Agree with starting with support. A doorway works well too. Other points are good too.
Think too about looking out rather than done. Some learners have a stripe of tape on the floor ahead of them like a road centerline to help them with that. Your rollers need to be really square to the line and centered for that to help vs complicate!
I think there’s a big difference between cheap rollers and quality – without spending e-motion or trutrainer coin. As I’ve posted before, big fan of Sportcrafters, both the product and the people. High value for the money, with options to upgrade as you might choose.
I definitely prefer rollers.
I’ve had a Kinetic Road Machine which I’m keeping but not using that much (I used to) and a Kick Core that I didnt enjoy because of the pedaling pattern which in my opinion is too different from a real road pedaling pattern (too “square”, I could feel it when back on the road after indoor session).
Now I own Elite e-motion and Trutrainer. Both are good. Elite being cheaper and with little less realistic feeling, but very easy to transport.
What I love with Trutrainer is the realistic feeling but it’s expensive gear and you still need a powermeter on the bike because the smart option on rollers just dont work as well as on fixed rear.
Thanks for sharing! I’ve been looking at rollers for a while and had my eye on the Nero rollers but don’t feel like shelling out that much money for them. Don’t really need the interactivity either. Have you had any issues with yours? How much of a difference did you notice from upgrading to the high inertia drum?
I like the high inertia drum, but can’t really call out how much of a difference it makes because I went from their mag resistance unit (no longer sold) to the overdrive drum (to get the progressive resistance; chart here) at the same time I added the inertia drum.
A quick question: do you find rollers more comfortable than a fixed trainer? I’m fine on my Neo 2 for an hour but somewhat uncomfortable at 90 minutes. Haven’t tried longer
Yes, rollers tend to be better than a fixed trainer. The slight angular changes relieve overloading we see on a fixed trainer setup. This is especially try with motion rollers that add the fore-aft motion.
Long story short, I made my first rocker plate after a season training on motion rollers. I wanted to switch to a smart trainer, and hated the return to no motion. I made my rocker plate to give some of the freedom of the rollers, but be easier to ride overall (especially at the hard efforts and intervals).
Rockers can be tuned to have lots of support or be about as loose as rollers, without the risk of riding off them. Could be worth a look and I can cover more if you’d like.
A thought/question about rockers, I’m concerned that the left-right tilting of the bike with a 10-15kg smart trainer tied at the back will put unsustainable strain on the rear triangle (and the CS and SS joints) over time. Is that a valid concern?
Understandable and common concern, but the contrary is most likely the case.
Rigid Trainer and Bike: Any slight offset loading that is still common when riding inside leads to direct and increased loading on the bike frame. Assuming there is no flex in the trainer and bike connection, any displacement you apply to the frame (as seen by BB movement in the easiest to see instance) is leading to twisting and loading forces applied to the frame.
Free Bike Outside: There is loading transferred to the frame, but the freedom of the bike to roll to the left and right, along with being on a pressurized tire, allow for movement to reduce peak loading compared to above.
Rigid Trainer and Bike on a Rocker Plate: This allows the bike and trainer to roll left and right a bit more like outside. That lack of restriction reduces peak loads from the rider. This is true up until the point that you hit the physical stop of the rocker plate lean angle. At that time, it begins to act more like a fixed setup.
So, the key here is allowing the bike to roll with ease, which forces the rider to actually “balance” the bike via the handlebars and saddle. This leads to far lower forces transmitted to the frame when compared to a rigid setup that makes those force transfers more immediate, and likely higher.
Thanks for the explanation. I guess it’s also hinges on the assumption that the connection between the trainer and the rocker plate is solid free of any movement, otherwise the “rocking” between the two also creates undesirable forces on the bike.
Essentially yes. That’s why I feel the “best” rocker is one with a loose hinge, and low leveling forces from the springs. This makes the rider be the key source of balancing forces, via input to the bars, saddle and pedals, just like outside.
For a rocker to be worse than fully rigid to the floor, you’d have to swing it super hard to one side and hit the limit of travel. Only in that case will it be approaching a rigid setup. In normal use, a rocker stands to offer significant reduction in peak loads on the frame compared to rigid.
I don’t know how much to attribute to my floating platform or to being able to move around on the rollers, but I do think the micro movements allow for a better feel and therefore less strain on muscles which otherwise would be in a more fixed position.
The flip side is that for longer rides you get to (ok, need to) maintain concentration. Can’t get away with daydreaming or zoning out 75 minutes into a 90 minute session – at least not without consequences
Honestly I’m perfectly fine daydreaking and zoning out on rollers, I do it all the time, it’s why I ride a bike! (well, not all of it). The only thing you can’t do is stop pedalling and coast…
I do all my training on the Elite Neros. I just recently did form sprints! The ten second ones where you “jump up” pedal fast then sit down maintaining leg speed! What??! Lol. I thought I would never conquer those. To be honest, when I was done, everything had shifted cattywompus so I am guessing that the fore-aft stuff saved me and I wasn’t actually doing them right. They are the first and only rollers I have ever used but they were very beginner friendly for me. I am not very coordinated and my riding skills suck big time, but within a month I was feeling pretty comfortable on them. And they have a little fold down step type thing that totally helps me dismount. I love them.
No problems here. You work with Virtual Power, which gives you a not precise but mostly consistent power data. The App tells you which power you should push during workout… and there you go: changing gears, adjusting cadence, rolling…
Same with Powermeter, TR recognizes the PM and receives accurate data directly into the app. Charming.
I did TR 3y on a Kickr, now first sessions on rollers and I much prefer the rollers… but I am no one training for some races, or dont want to really become faster, i dont need precise data, i just want some support through structured training… and some fun… rollers are definitely more fun for me than the Kickr. But that is just me.
Rollers prevent you from wearing out from using too much torque (pushing heavy weight) because they have less maximum resistance and lower resistance to power changes. They are also easier on your back side. Mentally it is more engaging than a smart trainer.
On the flip side, you will feel worn out the same way a roller coaster makes you worn out or being generally terrified wears you out because you are working all your balance muscles all the time. It is a lot more generally fatiguing. You also need to stop every 10min or so to grab water or use the towel because you cannot easily do this on the rollers.
Without a smart indoor trainer, whether in form of a fixed frainer or rollers, using TR is just like doing a workout on a dumb trainer. TR reads your PM data, but it’s up to you to hit target watts. How well they work together just depends on your device you run TR on, and your PM.
True for classical rollers, mostly not for modern rollers with a floating system. I am usig Elite Quick Motion rollers and became very confident in grabing the bottle, the towel, even the mobile during rides, or even ride free handed… the floating works very well in supporting you to keep balance.
Still: it is not the same as riding a fixed smartrainer, where you can do all you want and dont fall off. Rollers allow you to drink etc… but you need to stay focused and balanced
I started with Kreitlers in the 1990s – good basic intro rollers. For the past 10 years or so I have had TruTrainers, which are great, plus a CycleOps fixed trainer. Recently upgraded my TruTrainers with the SmartLoad drum. Have only done two rides, but so far so good – the resistance from TR feeds smoothly. Like the road feel and engagement, now with structured, hands-off resistance via BlueTooth. Thinking about building a fore-aft rocking platform. Not sure about bike handling skills, but rollers do help to smooth your pedal stroke.
