E-motion Rollers

[jberenyi]

Would love to hear some feedback on these rollers and how much you paid for them. Thanks!

[rsa]

very good quality rollers. My first set of rollers were Kreitler Dyno-mytes. Kind of numbing when riding on the roller for 1 hr. Sold them and bought the e-motion rollers. Yes, the price is steep, but I have had it for @4+ years now. What's impressive is you can do a full out sprint on them, stand on the pedals, and even coast for a few seconds. When doing an hour on these rollers....very easy. Well worth the investment.

[jberenyi]

My friend bought his about one year ago and said he'd let me buy them for $500. Sounds like a good deal but maybe I can talk him down to $400 :banana: . He hardly used them.

[thwart]

Mine are a little over a year old, was able to take advantage of the live.com discount eBay thing last winter, so paid around $550.

Great investment. Can do cadence, hillwork, sprints. Looks to be very well built also. Makes roller workouts seem less like drudgery. I've had good luck storing them upright, and using a couple of bungee cords to lessen the strain on the elastic bands.

I'll never forget the day... I was out in the garage doing a workout when the UPS truck drove up with the package... just a couple of minutes after I had a significant fall off my Kreitlers. :D

[Ray]

Do a search - there have been pretty extensive discussions / reviews on these here. Sounds like the e-motions and trutrainers are the shizzle for rollers these days. They're both loved by the people that have 'em and have slightly different strengths and weaknesses. I have a set of trutrainers and they're the only rollers I actually sort of enjoy riding. If I did more intense out of the saddle work / sprints, etc, I might have gone for the e-motions. Both seem to be very well made and pretty similarly expensive, so whichever fits your needs and wants....

-Ray

[Charles M]

I would take a set of either and be happy. Really they're just better versions all round to what used to be the standard.


As for talking your "freind" down, if he's really a freind tell him I'll take his hardly used set for the full 500. That's a steal :banana:

[paczki]

I've owned e-motion rollers and liked them.
How different is the Trutrainer from a Kreitler with a freewheel?

[Ray]

I've owned e-motion rollers and liked them.
How different is the Trutrainer from a Kreitler with a freewheel?
The trutrainer has a flywheel built into the rear roller that maintains momentum, which no traditional rollers (including Kreitlers) have. That's what allows them to come pretty close to simulate what its like to ride an actual bike. It gives you some resistance on starting up and it maintains momentum when you stop pedaling, very much like actual forward momentum on the road. If you stop pedaling the wheels maintain momentum for a while. You can actually coast for a bit. You still have to be pretty smooth - you'll still be all over the place on 'em if you're pedaling squares. In a high gear you tend to have enough resistance to get out of the saddle and they'll feel pretty much like riding up a slight upgrade.

Bottom line - they don't feel like traditional rollers, even really good ones.

-Ray

[paczki]

The trutrainer has a flywheel built into the rear roller that maintains momentum, which no traditional rollers (including Kreitlers) have. That's what allows them to come pretty close to simulate what its like to ride an actual bike. It gives you some resistance on starting up and it maintains momentum when you stop pedaling, very much like actual forward momentum on the road. If you stop pedaling the wheels maintain momentum for a while. You can actually coast for a bit. You still have to be pretty smooth - you'll still be all over the place on 'em if you're pedaling squares. In a high gear you tend to have enough resistance to get out of the saddle and they'll feel pretty much like riding up a slight upgrade.

Bottom line - they don't feel like traditional rollers, even really good ones.

-Ray

Thanks. But that's what the Kreitler flywheel attachment does, it's just not inside the roller but attached to the back.

[MattTuck]

Hadn't heard of these, so I did some searching and was impressed with the videos.

Also found this video. Too funny. Short handlebars don't appear great for handling.


Link to video (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hrKvguARxJo&feature=fvw)

[Ray]

Thanks. But that's what the Kreitler flywheel attachment does, it's just not inside the roller but attached to the back.
Sorry, I thought you said Kreitlers with a FREEwheel. I don't have any experience with the Kreitlers with a flywheel - I think some of the past threads on trutrainers and e-motions (either here or across the hall) have discussed them and how they compare, but I don't really recall the details.

-Ray

[paczki]

Sorry, I thought you said Kreitlers with a FREEwheel. I don't have any experience with the Kreitlers with a flywheel - I think some of the past threads on trutrainers and e-motions (either here or across the hall) have discussed them and how they compare, but I don't really recall the details.

-Ray

Thanks. I initially miswrote, as usual!

[old_school]

I've owned e-motion rollers and liked them.
How different is the Trutrainer from a Kreitler with a freewheel?

http://forums.thepaceline.net/showpost.php?p=276400&postcount=2

[207 cm]

My friend bought his about one year ago and said he'd let me buy them for $500. Sounds like a good deal but maybe I can talk him down to $400 :banana: . He hardly used them.


Bad deal, I'm your friend. Let me buy them. Please.

[11.4]

Thanks. But that's what the Kreitler flywheel attachment does, it's just not inside the roller but attached to the back.

The Kreitler flywheel is no comparison. It's fairly crude, not particularly well balanced, and not comfortable to ride. You typically need two flywheels, one on each side of the drum, to get real resistance going. As a result, the whole set of rollers becomes very heavy.

In comparison, the Trutrainer flywheel is entirely self contained, much heavier (so the flywheel effect is greater), and is finely turned and tuned so it runs without any bumps or irregularities.

I've bought just about every version of the Kreitler over the years, and just about every accessory. Having owned them all, I've never kept any of them more than a year, and then sold it. I keep trying, but it wasn't til TruTrainers came out that I knew I'd found the best rollers out there.

[John H.]

[So coming from a trackie (track guys usually know rollers)- you would suggest Truetrainer over e-motion?
I want feel and resistance- not looking to sprint on them. I would like it if I could do full power on them unlike my Kreitlers where I am sub 200 watts at 30mph-

QUOTE=11.4]The Kreitler flywheel is no comparison. It's fairly crude, not particularly well balanced, and not comfortable to ride. You typically need two flywheels, one on each side of the drum, to get real resistance going. As a result, the whole set of rollers becomes very heavy.

In comparison, the Trutrainer flywheel is entirely self contained, much heavier (so the flywheel effect is greater), and is finely turned and tuned so it runs without any bumps or irregularities.

I've bought just about every version of the Kreitler over the years, and just about every accessory. Having owned them all, I've never kept any of them more than a year, and then sold it. I keep trying, but it wasn't til TruTrainers came out that I knew I'd found the best rollers out there.[/QUOTE]

[djg]

[So coming from a trackie (track guys usually know rollers)- you would suggest Truetrainer over e-motion?
I want feel and resistance- not looking to sprint on them. I would like it if I could do full power on them unlike my Kreitlers where I am sub 200 watts at 30mph-

QUOTE=11.4]The Kreitler flywheel is no comparison. It's fairly crude, not particularly well balanced, and not comfortable to ride. You typically need two flywheels, one on each side of the drum, to get real resistance going. As a result, the whole set of rollers becomes very heavy.

In comparison, the Trutrainer flywheel is entirely self contained, much heavier (so the flywheel effect is greater), and is finely turned and tuned so it runs without any bumps or irregularities.

I've bought just about every version of the Kreitler over the years, and just about every accessory. Having owned them all, I've never kept any of them more than a year, and then sold it. I keep trying, but it wasn't til TruTrainers came out that I knew I'd found the best rollers out there.[/QUOTE]

Which kreitlers are you riding? I have the poly-lytes (mid sized drum) -- I really cannot do sprint or big gear work outs on them but I can work harder than that. I don't think the speedo on my powertap says anything over 20 mph at 200 watts (which is definitely NOT big ring and high rpm on the rollers) and I don't think it says 30 mph even at 300 (which somehow is getting close to my max on those rollers, although I get it higher readings for short peaks).

None of this is an argument with 11.4, who probably knows tons more about the alternatives than I do (heck, I haven't even tried the e-motion or true traner rollers).

[John H.]

I have full size aluminum kreitlers without resistance fan. You can spin your legs on them- not really train.



Which kreitlers are you riding? I have the poly-lytes (mid sized drum) -- I really cannot do sprint or big gear work outs on them but I can work harder than that. I don't think the speedo on my powertap says anything over 20 mph at 200 watts (which is definitely NOT big ring and high rpm on the rollers) and I don't think it says 30 mph even at 300 (which somehow is getting close to my max on those rollers, although I get it higher readings for short peaks).

None of this is an argument with 11.4, who probably knows tons more about the alternatives than I do (heck, I haven't even tried the e-motion or true traner rollers).[/QUOTE]

[McQueen]

I have full size aluminum kreitlers without resistance fan. You can spin your legs on them- not really train.



Which kreitlers are you riding? I have the poly-lytes (mid sized drum) -- I really cannot do sprint or big gear work outs on them but I can work harder than that. I don't think the speedo on my powertap says anything over 20 mph at 200 watts (which is definitely NOT big ring and high rpm on the rollers) and I don't think it says 30 mph even at 300 (which somehow is getting close to my max on those rollers, although I get it higher readings for short peaks).

None of this is an argument with 11.4, who probably knows tons more about the alternatives than I do (heck, I haven't even tried the e-motion or true traner rollers).[/QUOTE]


I've had the 'Dyno-Mytes' for 13 years or so.. (speaks to their longevity) I've replaced the belts and over time added accessories.

I've tried the forkstand - but generally didn't like it at all. Took away too much resistance, and I worried about my headset.

I added (contrary to Kreitlers suggestions) the Killer Headwind fan to my Dynomyte rollers, and that's the current setup I ride.

The resistance is such that you can get some pretty significant wattage in the small ring, and do stomps and other low cadence muscle workouts in the big ring. When you go to a 39/23-25, I find my wattage is plenty low enough for recovery (110-120watts @ 90rpm) and I generally don't see much in the way of a downside to having the Killer Headwind fan with the Dynomyte - in terms of too much resistance. The only other caveat is that your skill on the rollers is a bit more of a factor, as your recovery/spinning is done at much lower wheelspeed, and as it is the centrifugal force of the wheels that aids balance, you'll need a bit more attention to keeping the bike straight and upright. (And your speed and distance will be pathetic, but cadence and wattage will be whatever you need for your workout)

I added some washers under the mount of the fan in order to raise the fan up a little to add a little more tension to the belt - compensating for the fact that the fan belt was made to be used with a larger diameter roller drum, and I was having some issues with the belt getting some turbulence and slipping off mid-interval at higher speeds - which is not fun.

[old_school]

I have owned Minoura, Kreitler, E-motion, and TruTrainer. TruTrainers are rock solid, smooth rolling, and function (resistance-wise) better than any roller I have ridden.

[Peter P.]

I know the original poster asked for feedback on e-Motion rollers which I don't have experience with, but since a lot of people started chiming in with their TruTrainer experiences, I thought I'd add my two cents.

The most important features which I desired in the TruTrainer were the level positioning of the bike and the flywheel effect, both of which would provide some crotch relief from a proper bike position and the ability to get out of the saddle, and the addition of some resistance. I wasn't necessarily looking for the most realistic road feel and resistance curves. Even with these features I still have to stand up about every 15 minutes or so, but it's so easy to do it's practically natural.

From what I've read about the Kreitlers with the added flywheel, they're not precisely machined or balanced so they're not as smooth as would be expected.

The TruTrainer on the other hand, is so close to road riding that it's an eye-opener. You'll laugh and smile the first time you get on them. The flywheel provides some resistance and inertia. The resistance curve is about equivalent to the 3" diameter Kreitlers. I believe the curves are on the TruTrainer and Kreitler web sites for comparison. You can stand up out of the saddle with such ease, it's silly. The fact that the TruTrainer orients the bike level vs. a slight up pitch on standard rollers (including e-Motion) means less crotch discomfort-think like riding in the drops up a grade.

TruTrainer should provide all the resistance you'll need for winter workouts.

Coasting-need to fix your junk or adjust the buckles on your shoes? Take your time. Twenty second coast downs and longer are standard fare.

I bought the flywheel release mechanism but never use it. I think I'd get the same results just shifting to a lower gear.

As a result of my owning a pair of TruTrainers, I convinced TWO friends to buy them as well. One friend formerly used a pair of 25 year old imported rollers and a Kurt Kinetic Fluid trainer; the other had a pair of Minoura plastic rollers with a mag unit.

The only drawbacks to the TruTrainer are, although they're foldable for storage, the spring loaded handle is really not suited for carrying them as it can pop out an inopportune times; the handle is too tall for shorter people like my 5'6" self to carry (I rigged up a homemade shoulder strap for the job), and they're quite heavy for carrying long distances, which I have to do each time I use them.

I'd like to add that I've ridden my TruTrainer as long as 3 3/4 hrs. at one time; they're that good.

[happycampyer]

I recently replaced a set of Kreitler Dyno-Lytes (3" drum) plus Headwind unit with a set of TruTrainers (based on 11.4's and others' recommendations). The Kreitlers are a quality product, but the TruTrainers are in another league. Completely agree with Peter P's description. As with Peter P, no experience with the e-Motion rollers, sorry :).