I have a cycleops fluid 2. What I like about it over rollers is being able to do intervals that are a slow hard grind and i can concentrate on interval, times, effort intensity, music and not worry about falling. What really counts is that you are working out in the winter. Buy what you think you will use.

I've had rollers, off and on, over many years. They're a lot of fun. I didn't find the difficult to learn to use. I found aiming a large fan at my face makes riding tolerable for many minutes; I wouldn't want to ride without a fan. Certainly with a little practice, it's easy to watch t.v. while on rollers.

My current rollers, which my kids gave me a few years ago, are basic, and seem to work as well as expensive ones I've owned. Check Performance and Nashbar, OP, if you are on a limited budget.

I love my rollers. Those that think you don't get a work out are incorrect. Perhaps they are not riding hard enough.

I was entertaining the KK r&r but it seemed gimmicky. I was also worried about the thing being off-center, and riding at an angle. Also, what about the turntable thing for the front wheel with just the road machine? Will that allow a little more freedom when sprinting/"climbing"? Finally, how about the "Pro" flywheel. Advantages?

I have Kreitler 4.5 Alloy rollers. Also have a Cycleops Fluid 2. I use the Fluid 2 way more, simply because I can mindlessly spin while watching a movie after I get back from work. Riding on rollers is something that requires you to be absolutely alert and focused. But it will definitely round out your pedal stroke. I use them both, but definitely favor the fluid trainer most of the time.

I've never had a problem with angles on the r&r - if I find I'm leaning one way, lean the other way:)

I don't use the turn table. I use a generic riser block. On my trainer mat, it turns freely with little or no resistance during my out of saddle sprints.

Unless you're a power machine who pushes 400w without thinking about it, you won't need the pro flywheel.

"Trainers IMO are good for fitting sessions or adjusting the derailleurs under load. Otherwise it's a waste time. get rollers."


If you asked this question to pro cyclists, I bet there would be a 100% responce to getting a trainer. I doubt pro cyclist waste any time at all spinning on rollers except for maybe their easy, rest days. You will certrainly never see one preparing and warming up for a race on rollers.

There is no better cycling workout than a hard interval workout on a trainer. There is no wasted time, no stop sign, no downhills, no coasting. no wind, etc..

In fact, there are now lots of DVD workouts (Spinervals, CTS, etc.) for interval workouts on the trainer. I was recently invited to a new Spinervals taping session and they specifically warned in bold letter - don't come here with rollers. I am aware of no formal DVD workouts for rollers.

If you want to improve your power output and fitness in the winter, get a trainer and prepare to work hard. If you want to spin your legs out a little in front of a TV, get rollers. If you want to stay interested and motivated on the trainer, get some Spinervals and/or CTS DVD's.

Get a KK road machine and buy a few sufferfest videos.... Nuff said

+100 to that....

I have 27.0 (Sufferfest) and 29.0 (Drop the Hammer) and they are no joke.

+1

I have "reduced radius" rollers (3") and 30 minutes on those feels like an hour on the road. You not only get the resistance that the reduced radius roller provide over the 4-4.5" rollers, but having to keep pedaling non-stop (or you'll fall over) really lets you "feel the burn" Want more resistance, shift up. I don't think I wanna try the 2.25" ones anytime soon.

Another benefit to rollers is that it forces you to be smooth, have good balance and good bike handling. Plus they are fairly quiet. I watch TV on mine and only have to raise the volume a couple notches, but really just to overcome the 2 fans I have blowing on me.

I will be getting the Cyclops Fluid 2 for my wife though since the rollers scares her too much.

yeah im personally interested in getting a set of rollers, but i dont want 4.5 because then there really only for easy days (kreitler's website has a watt chart its like 310 watts for 42 mph and i dont want to buy a head wind add on im cheap sorry) but i think the 2.5 will be too hard (back to watt chart like 24 mph i think is 350 watts) i think im going to go with 3's they sound like the best option.

I do all the time, no problem holding a straight line in don't look down at the rollers keep your eyes forward at least I have no trouble riding rollers and watching TV.

If you can only get one machine, get a good fluid trainer. You can do everything on it, from endurance riding in front of the TV to anaerobic threshold intervals.

That said, I have both. I do endurance riding (up to 2 hour sessions, and yes, while watching TV) during the winter exclusively on the rollers to enforce good pedaling form and smooth bike handling. I do interval sets on the trainer.

FWIW, talking about warming up at races... people tend towards trainers because it's easier to throw into the car and it's hard to find flat ground next to your car door sometimes. At the track, in contrast, you'll see almost no trainers in use for warmups. Only rollers. Myself, being a bit of a trackie now, I use rollers to warm up for pretty much everything. I have 3.25" rollers on it, so I can get to near threshold without resorting to a resistance unit, and it gets me more "in the game" than plowing along on a static trainer does.

Another option is e-motion rollers. I don't have one, but I've heard good things, including that you can just about out-and-out sprint on it without worrying about balance anymore than you do on the road. Not terribly portable though.

Just be careful watching sports... A receiver for the Seahawks caught a touchdown pass once and I almost bit it. Also, if you watch bike races, it can be troublesome as you kinda want to follow the road on your rollers... except your rollers don't follow any road and it can come to a bad end if you aren't careful. Though it's not as bad as trying to watch a track race while you are warming up on your rollers on the infield. At least the TV stays in one place and it's just the picture that moves.

Wow. thanks you all for the great comments and feedback.

No. The smooth rollers are actually easier on your tires than riding on the road. Even the smallest diameter roller is much larger than the little contact drum of a trainer.

I'm thinking I might get a set of Kreitler Hot Dogs. For me, I think it would do more good to keep my form up over the winter, than my fitness. I could always ride them harder and longer, (and in a harder gear) for the fitness aspect. I don't do intervals, anyway.

Does anyone have some experience they can share using the 3.0's as opposed to the 4.5's? I'm a strong rider, but I doubt that even the 4.5s would be too easy with max gear of 53-11. Experience?

I bought a fluid trainer, if you shift to highest gear It feels like a 2% upgrade at most, which is fine for an hour and spinning etc. But I am not really caring for it BECAUSE It sucks if you try standing. I feel I could break the frame of the bike and you cannot go side to side at all...standing at times is regular for me on the road

The Nashbar rollers are $120 and there's currently a 20% single item sale. I just bought new wheels. I'm going to have to think hard about this one...

I don't know if rollers necessarily improve your handling ina lot of real-world situations. I know, it seems counterintuitive, since it's definitely harder to ride rollers than to ride on road, but the areas where bike handling is critical on the road is cornering (NO help from rollers here - in fact, rollers only train you to ride as upright as possible), fast swerves to avoid missed potholes/debris (obviously avoid this as much as possible in group rides, but the inevitable does occur) , and timely braking with possible skid handling. Rollers don't assist with any of these.

What rollers DO help you on, is a smooth acceleration. If you can accelerate up to high speeds on rollers, you'll have a nice smooth acceleration. The roadies drafting you will thank you for it, but if you're planning to drop them all on a hard accel, again, rollers won't help you with that either. (On my rollers, if I do such a fast acceleration, I'll fly off the front of the rollers.)

I've got both rollers and a CycleOps Fluid2 trainer, and I've ridden both fairly hard, although admittedly, the rollers get way too sktechy on those 110% interval sets for me to be comfortable using them.

The rollers are marginally more interesting on their own than the trainer, which is definitely boring as all heck if you have no feedback. HOwever, get a rear wheel speed sensor to get your speed (power correlates with speed on the Cycleops and KK due to the realistic power curve) and a set of Spinervals DVDs, and you'll be hammering like no other. I don't have time to be bored on the trainer - I'm too busy suffering beyond belief and keeping my speed up on those spinervals!

I honestly don't think I've gained anything from using my rollers this past year other than a smooth acceleration that I knew how to do anyway even before using them. I've given them a pretty fair shake, and can ride them to a hard workout no problem, but there's no way in heck that I'm going to ride them as hard as my trainer. Anyone who says you can ride your rollers as hard hasn't gone hard enough on their trainer - I go so hard I'd probably keel over if not secured by the trainer. Even if I were a roller master, that type of effort wouldn't be possible on rollers without wiping out.

Silly, rollers don't teach you how to corner. They teach you how to be smooth. There's a difference.

Smooth is being able to ride while lightly grazing knuckles with another rider. It's about reacting to another rider's motion without overcompensating. It's about putting your wheels on a line and staying there while people are maneuvering around you. Smooth is all about the fine control enabling you to ride your bike to within the inch. That's what rollers teach you with regards to handling. Perhaps not as important for a recreational rider or a triathlete, but a vital skill in road racing.

And ararose, if you are finding it hard to go threshold on rollers, then I don't want to be anywhere near your wheel on a breakaway. That's another thing rollers teach you is how to be smooth when laying down the power. Even crosseyed, you still need to hold your line.

Also, rollers teach you nothing about acceleration. They can be used to drill on leg speed, yes, but generally you can't get enough resistance to do a lot of acceleration.

You guys argue so well. I'm torn.

Also, to follow up, I'm sure these guys aren't going hard at all. Nope. Nosirree. Terrible carnage, bodies flying all over the place :rolleyes:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVbwngNoHm0

I weigh about 180lbs. I can get up to about 300W in a 53/12 using 3.25 inch diameter rollers (cycleops aluminum rollers). I ride high endurance/low tempo (about 250-270W for me) in the 53/14 or 15 (depends how cold it is in the garage and what tires I am riding). 4.5 inch diameter is traditional and mostly for training form (suplesse); 3 inch might be a bit small; 3.25 to 3.5 is good balance between traditional and fitness oriented rollers.

Everyone who favors rollers posts that video.

Everyone who favors trainers posts this one :)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2tF0...eature=related

Which is, ironically, the first link from the speedy video.