I thnk it depends how many years you have on the PC's.

If you are a PC novice, all you need is miles (or hours) on the PC's and your 1Up will be fine since it appears you don't need the software motivation to get you on the trainer. If you are new to PC's you won't be able to take advantage of the CT features, unless you want to document and measure your improvement.

If you are well conditioned to the PC's and able to ride for hours without much trouble then I think the CT would be worth the investment so you can fine-tune your stroke, using spinscan, to try to become even more efficient.

Frank

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Frank,
An original Ironman and the Inventor of PowerCranks

Frank, I have been on the PC's just short of a year. I have built up to a 3 hour road ride w/o too much pain but of course riding on the road gives you a chance to rest w/ stops, descents, etc. Last winter I could barely muster 45 min on the trainer w/ PC's, so I am excited to see the difference this year. Sounds like I just need to ride w/ the PC's and continue to get stronger.

I see PC's as doing the "heavy lifting" regarding improving pedaling dynamics whereas CT is useful for "fine tuning" those changes once they are there. I think the "big" PC changes continue for at least two years in most people. So, while a CT can be a valuable adjunct from the first day to PC's, the real value of the CT, at least as it is used to improve pedal stroke, power and efficiency, won't appear until the second or third year.

Frank

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Frank,
An original Ironman and the Inventor of PowerCranks

You won't really be able to tell anything at all from the CT spinscan if you have power cranks. The spinscan only knows about the position of 1 pedal (because of the cadence sensor) and if you have power cranks you decouple this pedal from the opposite leg.

Ray

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Ray

Except, once up to speed, the even the PC's are usually at 180. So the read out looks the same. The real problem comes from figuring out what is really going on as one gets better and better as pulling up on the right is seen as pushing down on the left (and vice versa) by the CT. The real value of the CT comes from being able to work on the top and bottom parts of the stroke, I believe.

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Frank,
An original Ironman and the Inventor of PowerCranks

"winter here in the heartland of Ohio....get a bunch of TDF tapes and JFT? (just f****in' train)"

I'm even further north in Ontario and winter will soon be on it's way. The thought of watching those same TDF/IM tapes for the umpteenth time while dripping sweat all over my frame and sitting on a bike trainer in front of the basement wood stove in Jan/Feb while the snow blows outside causes big time depression. I'd rather be outdoors x-country skiing. Even better, I'd rather be in a warmer climate riding my bike.