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Road Cycling “It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them. Thus you remember them as they actually are, while in a motor car only a high hill impresses you, and you have no such accurate remembrance of country you have driven through as you gain by riding a bicycle.” -- Ernest Hemingway

Recommendations for rollers?

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Old 07-12-10, 04:02 PM
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Recommendations for rollers?

Did my research on rollers vs trainers here in BF and on web and I am going to get rollers. I went into this thinking I wanted rollers but not sure if I would be able to get sufficient work out. I have no plans on trying to make it to the TDF but a few cat5 crits are on the books for next spring/summer.

Definitely going to get them with resistance. Looked at the E-rollers that move from front to back to be more like riding outside but they start at like $800 and way above what I want to spend in the fall.


Which ones do you have?
What do you like and or dislike?
Which ones would you recommend?
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Old 07-12-10, 04:15 PM
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I had a set of old Minouras with alloy drums and plastic end caps that were about as smooth as a salad spinner. Dropped them and picked up some Travel Trac Technique rollers from Performance...they were around $110 or so at the time and they have solid machined aluminum drums. By definition it really doesn't get much smoother than that, and the price is very entry-level. So you really don't need to spend a lot to get good rollers. They don't have resistance however, and I'm not sure what you'd have to rig up to them to retrofit them. I looked into a cheap fan unit and came up pretty much empty.

I don't race so I can't see really needing a resistance unit, but I think you may not need one. I keep it in 50Tx15T or so and find that adequate...If I maintain 80+ RPM and get into the 12T in back I find it's too much.
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Old 07-12-10, 04:19 PM
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Get a set of travel-trac rollers from Performance, you can get them for close to 100 bucks if you have a coupon and shop the sales.
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Old 07-12-10, 04:19 PM
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It's July.
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Old 07-12-10, 04:35 PM
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Originally Posted by SalsaPodio
It's July.
I know..what a tool. clearly to much time on my hands.

I am definitely getting metal drums. I see the pvc once which i'm sure are good to travel with but I think good weight in the drums has to translate to a better ride.
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Old 07-12-10, 04:36 PM
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Originally Posted by SalsaPodio
It's July.
Read his posting. He is looking into this now and plans to buy in the fall.
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Old 07-12-10, 05:10 PM
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Originally Posted by SalsaPodio
It's July.
Dude...what's wrong with buying stuff out-of-season? That's when you can get the killer deals...trainers, cold weather clothing, etc.
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Old 07-12-10, 05:18 PM
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Originally Posted by mathwheels
I know..what a tool. clearly to much time on my hands.

I am definitely getting metal drums. I see the pvc once which i'm sure are good to travel with but I think good weight in the drums has to translate to a better ride.
FWIW if you want to go a little more spendy than the Travel Trac set but still less than the $800 E-motion rollers, look into Kreitler. They make some sets with smaller-diameter drums, 3" even 2-1/4", which increases resistance without a seperate unit. Of course, then you're stuck with that resistance level. They also make "hot dog" rollers that are 10" wide for those who really want the pucker-factor (and bragging rights). I kind of wish I had a set of those, although I had a couple of close calls on my rollers last winter; I think they would have been nasty falls with the hot dogs.
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Old 07-12-10, 05:47 PM
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Originally Posted by SalsaPodio
It's July.
I ride the trainer everyday and I am in Southern California. I ride it to improve my speed and endurance for the road and to control my weight. If it wasn't for the trainer, I only get in about two rides a week which isn't enough.
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Old 07-12-10, 06:04 PM
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There's a DIY tutorial on turning an ordinary set of rollers into one with free motion on the instructables website at https://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-...cling-Rollers/
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Old 07-12-10, 06:08 PM
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I got these as a present. I rather like them.
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Old 07-12-10, 06:22 PM
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My rollers were purchased in the early-to-mid 1980s from Performance Bicycle Shop. Great for form/balance (and roller races) but I prefer my old 1980s Turbo Trainer (with a 21st century heart monitor) for a good workout.
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Old 07-12-10, 06:49 PM
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Get the minoura advanced, which are foldable. The roller themselves are about $160 & the resistance unit is another $40. I've not needed the resistance unit thus far, and can get a pretty good work out on the 50x11. Besides, by the time you need really need to work on your high end speed, the roads in NH will be clear by then.
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Old 07-12-10, 07:19 PM
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I had Kreitler and wish I never sold them.
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Old 07-12-10, 07:19 PM
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Originally Posted by mcjimbosandwich
Get the minoura advanced, which are foldable. The roller themselves are about $160 & the resistance unit is another $40. I've not needed the resistance unit thus far, and can get a pretty good work out on the 50x11. Besides, by the time you need really need to work on your high end speed, the roads in NH will be clear by then.
those look nice thanks
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Old 07-13-10, 09:33 PM
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Got some Travel Trac performance rollers with the alloy drums on craigslist in the winter for $50 meetup. I thought it was a good deal until I came across a couple more ads since then advertised at that price. Well worth it to me, I did some spinervals on them last night because I was busy during the day.
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Old 07-13-10, 10:08 PM
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Which ones do you have?
What do you like and or dislike?
Which ones would you recommend?[/QUOTE]

I have pvc ones
insanely loud sounds like a Cessna taking off
I would BORROW rollers and buy /invest in the least expensive watt trainer ( I bought a used computrainer for $600 )
I think after you learn to ride the rollers for 20 min you have gained about all that they can offer.
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