# Tacx Fortius Users are you happy??



## Apothe (Apr 17, 2007)

I wanted to see if there are any Tacx Fortius owners who could give a update regarding this particular trainer. I see alot of info out on the internet and much of it is complaints from 2005-2006 time frame. Are there any recent owners who have a opinion? Specifically:
1.) Hardware Reliability (past owners talked of mechanical brake failing)

2.) Software issues/USB problems?

3.) Overall ease in using the Virtual Reality software.

4.) Does anyone know if it is possible to build or create your own courses from GPS or TOPO? (I have read contradictory reports.)

5.) Have you had to use the Tacx support?

I would like to purchase a VR trainer and this one seems like it could be a great one if all of the bugs would get worked out.
Thanks!


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## chuckice (Aug 25, 2004)

Apothe said:


> I wanted to see if there are any Tacx Fortius owners who could give a update regarding this particular trainer. I see alot of info out on the internet and much of it is complaints from 2005-2006 time frame. Are there any recent owners who have a opinion? Specifically:
> 1.) Hardware Reliability (past owners talked of mechanical brake failing)
> 
> 2.) Software issues/USB problems?
> ...


Mine has been fantastic...in heavy use for about 18 months.
1) Hardware - Not a problem.
2) Software/USB - No problems however I've seen many folks report issues due to hardware incompatibility. It's wise to follow their requirements for hardware to the letter.
3) VR - works great but I use the real-life videos MUCH more often.
4) GPS - yes, absolutely. I loaded a track log from a bike ride and converted to their format no problem...took a while to figure out how to get it all going but once I did it was very easy. Now it just shows up in the Catalyst as another course to be run...shows course profile as you ride.
5) Support - I just use the Tacx forums when needed...there's a few guys on there that know their stuff very well.


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## shawndoggy (Feb 3, 2004)

Apothe said:


> I would like to purchase a VR trainer and this one seems like it could be a great one if all of the bugs would get worked out.


They are reportedly not too accurate with respect to power measurement. I have not ridden one so can't testify personally. I did however have the prior tacx vr tech (imagic) and learned once I got a powertap that it too was horribly inaccurate with respect to power measurement.

Also tacx is overseas... a long way to send the trainer for warranty work.

Rather than spending $1200 on a fortius, if I were considering a VR trainer again (I'm not!) I'd pony up for a computrainer for a few hundred more. U.S. support, years of experience, does work with topo, etc. Plus you can download the files into cyclingpeaks to get a handle on your training load.

Personally I found the VR to be hella boring and would much rather watch a movie or tv on the trainer. So my real recommendation would be to get a nice trainer like a kurt kinetic or 1up and spend the rest of your $$$ on a powertap.


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## chuckice (Aug 25, 2004)

shawndoggy said:


> They are reportedly not too accurate with respect to power measurement. I have not ridden one so can't testify personally. I did however have the prior tacx vr tech (imagic) and learned once I got a powertap that it too was horribly inaccurate with respect to power measurement.
> 
> Also tacx is overseas... a long way to send the trainer for warranty work.
> 
> ...


Definitely not true at all on the power measurements for the Fortius (no idea about the iMagic). In addition, the real-life videos (not VR) put them way ahead of most other competition for me. In addition, you can export your Fortius data to cyclingpeaks no problem.


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## shawndoggy (Feb 3, 2004)

chuckice said:


> Definitely not true at all on the power measurements


What PM have you used to verify?

I'm not making it up, just reporting what I've read on the wattage list. Search http://groups.google.com/group/wattage to verify for yourself.


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## chuckice (Aug 25, 2004)

shawndoggy said:


> What PM have you used to verify?
> 
> I'm not making it up, just reporting what I've read on the wattage list. Search http://groups.google.com/group/wattage to verify for yourself.


Personally, only second hand...three of my friends with a Fortius also have a Powertap and recorded our biking around the TdF two years ago (they did again last year without me). All the numbers up Alpe d'Huez, Pla d'Adet, Galibier and Ventoux are extremely accurate when overlaid on the Fortus RLV's of the same routes. I think the key is you have to get the weight accurate (rider PLUS bike) and calibrate the Fortius (not a hard process at all...3 mins) and once you do that it should be good to go. Supposedly the iMagic is similar in accuracy but I have no first/second hand experience there. If you go to the Tacx Fortius forums there are quite a few posts of people doing similar power overlays on actual road routes with similar experiences/results.

I don't think you can go wrong with either personally but was just pointing out that the power is accurate and you can certainly export to cyclingpeaks along with GPS route creation. The RLV's make the trainer a much more interesting experience for me over just VR riding.


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## shawndoggy (Feb 3, 2004)

chuckice said:


> Supposedly the iMagic is similar in accuracy but I have no first/second hand experience there.


I do have first hand experience with imagic and accuracy was awful. I used catalyst to build workouts. Some days I'd have the perception that a workout was easier or harder, and once I got the powertap, I saw why. Running the exact same program from day to day would result in actual wattage requirements that varied as much as 60 watts (i.e. programmed to hit 280, and one day I'd get 250 and the next I'd get 310). 

Which was really a bummer because if the software actually worked it was pretty cool to be able to build workouts. Then I could just throw my leg over the toptube and go without thinking about it. And the reports it generated were pretty neat too.

I also have some experience with computrainers and a powertap. A local fitness guru uses them to do spin-type classes with the participants' own bikes. I've gone about 15 times, randomly using one of eight different units. Each was accurate within a much closer range (approximately 10 watts).


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## chuckice (Aug 25, 2004)

Probably a calibration issue...could also be psi in the tire. Run the calibration, check psi and correct rider weight = zero Fortius problems.

The Computrainer VR rides were pretty boring for me...same for the Fortius. I've found riding the real-life vids like Alpe d'Huez, Ventoux, etc. on a large/projection TV is much more interesting/motivating.


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## 1speed_Mike (Feb 16, 2004)

shawndoggy said:


> Personally I found the VR to be hella boring and would much rather watch a movie or tv on the trainer. So my real recommendation would be to get a nice trainer like a kurt kinetic or 1up and spend the rest of your $$$ on a powertap.


This is where I'm leaning, too. Although, I'm going to be demo'ing the Fortius and Computrainer next week. But, I think, in the end, I'll get a PTSL wheel with a Kurt. That way, I can use the wheel beyond the indoor training season and I can also use the Kurt at races for warm-ups, etc. So, right now, I'm scouring for deals on the Kurt and PTSL.

A buddy of mine has an older I-Magic and he still loves it. He highly recommends it! A few other guys I know have lots of use on the Computrainer and swear by it.


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## TylerDurden (Jan 28, 2006)

I got a fortius about a week and a half ago. I haven't gotten the VR to work (haven't tried that much) but the real life videos work and that's really what I was buying it for. There were a few installation headaches (why did i get a laptop with vista again?), but as long as the videos work i'm all set for now. The power may not be accurate at first, but I've read of people using the scale factor thing to get it reasonably close to what their power meter says. 

As far as riding the thing goes, nothing I've tried compares. Riding a normal trainer makes time go by like you're holding your breath. I've had rollers for a couple years (and gotten damn good at them) but going over the 1.5 and 2 hour marks needed some serious motivation sometimes. With this, time is flying by and I'm drilling it up a mountain. Very engaging and capable of giving great trainig rides. Recovery rides are still boring unfortunately, but they are outside too.

I initially had a hangup getting the computer to recognize the fortius unit, and still haven't heard back from tacx's joke of a Q/A email support system. However tacx does have a forum setup with a solid amount of users, many of them tacx employees which solved my problem. Well, one of them (stupid VR).


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## shawndoggy (Feb 3, 2004)

1speed_Mike said:


> That way, I can use the wheel beyond the indoor training season and I can also use the Kurt at races for warm-ups, etc.


Another good point -- if you use a trainer for prerace warmups, you'll need a second in addition to either a fortius or a CT -- they just don't lend themselves to setting up on the side of the road, given that they need 110v electricity (and I believe in the case of the fortius at least a computer too) to work.


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## empty-c (Aug 2, 2004)

How did you convert files over? Can you convert a Polar HRM to fortius format? How? Thanks!


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## paskyhawk (Apr 16, 2007)

*Fortius*

They have racing on the internet now, I’m using the free one month trial and plan to buy it after that (50 Euros). It has been a great as far as increasing my power output. The motorbrake is like the feel or really riding. I have the steering unit and it's a whole different world from a normal trainer. You get caught up in racing against and drafting other virtual riders (some of them being your previous rides). The Wattage seems accurate based on my Powertap usage. I use a UPS to protect the power supply and haven't had any problems. Never had any USB problems. I used an old computer that works fine, I upgraded the video card to get HD. I have tried using rollers and regular trainers but couldn’t stay motivated. With the Fortius I can’t wait to recover from my last ride so I can go again.

Rich


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## MRFIXALL4 (May 19, 2003)

I can't understand why there aren't more replies here. There has been a ton of complaints posted on the Tacx Forums and someone keeps deleting the ones that tell the truth about how poor the TTS Fortius program is. They claim the forums are "help" only forums. I would agree that one needs to find the forum to get help because those non-English speaking folks in the Netherlands aren't any help, in fact one would think they're retarded with the type of replies you get from them. The trainer is a cool concept and offers more features than one would actually use for training. I don't understand how you would train using the Google Earth views or the course profile displayed with the little cyclists pedaling up and down the slopes. The software has not been stable after two years of Tacx trying to get TTS program fixed so it would be my guess that there are alot of disgruntled owners that are happy the weather is changing so they can get out and train. I haven't been to unhappy with the trainer because I have the older original Fortius program which works pretty well but as for the accuracy one poster said it can change on a daily basis. I don't have a way to test that but I would say he is probably right because somedays I can beat my own rides and other days I can't. After more than five years of using my two Tacx VR trainers I am still motivated to get on it about four to five days a week but I will not be buying anymore videos because of the licensing, which Tacx has not been able to get working, and I would definately never buy the TTS program. So staying motivated in the years to come might get to be a problem with no new terrains or videos. It will most likely cost me $130 for the program to update to run any of the videos coming out now and $50 to $60 each video and right now it's just not working.


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## paskyhawk (Apr 16, 2007)

*tail of 2 Tacxes*

We have two Fortiuses also, Love the old software, not buying TTS till it works. I also ride online about 3-4 days a week.

Rich




MRFIXALL4 said:


> I can't understand why there aren't more replies here. There has been a ton of complaints posted on the Tacx Forums and someone keeps deleting the ones that tell the truth about how poor the TTS Fortius program is. They claim the forums are "help" only forums. I would agree that one needs to find the forum to get help because those non-English speaking folks in the Netherlands aren't any help, in fact one would think they're retarded with the type of replies you get from them. The trainer is a cool concept and offers more features than one would actually use for training. I don't understand how you would train using the Google Earth views or the course profile displayed with the little cyclists pedaling up and down the slopes. The software has not been stable after two years of Tacx trying to get TTS program fixed so it would be my guess that there are alot of disgruntled owners that are happy the weather is changing so they can get out and train. I haven't been to unhappy with the trainer because I have the older original Fortius program which works pretty well but as for the accuracy one poster said it can change on a daily basis. I don't have a way to test that but I would say he is probably right because somedays I can beat my own rides and other days I can't. After more than five years of using my two Tacx VR trainers I am still motivated to get on it about four to five days a week but I will not be buying anymore videos because of the licensing, which Tacx has not been able to get working, and I would definately never buy the TTS program. So staying motivated in the years to come might get to be a problem with no new terrains or videos. It will most likely cost me $130 for the program to update to run any of the videos coming out now and $50 to $60 each video and right now it's just not working.


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## Duane Gran (Feb 3, 2004)

I don't own one, but I did do my research and in the past year I purchased a CompuTrainer. I like many things about the product design of the Tacx but I kept finding tales of frustration from users of the system. I can assimilate a certain amount of this (nothing is perfect and bad reviews are available for everything) but the volume of people who have problems with the Tacx platform turned me off. 

I bought the CT in large part because my training time is constrained by work and family obligations and I saw myself spending time troubleshooting the Tacx if I bought it. No thank you -- I already do that sort of thing in my day job.

I'm eager to read a review of the Tacx from DCRainmaker. He wrote up a great review of the CT and I gather that he is testing the Fortius now. If I hazard a guess, his conclusion will be similar to others I've read: The Fortius is more fun and engaging, but the CT offers a more repeatable workout. Get the Fortius if you have a high entertainment need to get through the winter, but get the CT if you seriously train with power.

Regarding some suggestions to get a powertap and non-load bearing trainer, there is merit to this suggestion but don't overlook the benefits of the erg mode. It is one thing to do a 20 min interval and say you'll try to hold x watts, but it is entirely different when the machine holds the load steady and there is no where to hide from it. The erg mode for training is a cruel master but it builds fitness like nothing I've ever encountered before.


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## MRFIXALL4 (May 19, 2003)

paskyhawk said:


> We have two Fortiuses also, Love the old software, not buying TTS till it works. I also ride online about 3-4 days a week.
> 
> Rich


 Rich, if you're who I think you are I've rridden with you in the multiplayer several times. I wish there were more participants (English speaking) in or close to my time zone. Multiplayer is a great way to increase performance because some of you can really push. My license is good until June but my trainer is at my work now with no internet connection. I've been riding it but I'm not being pushed and like I said before even my own rides are not always enough to gage. It will be next Fall now before renew and try again to find people who want to regularly ride. Hope you are still around then.


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## chuckice (Aug 25, 2004)

TTS 1.x has been good, TTS 2.x was a nitemare...TTS 3.x is sitting on my desk, I'm scared of it.


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