The Only Way to Improve: Computrainer

Last night, after swim practice I was talking to Becca, triathlon guru extraordinaire, and I have become convinced that I NEED a computrainer.  

Is everyone familiar with a computrainer?

You hook your bike up to it and it increases and decreases resistance while you ride and continue to keep your cadence, heart rate, ect, at the appropriate level for an athlete of your caliber.  Ideally, you are improving all the time.  

I expressed my need for the computrainer in my earlier discussion of my morning swim class, but after talking to Becca, I feel that this is the way that I will really improve my cycling.  Becca does a lot of her training inside, especially morning rides.  Her bike is fabulous, and I feel pretty convinced that this will help me in my long road to bike improvement.  

So, I got completely excited and imagined myself watching all the available seasons of 30 Rock, while I rode my pants off.  All I want to do is watch 30 Rock.

I always hate it when I talk to people about things, get really excited about them, and THEN ask about the price.  I had in my head that a computrainer system was at the most $200 or $300 dollars.  I, however, underestimated the price by approximately $1200.  NO KIDDING. 

I have looked on ebay, and the best I can do is $600 or $700, so for now, winning the lottery aside, I am out a computrainer.  Most unfortunate, as it looks as if the only way to improve for me is the old fashioned way, hitting the road at such a time as I can pass off the baby.  

Are there sharing possibilities for computrainers?  Is there any such thing?  

(The pics are from our bike trip to the Skinny Tire Festival in Moab where I met both Chris Carmichael and Bob Roll, and rode very slowly indeed to the top of Dead Horse Point.)