Originally Posted by
Carbonfiberboy
Whatever you get, they should have some sort of quiet resistance. Rollers w/o resistance, standard rollers like Kreitlers, are nice but one can't do much on them except spin, which one can of course do on resistance rollers too.
I don't think roller shape is very interesting. Cylinders are fine. The back and forth thing is supposed to be nice for standing. Probably is. But proficient riders don't have a problem standing anyway. Resistance is more important IMO. I've been riding my set ~1000-2000 miles/year for maybe 20 years. Sealed bearings indoors are quite durable . . .
Ride them in a doorway or narrow hall at least for the first year. No problem getting on and off and starting. Your shoulders or the hinge on a folding set should be in the doorway.
Yeah, I didn't get much of an aerobic workout on them because I didn't have a resistance unit. Apparently the smaller the drum, the more of a workout you can get, but I had to rev them up pretty good to get the heart rate up. The whole experience on rollers was more about concentrating on line and pedal stroke and balance than it was just a raw, unadulterated aerobic workout.