The new set of rollers came today.
They were packed differently. The first set was in a SportCrafters box which was pretty beat up and had clearly been wet. This set was in the same type of box but that was inside another shipping carton and both were pristine. I really think I got someone's returned item. If you buy from Competitive/Backcountry then check everything for wear and damage and don't hesitate to send it back.
As for riding them, I fell.
Going to admit this publicly, in my excitement I got on them backwards. Yep, front wheel where the back wheel was supposed to be. Rode them about 60 seconds, decided I could let go of the wall and down I went. No damage to man or machine. Tried again the right way and it took about ten minutes before I was riding without holding onto the wall.
I have nothing to compare these to but was surprised at how much resistance there is. It takes some effort and after practicing for a while, stopping a million times, etc., I was able to get in two solid sessions, one each on the fixed gear and road bike. Definitely going to be some good workouts.
They magnify every fault and really reward smoothness. Dead spots in the pedal stroke stand out, especially on the fixed gear and I've a newfound respect for the guys on youtube who make it look easy.
-Tim-