I don't need a trainer for resistance, the cool thing about the Sportcrafters is basically below 15mph the resistance isn't engaged, it ramps from there. So...what I do before and after my workout is drop to a gear where I can spin for warm up/ cool down.

Personally I find the body core work rollers require to be a huge plus, and they pay off in spades for handling and smoothness IMO.

The only disadvantage is not being able to get out of the saddle...that's why the E-Motion are so attractive.

One gears down. As I said, resistance is proportional to speed on these rigs. Even at my advanced age, I can pedal for 40' in zone 2 at over 110 rpm. I use my 39 X 27 for that. I used to pedal a steady 117 in my 42 X 23 but that was a few years ago . . . I do my recovery roller rides in zone 1 at ~90 cadence on them, though in lower gears now than I used to use. What's not to like, other than aging?

I understand and really appreciate this. Resistance isn't the primary function of rollers. I get it, and I do have access to an amazing gym only .5 miles from my home if I chose to take advantage of it. Atlanta is relatively mild compared to where some of you guys live and it is very hilly here.

Thinking out loud...

It is just bikes right now - no trainer, no rollers - and like everyone else, would like to get something to supplement riding during the winter months. Aerobic fitness, form, cadence, weight, health, cholesterol, etc., the basics. I'm not looking to qualify for the Olympics. Time is something I value as well and so versatility matters to me.

Time is something I value as well and so versatility matters. Is it really that far of a reach to want resistance when we are already talking about products which list for $400 and above? I don't know and that's why I'm posting here, to get feedback from guys like you to help figure it out. It means a lot to me.

Just trying to figure out where the best value is and when I look at the price of trainers I see rollers with resistance as a good value. The responses by @UnfilteredDregs and @Carbonfiberboy were very provocative in that regard and the fact that I ride fixed gear is part of the equation.

Again, really appreciate responses from everyone, especially those who challenge my assumptions.


-Tim-

Just add that this is very attractive to me.


-Tim-

For fixed gear, the Sportscrafters really make a lot of sense because they give you, in effect, 3 gears. You can choose the type of workout you want.

I started riding in my kitchen about 1980. Kreitlers. I had the fan, but didn't use it. We were doing testing for things to stabilize rollers. I live in SoCal so rollers were for low resistance. At the time roller competitions were a thing - a small thing, but they existed.

I got my kid on them about age 10. I'd dump him on the side of the road before a race to warm up. At that time he couldn't dismount without help #meandad.

Portability was a nice feature too. Took the train to Wi for nationals in 2013 and he got his riding in. I've posted this numerous times. Also - not the same as the road, but you CAN stand on rollers.

You sure can, but not in any form or method that relates to actual riding...to do so results in one shooting the bike backwards out from under them...:lol::D

Although there is another brand I can't recall at the moment that purports to being able to handle out of the saddle efforts, besides the E-Motion...

Those video's are great!

Back in college I walked into the student union one evening to find guys riding rollers up on the tables. They had paid some fee to compete and the gig was that they had to down a shot every few minutes. Last man riding won the money. This was 1983-ish.

Sorry, no videos.


-Tim-

There are no rollers that you can do max effort on unless they are strapped down. But...not the purpose of rollers.

I've got to second Doge. Rollers are for teaching your body really good pedaling style and habits. Also improving efficiency and energy conservation (by teaching your muscles to relax at the portions of the stroke when they aren't working. You can ride years thinking you are pedaling smoothly and efficiently but your first roller ride is likely to be a big eye-opener. What is thought to be smooth on the road is often unridable on rollers.) Another plus if you race - other riders will appreciate your smoother riding style. You become more welcome in breaks. Quality riders start hanging around. Better riders around you, fewer crashes you see. It's all good.

Ben

Not disagreeing, wind resistance on rollers is noisy and is kind of a kludge. That said, my son-in-law gave me an extra set of rollers that happened to have a wind resistance unit, and it's kind of handy. It's not so loud that I can't hear what's coming in my ear-buds and the breeze keeps the size of the puddles down to small pond size.

These guys look pretty max.

Out of the saddle is what I'm talking about. I get upwards of 140rpm in the saddle.

Found them...Trutrainer rollers...You can ride out of the saddle rather naturally on these:

Another thing on the rollers...do the slow race..3-8 mph...really gets you in tune. I'm at the point where I can take my hands off the bars for a good while. It's more in your head than anything else.

Power way under max. Max power - they ride off.

i just got some from performance bike today and i like them a lot it was a good one hour work out i can get me into the 175 bpm on the rollers and its decent work out. there is some resistance to them but nothing like a real ride, just enough for a work out. i use them really only to burn fat and not gain weight. and also to try to hold high efforts for longer, you wont really gain muscle or at least not like when your out really riding.

the tacx galaxia is a good one cause it allows for movement and you can sprint on them if i had the money i would have gone the tacx galaxia for the movement that it allows for a better smoother experience . but if you dont care about the movement part ant rollers will do really.

I've got two sets of rollers. The first was purchased in 1993 and is a plastic drum fold up performance set. They were loud and had a hop, but where effective for my needs. For as long as I have owned these, I always thought about replacing with nice (expensive) rollers. In the end, I bought a set of reduced radius aluminum Nashbar rollers 3 years ago when on sale for $100 delivered. The new rollers are smoother and quieter but do the exact same thing as the older set.

I probably average about 20 hrs/yr on the rollers. I prefer, and spend more time on, the fluid trainers over the rollers as I can read while riding. The rollers are nice for working on balance and smooth cadence and for impressing friends with stupid human tricks.

I agree, I didn't find them easy at all. I went with the "nice ones". I got thrown off a few times, banged up my knee pretty good the last time, then the rollers sat unused in my basement for over a year.

I built this and now I love riding them. My wife even rides them now.

I only hold on when I find myself not paying attention and riding hard into the side. This rarely happens.

Not sure why the image won't show, I can't upload it, only post a link. :(

https://ctreeves.smugmug.com/Bike/Ne...ls/i-ZHkwR7M/A

https://ctreeves.smugmug.com/Bike/Ne...ls/i-ZHkwR7M/A

Ah, the InsideRide. Tell me more please.

What do you like about them? What don't you like? What options do you have?

I ask because there is a set near me on Criagslist... http://atlanta.craigslist.org/nat/bop/5911694508.html


-Tim-

Were you the guy who told me about lowering the psi in the tires to add a little resistance? I just mentioned this in the other rollers thread a few weeks ago. I put them down to like 45 psi and it's just enough resistance to give me a smooth spin and keep my HR in zone 2. I don't like trainers, but could see how structured interval training would be a bonus if you live in the frigid north. Down south you can hit the rollers for zone 2 stuff and get outside on the weekends.

I got the remote wireless resistance option, it works great, but honestly, I never use it. I like that they have a modest amount of resistance built in and is more than I need. As an example, I have a compact 50/34 with an 11 tooth cog as my smallest gear. At the end of my workout last night I put it in the 50/11 combination and got up to 41 mph and a little over 600 watts (clearly that was a short lived sprint). So, they have plenty of resistance.

I might have a thousand miles on them so far, they've been great. I would probably still be afraid to ride them without my handrails because I watch TV and drift off at times.

:lol::roflmao2:

I just saw this...

Doorway, and don't worry. Set them up in such a fashion that when you're on saddle and on the hoods you simply can lean against the frame with a shoulder. Start pedaling, Get up right.

It is not a big deal, relax, and be light on the bars. Focus on something ahead of you, don't look at the front wheel, at least not yet... (I stare at my front wheel all the time, with time you stop relying on your eyes and more what you feel regarding whether you're getting off track.)

You may shred a front tire or two.. I have, if you're making a hard enough effort and the wheel comes off and the edge of the roller ends up against the tire sidewall...it's like a knife through butter.

IMO if you're going to have ONE training device, or are getting your first indoor trainer, rollers is the way to go.

Not only will you really train your cardio, but it'll make you a much better rider.

Power without finesse isn't all that useful.

Maybe...it does make a difference. Being that I have a resistance drum it's never been something I do...For balance and cadence work I make sure my tires are hard as rocks because then it's like riding on ice, in your living room! :lol:

Question for all of you saying that you can't do big power training on rollers... how many of you have direct experience with the newer technology rollers whereas the drum induces drag magnetically as a function of RPM?

I'm not a pro, I don't endeavor to be, but the rollers I use as per charts as tested by users handle up to 900/1000 watt efforts.

You're doing it wrong on the road, then. :)
Well, maybe not wrong, but getting off and back on the saddle without stalling or surging is a skill worth developing.

Doorway is especially great for starting and stopping on rollers. Once on and clipped in, easy spin up to speed. Small control movements, and spin. The more uneven your pedaling is, and the more severe your steering is, the more likely to loose control and go riding through the living room you are.



Having a TV in front of you to focus on with something to pay attention to makes the time go quicker....as well as keeps you subconsciously steering straight.

I only stand on my rollers to rest my butt. It's odd to me to dis rollers for not being good for max standing efforts. As if trainers were? Both are worthless for max efforts because you're not accelerating your mass. The feel of OOS efforts on trainers or rollers is completely different from on the road because you aren't accelerating your mass up the road and then reaching terminal velocity. Plus on the usual trainer you can't rock the bike which is so important to sprinting performance. The place to train sprinting is on the track or outdoors.

OTOH I can certainly do max seated efforts on my rollers except that the acceleration has a completely different feel, as above. Z5 intervals are also a little different on my 500 watt set because even in top gear my cadence will be a little higher than what I would use for Z5 climbing intervals on the road. The 800+ watt Sportscrafters set would be better in that respect.

I have a set of the 2.5 diameter kreitler rollers. the resistance curve they post is not even close to correct. I was still able to easily spin at 25ish mph doing low z2 back when i actually rode (now im just fat and lazy). Hell, even recovery rides still could average like 18-20 mph. I'd recommend getting the smallest diameter you can, it's literally the only way to train with rollers, otherwise you will spin out in your 53x11 just trying to do tempo workouts.

Nah, that's not it, I can do it, but in order to prevent a rearward bike squirt from happening my CG has to be unnaturally too far back on the bike and wheelies on rollers are no fun either. :lol:

My bike is too long for me as well, I'm sure that isn't a positive contributing factor...

Hence the design incorporated in Trutrainer's product, they allow for the rear wheel to be seated in such a way to prevent this in conjunction with their apparently superior inertia/momentum gadzoookery within their drums.