Computrainer going under

[goodboyr]

Bets on when SRM does the same........

https://tomdemerly.com/2017/02/28/report-indicates-computrainer-going-out-of-business/

[BdaGhisallo]

Bets on when SRM does the same........

https://tomdemerly.com/2017/02/28/report-indicates-computrainer-going-out-of-business/

I think SRM has a lot of life left in them yet.

[goodboyr]

Aha....looks like I have a person to bet with! My bet is within the next two years.......

[BdaGhisallo]

What leads you to think they'll be gone inside of two years. Computrainer was a twenty year old product that the company seemingly didn't want to put any effort into upgrading and modernizing. SRM does do that and is still competitive at the top end of the market. They have reduced their pricing recently to mirror some of its competitors and has a plethora of product options to suit different needs, something Computrainer didn't have.

[goodboyr]

I don't share that opinion....of course. I don't think there's been much of an upgrade to SRM products over the years, and they are definitely behind compared to others (Bluetooth, user replaceable batteries, price even after their reductions)....
And don't get me started on all of their false start announcements on products and features that never come to market...
But let's not get into an SRM debate....that's OT and it's been done to death. Just put your money where your mouth is.......

[GonaSovereign]

Computrainer was ahead of its time, but I can't get the NES connection out of my head.

SRM won't be the first to go. They seem to have the resources to stay on top of the sponsorship game, and that is valuable. I agree the supporting tech needs to improve in many ways, but the power meter itself is the best. If they pay off the tech promises, they'll be fine.

...If they don't, I'll deal with a lesser Stages performance so that I can Bluetooth synch from Garmin 520 to the Garmin app on my phone, which connects via API to to TrainingPeaks. No effort, no cables.

[Calnago]

I don't use the SRM head units, I actually prefer the Garmin 1000... the garmin is set up for my wireless network at home, and uses ANT+ to communicate with the powermeter while riding. When I get home it uploads wirelessly to Garmin Connect and Training Peaks before I even turn it off. The whole unit is supersealed, and ultra clean looking. As far as the Campagnolo version goes, I think it's by far the best looking unit available and I've never had a single issue reliability wise, in crap weather or whatever, cold or hot. The battery, while not rechargeable, has a 1900hr lifespan. I've highlighted just how long that is before, but to recap... at an average speed of say 15mph, you're looking at over 28,000 miles (~46,000km). I don't know how many miles a year everyone rides, but for me sending it in for a new battery and calibration once every several years is a small tradeoff for the ultra reliability and proven quality this thing has provided over time. I've never experienced water ingress anywhere at any time, since there are no battery or other "doors" for it to get in, and it's just a super rock solid piece of kit. The price is high for sure, and the lower priced units out there have made power a lot more readily available to everyone, which is good. But no matter what genre of kit you're looking at, be it a groupset, a wheelset or whatever, there will always be the highest priced piece of kit, and the lowest priced piece of kit. It's up to the individual to pick the price point and feature set that's appropriate for them. The market will play out as it will. I suspect SRM will be around for awhile. Plus, they have other markets than just cycling. And who knows... maybe the market will in fact dictate that they lower their price to stay in it, I don't know. Time will tell.

As for Computrainer, I kind of agree with the other poster who said they were ahead of their time. I only know one guy who ever had one, years ago. Pretty elaborate setup at that time, but I'm not sure what they've done for anyone lately. Sounds like not much. And so it goes.