TruTrainer Rollers
www.TruTrainer.com
Review by Scott Patton
with help from Tom Propst
We received a pair of brand new TruTrainer rollers from our friendly
neighborhood FedEx man. The first thing I noticed about these rollers is
that they were heavier than I expected. I knew they had a flywheel, but
this box was not light. As I opened up the box and saw these rollers, I
was impressed. The rails down the side, the drums, the clear belt, the
fiberglass. Everything just looked nice. Checking out the www.TruTrainer.com,
I found the following specs:
- Side rails are CNC machined and powder coated 6061-T6
aluminum.
- Rollers are precision drawn, and hard anodized 6063-T6
aluminum
- Bearing end caps are CNC machined and anodized 6061-T6
aluminum
- Side rails are protected with durable, anti-skid rubber
tread.
- Fasteners are stainless steel.
- High quality shielded ball bearings are used through-out.
- Flywheel is 2-plane, dynamically balanced for smooth, quiet
operation.
All in all, this looks like a very high quality product with the
specifications to back it up.
I
quickly flipped though the owner manual to sort out how everything works.
I realized the front drum was out a little far, so I spent a minute moving it to
the correct position. This took nothing more than a 6 mm allen wrench and
about 2 minutes. I was impressed with the fit and the machining of the
bolts and their fit into the rails.
Now I was ready to go. Time to ride. I have a lot of experience
on rollers over the years, so I figured this would be another ride in the
garage, just maybe a little harder. I jumped up and watched my power go up higher
than I really expected it to. It was almost as if I was pulling away at a
stop light. I shifted into a different gear, sorted things out and settled
in at a descent 175 watts. Interesting, it feels like I am riding down the
road. Of course, I had to give them a little power and see what
happened. I tried sprinting, steady state riding, just about everything I
could think of. No matter how hard I went, it appeared that the rollers
were saying "Gimme some more!"
I
rolled out for about 45 minutes. I was amazed that it really did feel like
I was riding down the road. I had my teammate, Tom Propst try out the
rollers as well. He commented "This provides a feeling closer to riding on the road than anything I've ridden
indoors." I would certainly agree with him on that. The
flywheel gives you momentum to do things that are nearly un-thinkable on
standard rollers, like adjusting your position, stretching or tightening up your
shoes.
Another thing that impressed me was the
"comfort" of these rollers. Typically, on the rollers, your rear
wheel sits below your front wheel. Without adjusting your saddle, you end
up with the nose of your saddle pointing up. This can lead to some
discomfort in an area you really do not want discomfort. Not with the
TruTrainer rollers! They thought through this pretty well. The rear drums
are actually above the front drum and spaced to "hold you in" pretty well when
sprinting.
With countless hours of riding rollers under my belt, very few times have I
managed the courage to "sprint". After several nights on the
these rollers, I was able to gather the courage to get up out of the
saddle. It showed me that I do have a lot of work to do in
"transition" but I did feel comfortable out of the saddle on these
rollers.
Riding indoors has a certain number of "challenges". One is
breaking up the boredom. Rollers do help, as you have to interact with
your bicycle, but most of us do enjoy a television, radio or some external
entertainment device. The TruTrainer rollers are not silent, however they
are no louder than my CatEye or other wind/mag/fluid trainers I have used.
With the TV turned up a little bit, you can easily hear what is going on.
After all of my riding and testing, I looked up the prices on the items I received.
The Roller, the Folding Option, the Platform Option and the Freewheel Quick
Release total out to about $930 (Base Price: $699). Some may balk at that
price, but having ridden them, they are definitely not your average
rollers. In comparison, a set of Kreitler Aluminum rollers with the killer
headwind unit and the flywheel are going to be in the $700 range as well.
You do have to pay for quality.
Likes:
- Good road feel
- Smooth ride
- Quality parts/finish
- Ease of adjustment
- Ease of folding
- Overall comfort
Dislikes:
- Price
- Weight (if traveling with them)
Conclusion:
My CatEye CS1000 is whimpering in the corner of the garage. For
training, these rollers are a far better tool. I am able to maintain road
like wattages in the "comfort" of my own garage.
They are a quality training tool. I spent more on my power meter than I
did these and have never regretted that decision! They also give you
riding interaction and a good road feel, they are definitely worth
considering. From a travel point of view, they are heavy, which could be
an issue. If you are like myself, and have to train indoors, I highly
recommend that you check these out. They will definitely put the hurt on
you! If you are looking for some free spinning rollers to warm up on at
the track, these are probably not your animal. Then again, with the quick
release option, you could end up with two tools in one.
For more information: Please check out www.TruTrainer.com.
Tell them you heard about the rollers on FixedGearFever and receive FREE
SHIPPING! A $50 value!
