# LeMond Revolution Trainer



## Alaska Mike

OK, I just sat down and took a look at the website for the LeMond Revolution Trainer, and I'm kinda interested. I already have a set of rollers and a good fluid trainer, but they've never been exactly what I'm looking for in terms of road feel. The power meter option is interesting as well. The release date is October 2010, but has anyone had any first-hand experience with them?


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## Alaska Mike

Just got the e-mail with a coupon code (VIP deal) for $50 off, so I pre-ordered mine. We'll see how it goes...


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## 11.4

I played with one at Interbike. The base is pretty solid and the belt-drive to the fan unit is quite smooth. The fan is a bit noisy and may get noisier with age, but it isn't all that bad and is smoother than most trainers. Weight is pretty reasonable for portability. 

The power head that clips to the bars looks really cheesy. I don't know how well sealed it is against perspiration, but it has a big flat surface with several buttons that looks like it begs for salt contamination. The director of engineering said they were finishing software to make the power sensor compatible with more heads such as Powertap, Garmin, and SRM. Those should be available soon, so there's really no need to pay the $350 for the proprietary head. Check on this when you order it. 

The cassette freehub can be swapped between Campy and Shimano/SRAM. It may not align precisely with your road wheels, so some rear derailleur adjustment may be necessary. That's a pain. Get your own cassette because they provide a pretty wide range one that isn't as appropriate for trainer use. 

It's a really nice trainer, my new favorite.


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## Alaska Mike

I figured the fan would be a bit noisy, given the size of the blades. I didn't order the computer, because I figured there would be bugs early on in development. I also passed on the cassette, because they didn't list a model or tooth count. I have a 11-23 that is just sitting around, so I'll start there.

Hopefully the ANT+ compatibility comes soon, because it would be nice to track progress on my Edge 500.


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## RLinNH

I've been doing my research on Trainers now for a little less then a Month, and I have had it narrowed down to 2. The Kinetic Rock and Roll and the Cyclops2. Now I have another one, and from the looks of things, this new Lemond is going to win out over the others. Great Thread Mike!


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## Alaska Mike

I have the Rock&Roll, and it's a heavy beast to lug around to races for warm-ups. Also, mine has a slight list to one side that I haven't been able to get rid of. Otherwise, it works pretty well- as well as any other good fluid trainer.

That said, if the LeMond pans out, I'll probably sell my Rock&Roll. The weight and size of the thing is a bit much for my needs.


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## FeydR

So I've been following the Lemond Revolution for a while now... and I'm strongly considering picking one up for some winter training, but I've got a newb question.


Has anyone gone through the purchase far enough to know if you get to select your cassette gearing if you select that you want it to ship with a Shimano cassette?

My concern is the compatibility (mostly chain length) of my current setup as I'm looking for a "hot swappable" option for days when I think it's warm enough to get outside to ride.

I'm currently running an 11-25 on the rear of my bike if it makes a difference.

Am I making a mountain out of a mole hill if the gearing isn't 100% the same? Never really dealt with different cassettes, etc. before it just seems like I should be worried that the chain length won't be 100% compatible.

Thoughts?


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## monkeybullit

FeydR said:


> So I've been following the Lemond Revolution for a while now... and I'm strongly considering picking one up for some winter training, but I've got a newb question.
> 
> 
> Has anyone gone through the purchase far enough to know if you get to select your cassette gearing if you select that you want it to ship with a Shimano cassette?
> 
> My concern is the compatibility (mostly chain length) of my current setup as I'm looking for a "hot swappable" option for days when I think it's warm enough to get outside to ride.
> 
> I'm currently running an 11-25 on the rear of my bike if it makes a difference.
> 
> Am I making a mountain out of a mole hill if the gearing isn't 100% the same? Never really dealt with different cassettes, etc. before it just seems like I should be worried that the chain length won't be 100% compatible.
> 
> Thoughts?


Buy it without the cassette and pick up your preferred gearing at your LBS and install it on the freehub of the trainer and ride it. Done. 

If the rear derailleur needs to be adjust toward the trainer (centerline of the bike), put a .5mm shim or even a 1mm shim behind the cogset to make it work with your current derailleur settings. I've done this on all my wheels so that I don't have to readjust my derailleur every time I swap wheels. 

This is a very minor issue and I've read many places about this trainer that it's a negative selling point. It can be a very simple fix.


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## Alaska Mike

Agreed. That was one of the reasons I bought mine without the cassette. Since it's a standard freehub body, you can install whatever cassette you want and go from there. Going up or down a couple teeth shouldn't really affect your derailleur setup that much.

I'm not exactly sure where the big negative is here, in terms of having to adjust the rear derailleur. A couple clicks on the adjuster and you should be good, if any adjustment is required at all. For me, that's much better than swapping out a rear wheel so I'm not burning up good tires on a trainer. Either way the effect can be the same.


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## FeydR

Alaska Mike said:


> Agreed. That was one of the reasons I bought mine without the cassette. Since it's a standard freehub body, you can install whatever cassette you want and go from there. Going up or down a couple teeth shouldn't really affect your derailleur setup that much.
> 
> I'm not exactly sure where the big negative is here, in terms of having to adjust the rear derailleur. A couple clicks on the adjuster and you should be good, if any adjustment is required at all. For me, that's much better than swapping out a rear wheel so I'm not burning up good tires on a trainer. Either way the effect can be the same.



So they didn't ask you what your preferred tooth pattern was when you ordered? That was my real question.

My original plan was to pick one up and have it installed anyway, but since they have the option I thought it might just make things a bit easier to just order it with one installed... 



The computer attachment is a bit pricy eh? :mad2:


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## Alaska Mike

That was just it- they didn't list the cassette specs or give you any options. It was cassette or no cassette. SInce I already have a variety of cassettes, I don't really need one more. I can pick one that works the best for me.

I'm going to start out with my 11-23, since it has small jumps between cogs all the way through. I may go to a 12-25 if that doesn't work, or any of the other various cassettes.

As for the computer, I'm waiting on that. If they can sort out the ANT+ capability, that's the route I'm going to go with my Garmin.


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## 11.4

I believe it ships with a cheaper SRAM 11-25 cassette. A Rival or Force at best. Better to get an Ultegra and, as pointed out above, to adjust it to fit the same as your road wheels. The issue with readjusting the rear derailleur isn't that it's minor, it's that you will forget to change or forget whether you changed and then overcorrect, and then you have a hassle as you're about to roll out on a big team ride.


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## Alaska Mike

My point is that if you do any significant time on a trainer, you likely will have another wheel with a trainer tire on it, meaning there is a similar chance you will need to adjust the RD.

That said, I will likely shim the trainer to match my race wheels, so warmup to race does not require any adjustment.

Not a big deal for me. YMMV.


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## heathb

I use the Kreitler 3" drums with the "Killer Headwind" unit and I would think it would match this thing as far as intervals are concern. I've never been able to bottom out on the Kreitler as long as the headwind is attached.

And then carrying a set of rollers for warmups without the headwind is far easier and lighter than most stationary trainers. 

Personally I detest being fixed in place with a stationary trainer.

And the Kreitler is made in the USA, something those of us that live in this country should be buying a whole lot more of.


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## Alaska Mike

I have rollers (Cyclops, in my case), but I prefer a stationary trainer for zoning out during winter training and for race warmups. My Kurt Rock&Roll adds a bit of movement to the standard stationary trainer, but it still feels like riding through mud. I've tried fork mounts on my rollers, but it's not the same. Different tools for different jobs.

To be honest, I have no idea where the Revolution is made. The company is based in the US, so at least majority of the profits will be staying in the states.


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## heathb

Alaska Mike said:


> To be honest, I have no idea where the Revolution is made. The company is based in the US, so at least majority of the profits will be staying in the states.


The profits always stay in the hands of those at the top. That's the problem, we've outsourced all the jobs for the average folk.


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## Alaska Mike

heathb said:


> The profits always stay in the hands of those at the top. That's the problem, we've outsourced all the jobs for the average folk.


Stupid Greg LeMond!!! Always trying to keep the little guy down.


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## Alaska Mike

I just got my Revolution in the mail today. They had a bit of a delay in shipping it (a month), so they took care of the shipping charges. That wasn't an unsignificant amount, so it was appreciated. I immediately unpacked it, and was impressed with the packaging job- especially compared to other trainers on the market. Assembly was a matter of attaching 3 bolts, a cassette (I ordered mine without one), and a skewer. That's it. Overall quality was like gym-quality or high-end home exercise equipment (think LifeFitness or Precor).

I haven't done a workout on it yet, but I did spin it for about 5 minutes in street shoes. Definitely more like the road than a normal trainer, but also definitely louder. No the usual trainer noise, but more like a high-powered fan. To me, it's more like white noise than actual racket that would be offensive. It will likely mean that I will have to turn up the TV a bit to hear it.

I can push a similar gear to what I ride on the road with similar effort, so that's nice.

The lack of an ANT+ speed sensor is kind of a downer, but I'll try to work that out. I might have to break down and get the LeMond computer, which would give me "power" as well. I'll talk tot he guys at LeMond sometime this week and see what I can do.


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## serious

Thanks for the information! Keep us updated with your experience. This unit has a lot of potential in my opinion.


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## cyclesport45

Yeah, 350 to even see how fast you're going IS pricey. . .


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## alexp247365

I watched an LBS employee ride one of these. It sounded like a jet taking off. Other than the sound, it looks like a great device.


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## Alaska Mike

It isn't quiet, for sure- especially during sprint intervals. I think the smoothness makes up for it, though. The progressive resistance is interesting, as when you start at a low intensity it doesn't seem like much of a workout. As you ramp it up, the resistance increases, but in a way that doesn't seem unnatural.

So far I'm digging it. May come up with a silencer box to quiet it down a bit or at least redirect the sound. It would be nice to be able to use the fan to cool you (instead of another fan), so the amount of cooling was relative to the effort you were putting out, but that would also direct the sound at you.


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## heathb

Actually Alaska Mike I posted two months ago just what you were wanting.

Kreitler rollers 3" aluminum end capped with Krietler Killer headwind.

The noise isn't very loud and the resistance will run you into the ground. 

The fan has vents to direct the air in your direction.

Would have cost about $550 total if you would have bought the rollers from ebay and the headwind unit with free shipping.


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## spade2you

Of course, if you just get the 2.25" rollers, you don't really need the resistance unit. :idea:


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## Alaska Mike

I have a set of Cyclops 3.25" aluminum rollers, and also have the fork stand for whn I was feeling lazy. While the movement made it interesting, the most I can do on them is about 30 minutes- not enough to get in a good workout. It's not the intensity of the workout that gets me, but the concentration required to stay up for an extended time-especially duting intervals.

I tried to get some Kreitler rollers off of eBay, but the shipping was waaaaaaayyyyy too much.

I find the road feel of the LeMond to be much more realistic than my fluid trainer or rollers. YMMV. The noise is manageable for me, and I may try reducing it somewhat over the coming weeks.


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## heathb

Alaska Mike said:


> The noise is manageable for me, and I may try reducing it somewhat over the coming weeks.


If you try to reduce the noise you'll end up robbing the fan of air, thus lowering it's resistance. That noise is a direct product of how much air your moving. 

Fans IMO are the best means for interval training, it's just that most trainers don't have the bigger fan of the Lemond trainer, people complain about the noise, but for me it's all about the workout, so enjoy your trainer.


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## Alaska Mike

On the exhaust side, I was considering running the air towards a baffled box lined with sound-deadening material. Ported right, I don't think it would affect air flow too much, but should cut the wind noise a bit. Just an idle thought at the moment, since the noise really doesn't bother me too much. I definitely don't want to affect the ride quality or the resistance, which are two of the big plusses here.


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## pw9000

I must have had mine delivered the same day as AlaskaMike. Been on it 3+ hours over the 3 days. I was initially shocked by the noise, but it bothered me less each time I've used it. I usually train early mornings when my wife is asleep. I have the trainer set up in the garage directly under our bedroom and she says she can't even hear it. The feel of the resistance is much closer to actual road riding than my previous fluid trainer. I was definitely hoping for the ant+ compatibility, but I can deal with the trade offs. To this point, it's the best trainer I've ever used.


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## corky

It looks like a good design but....

why should I have to pay a 'Campag tax'..... an extra $68 for a Campag freehub, if I don't use Shimano??? You should be able to choose which transmission compatibility you want.


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## Alaska Mike

Here's what I got on the computer from LeMond:


> Hi Mike,
> The Lemond Revolution will work with two separate sensors. One will mount to your chain stay and pull a cadence reading off of your crank arm and the other will mount to the drive pulley and give you an RPM reading. The Revolution will have a computer accessory available in January called the power pilot and it will give you a power reading measured in watts as well as time, speed, distance, calories burned and heart rate. The Power pilot is ANT+ enabled, but at this time it will not communicate with your garmin computer. Please let us know if there is anything else we can help with and have a great day.
> 
> Thanks,
> Ben Grenet
> Lemond Fitness Tech Support


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## Alaska Mike

corky said:


> It looks like a good design but....
> 
> why should I have to pay a 'Campag tax'..... an extra $68 for a Campag freehub, if I don't use Shimano??? You should be able to choose which transmission compatibility you want.


That's an interesting perspective- a Campag owner complaining about paying a premium.  

To be honest, I found it a bit interesting that they charged more, but at least for the US market Shimano/SRAM is a safe bet to buy in bulk at a sizeable discount, and to sell a Campag version for the same price would amount to them being subsidized. They just won't sell as many.

Note this is not a comment on Campag quality or suitablity, but rather a comment on what's most common on the US market. Since I doubt they will sell many in Europe because of shipping costs, you have to go with what sells in your main market.


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## Alaska Mike

Update:
It's been about a month on the LeMond, and the other day I sold my KK Rock&Roll. Just wasn't using it anymore.

The wind noise still isn't bothering me, and I added a powered speaker to the TV so I could hear it. It's a tiny TV anyway, which was never that loud to begin with. 

No weird noises, creaks, or groans yet, and I have around 40 hours on it so far.

I'm probably going to wait until tax returns to get the bike computer, so the reviews from the first customers can come in before I buy.


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## trener1

I had a chance to demo one in a shop here (NY City) yesterday, and I thought that it was very smooth and not really as noisy as I was expecting it to be.


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## zach.scofield

I like my lemond trainer. I switch between the computrainer at the shop and the Lemond at home. I love the fact that there is no skip. The noise isnt bothersome to others in the house either. Mine is set-up in the living room directly below where we sleep. My wife and the baby are not bothered by it one bit, in fact my wife doesnt even hear it. Also mine came w/ a 5700 12-25 cassette. I usually ride w/ a 5700 11-25 so its alright there for me. I will be ordering the Power Pilot when it is available. According to lemond the beta testers have made their final recommendations and they are gearing up to make those changes now. The unit is also going to be compatible with the WKO software for anyone who uses that. I find it very helpful in keeping a detailed training log / history.


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## cyclesport45

Question. Whats the power curve like? In English, how will my 120 pound, 15 mile an hour GF fare on the Revolution? Thinking about getting one, but only if it works for both of us...


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## zach.scofield

cyclesport45 said:


> Question. Whats the power curve like? In English, how will my 120 pound, 15 mile an hour GF fare on the Revolution? Thinking about getting one, but only if it works for both of us...


Its easily the smoothest, nicest riding trainer I've ridden. I find Im in close to the identical gearing I would ride in outside. You make it as difficult as you want. Its very progressive, just like the road. I cant think of any reason why your GF wouldn't find the trainer enjoyable.


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## Alaska Mike

zach.scofield said:


> Its easily the smoothest, nicest riding trainer I've ridden. I find Im in close to the identical gearing I would ride in outside. You make it as difficult as you want. Its very progressive, just like the road. I cant think of any reason why your GF wouldn't find the trainer enjoyable.


I agree. The flywheel contributes a significant amount to the overall feel of the trainer, and like Zach I'm pretty much at the same gearing as I am on the road for a given effort.

I have the LeMond computer on order now (ship at the end of February). Didn't want to spend the extra money, but hopefully it's a robust enough system that I can get some meaningful training data from to send to my coach. I really don't care if the "power meter" function is dead-on accurate, as long as it's a steady standard I can use to measure performance. I could be measuring power in Belgian Waffles, and I wouldn't care as long as it was consistant.


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## zach.scofield

Alaska Mike said:


> I agree. The flywheel contributes a significant amount to the overall feel of the trainer, and like Zach I'm pretty much at the same gearing as I am on the road for a given effort.
> 
> I have the LeMond computer on order now (ship at the end of February). Didn't want to spend the extra money, but hopefully it's a robust enough system that I can get some meaningful training data from to send to my coach. I really don't care if the "power meter" function is dead-on accurate, as long as it's a steady standard I can use to measure performance. I could be measuring power in Belgian Waffles, and I wouldn't care as long as it was consistant.



Same. Put my request in for the power pilot this past week.


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## mtbiker4ever

I also have and I really like it... I have try many others but this one is the one that feel the best, It feels just like if you are riding in the road..... the downside it is NOISY and I have to adjust the gears everytime I use it. but I don't mind doing i t..... .... with my mp3 n it, i can barely hear it..


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## cyclesport45

I bought one, off of Ebay (twohubs00). The pricing there is $50 to $75 less than the Lemond website. Put it together, and jumped on for 5 minutes.

1. It feels more "real" than any other trainer I've tried. And I've been on many because I hate trainers, keep looking for one that's bearable.

2. It feels like riding! Really! Aside from the unchanging living room scenery....

3. It only gets loud when hammering very fast. Cruising is not bad.

Speaking of fast; short of buying the zillion dollar computer, how would one tell how fast and how far I'm going, here in my living room??


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## Alaska Mike

Yeah, I was wondering when they were going to show up on eBay. I got mine for $50 off, with free shipping from LeMond, so I can't complain- especially since my shipping was going to be a good-sized chunk.

I tried to figure out an elegant way to attach a sensor for my Garmin to the flywheel, but in the end just decided to bite the bullet and buy the LeMond computer. It wouldn't be impossible to pull off and keep the cadence and speed sensor, but in the end I just figured it wasn't worth it.


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## wr7r

I recently purchased the revolution. I would like to give one piece of advise to those who use the Revolution with Campy components, don't over tighten the nut holding the hub. If you do, you will not get the full benefit of having this trainer. Since figuring this out, I have enjoyed using this trainer.


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## ejr13

wr7r

How's the chainline? Do you have to do any trimming when going from your rear wheel to the cog on the trainer? Any other Campy owners let me know please.


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## wr7r

The chainline is good. I don't have to do any trimming when I move from the rear wheel to the trainer. I was afraid this was not going to be the case, where I would have to do some adjustin, but I have not had to. 

When I purchased my trainer, I was informed that Lemond was going to send me a different spacer for the trainer due to some difference with the Campy adaptor. This all goes back to the nut holding the hub to the trainer. If you over tighten the nut, and you stop pedaling, the chain will keep moving forward becasue the hub will not stop spinning; however, if you tighten the nut just a little, the hub will stop and so will the chain. This is an easy problem to fix, but it was a pain to figure out.


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## ejr13

> I don't have to do any trimming when I move from the rear wheel to the trainer.


Good to hear. It was the only thing holding me back from seriously considering the LeMond.
Thanks for you response.


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## Cipher

I've been using a LeMond Revolution trainer for about 2 months (I talked my wife into letting me get one as a Christmas gift) and finely decide to post some thoughts. Here in Minnesota (at least for me) outdoor training during the winter months is not an option. For the last 15 years or so I have used various makes and models of indoor trainers, each with their own strengths and weaknesses. My experience with the Revolution has been overwhelmingly positive with the only drawback being the noise factor which I don't find as big an issue as others have made it out to be. Before I purchased this trainer, I did spend a lot of time shopping at the various bike shops in the area and had the opportunity to bring home and demo 5 of the currently manufactured (high end) models on the market. The Revolution so far has turned out to be the right choice for me, and if I had to repeat the process, I would have arrived at the same choice.


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## Alaska Mike

As far as the noise went, I just added a couple studio monitors to my DVD player's audio outputs and all was good. My little 12" TV wasn't really all that loud to start off with. The only time it gets even remotely loud is when I'm doing V02 max intervals, and in moments like those I really could care less.

I'm hoping my Power Pilot shows up soon, as I'd like to put it to use before my trainer season ends. Last year I was on the road before the end of March, and I'm likely going to push that a bit more this year. I expect to be fully on the road by mid-April, at which point the LeMond will be used exclusively for race warmups until next winter.

As much as I like this trainer, I am really looking forward to not using it regularly for a while.


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## Cut.Aussie

I have a Lemond trainer on order here in Australia which is supposed to arrive in about 2 weeks time having test ridden my new Look 566 on one in my LBS, I was really impressed with the realistic feel compared to my mag trainer which I basically hate.

Now, like many I have a Garmin Edge 500 on my bike with the combined Speed/Cadence sensor on the left hand side chainstay but obviously without the mack wheel and magnet speed is going to stop working.

From what I have read, there is a magnet already installed in the belt pulley by Lemond but has anyone used this with another ant+ sensor to get speed data to the Garmin? While the Garmin ignore the now non functioning speed part of the GSC10?

Thoughts anyone? The Lemond computer is just not an option at this time due to high cost.


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## Alaska Mike

After dropping the cash for the LeMond computer, to be honest I wish I hadn't.
The computer itself isn't all that refined for training purposes, and provides little in the way of data I couldn't get through my Garmin. I could download the data into Training Peaks, but the conversion isn't all that great either and doesn't really work well for me. It adds another sensor on the chainstay of my training bike, but otherwise it isn't all that much of an issue day to day.

With a little research and work, I probably could have found another ANT+ magnet and fabricated a mount next to the flywheel. May still do that.

I still like the trainer itself, even though my use of it lately has been limited to race warmups. I just wish they had've gone with ANT+ compatibility in the first place.


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## Cut.Aussie

Thanks for your experience Alaska Mike, it's really hard to understand why they didn't make it work like a normal ant+ device, at least as far as wheel speed goes so that it could feed devices people already own like Garmins, Polars etc.


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## Alaska Mike

Cut.Aussie said:


> Thanks for your experience Alaska Mike, it's really hard to understand why they didn't make it work like a normal ant+ device, at least as far as wheel speed goes so that it could feed devices people already own like Garmins, Polars etc.


Best guess? Money. They had the computer at least mostly done with their stationary bikes, so it was just a question of putting the sensor package together. Then they could charge $350 instead of doing the extra compatibility work and only being able to charge $50-$100. Ther're not being greedy, just maximizing the potential of what they've already developed. 

Hopefully one day they will expand into ANT+ capability. Until then, your only options are the LeMond computer or modifying an existing sensor.


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