Kreitler seems to be the industry standard. . .but there seem
to be a lot of cheaper rollers that all look comparable. I already
searched the threads. . .discussion wasn't too detailed.

Tacx Speed Braker, because I paid $5 for 'em.

Nothing is comparable to Kreitler. Sure there are other alloy drums on the market, but which other brand offers a lifetime warranty on everything including the rubber belt (avg. lifetime ~10 years)? Invest in your stuff, don't cheap out because you think it's the thing to do!

ive heard great things about those travel trac technique pro alloy rollers as far as durability and value. i think im going to order a set from performance tomorrow.

For comparison, check out www.trutrainer.com. These are absolutely the best. And while their web site doesn't reflect it yet, they have a new version called the Traveler which omits the flywheel and basically is a equivalent to the Kreitler but with all the construction quality of the Trutrainer. It's only $475 including the folding design and all the other quality features of these rollers. When you've tried them, you'll actually say that Kreitlers are mediocre. If you like a really nice bike, your bike deserves these rollers.

thanks for all the feedback--

RASH Krew uses Minoura rollers - they are affordable but decent quality. But the best rollers I've used are the Barelli competition rollers.

before dropping $400 on kreitlers, i decided to see if i would actually like using rollers. the $100 nashbar version is great. maybe later on down the road if something goes wrong, i'll upgrade to kreitlers, but it didn't make sense jumping right into the high end when the price difference was so huge. i am more than happy with my purchase.

https://www.nashbar.com/profile.cfm?c...All%20Products

I would try these

tacx ecotrack rock.. they arent folding, but they are $105

The performance ones are fine, and they go on sale for $100. They fold, have alloy drums, and are 1/3 the price of kreitlers. You can buy other things with the $200 you save, and even if they crap out earlier than kreitler, just buy another set several years down the road.

what type of benefits do you use rollers for?

these things look really cool but they are way to expensive for me to ever try them.

I just picked up an old pair of Kreitlers ('82 from when Kreitler made them himself) and they still roll like butter.

More like this. . .here it comes

I've heard of something like a liquid resistence add-on or something like that....is adding resistence to rollers common/uncommon?

I ride them when I can't ride outside (late nights after work, storms, cold ass winters, etc.)
They are easy to setup (set bike on top of them)
more fun than trainer (you actually have to pay attention sorta)
help with your cadence/spinning and your balance/bike control

I've seen many rollers that have a magnetic resistance unit that may be purchased
separately--other people I've talked to say 45 minutes on rollers without
resistance is plenty of work

something like this?
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7K4O7YTLQQ

More like this: https://youtube.com/watch?v=_7SKjIxlbHM

https://youtube.com/watch?v=j3OJdiGtFzk still beast

I have the performance Travel Trac or whatever they are. They're great.

are rollers a good workout? or are they mostly used for technique?

i've only tried to ride on them at a friends house for about 5 minutes before i gave up and went outside and actually rode my bike.

thanks.

i just got a set of older Kreitlers (PVC drums) for $25.