This last off-season I rode on a CompuTrainer extensively. It was the first time I had done so and was really my only off-season fitness activity since I decided not to join a gym and didn't go Nordic skiing. I wanted to write a comprehensive review of my experiences so others who are curious about the CompuTrainer have another opinion to evaluate.
The CompuTrainer I was riding on was at the Recyclist bike shop here in Appleton. So 2-3 times a week, I would head down to the shop and ride. During the week, I would try to get 2 one hour sessions in, and then try to get a two hour session in on Saturday. Because of the overhead of life, sometimes I wouldn't get all the sessions in I wanted to. But that was the plan and I was pretty successful staying with it. All told, I ended up with a little over 600 "CompuTrainer" miles for the three months of winter.
As I have described in other posts, the setup at Recyclist is very good. They have their computer plugged into a projector, so the image projects onto a wall and is probably 8-10 feet in size. So this gives you more of a feel that you are riding on a course rather than looking at a computer monitor.
Positives
Ability to Maintain Fitness - I've been riding outdoors for about 3 1/2 weeks now. I've already done rides of 60, 65 and 90 miles. As I said, the only activity I was doing this off-season was the CompuTrainer, so clearly, this helped me maintain some on-bike fitness. I have some early season goals (a brevet on April 25th), so its important that I'm not "starting from zero". But the fact that I've already been able to do some long rides I think has to be attributed to the CompuTrainer.
You Are Riding Your Own Bike - It seems the rest of the world is finally figuring out what Ben Serotta had figured out a couple decades ago. Fit matters. Now you have all kinds of fit systems out there. So if you set up your bike, why do you want to go ride a stationary bike that is "one size fits none". Yes, you will get a workout. but you will not be using muscles at the same angle or the same plane as you would on your road bike. This is a tremendous advantage of the CompuTrainer over stationary bikes at the gym or spinning classes. You are riding your bike. So the fitness you are developing is directly applicable to when you take your bike out on the road come spring. If you are a tall or short rider, have custom cranks, have custom anything, this is even more applicable. There is no need for the muscles to re-learn a different position come spring, because you have been training in the position you are going to use them.
The CompuTrainer Makes You Work - If you go to the RacerMate website, they say every 1 CompuTrainer is equivalent to 2 road miles. I do not fully buy that. But, I will say that for a given distance or time interval, you do seem to work harder on the CompuTrainer than on an outside ride (unless that outside ride is a fast, aggressive group ride, then its about the same). And this is good in the winter that the CompuTrainer makes you work, so you can get as much out of your workout in as short of time as possible. I attribute this to two factors. One, you can't really coast on the CompuTrainer, so you have to keep pedaling. Two, you have your power number right in front of you, so you tend to keep pushing so your power numbers stay up. So maybe the ration is 1.5 to 1 in terms of difficulty or even 1.3 to 1, but you are working hard, and that is a positive.
Analysis Tools in the Software - I had never ridden with a power meter before. But you have one on the CompuTrainer. And this is great to get an idea of where you are at and to measure improvement. It can also tell you where you need to improve. If your power drops significantly over a period of an hour, you probably need to improve your endurance. If your power is low overall, maybe you want to improve your strength.
The other analysis tool that is included is the Spin Scan software to analyze your pedal stroke. Joe Friel, who knows way more about these things than I do, says that fastest ways riders can improve is by making their pedal stroke more efficient. But how does one analyze their pedals stroke? The SpinScan software will do just that, so then you can do drills to improve your pedal stroke efficiency and measure that improvement over time.
Courses and Course Selection - One of the problems with normal trainers or stationary bikes is how resistance adjusts (or doesn't adjust). You are either riding at the same resistance level for a very long time or the resistance adjusts very abruptly. Neither is like a real road ride, where there are subtle changes throughout. Simply put, you should have to shift during a ride, up and down, to account for the little ups and downs you face. Since the courses in the CompuTrainer are real courses, you feel these little ups and downs and have to adjust and shift, just like on the road.
Course selection is also very good. There are literally hundreds of courses on RacerMate's website, so you never have to ride the same course twice. And there are all varieties, from flat time trial courses, mountain courses, rollers, intervals and everything in between. So once again, a big advantage over the stationary bike with its 8 preset courses.
Real Course Videos - We only had one real course video in the show, the UK Ironman. But it was great. The video quality is very good and it really gives you the impression of riding through the English countryside. The computer generated graphics get a little boring after a while, but as time goes on and there are more and more real course videos, I think these will become the primary option. Its not as good as being outside, but its a huge step up from just riding on a trainer.
Negatives
Cost - A CompuTrainer goes for $1649 retail (on sale now for $1449). Then you need a computer (figure $400) and some sort of monitor. I guess if you have an LCD TV, you could hook the graphics up there, but if you want a setup like Recyclist, a projector will run you about another $700. So that is about $2700 to get in the game with a CompuTrainer at home. That is a lot of coin. Maybe if you have an older PC, you can just put in a good 3D graphics card and save some money there. Maybe you can use an existing LCD TV and save some dollars there (though if you don't want to dedicate a TV, you will be setting up and tearing down all the time). Still though, its a lot of money for most people.
The Computer Graphics Get Repetitive - Don't get me wrong, the computer generated graphics are a big step up from looking at nothing on a trainer. But if you ride enough, they do get repetitive. I think here is where the Real Course Videos really shine, because they are 'ever changing'. I think put another way, going on a 5 hour road ride, no problem. Riding for 5 hours on the CompuTrainer with 3D graphics, it going to be pretty boring those last 2-3 hours. Riding on a normal trainer for 5 hours, well. I'd be brain dead 20 minutes into it.
You Don't Have to Turn - There is no steering on the CompuTrainer. I'm not really sure how there would be. This isn't so much of a knock on the CompuTrainer, just realize that it is going to train your legs and your heart. Its not going to improve your bike handling. That is OK, just realize what the equipment can and can't do.
Overall Thoughts
I am pretty positive on the CompuTrainer overall. It is a good option to maintain and develop fitness over the winter months. It also gives you tools like power measurement and pedal stroke analysis to take a very analytical approach to your training. While nothing will ever compare to being out on the road, it is a big step up from things like trainers, stationary bikes and spin classes because it is continuously adjusting resistance based on a real course, and there is a far greater selection of courses available.
Would I buy one to have at home? If money was no object, yes. It would be nice to not be on someone else's schedule, and I would probably be able to get more training in during the winter. I would also be able to work on some specific drills to improve my pedal stroke. But money does matter, and there just isn't $2700 in my budget for a CompuTrainer. But there also doesn't need to be. I have access to a CompuTrainer at my bike shop. If I ride 3 times a week for 3 months, I've still spent less than $300.
Still, I think the CompuTrainer is a major step forward for training in the off-season. There is finally a good option to maintain cycling specific fitness when you can't cycle outside. Next winter, I do want to Nordic ski to better build my endurance. But I will plan on being on the CompuTrainer 2-3 times a week so I'm ready to go once the cycling season starts.
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