Cyclops Aluminum Rollers

[r_mutt]

Anyone have experience with these? I was looking to get a set with resistance to make indoor riding more bearable in the winter.

[Wesley37]

If I am not mistaken, the CycleOps rollers are made by Sportcrafters. I ride Sportcrafters rollers, and I would strongly recommend using their progressive resistance rear roller. The resistance is built-in to the rear roller, it is quiet, and works well.

https://sportcrafters.com/blog/testimonial-overdrive-pro-rollers

[SpeedyChix]

+! for the inertia drum from SportCrafters. Years ago I'd purchased a set of used CycleOps rollers. Have added the inertia drum to them and it's a winner.

[dekindy]

I have the Sportscrafters model, the obsolete one with the composite rollers that are virtually the same as aluminum, with the exception that they cannot be used outside in sunlight or with the magnetic resistance unit(also obsolete?) since the rollers are not metal. This is my only experience with rollers except for 20 years ago when I used a cheap pair that was like riding on ice and I purchased the front fork unit so that I could use them.

As far as I am concerned the very positive reviews are accurate. I only purchased them to help with balance and smooth pedaling and use a trainer for conditioning, but am satisfied you can get a very good workout with them if they were your only equipment. Highly recommend.

This is the bike shop that has common ownership with Sportscrafters.
http://spinzonecycling.com/

[R3awak3n]

I had some and they were solid. Also cycleops is an awesome company in my experience. Lost a bunch of parts for the rollers, gave em a call and they sent tons of spare parts, some i didnt even need but were good to have.

[r_mutt]

Thanks fort the info gents. the reviews i've read have been favorable, and this confirms it even more.

do you think the rollers with resistance would be a suitable replacement for an indoor trainer?

[dekindy]

Thanks fort the info gents. the reviews i've read have been favorable, and this confirms it even more.

do you think the rollers with resistance would be a suitable replacement for an indoor trainer?

That would depend on how good you get at rollers. I cannot see myself ever having enough skill to stand up or do one legged drills on rollers or even clip in. Even seated sprints that get up to speed quickly might be beyond my ability. I just get balanced and work on smooth, steady state pedaling strokes and riding in a straight line.

But there are many folks that can do those things and I might be able to with enough practice. I do not really have a desire to but there is no doubt that if you were able to master these skills on rollers you would become a very efficient rider!

[R3awak3n]

Yeah if I could I would have both. I only have space for one so I rather have a trainer.

[foo_fighter]

It's pretty easy to build a free-motion base and add bumpers which makes it orders of magnitude easier to stand/sprint/etc. I would imagine the inertia drum and the resistance unit [2 separate drums] on the sportcrafters helps a lot too.

That would depend on how good you get at rollers. I cannot see myself ever having enough skill to stand up or do one legged drills on rollers or even clip in. Even seated sprints that get up to speed quickly might be beyond my ability. I just get balanced and work on smooth, steady state pedaling strokes and riding in a straight line.

But there are many folks that can do those things and I might be able to with enough practice. I do not really have a desire to but there is no doubt that if you were able to master these skills on rollers you would become a very efficient rider!

[Pastashop]

I'm looking at this:

https://sportcrafters.com/products/bike-rollers/overdrive-drum

Under the "Specs" tab, they say:

"Drum diameter: 3 1/4" (8.26 cm) It does not matter if the other drums are slightly smaller or larger. If the other drums are significantly larger, it will not work."

Thinking I could replace one of the rear drums on my old 4" Kreilters, but not sure if it's too different. Has anyone tried this with their existing rollers?.. ...

[foo_fighter]

Are your drums Aluminum? You could also MacGyver a solution with about $10-20 in rare-earth magnets...but you won't get the same powercurve.
That said, I can't think of a reason that they won't work as long as the width is correct(which was the reason I couldn't use them on my performance/nashbar/elite rollers)
There is a 30 day return policy.

I'm looking at this:

https://sportcrafters.com/products/bike-rollers/overdrive-drum

Under the "Specs" tab, they say:

"Drum diameter: 3 1/4" (8.26 cm) It does not matter if the other drums are slightly smaller or larger. If the other drums are significantly larger, it will not work."

Thinking I could replace one of the rear drums on my old 4" Kreilters, but not sure if it's too different. Has anyone tried this with their existing rollers?.. ...

[teleguy57]

Big fan of Sportcrafters/Cycleops rollers. I've posted about my setup across the hall (http://www.velocipedesalon.com/forum/f45/indoor-training-big-shoot-out-39069.html#post646728); I built a floating eMotion-like platform for them. Also, having the option to add the front fork mount gives me lots of flexibility.

As I posted, I added the resistance drum to replace the original Sportcrafters mag resistance unit. Now that I have it I'm not seeing a big difference between the two and could have kept using the mag unit. I do really like the addition of the inertia drum.

And as a PSA, my mag unit (http://forums.thepaceline.net/showthread.php?t=158285&highlight=sportcrafters) didn't make it to ebay yet...:)
http://branfordbike.com/merchant/1677/images/large/spcr_mag.jpg

[dekindy]

Never thought, maybe rollers with a fork mount option and magnetic resistance might be better overall than a trainer as far as flexibility, ease of setup and takedown, tire wear, etc. Good points.