Elite Realpower CT Reality trainer

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Winter’s tight grip still

The RealPower CT puts out to pasture the usual practice

Its folding steel frame and rear-mounted resistance unit look familiar

The concept is simple: if you start heading uphill on the DVD, the

Pretty roads with no cars!

In practice, the RealPower CT is certainly one of the more entertaining

The RealPower CT’s on-screen display provides a wealth of

The software even lets you create sub-courses from the existing files – for instance, if you don’t feel like riding the entire Mont Ventoux

The real fun begins when you take advantage of the software’s more

You can even download your actual rides from a compatible GPS device –

Have a big event coming up and wish you could pre-ride the

Though the map-it-yourself course creation and the downloadable GPS

Other high-end computerised trainers such as the Tacx Fortius VR and

A few glitches

We went ahead and downloaded the latest software version from Elite’s

After contacting Elite, it turned out that a far more refined

We also had some initial problems with the power readings, which were often

Thankfully, the system can be calibrated based on your own setup and environment for much more accurate

The software issues are simple enough to solve – especially given

Elite’s Elastogel roller provides excellent tyre grip and is

We’d also prefer a cadence sensor that used something other than

Moreover, the console’s built-in heart rate monitor (HRM) receiver only works with older

Finally, the RealPower CT is only compatible with Windows computers and

Good, but not as good as

Compared to nearly any conventional trainer, the Elite RealPower CT

Even so, that premium price becomes harder to justify in light of the

More importantly, the RealPower CT’s slick feature array and

The price includes