it makes more sense to just "ride" for the winter, which is totally possible on this trainer, or follow some structured workouts.

I found a website that lets me download other peoples virtual courses that they created as well as their times.  I set one up earlier and got to ride a new VR course while racing (and losing) to 5 other people's saved times - very, very cool.

Do you manage to monitor HR on your trainer.  I tried both my Garmin and Timex straps but neither got picked up - not sure if I'm supposed to do anything, or if it should pick it up automatically.

 I'll still pickup a copy of the Fortius software because the RLV's look too good to pass up, but my first attempt to buy it failed since the shop won't ship Tacx products into Canada.  I'll have to find another way to buy a copy in the US since I'm not willing to pay double -which is being charged by shops north of the border.

I keep peppering you with questions, but here's another one.  Any idea how accurate / inaccurate the power readings are?  And is there a difference between the iMagic and Fortius software for power - nto sure how it is calculated?

Even if the actual watts are off I won't be too concerned, just as long as the readings are consistent so I can build a base and then work on improving it from there. 

I ran my Garmin last night for HR readings on a 27km course and found that the distance and time splits were almost equal to what the iMagic was telling me.  I had kind of expected them to be different, so I was pleasently surprised that it worked.  (Too bad the software won't pick up my HR cause then they would be 100% compliant with each other).  This way I can still download my ride into BT (see my log).

I like the idea of riding in the League since it will give me something to aim for - do they still run the iMagic league as well as Fortius?  I noticed you only rode Fortius this year, but had ridden iMagic in 07.