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rollers recommendations?

andywood

Maximum Pace
Apr 8, 2008
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I'm looking to get a set of rollers from Wiggle or CRC.

Price seems to be in the 15000 yen to 20000 yen price range.

Tacx, Cycleops and Elite models are available. Tacx seem good for storage and cycleops good for warranty / service.

Not sure how the models compare in terms of quietness and ride quality.

Any recommendations?

Any advice is much appreciated!

Andy

www.jyonnobitime.com/time
 
I got a great pair of Minoura from Rakuten with free shipping!
 
I got a great pair of Minoura from Rakuten with free shipping!

Andy I have the TACX rollers from Chain reaction that I bought this year. I used them twice and have never used them since. I now have a TACX fortius and just don't need them! If you're interested let me know and I'm sure we can work out a very reasonable price. How does 10,000 yen plus shipping sound?

http://www.chainreactioncycles.com/Models.aspx?ModelID=31106
 
Mike,

Why did you only use them twice? Did you not like them?

I know you've only used them twice, but are they quiet enough to use indoors and not bother the neighbors? Also what's the resistance like? Can you do top end work with gears alone?

I have a turbo trainer that I use in the winter and have done decent work on it so far. I know its good points and limitations.

I was thinking of the rollers as a quiet alternative for late nights / early mornings. I also hope they'll add some variety for off-season training.

Price sounds good by the way! 10,000, plus postage, plus a place to crash next time you make it as far as far as Niigata...


Andy
 
Mike,

Why did you only use them twice? Did you not like them?

I know you've only used them twice, but are they quiet enough to use indoors and not bother the neighbors? Also what's the resistance like? Can you do top end work with gears alone?

I have a turbo trainer that I use in the winter and have done decent work on it so far. I know its good points and limitations.

I was thinking of the rollers as a quiet alternative for late nights / early mornings. I also hope they'll add some variety for off-season training.

Price sounds good by the way! 10,000, plus postage, plus a place to crash next time you make it as far as far as Niigata...


Andy

Andy the rollers are quite noisy....much noiser than my fortius. I definitely couldn't use them early morning or late nights for fear of waking up the neighbours below! It was my first time to use rollers and although I got used to them within 20 minutes or so I never felt comfortable on them. And I'm sure with just using gears alone you could a good workout.

But like I said they are NOISY! Not recommended if you live in a wooden apartment building.
 
I am also in the business of getting some rollers.
With CRC recently doing a special sale for them and Wiggle now offering the same, I was tempted, but still hesitant to spend a bundle on it.

In general rollers are far from quiet, but it also depends on condition and the diameter and material of the rolls. Bigger size is better. People say, plastic is quieter, but the Minoura aluminum ones are more durable.

I am currently monitoring Yahoo Auctions for a good deal, just search for 3本ローラー
But if you are not interested in Mike's offer, Andy, I would be.
 
Guys, thanks for the advice.

I think the rollers will be considerably quieter than my current trainer (a minoura rim drive) that kind of sounds like a plane taking off. All knobs up to 11 on the stereo!

Mike, if they are indeed quite noisy, I guess I won't be using them indoors then, but maybe on the veranda or in the inlaws' garage. I think it'll still be a good investment though, so I'd like to take you up on your offer. I'll send you a PM.

I've tried those rollers that you can dance on. There is a set in the local bike shop. However, the only dancing I do is down at the disco, and I don't do much of that anymore...

Thanks again guys.

Andy
 
Tires make a huge difference in noice and several companies make specific tires designed to cut down on the noise pollution while riding. Also I have found rubber mats that can be bought from a hardware store also absorb a lot of the vibrations. I got a nive thick one for 5,000 yen half the price of the actual indoor trainer mat.
 
On Wednesday night I did my first ever ride on rollers. Having been a serious cyclist for 5 or 6 years, I'm surprised it took me this long. Thanks to Mike for passing them on to me.

The rollers arrived at 6:30 and I was riding them on the veranda by 7:00.

They take some getting used to. It's kind of like when you're a kid and you ride without stabilizing wheels for the first time. It took about 10 minutes to get the confidence to take my hand off the rail on the veranda and ride free.

Keeping balanced takes concentration at first but it becomes easier. Keeping focused on your balance and technique makes the riding interesting and is surely beneficial to riding on the road.

The machine is quieter than the trainer which means I can ride at night or in the morning without disturbing others too much. It's also easier to set up and get going which is a benefit. The riding is much more like riding on the road and the rollers will take less toll on the bike than the trainer I'm sure.

The benefit of the trainer is you can crank up the resistance for high intensity workouts. With the current 50 x 12 top gear set up, I think this will be difficult on the rollers. This winter I'll try to keep the trainer (and the stepping machine at the gym) for these higher intensity efforts.

There's nothing like a new bit of kit to get you motivated again!

Andy

www.jyonnobitime.com/time

Tips for riding rollers: http://www.sportcrafters.com/frequently_asked_questions.htm
 
Andy..... you may want to see if there is a resistance add on for those rollers. I got the Minorua rollers because I could add the reistance module.
 
Cheers James,

It seems there is a resistance unit available. But it's priced at around the same price as I got the rollers from Mike for!

I think I'll use the stationary trainer for higher end stuff and the rollers for form / aerobic workouts.

But we'll see. For the moment I'm just enjoying having a new kind of exercise to try...

Andy

www.jyonnobitime.com/time
 
Seriously..... once you start resistance training on the rollers you will never go back to the stationary trainier!
 
Sorry to hijack the thread, but anybody got an idea where I can get cheap rollers?:rolleyes:

At what I want/can pay, used seems to be the only way. With yahoo auctions below 20.000Yen seems impossible, but that is too much for me.
 
James what rollers did you buy? Getting pretty cold up here these mornings, so will need something to ride indoors.
 
Special tyres

Sorry about hijacking ...

I'm also wondering about these special tyres that you can get for roller/trainer work. I can't ride my trainer at the moment with normal tires late at night or in the morning, when I'd like to.

Does anyone have any experience of these tyres?
 
Lee, I have a TACX trainer tyre on my back wheel for my indoor trainer and it is incredibly quiet compared to the regular tread I was using before. I'd say at least 50% noise reduction.....they really work!

Andy, I'm glad the rollers arrived on time and you're happy with them. Happy training;)
 
I once put a bike with semi-knobby tires onto the rollers, it was like a plane taking off...

With the slick tires, it's still louder than the washing machine. If I can get the noise level down to washing-machine level, it's a go for indoor training.

My way of saying I'm interested in the above-mentioned tires as well.:bike:
 
For training tires you can actually get good and great deals on Yahoo auctions and eBay respectively!
 
Lee, I have a TACX trainer tyre on my back wheel for my indoor trainer and it is incredibly quiet compared to the regular tread I was using before. I'd say at least 50% noise reduction.....they really work!

Andy, I'm glad the rollers arrived on time and you're happy with them. Happy training;)

Vittoria also makes a trainer tire too.

And it does make a noise difference. After my experience of trying rollers on a cross bike with knobby tires, never again.
 
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