cat4ever

Yeah, I know how to create a course. I thought that somehow you were importing data straight from the topo program into the realaxiom.

The excel add-on I was talking about is a separate download from realaxioms website to import excel data. Maybe if the topo program exported data to excel, then we could import that, we would have something.

I've spent hours re-creating race courses in my area by trying to remember distances and estimating grades. Tedious.

nycom99

Item of note...When I programmed in the course I usually ride after work, I entered distances in miles and elevation changes in feet. However, after riding the 17 miles, my history page showed it as 17 km...

Additional note, when programming in a course, only 2 of 3 fields need to be entered- distance and slope (%) or elevation change. V2 software figures calculates the 3rd field. There is a minimums and maximums that need to be followed. The user's guide gives that info...

nycom99

Oh, I see...I'll look into Topo exporting directly to Excel...

Topo makes software that does what you are looking for use with the CompuTrainer (I think it's around $300). That feature almost made me wait until I could plop down the extra cash for the CompuTrainer...

dragonflybikes

well if you can't figure out how to export to excel then perhaps we all need to start emailing RealAxiom and telling them that we want to be able to import for certain programs. If enough of us write them, then maybe they will actually make a software update with that feature

dragonflybikes

Here is my update on the trainer. I still love it. For me I think my most favorite feature is having the competitor and seeing how my strength is improving. When I see a constant increase in my average speed on the same course day after day shows me that I am getting stronger. It is great motivation to see the hard numbers that you are getting better.

Makes me excited for when it warms up a little and I get back out there with the group. (No heckling me about how I live in Phx and complaining about the cold. I am a wimp when it comes to the cold and I have lived here my whole life, so to me the recent temps of 55 as a high is freezing.)

TomMc1

Can't help myself... 55 degrees F is almost shorts weather. It's 10 degrees F right now in southeast Michigan. Buy some tights to put over your shorts and an Under Armor cold gear shirt and get out on the road!

dragonflybikes

I knew someone would have to call me a wimp, oh wait I called myself a wimp first I will go out when it is 55 deg as long as that is the starting temp and it will get warmer. However at that temp I am freezing my but off but will do it. I just don't like it any colder. Remember I live in a desert and have gotten use to riding when it is going to be 115 out. Also during Monsoon we are hitting highs of 110 and getting significant humidity. I hear on the tour how it is 90 deg F and it is a blistering hot day and that will be affecting them and I am thinking, wow that is like the perfect temp to be out riding, all be it I am not riding 100 miles only 50-60.

Oh well, at least while I am wimping out I am still getting some rides in, that and it is great since I usually get home late and then want to spend time with the kids before they go to bed (7 and 8pm) so riding on the trainer at 8:30 or 9pm is much prefered to riding outside at that time of night.

TomMc1

My post was more meant to be me complaining about the cold weather here.

In all honesty, I don't think I could ride in the heat that you ride in so you can call me a summer woos. 115F, yikes!

I'm in the same place regarding time. I get on my trainer after the kids go to bed. Time with them is more important to me.

dragonflybikes

Thats ok, I don't think I would be riding outside 50% of the year where you live. Actually as my wife knows, there would have to be a very huge incentive to get me to move to a cold place like Michigan, and an extra 100k/year would probably not be enough. and no I am not rich where 100k doesn't mean that much, I just hate the cold that much and love the warmth.

More quality time with the kids is definatly the best thing. Although my daughter complained about my trainer yesterday because it was blocking the door for her to get paper to draw on. Although we have joked that we will have to put her bike on the trainer so that she can build up her riding muscles. Unfortunatly I think she will remember me and ask to do that in the next year or so, but will ask for her own trainer.

geezerjock

Curious as to why there is no mention of the Computrainer products in this forum? Just too $$$? Does anyone have comparisons to offer?

TomMc1

I have a Computrainer Pro and love it. I was going to buy either the RealAxiom or the Tacx iMagic but my lovely wife bought me the CT for Christmas.

To answer your question... it may be because the CT is much more known than the RealAxiom because it has been around a lot longer. I haven't used an iMagic, Fortius or RealAxiom but I have heard they are all very nice and one thing they have over the CT is real life video. That said, the video courses on the CT are nice. I run my PC at 1280x1024 on a 19" monitor and the graphics look great. Another neat feature of the CT is the ability to put pictures in a directory that the software loads and displays as billboards along the course. It evenly spreads them out along the route. My kids get a kick out of it because I put pictures of them up as inspiration to me.

Making courses on the CT is also easy and if you have a GPS receiver then it is pretty easier to make your own courses from recorded GPS data.

Overall, CT is a very solid unit, is very durable, the software runs well on older computers (mine is a 1.2GHz Celeron with 512mb and a 3 year nVidia card with XP) and has an active community. Some bike shops have them available for people to use. They have them set up in multi rider configurations. You mught be able to check one out in your area.

dragonflybikes

I am going to guess that it is partly because of money. The computrainer costs $1500 and I am not going to pay that much for it, whcih that is 3 times the price of the others. Its probably also due to that we all are assuming that the computrainer is great and that is what the other two are trying to copy