Which Rollers?

napoleond
napoleond Posts: 5,992
edited February 2014 in Road buying advice
I'm after a set of rollers for doing some warming up/training with my track bike.

Any recommendations/ones to avoid?

So far the Tacx Galaxia have piqued my interest.
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Comments

  • DeVlaeminck
    DeVlaeminck Posts: 8,718
    I would avoid Tacx - I don't think the quality is up to it. The Galaxia movement thing is a gimmick and not worth extra - I have a set and prefer my 10 year old set of normal non-parabolic rollers (also Tacx).

    If I was buying now I'd bite the bullet and get kreitler having seen a set in action they are silent and smooth.
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  • napoleond
    napoleond Posts: 5,992
    Cheers
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  • rokt
    rokt Posts: 493
    I have a set of Tacx Antares and use them every day, I've had them around 15 months now.
    I do a good hour on them on an evening with no problems at all.

    I agree not the quietest but not loud at all and for just over £100, are in my view well
    worth a look.
  • Anonymous
    Anonymous Posts: 79,667
    I love my Galaxia's.
    Nothing to compare with quality wise and I kind of agree that the movement thing is probably unnecessary so the Antares would be fine.

    My Galaxia's were put onto foam matting in the garage which stopped them moving and I did not have any problems.

    I just preferred the look of the Galaxia's and figured they were worth a try as there is no downside other than being a little more expensive.

    Ribble have them at a good price right now I think.
    I got Evans to price match so I could pick them up.
  • proto
    proto Posts: 1,483
    Mate of mine who spends hours on his rollers training for his track racing, and did plenty of research on the subject (he's a bit OCD, aren't you Eddy :D ) recommended the Minoura Moz or Minoura Action roller. Both have aluminium rollers, (Tacx are plastic) which he tells me are quieter and give a smoother ride. Also less heat build up which can be a problem with tubs (I might have made this up, can't remember what he said, tbh). Lighter than Elite or Tacx and fold up smaller for storage and transport.

    An added advantage is that Minoura (talk to Zyro, the importers) sell a bolt on resistance unit so that you can use them for intensity work outs. Without resistance you'll rev out and probably won't be able to get enough load to max out your heart rate.

    So I bought Minoura Moz, and the resistance unit, not used yet (they are actually for my daughter to train on). Look very high quality.
  • florerider
    florerider Posts: 1,112
    Google Tacx and there are quite a few posts regarding bearings and other problems with Tacx rollers. I have the Antares - had to squirt lubricant into the bearings to quieten them down, and weld the belt together (used a tea light), so not entirely trouble free, but nothing major.They are stable and easy to ride, but have little resistance.

    In fairness I bought them on price - a call to be made since the next step up was twice the price of these.
  • proto
    proto Posts: 1,483
    PS Daughter hates training on a turbo, thus the need for rollers. She's been using Tacx Antares for a while now, nothing wrong with them, a tad noisy perhaps, but the lack of resistance became an issue. Thus the need for a resistance unit.

    Mate of mine trains on an Elite set of roillers, with built in resistance, and reckons them to be good. Big, heavy and bulky though, and a bit of a pain to carry round.

    http://www.minoura.jp/english/trainer/rollers/mozroller.html

    http://www.minoura.jp/english/trainer-e/option-e/mag4000-e.html
  • Omar Little
    Omar Little Posts: 2,010
    For track warming up you want something pretty simple - i wouldnt bother with ones that have a 'motion' feature or ones with resistance, it just means extra weight for carrying to and from the track. Not really an issue if you can get a locker at the velodrome to store your bike and kit in, but quickly becomes an issue if you cant get this (like has been the case in Glasgow for the last year or so)

    I have sportcrafters ones and they are pretty good for the price. There is a minoura set which also has metal drums (i dont know the model name) that folds up into a bag they look quite convienient.
  • florerider
    florerider Posts: 1,112
    I wondered about Alu as smoother, but worried about it being more "icy". Anyone with experience of both care to comment?
  • proto
    proto Posts: 1,483
    FWIW the Minoura resistance unit adds 0.7kg to the weight and is about the size of the palm of your hand. Makes no difference to bulk when folded.

    If you buy Minoura and decide you need resistance, then you could always add it later.

    I believe Planet X sell their own rollers, which are re-branded Sportstrackers, (and oddly the sell them as well, but at a higher price), with the option of with or without resistance. Supposedly very good, as Omar has already posted.
  • napoleond
    napoleond Posts: 5,992
    Cheers chaps. Portability is one thing I need, I will be taking them to warm up at races.
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  • GGBiker
    GGBiker Posts: 450
    Sportcrafters from Planet X, aluminium, very nicely constructed, and a built in resistance unit in the rear drum. You just use your gears to go from easy spinning to 600watts + resistance, hard to fault and you can even do proper interval training on them. Add the fork stand and it's a turbo trainer that doesn't wear your tyres out.

    It really does everything you could want.
  • napoleond
    napoleond Posts: 5,992
    How do I change gears whilst riding on my track bike? ;)
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  • GGBiker
    GGBiker Posts: 450
    With a spanner? Apologies, if you're pushing a big gear it'll give plenty of resistance, the drum can be reversed to provide a fixed resistance like standard rollers if you just want to spin.
  • napoleond
    napoleond Posts: 5,992
    Heh heh, cheers
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  • Garryboy
    Garryboy Posts: 344
    Ive got cycleops aluminium rollers, which are actually rebranded sportcrafters ones. They have been great, taken a beating and provide a great workout.
    You can also buy a progressive resistance roller, which has a good 'road' feel maybe not useful for track warm ups but you could use elsewhere.

    If portability is key and you're not bothered about using them for the balance aspect, have a look at sportcrafter omnium trainer
    http://www.sportcrafters.com/products/omnium-trainer
  • buckles
    buckles Posts: 694
    Hated my Tacx Antares rollers because of how noisy they were... and always getting static electric shocks when I touched something metallic. Aluminium rollers FTW
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  • napoleond
    napoleond Posts: 5,992
    Erring towards the planet x at the mo...
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  • Garryboy
    Garryboy Posts: 344
    Pretty sure they are also re-badged sportcrafters. No bad thing, as quality is pretty good. Plus you can retro fit progressive resistance roller If you fancy.
  • napoleond
    napoleond Posts: 5,992
    Got the basic Planet X ones. They came today. After an initial amusing mare (check twitter) I'm sorted. They are fairly smooth with good resistance. Pretty pleased. I really think they'll improve my riding too as you have to be really smooth.
    Really pleased with the set up of my track bike too, fits great now.
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  • buckles
    buckles Posts: 694
    Cannot be bothered to check Twatter. What happened?
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  • napoleond
    napoleond Posts: 5,992
    Amusing video
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