Originally Posted by
LesterOfPuppets
Another drawback of the long stride rigs is that the rollers require fairly frequent replacement if you ride quite a bit.
Yes, and not just the rollers, but the track liners they roll on--little black strips of something, two to a side. They sell kits with both the rollers and liners, another consumable to keep after in addition to tires. That whole track design seems problematic to me. They've covered the whole underside of the chassis so that nothing can splash up on it from underneath, but it's quite easy to imagine stepping onto it with a little mud or sand on your shoes and that finding its way into the tracks. Other sources are possible; many of us have been blasted by grit when being passed by a big truck, or just from wind gusts. How big of a chunk would it take for you to feel it?
The Cyclete has its tracks open to the bottom so that nothing accumulates; Elliptigo should consider trying that.
Speaking of the Cyclete, though, I'd hate to be on one and have the rear tire go flat. You'd need to take most of the bike apart to get the rear wheel off.