SEATTLE, Wash. (BRAIN) — RacerMate Inc., which announced this month that it would stop making its CompuTrainer stationary trainers, is establishing a membership program to ensure that current trainer owners will be able to get replacement parts "virtually indefinitely."
For a $100 three-year membership, owners will be able to buy replacement parts online for 50 percent off the standard retail price. The company said that, much like a crowd funding program, the proceeds from the sale of the memberships will fund the purchase and stocking of replacement parts.
"The people we will be supplying have often had a CompuTrainer for 10 or 15 years. They don't know when a part is going to be needed and neither do we, and we don't have funds to invest $100,000 in spare parts unless we are confident there is genuine interest," said Chuck Wurster, the vice president of RacerMate Inc.
He said if there is interest he expects to stock virtually all CompuTrainer parts, including load generators, cables, power supplies and handlebar controllers.
Orders for the membership need to be placed online no later than May 31. The membership page is on the RacerMate website. Members will receive login information for the area where they can purchase their parts at the discount; they will be notified 30 days prior to their agreement expiration so they can then choose if they wish to extend the agreement for the same terms.
Wurster noted that the company continues to manufacture and sell its lab-quality Velotron stationary bike, which sells for about $12,000. The Velotron is used by sports physiology labs around the world and Wurster said the company is assessing whether there is market to sell the machine as a premium, luxury-quality consumer trainer. Besides lab-quality accuracy and durability, Wurster said the Velotron has a smooth ride feel that is distinctly better than consumer trainers, in part because of its 50-pound flywheel.
RacerMate Inc. is a wholly owned subsidiary of FloScan Instrument Co. Inc., which makes fuel flow instruments used in boats, aircraft and other applications. Wurster said that while there were layoffs as a result of stopping CompuTrainer production, some employees who were involved with CompuTrainer are now focused on FloScan business.
