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The Brains behind RacerMate
Wilfried Baatz, president and chief engineer
Baatz graduated top of his class in mechanical design
from Fachhochschuleffue Machinenwesen, the foremost
engineering institute in Germany. After graduation Baatz
designed custom ball- bearings for SKF and then moved to
South Africa where he designed and supervised the
country’s largest fertilizer plant for Exxon Mobile. In
1969, he became the second employee of FloScan
Instrument Company, the automobile and aircraft industry’s principal
fuel flow meter supplier for over 30 years and parent
company of RacerMate Inc., manufacturer of CompuTrainer.
Baatz, an avid cyclist, was living in Seattle and wanted
to find a way to train during the winter months without
riding out on the wet roads. His solution was the
world’s first wind trainer which was launched at the Los
Angeles Bike Show in 1976. The CompuTrainer product
followed in 1986.
Chuck Wurster, vice president
Wurster graduated from Yale and received an MBA from MIT
in 1956. Wurster went to work for a subsidiary of Exxon
Mobile heading up new project development for 13 years.
In 1969 he was brought on as the first corporate
employee of FloScan Instrument company.
The CompuTrainer Story
For over 30 years, the innovative teams of Wilfried Baatz, Chuck Wurster
along with an outstanding staff have been developing state-of-the-art
indoor bicycle training technology designed to improve
cycling performance while keeping the indoor rider
challenged and happy. That’s a tall order, but blending
passion for scientific innovation, technical
performance, high precision manufacturing, and
uncompromising quality comes naturally to Baatz and
Wurster... RacerMate Inc., the manufacturer of
CompuTrainer, is a subsidiary of FloScan Instrument Co.,
an electronic instrument manufacturer that is based upon
exemplary innovation and performance and has a flawless
safety record.
Indoor training for bicycle racers mushroomed in 1976
when Baatz, the company’s most enthusiastic cyclist,
invented the world’s first wind trainer. The original
RacerMate was a pioneering product that started the
whole indoor bicycle training movement. The potential
for a scientifically accurate training device did not
pass Wilfried Baatz by. In 1986 he developed
CompuTrainer, the first electronic bicycle trainer/ergometer
with interactive motivational software and course
creation. CompuTrainer’s features were enhanced a few
years later with the addition of SpinScan electronic
pedal stroke analysis software and modem racing
software. The first 3D graphics were added in 1996, Coaching software in 1998
and MultiRider for group racing and training came along
in 2003.
By this time, the RacerMate team of software engineers
had long become an equal partner with the company’s
mechanical designer in the quest for perfection in
indoor training. The march continued in 2001 with the
release of CompuTrainer for Windows 2000 and XP.
Today, CompuTrainer is widely recognized as the leading
electronic bicycle ergometer for maximum performance
improvement, testing, and enjoyable indoor training. For
testing and training their athletes, the Canadian
Cycling Association coaches and national team members
have officially adopted CompuTrainer, as have USA
Cycling Coaches Association, USA Triathlon and USAT
Coaches Association.
The system is popular with coaches and pro athletes not
only because it delivers reliable performance
measurements, but also because it is so robust. The
CompuTrainer easily withstands the rigors of the Saturn
CyberBike program, where each unit supports 5,000
individual races annually. In the triathlon world,
CompuTrainer reigns supreme as the official bicycle
ergometer of the Ironman World Championship and the
personal bike trainer of four reigning Olympic distance
triathlon world champions.
The best is yet to come…VelotronWhile the CompuTrainer took
accuracy, reliability, and repeatability of data to a
level cycle racers can depend on, RacerMate engineers
developed a new electronic bicycle ergometer that is
highly desirable to medical and scientific researchers.
Dubbed the Velotron and available now, this new
ergometer uses an audacious design approach so original
that patents are already pending on the details. The
Velotron boasts unbeatable laboratory
accuracy/repeatability (0.01 percent) and more than
enough power-handling capability (2000 watts) to build a
course with grades up to 25-percent. Perhaps best of
all, from the rider’s position, it has a mammoth
flywheel, by far the largest ever used in a bicycle
ergometer. This gives the smoothest, most realistic ride
yet attained in indoor training.
Velotron’s awesome performance specifications qualify it
for several new roles. Sports scientists now have a new
cost-effective testing tool that is the most accurate
electronic bicycle ergometer on the market. Lifetime
accuracy is guaranteed by built-in electronic
calibration verification. With, by far, the lowest level
of internal friction of all bicycle ergometers, Velotron
creates accuracy loads starting at 5 watts (just a third
of what it takes to walk very slowly). This ultra-low
load capability will enable medical specialists in
orthopedic, cardio, and pulmonary rehabilitation to
start their exercise regimens at an earlier stage than
ever before.
Built on 25 years of
innovation...
It’s
natural to wonder what the future holds for CompuTrainer
and Velotron owners. While the specifics are under wraps
for now, one thing is certain: There will be a
continuous stream of new software developments to make
both systems more useful and more enjoyable to ride. RacerMate’s highly experienced software development team
generates innovative new software on a regular basis
that is completely compatible with the existing
hardware.
Further down the line comes Electronic Bike Racing over
the Internet, something RacerMate’s engineers have been
dreaming about for a decade. But there was no point in
progressing on this until the proliferation of
broadband. Now there are sufficient cyclists around the
world who can plug into CompuTrainer’s World
Championship rankings system to find out where they
stand in the world of CompuTrainer users.
Indeed, there is no doubt the RacerMate product you buy
today will be with you tomorrow. Many original RacerMate
wind trainers are still operating after 30 years.
CompuTrainers in commercial applications have withstood
well over 100,000 racer cycles without failure.
Furthermore, they command a very good price on the used
market (when you can find one!). Clearly, RacerMate is a
brand you can depend on, today and tomorrow.
Press Release 2005
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Also read:
Velo News RePrint 2002
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