Everyone seems to love their Kreitler rollers, but they're a little pricey compared to some others out there. (That is, it's more likely that someone will buy me a $120 set of rollers for Christmas than a $300 set.)

Can anyone tell me your experience with "cheap" rollers - brands you would recommend, or recommend staying away from?

Mac

Buy a pair at Performance. Chances are, you'll be satisfied with them. If not, return them. Always buy cheap and work your way up, if needed.

I have those el-cheapo minoura rollers and they've held up two seasons so far.

I just recieved my Minoura Action rollers about a week ago.... ($139 + 10-15% off coupon i forget which at performance = $109ish)

- They are quiet (barely turn the tv up above what i do for someone washing dishes if that),
- Vibrate a bit at speed (is there really a way more expensive would stop that? its physics to some extent) anyway it isn't bad, but i wouldn't ride them if my neighbors were home below me and it was past 7 or 8pm.
- Are solid feeling and very good craftsmanship.
- Provide a decent amount of realistic road resistance, which can be made greater by lowering the air pressure in your tires a few pounds (yes it really works i tested the theory)

With that said, they have plastic end caps, SOOO from what i understand from other threads after a few thousand miles or more there is a chance the end caps can separate from the drums... hmmm thats what liquid nails is for!

but for 33% of the krietlers i think they are MORE then worth it. But take my advice, buy one of those silly bike thongs for the extra $8 they really do catch a good amount of sweat, and you will sweat easily 3x's as much because the moving air won't be there to dry it off/keep you cooler.

The first day was a bit rough i fell like 5 or 6 times, not real bad but i barely made it through 5 miles, by the 4th day (yesterday) i was able to do 25 miles on them and get a solid workout from it, my pedal technique has improved a fair amount in just that 4 days and 80 miles or so of pedaling, enough to push 2 gears higher at a good solid cadence (90-97) because of the better efficiency i now have in my total pedal stroke.

Got my Kreitlers on CL for $150 last year. They seem to be 100% functional.

Nashbar Reduced Radius Rollers. You can find them on sale for $89 some times of the year. I like mine when I can stay on them. (see my recent post on using my rollers)

https://www.performancebike.com/shop/...-_-null-_-null

The Nashbar ones in the picture look exactly like the Performance Travel Trac Technique ones I have. Big surprise right?

They work great. If you want resistance, I dont see how a mechanically inclinded person could'nt adapt a Kreitler Killer Head Wind unit to any set of rollers.

you can also fold up a towel and stick it under one of the rear drums for increased friction/resistance.

don't burn your house down, though.

I'm on the Minoura plan as well. For the life of me, I can't fathom dropping the coin on the Kreitlers barring some odd passion for the bloody things.

Performance bike even has a 15% off coupon for all trainers right now.

If I didn't have an exercise bike already, I'd pull the trigger.

Riding an exercise bike and riding your road bike are totally different.

The performance/nashbar/tacx rollers (they're all the same) are fine. I've always been too cheap to get kreitlers, especially now that I live in CA and just use them for staying warm at the track. The plastic drum versions will eventually warp, but it's not that big a deal to ride them warped, and I prefer the larger diameter (the plastic ones are slightly larger diameter than the metal ones).

What's this mean? You have these? Like them? Don't like them? Just wanted me to know Performance sold rollers?

Wow, $170 for that thing? I'd like to think a mechanically adept person could DIY a fan for a lot less than that. I do call myself a mechanical engineer...

So the consensus seems to be that there's absolutely nothing wrong with cheap rollers. (What's wrong with you people? This sport is about spending money for the sake of spending money, right?)

Ok, the cheapies are definitely going on the X-mas list.

Thanks,

Mac

+1
I paid $170 for mine though.

I'm buying some rollers tonight from CL. $50 for lightly used (less than 100 miles he said) Tacx Ecotrack rollers. They're $180 new.

Score.

Yes.

Although I never ride indoors for over an hour, I ride both, and find them very comparable. The big difference to me is the saddle. The lifecycle saddle is big and lame, especially compared to my Alias. The next difference is the riding position. The lifecycle is more upright, similar to riding more of a comfort bike. But they both basically build stamina and leg strength.

+1... they're inexpensive, well built, and work.