Tacx Flow Trainer

Comments

• LancsRider Posts: 205

  August 2011

  I don't have a Tacx Flow but have looked on the internet at its features so I can try and offer some advice.
  
  Some years ago I bought a Tack I-Magic/Fortius that was then the all singing and dancing trainer complete with virual reality course and dvd's to ride along with. This has improved a little into its current reincarnation and is still an expensive option far more than the flow. At first the novelty of my trainer was very high but as my training has become more serious I am finding that my focus has become tight and that constructing my own very specific interval sessions has become the most important feature, used more than climbing alpine peaks off a dvd. Because of the technology and what I am used to I do like to see the intervals pass before my eyes on the screen and be able to have recorded data to compare sessions.
  
  With a pad and pen it would be possible for me to design the sessions on paper and simply have them in front of the bike, hitting the targets on the handlebar mounted readout. At the end of the sessions logging the information in a note book.
  
  The best advice I can give is if you have not done so buy and read 'Training and Racing with a Power Meter' by Hunter Allen and Andrew Coggan. The text is aimed at having a power meter on your bike, I do not yet, however it is excellent information and will guide you to how to achieve the results you may be after. These results can be achieved indoors and I suspect on equipment such as a Tack Flow. What I think the book will do is clarify how you want to train and as a consequence what tools you need / can afford to get the results you are after.
  
  At the end of the day training indoors at the right intensity to achieve results is not an easy proposition. Having the right kit, or at least the best you can afford makes sense when you are working this hard. Don't make the mistake of buying something like a Flow and feeling a little way down the line it is not the right tool for the job. As much of this is about psychological stimulus to get through hard workouts as it is about equipment. Some old school cyclists would say 'bang it in a high gear and do hill intervals', others like myself prefare to take a very analytical apporach to thier training and need lots of data to see imporvements. At the end of the day it still requires a big effort on the bike at times indoors and at times out on the road.

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