December 23/15 22:55 pm - Canadian Cyclist Gift Guide - Part 5

Posted by Editoress on 12/23/15
 

Today, we are going to suggest rollers for your gift recipient. The reason is simple: rollers make you a better rider. You will become a smoother rider, since chopping at the pedals will send you side to side. You will learn to ride in a straight line without thinking about it. You will spin the pedals, and develop the ability to ride naturally at a high cadence. There is no downside to rollers.

A set of rollers is not something you replace frequently - I've been riding rollers for 40-plus years and have only owned two pairs; a set of Rolltracs that I bought in the 1970s for $75 (the same price as a pair of Shimano Dura Ace brakes at the time, I recall), and my current Kreitlers, a fantastic gift from my partner some 10 years ago.

Kreitler, CycleOps, Kurt Kinetic, Minoura and Tacx are some of the common brands (all available through local dealers or online), with prices ranging from a couple of hundred dollars (NOT recommended) to well over a thousand.

Since rollers are so simple - frame, belt and drums - what makes a good pair? The answer is: quality. A sturdy frame, so it can't twist under use, and heavy enough that it won't bounce across the floor. A good belt that won't stretch or wear out. And, most importantly, high quality drums with a precisely machined surface and roundness (aluminum is better then plastic), plus high quality bearings.

Kreitler

Cyclops

Which, finally, in a roundabout way, brings me to the Inside Ride E-Motion rollers, that I just finished testing. These are likely the biggest technical change in rollers since ... well, forever. In short, these are pretty much state-of-the-art when it comes to roller technology. As you might expect, that comes at a cost - $900 U.S. for the manual version and $1050 U.S. for the remote. This is close to twice as much as a pair of Kreitlers. However, as I stated earlier, rollers are pretty much a once in a lifetime purchase - about the only thing you ever really need to replace is the belt. So amortize the cost over 10-plus years and it is pretty cheap, really. E-Motion are only sold direct, via insideride.com.

Read the full review Here.