My Turbo Trainer is borked

[Wascally Weasel]

I have a Tacx Fortius trainer which seems to have died on me – from the symptoms I think it’s the USB interface which is stuffing up but I’ll check it out tonight (just found out from the Tacx site that they have diagnostic tools I can download).

What seems to be happening is that after a short period of cycling, no data is getting to the computer and I can’t change any settings on the USB interface (won’t even let me stop riding).

As far as the computer is concerned I keep on riding at whatever pace I was going at when the data dropped out.  I don’t think that it’s software based but I will do a reinstall anyway.  I’ve also checked and replaced all the cabling and connections.

I’m having problems sourcing a replacement USB interface (I have Condor & Evans on the case but no response yet).

So has anyone upgraded their Fortius to the Multiplayer version and have an old Fortius USB interface they want to sell?

[valkyrie]

Tacx make the most unreliable software that I've ever had to use for anything. It's very annoying as I really like my iMagic when it works. I'm a data fiend and I find it hard to motivate myself on a turbo without looking at a readout of watts/BPM/whatever. I've reinstalled my software several times, on a PC which has no other applications installed. It still periodically refuses to admit that it's connected to the trainer. Even when working well I need to unplug the USB cable and plug it in again before I launch the Tacx software.

Persevere with what you've got - it's probably a software glitch.

[Wascally Weasel]

Tacx make the most unreliable software that I've ever had to use for anything. It's very annoying as I really like my iMagic when it works. I'm a data fiend and I find it hard to motivate myself on a turbo without looking at a readout of watts/BPM/whatever. I've reinstalled my software several times, on a PC which has no other applications installed. It still periodically refuses to admit that it's connected to the trainer. Even when working well I need to unplug the USB cable and plug it in again before I launch the Tacx software.

Persevere with what you've got - it's probably a software glitch.

Yes, I'll try the reinstall first (hopefully it will not need me to reinstall the four real life DVDs).

[David Martin]

Tacx make the most unreliable software that I've ever had to use for anything. It's very annoying as I really like my iMagic when it works. I'm a data fiend and I find it hard to motivate myself on a turbo without looking at a readout of watts/BPM/whatever. I've reinstalled my software several times, on a PC which has no other applications installed. It still periodically refuses to admit that it's connected to the trainer. Even when working well I need to unplug the USB cable and plug it in again before I launch the Tacx software.

Persevere with what you've got - it's probably a software glitch.

Yes, I'll try the reinstall first (hopefully it will not need me to reinstall the four real life DVDs).

Try going into the device manager and uninstalling the taxc USB device. Then plug it back in /scan for new hardware and it should reinstall and work just fine.

..d

[rogerzilla]

As far as the computer is concerned I keep on riding at whatever pace I was going at when the data dropped out. 

That sounds like a big win to me.  You can dismount, have a cup of tea and surf yACF and *still* get those hard 25 miles in 

[Wascally Weasel]

As far as the computer is concerned I keep on riding at whatever pace I was going at when the data dropped out. 

That sounds like a big win to me.  You can dismount, have a cup of tea and surf yACF and *still* get those hard 25 miles in 

That did occur to me but I think Ms Weasel would suss the skive when I hit the 18 stone mark.

[rae]

Hmmm.   I appear to have the aberration - my Tacx is about the most reliable USB device I own....

[rogerzilla]

USB?  My TACX trainer has a flywheel and a plastic fan...

[Greenbank]

USB?  My TACX trainer has a flywheel and a plastic fan...

The TACX Fortius Multiplayer costs 50% more than I paid for my Colnago.

[Polar Bear]

My i-Magic, bought Christmas 2005 has been totally reliable.   It might help that I have a dedicated pc set up for it and nothing else uses that machine.

It has Version 1.28 Fortieus software installed.   I gather I can update this but what would I gain as it works well as it is?

I hope I haven't just jinxed it. 

[Wascally Weasel]

My i-Magic, bought Christmas 2005 has been totally reliable.   It might help that I have a dedicated pc set up for it and nothing else uses that machine.

It has Version 1.28 Fortieus software installed.   I gather I can update this but what would I gain as it works well as it is?

I hope I haven't just jinxed it. 

I had no problems for at least the first eighteen months (apart from some inital setup problems).  It started hanging a bit every now and then moved on to the problem described at the top of th thread, which it continued to do every time I tried to use the trainer.

This seems to have been fixed by a reinstall and updating the software to version 2.02.  I've also changed some settings in ffdshow (which shouldn't have anything to do with it) after noting a thread on the same problem as mine on the tacx forum.

I have no idea which of these fixed the problem but I haven't had a repeat since.

[annie]

I have an i-magic, it sits in the garage, now replaced by a Real Axiom Elite.  Would you like me to send you the usb interface thingie? 

[peliroja]

I have a CycleOps Fluid which is great.

Here's a question which puzzles me - what is the tangible difference between my £140 trainer (feels very natural indeed) and PB's £600 i-Magic or Annie's £560 Axiom? Is it the software?

[Wascally Weasel]

I have an i-magic, it sits in the garage, now replaced by a Real Axiom Elite.  Would you like me to send you the usb interface thingie? 

No but thanks - I think it's ok now.

[Wascally Weasel]

I have a CycleOps Fluid which is great.

Here's a question which puzzles me - what is the tangible difference between my £140 trainer (feels very natural indeed) and PB's £600 i-Magic or Annie's £560 Axiom? Is it the software?

It's a mixture of software and the ability to simulate gradient quite well (Tacx's claim) - I really like the Fortius real life video function and this is what I mainly use when training - it was really very odd when I first rode up Alpe d'Huez earlier this year, as I had ridden up it many times in 'simulation'.  FWIW the gearing needed was very accurate when compared with real life and the trainer (and I've been able to compare simulated versions of Galibier and Peyresourde with riding the real thing).

I'm sure no one *needs* any of that crap but it helps motivate me to train and makes it a bit less dull.

[Polar Bear]

I have a CycleOps Fluid which is great.

Here's a question which puzzles me - what is the tangible difference between my £140 trainer (feels very natural indeed) and PB's £600 i-Magic or Annie's £560 Axiom? Is it the software?

Firstly, I only paid £350 for it in late 2005.  Oh, and it does crash very occasionaly.  When I have some time over Christmas maybe I'll link my pc up to the interweb and do a software update.

What I like about it is that being interactive I'm staring at me and other 'virtual' cyclists around me as I train.   It increases resistance for gradient so makes you put varying effort in.   

As I've been using it for a while it also has my efforts as virtual me in there so I can effectively race five of myself each time I do a different course.   I pick my five best times and try like sh1t to beat myself again.  I can't always do it (unfortunately  )but it's one hell of a workout   

I've tried a stand alone TT but I just got bored very very quickly and didn't have anything to encourage me to put effort in.  With an i-Magic I do.