So heres my update after a bit with it. This is more a more zwift centric report because I wanted to test out the changing of resistance.
I’ve been mostly doing z1 (in a 3 zone model) rides on it. This is mostly because I’m still really a novice with rollers (even though they were what I used when I started training). The setting I have focused on using right now is controllable mode on zwift. I wanted to see how it feels when you ride in game with it.
So far, its…fun. Like, really fun. Makes zwift feel much “worth it” in my view. Zwift isn’t great as a training platform and I think it doesn’t really know what it wants to be (social cycling, racing, training, all of the above, one of the above?). It’s always made me confused as a user as to what I’m supposed to use it for. I’ve always defaulted to TR for real training with a zwift power detection so that I can upload real-esq rides to strava. All the while doing this, I’ve felt that I should just cancel my zwift subscription as it just felt like another layer on things. However, with these rollers in controllable mode, it feels like I’m really riding the course. It makes me switch up my cadence and gears to go up and down hills. Theres a lot more skill involved in a zwift ride at z1 and it makes me look forward to those sort of workouts.
Some other observations.
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The course interactivity is a double edge sword on rollers. Once you hit a hill and are in a lower gear, you are naturally going slower. This means that you have much less speed on the rollers themselves. This means, you’ve guessed it, it becomes really hard to stay balanced on the rollers. In a way, its forced me to be more conscious of “quick legs” when hitting hills. Some may think this is a good or a bad thing. The 6kg flywheels in the back drums are a godsend in this regard.
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Resistance changes are noticeable on the bike. I can feel the motor in the back moving in and out…almost like a rumbling feeling when I hit a hill. Its not bad, just noticeable
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Its easy to hit a turn in zwift and then turn in real life. I’ve hit the side of the rollers many times this way and haven’t (yet) been thrown off the rollers. Most of the time, I look down when there is a turn to make sure that I don’t subconsciously turn myself. Annoying but it does show how immersive this can get
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The flywheels are great. Mentioned this before but it is nice. I can easy get out of the saddle for a bit and shift the position around. This has helped tremendously with the tendency for me to develop numbness due to not moving out of a static trainer every so often. Some have reported, however, that they get numb on this roller. For me, that hasn’t been the case
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Iffy app and firmware support. I have learned that elite isn’t the best at communicating to their customers; they don’t have an active forum and no one seems to respond if someone mentions an issue. since these rollers are new, spindown calibration in their app throws up errors and I have no idea why or how this is going to be fixed in the future. Since I have one so early, I’m sure this will change when they are being sold in the usa
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Spindown calibration and power. Doing a spindown on rollers is really iffy and tough. Have a wall or something to prop up on. It still is awkward though and I think they need to develop a specific type of protocol for those on rollers to make it easy to use. As for power, it says it transmits through ANT+FC but I’ve only noticed bluetooth working well. Since I have a power meter on my bike, I’ve used my own power meter to do power rather than the trainer. Not ideal.
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Rollers are still white knuckle affairs. It is still terrifying to use rollers. My bike moves at the slightest twitch of the handle. My personal sense of balance isn’t great either. So when I lock into the rollers, the workout demands much more attention. Doubly so because my speedplay pedals lock me in and clipping out is really hard still. Some may like this. I do like this…sometimes. Other times, I just want to get on my damn bike and disconnect from everything.
Overall…this has been a weirdly good (yet not without issue) purchase for me. I got them cause they were cheap ish (500 pounds) and I wanted to work on bike handling skills specifically indoors. I still prefer just using my feedback sports omnium rollers and hub power meter when I just want to get on and have a workout without thinking. But as I get more into it, the more I appreciate working on other skills than just power during my rides.
I will do 2 weeks of TR using ERG and resistance mode from today onwards now that I’ve got a better handle on how all of this works. Let me know if you have any specific questions, comments, or things you’d like me to check out. I’m not as prolific as @mcneese.chad but i am unfortunately desk based for most of my day.