Looking for a way to do your interval training with the right resistance for the right amount of time? A way to ride in winter without the cold? The easiest system is with an indoor trainer. Simply stick your bike in the trainer and go! You control the resistance and time. And when you want to stop, all you have to do is climb off.
With an indoor trainer you can ride in the comfort of your home, no matter what the weather is outside or the time of day. You get to simulate hills of whatever length and difficulty you want without having to try find them and then get there. When you’ve finished riding the shower, fridge, couch or bed are all within reach and you’re never more than a few seconds from them. It’s the ultimate in convenience!
There are a range of indoor trainers to choose from, starting with wind trainers, then magnetic trainers, gel trainers, and then electronic trainers.
Tacx have moved away from wind trainers and start with magnetic trainers for a number of reasons. Wind trainers do have the advantage of being the cheapest. The disadvantages are that your resistance is controlled by your speed (which makes it difficult to simulate a steep hill in a high cadence), and the trainer itself is very noisy (which makes it hard to hear anything other than the trainer, both for you, family members and sometimes even neighbours). It is also hard to push yourself as hard as you could because as you get tired and start to slow down the resistance also drops.
Tacx’s solution is to use a magnetic resistance system which allows you to select a consistent resistance independent of your speed. Your resistance is changed with a lever on your handlebars. Magnetic resistance is also a lot quieter the wind and allow you to listen to music, watch TV or anything else you may like doing while riding indoors.
The most complete training programs all include power and heart rate, and with the Tacx ErgoFlo you have it all! The ErgoFlo adds sensors to display speed/distance info, heart rate, cadence and power. The ErgoFlo is one of the cheapest ways to train with power. Resistance is also adjusted by an electronic resistance control on the same display. The ErgoFlo Trainer keeps the same gel roller as the Sirius, which helps deaden vibration, reducing the noise, slowing the wear on your tire and reducing slipping.
• First ergotrainer that can be calibrated
• 1000 watts at 40kph ideal for beginner to top level use
• Power: current, average, maximum
• Pedalling Frequency: current, average, maximum, total number of pedal cycles per ride.
• Speed: current, average, maximum, trip distance and odometer
• Heart Rate: current, average, maximum
• Stopwatch cycling time
• Average Indicator
• Visual Display of Brake Operation and Slope
• Brake Calibration: guarantees accurate power measurement
• Includes: Trainer, Skyliner front wheel support, Head unit display, Cables, Plug, Quick release skewer, User manual