Give new life to your indoor trainer

By John Medford
Denver PD (CO)
IPMBA Industry Relations Committee

Do you dread that first week of bike duty? You know, when you finally get to park the patrol car and jump back on the bike. Your legs may not be as strong as they were when the bike got parked for the winter or for some other reason. Working nights in Colorado, I don't see much time on the bike, so I purchased a trainer in the hopes of keeping some of the form I built up through the summer. But I hated riding on the trainer. I tried parking it in front of the T.V., but the late-night infomercials and afternoon soap operas were not the greatest motivators to ride hard.

That all changed when I needed to contact CatEye on a warranty issue. While on their website, I saw an icon that said "GAMEBIKE! Play Don't Train." Who could resist that? I clicked on it and saw enough to make me ask the CatEye rep about it. The rep talked it up so much that I broke out the credit card.

The GAMEBIKE unit is the new training and gaming system designed by CatEye to work with the Sony Playstation or Playstation 2. The GAMEBIKE unit has several parts that attach to your bike and trainer, which turns them into the joystick for the Playstation. Included in the kit is a main unit, which is set under the front wheel and provides the steering input. A speed sensor for the rear wheel and a brake button that Velcros to your handlebar are also included. The game controller is the final piece; it resembles the standard controller that comes with a Playstation unit, except this one provides inputs for the main unit and other sensors. The controller mounts to the handlebar using the same mount as CatEye headlamp. The unit is easy to hook up to your bike when it is in the trainer, but if the weather grants an outdoor ride, all of the attachments come off in seconds.

The GAMEBIKE works with most Playstation driving games, so pick your game and turn on the Playstation. The rest is up to you.

GAMEBIKE picks up the speed at which you pedal and translates it into acceleration on the screen. You can make the ride as hard or as easy as you want through gear selection. The first time I used the GAMEBIKE, I had only planned on a 30 minute ride. I was pedaling along to Gran Turismo and began to notice that I was drenched in sweat. A quick glance at the clock revealed the reason. I had been riding hard for 40 minutes. The time just flew by. I had become so involved with the game I completely lost track of time. GAMEBIKE has made using my trainer fun, and when I teach that early-spring bike school, I will have many more miles under my belt than what our Colorado weather would normally allow.

The GAMEBIKE system can be purchased at any CatEye dealer or directly from the manufacturer at www.gamebike.com. The system retails for $150.00 but is well worth the expense.

If your trainer doesn't see much action, the GAMEBIKE will cause you to dust it off. It is fun to use, but if you have kids, watch out - you may never get a chance to use it!

John can be reached at collinsbicycles@aol.com.

© 2003. This review originally appeared in the Spring 2003 issue of IPMBA News.