Submitted by
gordo
a Weekend Warrior
from Vancouver, BC, Canada
Date Reviewed: December 13, 2011
Strengths: Keeps me motivated, wide variety of rides to choose from. The real life video's are fantastic.
Weaknesses: If you don't have the power to maintain a speed of greater than 15 Km/hr on a climb grades over 10% get a little choppy.
Bottom Line:
I was leery after reading many bad reviews about software/hardware problems with the Tacx fortius. They seem to have many of the problems worked out with the latest version software (3.6). I do have a descent computer that I'm running it on (windows 7 is recommended) The desire to keep training over the winter out weighted the possible problems. It keeps me on the bike for hours at a time without the boredom associated with standard trainers.
Strengths: Durable frame, really stable, videos are a good distraction when they work, virtual reality is fun when it works.
Weaknesses: It absolutely will NOT work reliably!!! You truly have to be more of a computer tech then a cyclist to make this work (or you will be by the time you get it working). Customer service is non existent. The bug fixes don't help and suspiciously there is a new update every 6 weeks or so...
Bottom Line:
I'm so feed up with this thing after 2 years of monkeying around with that I really don't even want to take the time to write this review. But, I am morally obligated to make certain that no other cyclist fall into this terribly disappointing and expensive trap. I've done every upgrade and paid for the 3.0 bug fix. But still no reliable trainer. Don't get me wrong. It does work for a little while and it is fun when it does. I've even done a few 4 hour rides on it. The bottom line though is that every negative comment in the other reviews is pretty much right on. I have experienced them all. What Tacx is trying to do would be a great step forward for home training but realistically it is probably 5 years away. So, to recap, read all of the other reviews, read the forums, and under no circumstances should you buy this product. And yes, I know it's painted a really cool and tempting shade of Euro blue.
Just tried my new Tacx Fortius VR Trainer. What a disappointment. I'd assumed since it used the same method of resistance it would be as smooth as the CompuTrainer. It isn't. It feels cheap and rough.
My recommendation: try the Computrainer before you purchase the Tacx.
Live and learn.
Strengths: Immersive, interesting, the real life videos are fun and excellent quality. The interface is reasonably good. You get to coast down hills, which is fun but pointless from a training point of view.
Weaknesses: Reliability. These things are notorious for being probmematic. Tacx product support, at least in the US, is non-existant. The distributors and dealers don't really know anything about them, technically speaking. They are known to have problems with locking up beyond 450 to 500 watts, can be fussy to set up, resistance motors are prone to failure, cadence sensors are prone to failure, software updates almost always add as many problems and they fix. I ended up getting rid of mine after 3 months of exchanging parts and not doing a lot of training.
Bottom Line:
If you are serious about training spend a bit more and get a computrainer. It will last for years, it's a better training tool, if you have a problem and ask a question on the forum, you will likely get an answer from someone at Racermate (Computrainer) and they don't lock up if you push hard.
If you are not a serious cyclist and don't put out a lot of wattage then it is pretty cool, provided you get one that works.
Submitted by
s-worksalot
a Cross Country Rider
from Canada
Date Reviewed: February 13, 2011
Strengths: If you can get it working properly, it does releive the bordom fo trainers. Very big IF you can get it workiing!!
Weaknesses: Unless you are a computer expert, it is virtually impossible to have this product work as advertised. At best I would describe it as a early stage beta version. It is full of bugs and the support is non-existent.
Bottom Line:
Do not waste your money, unless you would rather spend more time working out the bugs, than riding your trainer.
I have been on their forum a lot and no one can just load it as is out of the box and ride...you will need to spend hours and hours reloading and updating and trying to trick your computer into letting this junk work.
Submitted by
hugebee
a Racer
from Finleyville, PA., USA
Date Reviewed: December 23, 2010
Strengths: Frame and hardware stand up to a beating.
Weaknesses: The program to run it stinks. You'ld be well served to go read the forums but be prepared for a shock. It will take weeks to get through all the complaints that have been written there. The TTS 1,2,&3 all seem to share most of the same issues. Each time Tacx decides to rewrite the software they have the gull to charge more money for it. There seems to be alot of suckers buying too. I only purchased version 2 and decided not to buy anything else from this company again after trying to get help from their technical support. There are some people on the forums really pushing this thing, I don't understand what their motivation is, but bottom line this trainer does not work as stated and extreme caution should be used before you decide to buy.
Bottom Line:
Be prepared for a huge dissapointment if you buy this trainer. It's a nice concept but that is as far as it goes. You will most likely end up spending all your time for training trying to actually get it working and therefore have no time left to actually train.Also, hardly anyone is actually using the multiplayer feature. I would guess it's because they can't get it to work. So there again you are paying for something you won't be able to get working.
Strengths: The hardware seems robust. At least it works as it should. Brake unit can provide a good deal of resistance, and it can be controlled pretty easily.
Weaknesses: The software is a joke. It is not just crappy, as the software that comes bundled with your laptop. It redefines instability. Worse yet, you are made to pay for the upgrades that supposedly fix the BUGS of the previous releases. This is daylight robbery, as the new software does not work much better. Read TacX forums and stay clear for another few years.
The braking unit is pretty loud at high speeds - compared to other trainers.
Bottom Line:
The ergotrainer is about VR and PC integration. If you want just the trainer, you can get a perfectly good one for less than half the price. In fact, you can get a very decent one, which will last a decade, for as low as $200. Unfortunately, it is the VR and PC software that TacX simply cant do right, and it has been so for the last 2 years or so.
The software is as bad as it ever gets, or in fact worse - I do not recall a single production application that would suck that much, that consistently, an in that many a ways. It freezes, it acts randomly, it can refuse to save your ride parameters if you ride for too long (!), you name it, and chances are the thing can fail at it. Annoyingly, it still does not support Windows 7 64 bit editions, or at least not fully. Just do yourself a big favor and check Tacx's own support forums before you even consider buying a Fortius, Bushido or I-Magic. If this is the PC integration and data analysis that you are after, look elswhere.
Worse yet, the software 'upgrades' (hard to call it 'fixes', as with every fix they introduce something else is broken) are actually expensive. Yes, you don't get the 'fixes' for free. They run for something close to EUR 100, which is astonishing considering how buggy the original versions were. They sell you a defect product, and they charge you for a fix (which does not fix it, btw). If this is not a robbery, I dont know what is.
On a plus side, the hardware itself is reliable and works as it should. My previous TacX trainer worked well for 6 years, with no performance deterioration. It was a simple unit with magnetic resistance and I was stupid enough to buy into this VR training stuff. As some other reviewer wrote here, it will be a cold day in hell before I spend anything on TacX. They should fix the software and offer it for free for everyone who had to endure they faulty products in the last 2 years. And then apologize, and apologize more.
Again, check the support forums before considering purchase. Do yourself a favor.
Similar Products Used: Some previous TacX trainer, don't remember the name. Simpler and cheaper, and withstood 6 years of fairly regular riding.
Bike Setup: Cannondale w/ XTR, Industry Nine wheels
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
aruba
a Cross Country Rider
from Ottawa, Canada
Date Reviewed: July 28, 2010
Strengths: Good construction quality. When it works, you get a good workout .
Weaknesses: The software is horrendous bad from a user interface point of view. As someone in the software development business, I cannot believe how bad this is, it barely qualifies as a beta product, more like alpha. It is not intuitive, it has logic loops, and some of it just plain does not work. Also, the english translations are weak, compounding the negative user experience.
Glitchy, glitchy, glitchy. This is basically an unfinished software product, so at times it just explodes for no reason.
Do not buy this product unless you are relativley computer savy (and you will still be annoyed even if you are). Read the Fortius forums to get a sense of how bad it is.
Heart monitor sensitivity is weak - you practically have to be lying on it to get regular readings.
Bottom Line:
It could be a really good product - but it is not.
The actual trainer hardware is robust and well manufactured. I have not had any of the motor/brake problems that you read about, so my expereince with the trainer itself is positive.
The software, which is the primary selling feature of this product, SUCKS. Oh yeah, the other thing they don't tell you is it only runs on XP and there is no clear plan for an upgrade to run on Windows 7.
As "sexy" as this product might seem, do not buy it until Tacx has sorted their crap out. Quite frankly, given the way this company has behaved, it'll be a cold day in hell before I ever buy another product from them.
Submitted by
mofoki
a Racer
from Pittsburgh,Pennsylvania,USA
Date Reviewed: June 29, 2010
Strengths: Possibilities exist to get a challenging workout. Provides the data most serious cyclists would want to monitor progress.
Weaknesses: Does not install easily. You take the trainer home, get it assembled and think you're going to ride but the software has glitches. So you need to work with support from a company on the other side of the planet and people that don't speak English well. Answers usually don't make sense. There is a Forum on the internet but it gets even more confusing from there because the recommendations always led to you becoming a computer whiz and doing things that can harm your expensive computer. By the way, having a expensive powerful computer doesn't change or improve the performance of the software. The TTS program is flawed, Tacx has admitted to this and is in the process of a re-write ( Version 3 ).
Bottom Line:
Stay away, or if you think you must have it, do your homework. Make sure you are computer literate. You must have alot of patience. Read the forums so you know what you're getting yourself in for.
That said, Tacx customer service stinks. There is no refund and Tacx does not make good ( without additional costs) on flawed products. For example, TTS2 is flawed to the point where it will stop working. Tacx is not going to help by offerring version 3 as a replacemment, unless you pay more. Tacx is sneaky about hardware and warranty issues. Unless you stay informed on the forums you can miss an opportunity to get a replacement, lets say motor for instance.
I said I used this product for 2 years. That is the Fortius software which is no longer offered. Now there is TTS and I've only had it 6 months. It has had troubles since day one. I finally got tired of the program's issues and failiars and removed it form my computer. I only use the old Fortius program, like so many others have done.
Similar Products Used: The I-magic virtual reality trainer. I used this trainer for a little more than 4 years with little problems.
Bike Setup: Eddy Merckx Race, Mix of Campy components.
Overall Rating:
Value Rating:
Submitted by
JD73
a Cross Country Rider
from Canada.
Date Reviewed: December 10, 2008
Strengths: Great trainer for keeping in shape during the off season.
The real life videos shot in HD are awesome. Sometimes you forget you are inside.
Multiplayer feature allows for some great racing against people from around the world.
Weaknesses: Steering is a little sensitive but not bad once you get used to it.
Bottom Line:
This trainer provides you with an intense workout while keeping you entertained.
Submitted by
DL Drafting
a Cross Country Rider
from Sedalia, MO, USA
Date Reviewed: September 19, 2008
Strengths: Excellent workout and as close to real life as you can get on a trainer. Great hill simulation right up to 10 percent grades. Quality construction, if suspect software and electronics.
Weaknesses: Reliability. Twice, on two different Fortius that I own, the power supply has failed rendering the motorbrake and the entire system useless. Software seems glitchy and buggy. Won't really do 20 percent grades as advertised, and whew, who wants to.
Bottom Line:
I am currently looking for a third Fortius, so that perhaps I can have one in service at any given time. The service turnaround time is horrendous. I bought the first Fortius from Lickton Bike in early August. It arrived and I put it into service on Aug. 17. From Aug. 17-Aug. 29 when the power supply failed, I had logged about 700 miles. So, I have owned that particular Fortius for about 6 weeks and was able to use it for 12 days. Tacx and Licktons keep saying they will ship the warranty part, but I have seen nothing as of Sept. 19, 2008. The second Fortius Multiplayer I purchased from Modern Bike on Sept. 5 was delivered on Sept. 9 and put into service that day. 240 miles later, on Sept. 15, it quit working. Tacx stateside service center says again it was a power supply failure, and they promised to send a replacement unit out direct to me. I'm still waiting. Now I have two machines dead in the water. Would really like to see better service and reliability before I can recommend this otherwise excellent product, ergo the low value ratings. I guess I feel like an XKE owner from the 70s: Great car, but you have to be married to your mechanic.
