Rollers vs turbo

[JackRussellRacing]

Brand to member here, but thought I would chime in.

I have a Tacx Vortex for when I'm really really lazy. It works ok, but is noisy and a PITA to change the skewers and stuff.

Primarily, I am on Elite Real E-Motion B+ rollers (resistance based ANT+). For me, they are absolutely superior to the fixed trainer -- balance, pedaling smoothness, core strength, etc. Like a Neo or Kickr, the rollers resistance is controlled by TrainerRoad or Zwift, or whatever app I'm riding. For some reason these rollers are not available in the USA, but I was able to get them shipped through a friend in England to me. They are fantastic. 1 hour on these rollers is like riding 2 hours outdoors, and offer a great power-based workout.

http://www.elite-real.com/en/products/real-e-motion-b

The power curves on the Elite rollers is wonky when reported to TrainerRoad, but accurate in Zwift. I'm able to tweak the workout intensity in each program to compensate accordingly.

[zazo]

I own Elite Arion rollers, I like them, because they keep you busy and time goes by much faster than on turbo trainer. I even managed to get through 4h long sessions in winter times without watching movies or music.

My biggest concern using rollers is, that there is always a bigger chance of injury if you get distracted or in higher power short efforts. Seeing freshly baked cake through the window distracted me to the point of dramatic fall, which set my training back for 3 weeks

[AJS914]

4 hours on rollers while staring at the wall? That is insane. Hats off to you.

[TImeMachine]

I am still in two minds whether to switch back to rollers, I had the Elite Real E-Motion rollers (original model) and although I really wanted to learn how to use them I thought my workouts were suffering during the transition - so I went back to smart turbo trainer.

I 99% use them for Time Trial based training, intervals, threshold etc from 1 hour up to 4 hours and can't still help but think that if I could master the rollers my form and technique would receive a huge boost which might even help me go faster on the road.

The problem I had was I learnt to balance ok but it was taking me sometime mastering how to ride and eat a gel / drink, do you think they would be worth the patience when combined with a real Power Meter, has anyone riding a time trial bike managed to master them here and get a good solid workout - intervals / FTP / threshold etc? would be interested in your thoughts.

Also I only ever used the elite software with them which I really didn't like, does Trainer Road now work with the old Elite Real E-Motion model? (used with a real power meter, I don't care for the Elite built in).

[JackRussellRacing]

My Elite rollers work with TrainerRoad just fine. The power curve is off in ERG mode, but that's pretty minor (I just make adjustments in TR for intensity). They seem to more closely match my P1 pedals when I ride in "slope" aka "resistance" mode.

Eating and drinking on the rollers is certainly possible, but it's certainly not as easy as being on a stationary trainer.

[mrgray]

i've had both. i have nice rollers. trutrainers. have a flywheel which gives good road feel and makes it tough to build speed and then retains some momentum when you stop pedaling. can do tough short intervals but cannot maintain high power (like > 250W). i did like a year and 5000 kms on them and cut my teeth really. being able to ride on rollers is one of these neat things like being able to roll a joint or make pasta sauce from scratch that you need to get on top of.

for training purposes (intervals etc.) it became necessary to get a kickr. now i don't get off that. reasons i like it over rollers:
- can do structured exercises exacto in kickr erg mode
- can sit up and rest my back. this is a big deal for me.
- can put out big power for sustained periods and "gain". not everything is just tempo
- can watch every cycling video ever put on you tube whilst i do my training riding (giro 2015, the stars and water carriers, sunday in hello, 1989 tour de france, every world champs available etc). watching cycling can be tough but not when on the trainer. perfect. if you time the tough bits for the fast bits in the race it can be hard to hold yourself back!
- can relax because i'm not going to fall off - this bit is under rated. when i'm doing training after a long day of work bad enough. but with the threat of sliding off the side and the embarrassing fall (even in an empty room it is embarrassing when you reflex scream but then just slowly fall onto a couch) sometimes mentally it is too much.

[11.4]

Being able to ride on rollers is one of these neat things like being able to roll a joint.

Finally down to a relevant discussion.

[Calnago]

... but with the threat of sliding off the side and the embarrassing fall (even in an empty room it is embarrassing when you reflex scream but then just slowly fall onto a couch) sometimes mentally it is too much.

Ok... that image just made me laugh out loud. Probably cuz it's so true. Ha.

[Zak]

Hi, what is the noise level on rollers (like fx. Tacxs Antares) compared to not too expensive trainers?

[mvnsnd]

I think my cheapo Performance brand aluminum rollers are not too much different from my Kurt Kinetic fluid trainer in terms of noise level. The rollers do pick up on any uneven surface on the tire more than the trainer, so the noise changes pitch a little bit from that. Maybe that's because of the two cylinders in the back, I don't know.

[ico]

Can you make intervals on rollers just by changing gears on bike?

[mrgray]

@ico. not really. most rollers the resistance is so low that changing gears can spike power but sustained high power is not possible. they "spin up" too easy. i have tru trainers which have a fly wheel and hence some resistance but max sustained wattage is still in order of 300-350W. (like more than 10 seconds or so).

[TurboKoo]

I use Elite Arion Mag and they have 3-position for resistance. Resistance is roughly 350w with 53x11.

[gaappa]

Both useful

I use roller as warming up.
and, I work out power with turbo trainer.

and cool down with roller

[mentok]

@ico. not really. most rollers the resistance is so low that changing gears can spike power but sustained high power is not possible. they "spin up" too easy. i have tru trainers which have a fly wheel and hence some resistance but max sustained wattage is still in order of 300-350W. (like more than 10 seconds or so).

Respectfully disagree. I have and I do 20 minute intervals at >400W on my Tacx Antares. Let some air out of your tyres, use crappy tyres, use heavy wheels.