TruTrainer vs Emotion?

[1happygirl]

:help: Anyone with experience on both to compare for the newbie? Searched internet and Forum didn't find exactly what lookin for. Leaning towards emotion. Would like to know ease of use and safety to lose concentration for a while, without breaking my neck but yet helping my with my line/form.

Thanks in advance.

[1centaur]

Since there are a lot of goof threads on those two that focus on quality and riding experience, I presume you are truly focused on the ability to let your mind wander.

I suspect you'll get different answers based on how different people perceive how much their minds are wandering or how naturally they are incapable of letting it wander THAT much (whatever THAT is), but I'll say as an E-motion owner that I would not want my mind to wander because I don't want to drift to the edge and hit the bumper. You read about users who happily hit it all the time and no big deal, but my desire was to be in control and not subject to the engineering of bumper vs. center of gravity, so if it were me, I would not want to drift to the edge of any set of rollers.

[BdaGhisallo]

http://www.fixedgearfever.com/modules.php?name=Roller_Tests


Check out this roller review from fixedgearfever.

I have both, and have for about three years. Since I got the Trutrainers, I have not touched the Emotions. The TT rollers are simply the finest rollers on the market. Don't worry too much about your ability. Take all the learning steps that are always advised and you'll get it in no time. The bigger rollers of the TTs will give you a smoother ride than the Emotions. Also factor in the storage. The TTs will fold up an tuck away. The Emotions do not fold at all.

[R2D2]

It's a cycling faux paux to talk rollers in the summer............

[jroden]

http://www.fixedgearfever.com/modules.php?name=Roller_Tests


Check out this roller review from fixedgearfever.

I have both, and have for about three years. Since I got the Trutrainers, I have not touched the Emotions. The TT rollers are simply the finest rollers on the market. Don't worry too much about your ability. Take all the learning steps that are always advised and you'll get it in no time. The bigger rollers of the TTs will give you a smoother ride than the Emotions. Also factor in the storage. The TTs will fold up an tuck away. The Emotions do not fold at all.

I have the e motions and like them, though more of a flywheel would be nice, especially when trying to add the mag unit. What is it about the others that makes them better in your experience?

[fiamme red]

Searched internet and Forum didn't find exactly what lookin for.Do an advanced search by user name 11.4, key word "rollers."

[BdaGhisallo]

Well the rollers on the TT are of a greater diameter so that makes the ride a good bit smoother. The flywheel on the TTs has a lot more mass than the IRides so they feel more like the sensation you get riding on the road. Factor in the simplicity of the TTs and the much lower noise level they produce, and they are a winner for me. I found the IRs too loud with that frame clanking around within the outer frame.

Granted, you can do higher wattage efforts on the IR's due to the smaller drums and the mag resistance component, but that's not what I want from a set of rollers. I want something smooth to let me focus on my technique and cadence. Another nice thing is that the TTs mount the rear rollers a little higher on the frame to minimize the incline that rollers naturally induce in your bike's attitude. And it may be cheesy for some, but the platform that you can buy for the TTs makes getting on and off just that bit easier. You don't have to worry about putting a cleat down on the floor and having it skate away. You have a solid non-slip platform to step on and off the bike from, without having the top tube up in your crotch while doing it.

And the final plus for the TTs is the quality. They are simply the best made set of rollers I have ever had, and I have had a few. I went through a few sets of Kreitlers over the last 20 years, and the frames were never straight. The front roller was never parallel to the rear rollers. The TTs are stout and feel absolutely solid.

They are spendy, but if you are going to spend a lot of time on rollers, the TruTrainers are worth in, imo.

[mandasol]

If you want safety in case you loose concentration then DON'T get the e-motions. They're fine if you 'know' you're heading into the safety bumpers them so you can shift your weight enough so that you won't tip over, but if you catch your wheel on the side bumpers the wrong way you'll tip over and fall pretty quick and hard.

Riding off the side of a set of rollers are actually much safer, and lets you stay in control. If you can set up the rollers next to something you can grab (like the hand rail of a treadmill or wall hand rail) then you can catch yourself from falling pretty much every time.

After you get used to riding, then you won't even need the hand rail to catch yourself when you come off the side of the roller. You just stop pedaling, put a foot down, lift your bike back on the rollers, then start riding again. You eventually get to the point you don't even bother looking down and just zone out watching tv or something, and very occasionally when you ride off the side you automatically go through those steps without having to put much thought into it either.

Only problem is eventually it can get as boring as riding on a trainer.

[Peter P.]

I've got the TruTrainer and can't say enough good things about them.

The flywheel provides plenty of REALISTIC resistance; the wind-up to speed and the force required to keep you at speed. The flywheel also enables you to get started by merely turning the pedals with one leg for a few revs to generate a little speed. Then you can coast and clip in with the other foot.

The TruTrainer design positions both wheels at the same height, so the bike sits level. Why is this better than eMotions or standard rollers?-with non-TT rollers, the front wheel sits slightly higher than the rear. To me, it makes the steering feel like there's a little bit of flop in the handling. Also, it points the nose of the saddle slightly up, so for me at least, riding in the drops feels like there's more pressure on the crotch. Not so with the eMotion.

And while the eMotions tout the ability to stand up off the saddle, with my TruTrainer it feels so realistic and natural-AND YOU CAN COAST! It's great for giving your butt a break, adjusting a shoe strap, whatever.

I've never bothered with the flywheel release feature. If I want an easy spin, I just use a lower gear.

I have the folding model, and the only drawback is they are heavy to lug long distances, which I have to do when I train; about 100yds. If you can, get the platform. I've tried it and it's much easier than planting a foot on the rails.

Falling off TruTrainers is like falling off any rollers; you don't get launched like a jet. You just tip over and there's usually a couple seconds available to unclip and post a foot.

[1happygirl]

Hey thanks Guys (assuming no gals) for the detailed feedback! Good to have updated info as I know they have recently made the Emotions different for 2011 (smaller frame iirc) and everybody updates designs periodically.

I guess where I'm having trouble is what makes the TT radically different from any other roller (eg krietlers) except as ubiquitously stated, workmanship? However the Emotions per internet are reported to be a radical new design in roller technology, etc.
I know my bike handling /line holding skills are horrible. I just don't want as severe a learning curve. I guess I could get the motions and sell em after a yr? I do notice and like the TT step up plate for mounting yr ride. This looks like a great invention/addition!

It's a cycling faux paux to talk rollers in the summer............

hahaha I know. I can't have any more bad luck, but its probably doomed me.

[happycampyer]

Aside from the workmanship, the distinguishing feature of the TruTrainers is the flywheel built into the rear drum. Others have mentioned it, but its benefit may not be obvious. In addition to being incredibly smooth, once you spin the rollers up, they continue to spin so if you stop pedaling, you coast like you would if you were on the road (rather than having the rollers spin down quickly as with traditional rollers). Check out this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=olGPA3pPnD4

That guy is ridiculously smooth. I can't ride out of the saddle anywhere near that well, but watching that video gave me the courage to coast, unclip and do single-leg pedaling drills, which I could never have done on my Kreitlers.

[Peter P.]

I[B] guess where I'm having trouble is what makes the TT radically different from any other roller (eg krietlers) except as ubiquitously stated, workmanship?

As far as quality goes, I think Kreitler offers a GREAT bargain, and their quality is on-par with TruTrainer. It's just that Kreitler lacks the feature set of TruTrainer.

It's the flywheel, the flywheel, THE FLYWHEEL!

The flywheel provides a measure of resistance roughly equal to the 3" rollers of Kreitler. The Kreitler web site used to display their resistance curves; can't find them now. However, check out the TT's resistance curve (http://www.trutrainer.com/products_benefits.shtml) . It equals road riding at the 20mph point; plenty of resistance for building power, which 4.5" rollers do NOT provide.

The flywheel makes riding out of the saddle so easy; it's just like riding on the road. If you've ever done it on regular rollers, it's a clumsy, tiptoe affair. The benefit is you can alleviate the discomfort of sitting in the saddle for long periods of time.

[jroden]

Hey thanks Guys (assuming no gals) for the detailed feedback! Good to have updated info as I know they have recently made the Emotions different for 2011 (smaller frame iirc) and everybody updates designs periodically.

I guess where I'm having trouble is what makes the TT radically different from any other roller (eg krietlers) except as ubiquitously stated, workmanship? However the Emotions per internet are reported to be a radical new design in roller technology, etc.
I know my bike handling /line holding skills are horrible. I just don't want as severe a learning curve. I guess I could get the motions and sell em after a yr? I do notice and like the TT step up plate for mounting yr ride. This looks like a great invention/addition!



hahaha I know. I can't have any more bad luck, but its probably doomed me.

I think the TT's have some sort of internal flywheel so they keep spinning longer. The kreitlets in the middle size are decent and provide enough resistance, the big ones are too easy. The fan unit they sell is kind of stupid and klunky and makes a racket. I have the emotions, they are really nice in that you can move around on them and get out of the saddle. I do a lot of 1.5 to 2 hrs workouts so it's nice to have the chance to shift position from time to time. I really do like the e motions, though I have not tried the tru trainers. I don't feel the side bumpers and such are really needed once you get used to riding rollers, though I do fall off every now and again through not paying attention. Its not a big deal, just unclip and put your foot down.