Top 13 Best Bike Rollers Reviews In 2020

For cyclists, getting trained every day is very important in maintaining their performance and fitness, especially during the COVID-19 lockdown that forces people to stay inside. This is when bike rollers become a saviour.

At a glance, all bike rollers look alike due to their design, but choosing the right one that suits your need can make a huge difference.

Here are my 13 best picks for your consideration, and make sure to scroll down for buying guides and more in-depth reviews.

Top 13 Best Bike Rollers Reviews In 2020

ROCK BROS Bike Rollers

RockBros has long been well-known for its high-quality cycling equipment, and the RockBros Bike Roller is not an exception.

It is a great intro roller for anyone who wants to start cycling indoors, without having to spend thousands to understand the experience.

Plus, the equipment comes fully assembled with a spare belt for replacement.

Balancing only takes a few minutes, and you’ll gain steady and consistent speed the longer you ride. For safety, I recommend you place it near a table or a window for support if you get unstable.

I also love the fact that this buddy can fit not only mountain bikes, but folding bikes and road bikes (like the 700c) as well.

Product Specs

See also:

• Top 14 Best Mountain Bikes Under 500 Reviews In 2020
• Top 11 Best Cruiser Bikes Reviews In 2020
• Top 20 Best Bike Cell Phone Holders and Mounts in 2020
• Top 20 Best Hybrid Bikes Under $500: August 2020 Update!
• Top 15 Best Hitch Bike Racks Reviews In 2020

Elite Quick-Motion Bike Rollers

Don’t skip if you’re looking for a compact, handy model but still delivers great quality.

After months of use, it is exactly what I expected – simple setup with clear instructions.

Crafted with the proprietary Patented Realistic Floating System, you’ll get to experience improved balance and stability.

It also offers bluetooth-connected Misuro B+ Sensor, which is available separately, that gives out reading data for you to track your progress.

With such awesome add-on, you don’t have to stare at the walls every time you ride anymore.

Product Specs

Kreitler KT-10001 Bike Rollers

The Kreitler KT-10001 bike roller is second to none when it comes to quality and design.

With this unit, you’ll feel that you’re closer to real-life riding experience while still in a virtual environment. Way more interesting than a trainer or a stationary!

What makes it stand out from other competitors is the add-on Killer Headwind fan, which I’m sure will take your experience to a whole new level. To be specific, the fan is adjustable with different levels of cooling, and can be rotated to direct the airflow up or down, for more or less resistance.

Plus, this great feature also helps you cool down your heat.

Product Specs

Feedback Sports Omnium Bike Rollers

Looking for a portable bike roller that can be taken anywhere, or left setup in your small apartment? Meet the Feedback Sports Omnium Bike Roller.

This model uses Internal Progressive Resistance (IPR) via friction-less Eddy current, together with precision rollers, which are so smooth and quiet that you’’ll never disrupt your nextdoor neighbours.

After use, the roller hides itself neatly in a small bag that can fit the airplane’s overhead bins, which is super convenient for riders who need to travel ahead of races.

Despite its portability, it’s capable of handling even the toughest and heaviest indoor workouts you’ve never imagined before.

Product Specs

Elite Arion Bike Rollers

Without any doubt, the Elite Arion Bike Roller is a popular choice among the WorldTour teams, and is widely recommended for many good reasons.

This bike roller is fairly quiet compared to many standard trainers, like the Kurt Kinetic I’ve used before.

All thanks to the well-built flared cylinders, as the tires slide to one side, you’ll hear the sound of rubber squeak – and it’s completely normal because it does that to prevent any bike fall.

Besides, the front drum is adjustable to 10 positions to suit various bike breeds.

Product Specs

Saris CycleOps Aluminum Bike Rollers

Only when you add the Saris CycleOps Aluminum Bike Roller to your training routine, will you achieve higher performance and improved balance.

It’s a simple cycling equipment, which takes no time to set it up or disassemble, thanks to the quick fold-over design.

Aluminum material is a plus since it’s lighter and more durable compared to plastic.

At first, it takes quite a bit of coordination to practice. Once you get the hang of it, you’ll be just as wet as a fish after a good hard workout.

While you’re rolling sweaty, this bike roller comes with a life-time warranty should there be any damage.

Product Specs

Tacx Antares Bike Rollers

For anyone looking for a natural feel while cycling indoors, without putting too much effort into it, meet the strongly kinetic Tacx Antares Bike Roller.

It comes with heavy-duty, tapered rollers to ensure you’ll never fall off during your workout, even once. This is made possible by making both front and rear rollers spin at the same speed. Hence, what you get is not only faster speeds, but also optimum stability.

The only downside is changing the wheelbase, which takes a slightly complicated process to complete every time you ride on a different tire.

Overall, it’s a good mix between quality and price.

Product Specs

CyclingDeal Premium Bike Rollers

With the CyclingDeal Premium Bike Roller, you’ll never be disappointed and save yourself hundreds of dollars.

After a few times of use, the quality is better than I expected – very sturdy, lightweight, and compact.

I must say I’m pretty impressed with the rollers. They spin so quietly and smoothly that you get a lot of squeaking, but only during the first few minutes, and after that, your ride will be just as smooth as butter.

Its foldable design is super simple for ease of use, and a small taper at the very edge of the drums is a great bonus to keep you from slipping out.

Product Specs

Elite Arion Digital Smart B+ Bike Rollers

Welcome to a “smart” roller from Elite Arion which I guarantee you’ll fall in love at first sight.

It comes fully assembled and bi-folded that only takes you a blink of an eye to set up.

For many, it’s a perfect companion for Zwift riders. When you hop on the roller, it instantly connects to Zwift, and automatically changes the resistance when climbing up hill, making your workout more interactive and realistic.

Sometimes, you’ll find the rear rollers a bit choppy but it’s not too big of an issue in the face of the quality and experience it brings.

Plus, you can get access to Elite My Training app not only for a whole year, but for free as well.

Product Specs

Tacx Galaxia Bike Rollers

Here comes another product from Tacx that offers you complete freedom of movement, while ensuring the best safety.

Take a look at the Patented Swing System, which swings back and forth for acceleration and deceleration. To be specific, as you speed up, the rollers move forward and as you slow down, they automatically lean backwards. All spin at the same speed.

Just like Antares model, it also comes with heavy-duty, conical rollers tapered inward you keep your bike centered throughout the training session.

Once you’ve finished, it retracts itself to 31.5 x 19.7 x 5.31 inches that makes it a compact and handy cycling tool.

Product Specs

Kreitler 3.0 Bike Rollers

Kreitler has long been known for its advanced and high-quality product line of bike rollers, and the Kreitler 3.0 model is without exception a great indoor cycling equipment for any rider.

While including everything needed to practice riding techniques, it also offers a Killing Headwind fan – a great add-on from the company that does a “two birds killed with one stone” job. Not only does it change resistance levels accordingly, it also helps blow away your sweat.

Though it’s not a bang for your bucks, it’s worth investing in this bike roller to enjoy such premium quality.

Product Specs

Blackburn Raceday Bike Rollers

Outwardly, it looks similar to the Feedback Sports Omnium Bike Roller, but the one from Blackburn is specially designed for committed riders yearning for a high-quality training before the race.

In terms of appearance, the company claimed to have put a great deal of effort into minimizing the size, and that’s why the roller looks just as small as a chihuahua.

What’s more, it comes with a telescoping incorporated into the legs and wheelbase for you to manually adjust to fit different bike breeds and their respective wheel size.

The only thing I need to remind you is to be careful when you climb on the roller, as it’s elevated around 10cm off the ground.

Product Specs

The Ultimate Guide To Choosing Best Bike Rollers In 2020

In a world of infinite training equipment options, cyclists constantly look for ways to optimize tools they have, and thus leads to enhanced performance and widened experience. Rollers are a great sports equipment that gives you a good penny-worth. However, there are seemingly endless bike rollers on the market right now, and riders, especially newbies, often have difficulty in choosing the best one for them.

When it comes to buying a bike roller, there are 5 main things you need to consider:

Construction quality

As with any sports equipment, construction quality is as important as air. Low-quality construction will definitely drag your mood down.

Paying great attention to the construction quality is worthwhile if you’re seeking to train at a more intense level, or for tough workouts.

Rollers themselves are the most important components to consider. High-quality and precision rollers are mostly made of aluminum to give you increased stability as well as a quiet, effective training period. Alternatively, high-density polyethylene rollers work just fine as well.

When you read the specifications, make sure to also choose the one that is able to hold you and your bike.

Versatility

Rollers are more convenient than trainers in the face of adjustment. While trainers require you to adjust every time you ride, rollers only need to be adjusted once.

Plus, well-made bike rollers are able to fit a wide range of wheel sizes, making it able to accommodate different types of bicycles, namely mountain bikes and road bikes.

Well-made bike rollers only take you a few seconds to adjust to your desired wheelbase, and then you’re good to go.

Portability & Packability

Most rollers are designed with simplicity in mind, so you can set it up or disassemble it in no time.

The compact, retractable design allows you to easily fold it into two, or three parts. As a result, this welcome feature eases storage and transportation, even if you have to travel airborne.

If you’re living in a small apartment, and space is an issue, then getting a compact, foldable bike roller is a perfect choice.

Drum

There are 2 main things you need to look at – design and material.

In terms of material, drums are made out of aluminum alloys, or hard plastic polyethylene. Each of them is made for a specific type of workout, and make sure to choose the right one as it can tremendously affect your performance.

Another aspect is design, the drum shape is either parabolic or uniform. Parabolic shape keeps you coordinated so that you don’t come off the rollers. And the Tacx Antares and Tacx Galaxia are great examples in which the parabolic drums are smaller on the inside, while those on the outside near the frame are larger.

Resistance

Drum size is what determines the resistance levels. The smaller the drums, the higher the resistance level and vice versa. Less resistance means you can attain high speed without spending too much effort.

Now there are a number of rollers offered different drum diameters to accommodate all fitness levels, so you just need to pick the right one for you.

FAQs

Are cycling rollers worth it?

When it comes to indoor cycling, everyone is in two minds about whether to choose a trainer or a roller.

Rollers are typically lighter than trainers, and retractable models such as the Elite Arion or the Saris CycleOps have made storage and transportation easier than ever thanks to foldable design. You can easily slide them under the bed, or stand them up vertically without taking too much space.

Unlike trainers to which your bike is fixed, with rollers it can move freely and naturally underneath you, which brings you closer to on-road riding experience as it requires you to constantly maintain your balance, and of course, without clinging to any surface.

Rollers allow riders to sharpen their spinning technique which needs two important skills: keep your upper body calm and pedal stroke must be smooth and circular.

Besides, a reasonable price point is a plus as recently innovated trainers are too expensive to afford.

If you want to become more advanced, it’s more practical and worthwhile to use rollers.

Can you use a mountain bike on rollers?

Definitely yes!

There is now a wide range of newly designed bike rollers to accommodate different breeds of bike and their respective wheel sizes.

Some of the popular choices are RockBros Bike Rollers and Elite Arion Bike Rollers, both with 10 adjustable positions to fit not only mountain bikes, but also road bikes.

How do you make a bike roller?

For how to make a bike roller, watch this video:

Are rollers better than trainers?

It depends on your level of profession as well as cycling purposes.

Trainers are more beginner-friendly whereas rollers require a certain level of skill and technique, though they’re more simple to set up. With trainers, you can spend hours watching your favorite channels while multitasking.

They also beat rollers in terms of resistance as it offers higher levels of resistance, which supports you better in performing standing or climbing intervals.

Apart from these two aspects, rollers are a better option in that you get to practice bike handling, coordination, pedaling technique and leg speed.

For rollers, if you pedal squares, choppy or inconsistently, you’ll bounce like a rubber ball. That’s a natural feedback telling you to adjust your stroke to a circular shape for a smooth ride.

If you want to progress, and feel like a “pro”, then you have your name on rollers.

Are rollers bad for your bike?

Rollers don’t damage tires as much as trainers do. The reason is that the drums are either made of plastic or smooth aluminum that won’t rub too much against your tires, giving you a longer use.

One alternative is to buy some cheap tires should you want to save your original ones for on-road use.

However, it’s better to invest in a real good pair of tires specially made for use with rollers, if you seek to enhance your riding performance.