Minoura Rollers

[Splash]

Hello All.

Kind of interested in these rollers to buy.

Anyone had experience with this brand of roller?

What is the optimal diameter or roller for roller units in general?

http://www.gumtree.com.au/s-view-details.html?adId=1084477133



Splash

[Peter P.]

They're not Kreitler quality but many people have the brand including a friend and they get reasonable lifespans out of them. The bearings in the rollers get tired, but it takes many years.

Since that set you're interested in has a mag resistance unit, drum diameter will not matter. If you were buying strictly a set of plain rollers, I'd suggest getting the 3" diameter style. This size offers an inherent measure of resistance which is enough for most people. The 4.5" models will find you in big gears pretty quickly.

If you're looking to buy used rollers, I encourage you to keep an eye out on eBay. Kreitler rollers are always coming up for sale and you can usually get your hands on a pair of 3" rollers for a very good price.

[happycampyer]

If you do a search in the archives for discussions about rollers, you will find that the two brands that tend to get the highest praise are TruTrainer and e-Motion. I have both and prefer the TruTrainers, but others who have or have tried both prefer the e-Motions, so it really boils down to preference. I have also owned Kreitlers, which are very nice, but not in the same category as the above two.

[thwart]

If you do a search in the archives for discussions about rollers, you will find that the two brands that tend to get the highest praise are TruTrainer and e-Motion. I have both and prefer the TruTrainers, but others who have or have tried both prefer the e-Motions, so it really boils down to preference. I have also owned Kreitlers, which are very nice, but not in the same category as the above two.

+1.

A reasonable analogy is that the Minoura are an entry level drug.

Good chance you'll eventually feel the need to move on to the 'hard stuff' outlined above.

[fuzzalow]

Riding rollers is tough. Try entry level rollers to find out if you've got the mental forbearance and tenacity to ride them with any regularity. I don't think that graduating to the harder stuff is an inevitable and foregone conclusion.

I still have Kreitlers with the wind unit and I have had a Kettler Ergocycle. Riding indoors is very tough and virtually undoable for me. I get weather bad enough for that and I start running outside rather than riding inside. YMMV.

[Splash]

Thanks guys.

How do aluminium rollers rate in place of the solid plastic rollers in terms of performance and effectiveness for rollers?


Splash

[Peter P.]

How do aluminium rollers rate in place of the solid plastic rollers in terms of performance and effectiveness for rollers?


I had a pair of plastic roller DRUMS which cracked. Kreitler uses plastic end caps on one line of rollers but I've never heard of them cracking and Kreitler has been in business for decades with stellar customer service so if you chose Kreitlers, I wouldn't even worry about it.

I've read of some cautioning against leaving plastic rollers in a hot car because of possible warpage. A problem I had with plastic roller drums was in the winter. The plastic drums built up huge static charges from roller friction. I would grab a metal pole when I stopped riding and the static electric shock would just about make my finger explode! I solved the problem by wrapping a piece of cardboard around the pole and grabbing the cardboard instead, which bled off the static charge without incident. Never had that problem with aluminum rollers.

Here's a good Buy It Now price (http://www.ebay.com/itm/Kreitler-Cycling-Rollers-/331635088484?hash=item4d36fddc64) on a pair of 3" Kreitlers. You might be able to sell the stand and recover some of your costs.

[Look585]

What is the purpose of your roller set?

Road training (hard): Kreitler 2.25" drums will give you all the resistance you can stand. Unless your FTP is 400+watts, you won't outrun these.

Road race warmups and spinning sessions: ~3" drums are the all around size. You can get pretty decent watts going in your 53/11 but also twiddle along at very low numbers for warmups and cadence work. Aluminum drums will last much longer, end caps are less concern, plastic is ok there.

Track warmups: Big drums here (4.5"+), you want as little resistance as possible. With your Pista Evos pumped up to 220psi, you barely need to pedal. When you climb on after a Kilo, they'll still feel like too much.

[ceolwulf]

I've never owned the small diameter rollers - do they wear tires like a trainer drive roller does? Is it best to use trainer tires front and back on them?

[Splash]

What is the purpose of your roller set?

- Condition my sit bones for my very hard seat.

- Improve my form/posture/core strength.

- Improve my pedal/cadence technique for group riding.

All 3 points free of rigid trainer lock in, traffic interruptions, weather, etc.


Splash

[regularguy412]

I've owned similar set of these for a long time. Don't use them much anymore. Had to replace the bearings once. They have plastic endcaps. I left mine in the van on a hot day during a crit and they seemed to have no issues. As others have said, they are not top of the line, but will get you acquainted with the process. These with the large drums are easy to turn, but i see in one of the pix in your link that there is a magnetic resistance unit-- so that will help. Kreitler aluminum rollers are what you really need for serious roller riding. I've never owned any of the 3 inch diameter ,, just the ~4 inch ones. Don't make a video of your first attempt, regardless of which ones you get. They always end up on Youtube.

Mike in AR:beer:

[Louis]

I agree with Fuzz - don't spend a lot of money on your first set. Buy used if you can.

I bought some rollers years ago, primarily to ride in the winter, but hated them - after about 10 minutes they would cause my brain to turn to mush. I just couldn't stand the boredom. I ended up giving them away to a buddy of mine at work. I have no clue if he still uses them or not, but I don't care - I have no interest in getting them back.

[Splash]

Thanks Guys.

I read a bit about plastic end caps are inferior to alloy end caps on rollers.

Any reasons for this?

I acknowledge there are better rollers out there and are at around 3 times the price at least. I want to try something on the cheap before I commit to a more expensive option.


SPlash

[avalonracing]

I had a set of those many years ago and they were rolled and joined aluminum -instead of milled aluminum (or plastic). They had a noticeable bump and I got rid of them.

[thwart]

I acknowledge there are better rollers out there and are at around 3 times the price at least. I want to try something on the cheap before I commit to a more expensive option.

My introduction to rollers was a Nashbar model, think they were around $100 shipped. They were actually well built and a great deal for the price (remember this is probably six or seven years ago, perhaps now they're using a different vendor), but felt the need to move on to something with more resistance. Used those for one winter, moved onto the Kreitlers, and a year later to the E-motions.

FWIW, I had no problem selling the used rollers locally on craigslist.

[sandyrs]

I would start with something from Tacx (nice balance of reasonable price and decent quality) and see if you like rollers. I like them for easy winter spinning to work on my pedal stroke and maintain a bit of base fitness with 8 inches of snow on the ground. It seems like this is approximately your purpose too. Can't speak to Minoura specifically but I do like rollers more than the trainer, and they're better suited to working on the pedal stroke anyway as you said.