jrobe

I live in northern WI and need to do a lot of indoor training. I have both a Kurt Kinetic Road Machine with virtually all the Spinervals DVD's and CTS DVD's. I also have a Tacx Fortius virtual trainer with about 12 Real Life Video DVD's and Ergovideos.

I like them both and usually alternate from one to the other every other day. They are different but both have their place.

The KK Road Machine is the only trainer I would ever buy again. I wasted money on cheap trainers in the past and learned my lesson. The KK is very realistic and will last the rest of my life (for only a small amount more than the cheap ones). I use this trainer for most of my harder interval work (always with the DVD's). My favorite DVD series of all in the new CTS Progressive Power series - a 2 month class that includes 15 one hour interval workouts with a test before and after. It is great - mostly because it is an organized series (there is some rhythm and reason to the training). I added about 30 watts to my power output on my powertap with the class - don't give me this bs about not doing interval work in the winter. I also use the Spinervals DVD's a lot and enjoy them. If I didn't have the DVD's, I would sell my trainer (training to music or TV is worthless for me).

I also use my Tacx Fortius a lot. It is great to spend a winter afternoon riding in the Alps on one of the Tour de France courses (playing on my flat panel TV). I use this more for my longer workouts. I frequently do 3-4 hour rides on the Tacx and still keep my sanity. It is hard to do this on the KK trainer. I have the Spinervals Hardcore Hundred - indoor century ride - 5 1/2 hours on the KK trainer but it is terrible compared to a long ride on the Tacx. I also frequently do the Ergovideos on the Tacx (riding for 1 hour with Rabobank) and these really kick my butt. The one problem with the Tacx is that it needs a higher end computer - basically a gaming computer. I had to buy a used computer on Ebay ($325) to run the videos. This option is clearly more expensive than a regular trainer but it sure has some advantages.

If I could only have one system, I would probably choose the KK trainer with the DVD's. This would still allow me to do the harder interval workouts in the winter which help me the most. It would be a hard decision though and I would hate to give up my climbs up Alp d'Huez on a snowy wintery day on the Tacx.