Which rollers?

jswba

Following on from the rollers v turbo thread, I've narrowed down a selection to two rollers: Tacx 1050 or Minoura Action Advance

Any thoughts on which ones are better? From what I can gather, the Tacx is a bit cheaper but the Minoura runs on alloy rollers (as opposed to PVC) so should in theory be more reliable (and durable). I guess the Minoura will also be quieter? The £50 question is whether it's worth the extra cash.....

Cheers all

Eddy S

It depends what you think you want from the rollers in the future:

I’d always say go for the Tacx as you can add the resistance unit at a later date. But if you do go for non folding Tacx, you’d be better off with the T1200 model – the larger drum diameter gives a smoother and quieter ride.

If you’re not think about needing resistance, go for the Minouras.

Alex_Simmons/RST

If they will ever see the sun, or sit in the car on a hot day, then don't go for PVC rollers.

steve_pushbiker

I have the Tacx 1200 and agree with Eddy S. They are a sturdy unit and have seen quite a bit of action over the last year or so.

It depends a bit on whether you will use them a lot. If you've tried stationary cycling and don't find it really boring then maybe it's worth splashing the extra cash. But when I bought mine I wasn't sure how much I would use them and so went for a cheap set. If you hate riding them you'll be glad you didn't waste too much cash.

jswba

Thanks guys. The unit will be staying indoors -- it'll just be for rainy days or when I don't fancy the Yorkshire hills.... so the sun-melting issue won't matter.

As for the larger diameter drums, don't they offer less resistance? (At least that's what somebody said on one of the earlier forums.)

DaSy

I have the CycleOps Alu Rollers with the resistance unit, and they are very good. The resistance unit uses magnetic resistance, and is very smooth. It has 5 levels of resistance that go from a good representation of a flat road, to really quite a good load for intervals etc.

The rollers are aluminium, so will last forever, and it folds too, so is easy to store or transport. I've had them for about 2 years and has had lots of use, and still as good as new.

Alex_Simmons/RST

jswba wrote:

Thanks guys. The unit will be staying indoors -- it'll just be for rainy days or when I don't fancy the Yorkshire hills.... so the sun-melting issue won't matter.

As for the larger diameter drums, don't they offer less resistance? (At least that's what somebody said on one of the earlier forums.)

for the same bearings, band tension and drum material, yes a larger drum will offer less resistance. But a small alu drum with great bearings might still be lower resistance than a larger pvc drum with lower quality bearings.

Mark Alexander

Not wanting to start yet another thread on the same subject so..

The reason that I'm thinking of getting some is that I can't get on with my turbo.
To lead on just how strong the folding ones are?

DaSy

To lead on just how strong the folding ones are?

My CycleOps rollers are a steel frame, and are really strong. The folding mechanism is pretty basic, and therefore pretty robust.

Mark Alexander

CycleOps PVC Rollers or Tacx T1200 . As always it's a preference thing. I do not want an option for resistence

thoughts? is it worth the extra for the cycleops?

chrisga

Hi sorry, new to road riding so please could somebody explain the difference between rollers and a turbo trainer? I was thinking of getting something to use during the winter after recently getting a road bike and actually liking it more than I thought I would.

Thanks in advance.

Mark Alexander

Chrisga, good question. I want the rollers for low resistance balance improving work. a turbo is better for power. If anyone can explain it better (and I'm sure you can) go for it!

I want fat burning and if it can help with my balance fantastic. I'm not looking for resistance.

oldwelshman

Mark Alexander wrote:

Chrisga, good question. I want the rollers for low resistance balance improving work. a turbo is better for power. If anyone can explain it better (and I'm sure you can) go for it!

I want fat burning and if it can help with my balance fantastic. I'm not looking for resistance.

SOme people just cannot ride on rollers
I only have them for track warm ups.
Try using them on a wodden floor!! I used mine in house the other day and sounded like the hosed was falling down
Even used them in hotel room when weather was bad, felt sorry for room below :shock:

DaSy

Chrisga - The main difference between rollers and a turbo is that with a turbo the bike is attached to it, either by clamping the rear axle or some older ones held the forks. This means that the bike is held up and stable, similar to an exercise bike or spin bike in a gym, you just climb on and pedal.

Rollers on the other hand do not hold the bike, you place your bike onto the roller drums, and have to actually ride and balance the bike as you would on the road. Nothing is holding you up other than your own balance. It's a bit like the concept of riding your bike on a conveyor belt. The rear drums that the rear wheel sits in is driven by you pedaling, and this has a rubber band that passes round one of the rear drums and upto and around the front drum that the front wheel sits on, this spins the front drum and in turn the front wheel then spins at the same speed as your rear wheel. This is required to enable you to keep balance.

A turbo requires no skill to ride, just climb on and pedal, whereas rollers require lots of balance and concentration to stay upright and within the fairly narrow constraints of the width of the roller.

They tend to be used for differing workout types, I use rollers for steady state rides where I can work on cadence and pedal technique, and a turbo for hard efforts and in particular interval training.

Sorry for the drawn out reply, just thought that may be the info you were after...

chrisga

Thanks, thats ace, I didnt even know you could get rollers, they seem a little bit crazy for what I would use them for, I have visions of falling off the rollers and (still on my bike) shooting across the room and smashing through the patio doors or something..... I think i might try a turbo trainer and see how i get on.

Thanks again guys.....

DaSy

Chrisga - that is the first thing everyone thinks when they see rollers in action - if you come off you will hurtle through the patio windows at 30mph. In reality as you have no forward momentum, if you come off the rollers there's only the momemtum of your wheels that spinning, and this is stopped as soon as they touch the floor etc, so you actualy don't go forward at all.

The main hazard is the fact that you are 3 - 4 inches above the floor, so if you need to put your foot down, you can't reach and tend to end up toppling into a heap at first. If you put the rollers near a wall, or put a chair next to them, you have something to grab if it all goes pear shaped. Most people start by putting the rollers in a doorway, that way you have something to lean against either side until you get confident enough. After a while it becomes second nature, and you can ride on them no handed, take off your jersey, take a drink etc much as you would on the road.

Rollers tend to be a lot less boring than a turbo as you are engaged in just staying upright and on track, but I think if you have just one item for indoor training, then a turbo probably has more flexibility and will provide a good workout throughout the winter months. I like both, and alternate between them.

BUICK

Don't know if this is helpful or not but I read an article about rollers in C+ and went for the Elite Ghibli on their recommendation - they are the only rollers I've used so can't offer comparitive analysis (!) but they are great. They fold up out of the way easily and have curves at the edges to stop you going off the edges!