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Selecting rollers!

baribari

Maximum Pace
May 28, 2010
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I *finally* decided to get around to buying some rollers since I haven't got on my bike in months, only to find that most of the Minoura models besides the pro, and the new Moz roller have been discontinued.

Can someone tell me what the best roller is for the money, and which one is the quietest?

Easy to ride would also be nice... but I don't want to order from outside of Japan.
 
New Minoura's run about 22,000 yen. I have AC Pros which are super heavy (duty) - they run about 45,000 yen. You can find various on Yahoo Auction for anywhere between 10,000 yen - 30,000 yen Just search for 3本ローラー台
 
I was looking around on Yahoo Auctions, and seeing that the AC-PRO is only a bit over 4 man, I think I might go with those.

Looking on You Tube, all I see related to the MOZ rollers are videos about ways to reduce the noise.

I think double the cost for probably 2-3 times the stability is worth it in this case.

How's the noise with the AC-PRO?

I was also wondering how the other brands like TACX are.
 
I bought the tacx anteres and I do not recommend it. Get aluminum rollers for reduceced noise. The tacx start to vibrate after a certain speed and begin to make a lot of noise.
 
I haven't used any others but I'm pleased with my Tacx Galaxia and I don't think it's terribly noisy except for some squeaking of the tire on the roller when damp, but that's probably my tire choice (Panaracer Extreme Duro)
 
I bought the tacx anteres and I do not recommend it. Get aluminum rollers for reduceced noise. The tacx start to vibrate after a certain speed and begin to make a lot of noise.

Make sure you have set it up properly. Are all the screws on the side (where the rollers attach) screwed tight? They won't be tight when you take them out of the box.

There are also 2 screws on the bottom which you set to get the correct wheelbase. They will also make sure that the three rollers run parallel to each other.

Andy

www.jyonnobitime.com/time
 
I ordered the AC-Pro... 44,000 or so from Rakuten.

If I shop around any more it'll be spring before I make my decision! I meant to buy rollers last year but never did.

And here I was trying to save money...lol
 
The AC's remind me of my old Cinelli's - heavy, take time to spin up - but very stable. As for noise - they are pretty good - the mass keeps the noise more at a rumble than a cacophony. And larger diameter is a little easier to ride. I think you'll like them - they are the equivelant of portable keirin rollers. Follow the intstructions on setting up the wheelbase - it's important.
 
This thread has inspired me to write a product review of the Christmas present i received from myself - it will be a 3 part review comparing the Lemond Revolution with Rollers and standard stationary trainers.

Noise pollution is one of the main things it will cover.

I may need to borrow a stationary trainer off someone though. :eek:
 
My friend who lives in the same apartment bought a treadmill, and AFAIK it was no louder than a washing machine.

And since I have no direct neighboors below or next to me (I live in an only partially-occupied teacher housing apartment), I should be good as long as I get a rubber mat. Worst case scenario is I have to ride on the tatami (with the rubber mat), which should be pretty quiet.

I guess for as long as the winter season is, I could always get trainer tires too...

Would be nice to at least hear the TV while riding. I could get a Tour DVD on Yahoo Auctions, or buy a copy of Andalusian Summer, hehe.

Nice thing about the Minoura trainers is that they make a fork mount if you decide a "sanbon roller" is too much.
 
They came! But I wasn't home. Will get them tomorrow.

Need to go get that rubber mat...
 
Wow, at first they were way harder to ride than I thought. A few minutes later and I have no problem balancing, even while looking down.

My knee is still hurting from a previous injury, so I'll have to take it slow...

They're surprisingly quiet as long as you're under 18 MPH or so. With a mat, it should remove all the 'bad' (low-pitched) noise that can travel through walls.

My friend says it's basically inadible outside of my door.
 
Nice, huh? The larger, heavy rollers are smooth and much quieter than the plastic or small diameter rollers. The steel end plates on the rollers are great for mounting open sprints magnet by the way.
 
For gold sprints competitions?

For now I'm happy just pedaling along at 15 mph... I had my first proper sweat since probably October. I had to stop and put a towl on the floor.

My hurt so bad after just 10 miles that I couldn't get myself to do any more today.

The bike loves to fall off the front of the rollers when I'm not sitting on it though...

I can ride no-hands for a few seconds, but obviously standing on the pedals to sprint is a no-go since it's not a sliding roller flame.
 
Baribari,

Standing and sprinting will come with time, even on standard rollers. Infact its great practice for climbing as you MUST isolate the hips and reduce rocking or dancing (Which is actually bad form when climbing and I have no idea why the Japanese think its a compliment when they use this term)
 
Baribari,

Standing and sprinting will come with time, even on standard rollers. Infact its great practice for climbing as you MUST isolate the hips and reduce rocking or dancing (Which is actually bad form when climbing and I have no idea why the Japanese think its a compliment when they use this term)

Well, what do you mean by dancing if not simply referring to pedaling while standing?

I could probably pedal out of the seat, but there's no way I could sprint on it yet... my bike would fly off the front.
 
You could make a whole separate thread on the wierd things riders 'think' are good form ...

1) Screwed up face showing largely (fake) agony and pain.
2) Incessant shoulder rocking (ala 'Le Velo')
3) Saddle rocked all the way back in the rails.
4) Some of the strangest foot /pedal positions I've ever seen
5) Saddle set high enough to make even Owen jealous
6) Saddle set low enough to make even Owen jealous
7) Knock kneed stroke pattern I call the 'Schoolgirl'

Baribari,

Standing and sprinting will come with time, even on standard rollers. Infact its great practice for climbing as you MUST isolate the hips and reduce rocking or dancing (Which is actually bad form when climbing and I have no idea why the Japanese think its a compliment when they use this term)
 
It takes a lot more concentration, but I can do it. I think the fact that the rollers are connected by the wire and the faster you pedal, the more it keeps the front wheel from going too far forward. As long as your form is clean and you aren't rocking forward too much it should stay on.

In fact standing is the only way I can ride at the moment, hehe.

BTW, if I increased the tire pressure from 105 to 120 or so, would that improve performance or something?
 
It makes the ride more fluid, however it increases the vibration and thus noise.
 
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