In today’s day and age, unconventional exercise has almost become the norm. Bike rollers, a method for biking indoors instead of outdoors, have been in the market for a while now, and have begun to spark a fire for leisurely, fun, and competitive peddling in the cycling world!
There are many different brands to choose from, and they all have different styles and features that come with them. In order to parse through these different options, here are a few things to keep in mind.
Form Factor: As you will come to see with these bike rollers, they come in all shapes and sizes. Each bike roller will feature a good mix of aesthetics, convenience, and utility.
Type: With the advancement of biking technology, there are a wide array of ways to ride. There are two categories that will be covered in this list: Trainers, guided cycling machines that are complete only with the use of a bike, and Rollers, slightly simpler products with the primary objective of allowing your bike to roll in place.
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Starting to get an idea of what the bike roller world looks like? Well, we’re just getting started! Hold onto your seats while we dive into all the models and methods behind these machines! Although these are #stayhome bikes, they’re sure to give you more than just a bike ride experience!
Image | Brand | Best Features | Price |
 | Rockbros Bike Roller |
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 | Garmin TacX Antares Bike Roller |
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 | Minoura Live Roll R500 |
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 | Garmin TacX Galaxia Bike Roller |
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 | Elite Arion Bike Roller |
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 | Minoura R720 LiveRoll 3 Bike Roller |
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 | Kreitler Alloy Roller |
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 | Elte Nero Interactive Roller |
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 | Feedback Sports Omnium Portable Trainer |
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 | Competitive Cyclist Kickr Rollr |
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Rockbros Bike Roller
Best Features
- Length Adjustment: Bolts
- Color: Black, Red, Silver
- Material: Aluminum
Why We Liked It
- The functional fold
The strong metal framing of this roller makes it great for riding! This bike roller is excellent for beginners who want to test out rolling, as it comes with all the features you need.
The silver drums, tailored with red on the ends, creates a powerful, attractive look. This roller also features a bar across the frame, allowing for perpendicular reinforcement and better base structure.
Adjustments can be made to the roller length to accommodate your bike. Once finished with a workout, the rider can conveniently tuck away the roller, as it comes in three sections that fold into one.
Pros
Cons
Garmin TacX Antares Bike Roller
Best Features
- Length Adjustment: Handle
- Color: Black, Blue
- Material: Combination
Why We Liked It
- The aesthetic design
With nice curves and a sleek look, this roller makes riding a joy. The shine of the drums and the light blue color is not all to enjoy, as it also features a subtle bend of the frame near the rear for added distinction!
This device is not all looks! It also packs a punch when it comes to function. With a handy dandy gray handle on the inner part of the base, one can adjust the length of the roller accordingly.
Also, the drums are curved with the lowest point being in the center. This allows for great front and rear wheel centralization. That means you get a better ride!
Pros
Cons
Minoura Live Roll R500
Best Features
- Length Adjustment: Bolts
- Color: White, Silver
- Material: Alloy
Why We Liked It
- The dazzling colorway
With an edgy yet simplistic design, this roller is quite interesting! The bright red and silver color combination make for a great palette, and the functional features are plentiful.
Adjustable bolts on the roller base allow a change in length for all who ride, and a tailored ride experience. The black band on the side of the product contrasts with the silver of the drums, and stays out of the way of user cycling.
If all of this wasn’t enough to convince you of its value, then the alloy material, which ensures a strong and safe rider experience, surely will! Helpful instructions are given to anyone who purchases and assembles the roller.
Pros
Cons
Garmin TacX Galaxia Bike Roller
Best Features
- Length Adjustment: Pins
- Color: Grey, Blue
- Material: Combination
Why We Liked It
- The sway capability
This roller’s smooth look and added stability features make it a step above standard! This is because a special feature of this product is that it does not stay still while one rides it.
While this may seem scary when one thinks about a roller, which is notorious for being hard to balance on, it actually helps! Equipped with a blue swaying tool under the base, the roller sways back and forth and adjusts to your cycling movement. This then allows one to be more stable during the ride, as errors in cycling motion don’t play as much of a role.
This roller also comes with a curved drum for more centralized wheel action. That’ll make for less unwanted dives onto your living room floor!
Pros
Cons
Elite Arion Bike Roller
Best Features
- Length Adjustment: Bolts
- Color: Black, Red
- Material: Resin
Why We Liked It
- The fluid design
With a design set apart from others, this roller will give you an experience that is unlike others as well.
The bold red and black contrast make this look very powerful, but it doesn’t end there! Unlike a lot of rollers, this roller features a fluid series of lines that make up its base. This gives the roller a uniform look.
The roller is also made from a strong resin that, when combined with the rollers form, make for remarkable stability. With an integrated handle for easier transport, and a folding function, this roller surely makes its mark!
Pros
Cons
Minoura R720 LiveRoll 3 Bike Roller
Best Features
- Length Adjustment: Handle
- Color: Silver
- Material: Aluminum
Why We Liked It
- The intuitive function
Comprehensively designed, this simple roller allows you to take indoor biking into your hands! Everything from the form, design, and functions of the roller are beneficial to the user.
The light yet rigid aluminum makes for a great material as the roller isn’t too heavy but can also handle a rough ride. There is a ride guard on the base near the front wheel of the rider that allows them to avoid falling off.
This roller also includes a convenient wooden step at the bottom that one can use to easily get on and off before and after rides. One can also adjust roller length with a small handle on the opposite side of the wooden step.
Pros
Cons
Kreitler Alloy Roller
Best Features
- Adjustment Type: Pins
- Color: Silver
- Material: Alloy
Why We Liked It
- The design contrast
With the sleek black color of the bottom rails and the zest that the orange loop adds, this roller surely strikes the eye!
It is made to be conveniently adjustable for your bike length and is available in multiple drum diameters including 4.5 inches, 3.0 inches, and 2.25 inches. One can even add on a fan unit to improve riding experience.
Pros
Cons
Elte Nero Interactive Roller
Best Features
- Adjustment Type: Handle
- Color: Gray
- Material: Combination
Why We Liked It
- The array of capabilities
A smart trainer that gives you the features and flair you need, this roller is certainly a treat! One scan across the length of the roller reveals a sturdy gray-colored base with small red knobs along the way.
The bike length adjustment on this roller is very easy to use and perhaps more intuitive than many. It also features a convenient foothold that is integrated into the design.
This roller also comes with the very helpful capability of moving as you move, interacting with your riding and adjusting to you!
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Pros
Cons
Feedback Sports Omnium Portable Trainer
Best Features
- Adjustment Type: Handle
- Color: Red, Silver
- Material: Aluminum, Alloy Steel
Why We Liked It
- The alternative form
With a form factor that changes the game, this roller is quite different indeed. One of the more surprising things about this roller is that it does not have your traditional look.
It boasts a tri-standing mount for the front of the rider, and rollers in the back of the rider, with an adjuster along the center. This bike length adjuster is very easy to use, as all one must do to change the length is turn the handle and pull.
A powerful feature of the product is that it mimics the resistance that one would get from riding a bike outside with its rollers. When finished with a ride, one simply tucks the three parts of the roller away and into the convenient heavy-duty tote that comes with the purchase.
Pros
Cons
Competitive Cyclist Kickr Rollr
Best Features
- Adjustment Type: Handle
- Color: Black
- Material: Combination
Why We Liked It
- The supportive experience
This roller, which is a really great workout system, might just take all the stress out of your daily spin! It has a streamline design and a cool, lowkey look.
To adjust the length of the roller for a bike, just lift the handle. Place a bike’s front end in the wheel hold on the front, and a bike’s rear wheels on the back.
The cycling rollers on the back come with power training and controlled resistance, and the front tire block makes it safer to get on and off the machine or stay on while riding.
Pros
Cons
Things To Consider When Buying a Bike Roller
Form Factor:
Bike rollers come in all shapes and sizes.
They all have commonalities. These include:
- Having what are called drums, or cylindrical rollers, that will allow a bike’s wheels to spin on top of them.
- Attaching to a bike at the wheels.
- Being adjustable in some way to a bike.
From there, many differentiations can occur.
Some will have stops or curves to prevent the rider from falling off their bike, and some will not. Some will be essentially flat to the ground, and some will have more interesting, complex shapes that protrude upward. Some will be foldable and portable, while others will not be accommodating in that way for the most part.
Type:
With the advancement of biking technology, there are a wide array of ways to ride. There are essentially two categories:
- Rollers: These are simple tools that allow your bike to roll in place. They are the basic one of the two, and typically what many people think of when they imagine a bike roller.
- Trainers: These are cycling workout machines that are complete only with the use of a bike. Think of these as tools that guide you through a workout and let you know how good you’re doing during the exercise, and afterwards.
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Experience:
*This, and the rest of these considerations, will be geared towards the rider.*
Are you a pro or a beginner?
Getting on a bike roller for the first time can be truly challenging. It’s hard to get on, it’s difficult to stay on without sliding or falling to the side, and getting off might not prove to be easy either.
On the other hand, professionals who have done bike rides many many times and perhaps consider themselves great cyclists have no issue using most, if not any, bike rollers. They even invite the chance to try something new and more challenging.
Time:
Do you want a little cycling here and there or a lot all at once?
Some riders are the type to want a dedicated machine that will allow them to workout for thirty minutes, an hour, or even more during each session. Others just want something that they can use when they want to move their bodies and maintain activity.
Depending on where you fall in this range, you could want a dedicated trainer that would track your biking statistics and even help you get through a long workout by giving you guided routines. Or you could want a simpler roller that you can whip out and crank out a few minutes of fun biking, whenever you want.
Range Of Movement:
Do you want to be moving while you peddle, or do you prefer to be a bit more comfortable?
Some riders enjoy the feeling of a wild ride, while some are not accustomed to the style or simply are unable to keep it up.
Some riders are familiar with the basic, open nature of a typical non-connected roller and don’t want their roller or trainer to be stuck in place. They like the side-to-side movement that must be kept at bay constantly while riding.
Others enjoy the ability to use a trainer that will hold them in one spot. Some simply don’t want to be wobbled side to side because it can be scary. On the other hand, a trainer that will hold its rider in one spot can allow some riders to take advantage. This is because when side-to-side movement is mitigated, then the possibility to reach top-end speeds and earn significant riding stats becomes feasible.
Bike Roller FAQs
1. Are the numbers coming from my trainer accurate?
Ans: They are fairly accurate! Depending on which type you have, you might be able to increase the accuracy, or at least look at product reviews and the instruction manuals of the product itself to help you out.
2. Why don’t I just use a recumbent bike, an upright machine, or another alternative to a bike roller?
Ans: Bike rollers are way too dynamic, challenging, and fun to be compared to these machines! Those who try one out find this out very quickly.
3. What bike rollers are used by the professionals?
Ans: A lot of different brands are used by professionals. The main thing to keep an eye on is whether the roller you purchase is simply a roller or a trainer, meaning a roller that is connected to a program for guided workouts and or workout stats.
4. What are some other terms for bike rollers?
Ans: When looking for the right bike roller, searching for terms like bike roller, bike trainer, roller or trainer, bicycle roller or bicycle trainer will do the trick.
5. Why are bike rollers needed for cyclers and bike riders?
Ans: They give bike riders and cyclists an adaptive and forgiving way to exercise without having to go outside. Bike rollers go where you go, and give you everything you need for a rocking workout!
Conclusion
With all of these bike rollers being so unique, it’s a wonder that people can choose between them! If you are trying to choose though, don’t worry. Just use the information you’ve been given in this article.
Here are some things to keep in mind:
If you want a tool that you can use to begin your bike rolling journey and you don’t need video guided exercise and or ride statistics, choose a simple roller. Don’t choose an advanced trainer.
If you would love to get your fix of advanced workout metrics like your power output while peddling, then feel free to go for a trainer.
All these rollers and trainers are great, and there really is one for every rider!
Compare features for yourself, and whether you decide on the tripod-esk style of the Feedback Sports Omnium, the simplicity of models like the Minoura R720 LiveRoll, or the immersion of models like the Elite Nero Interactive Rollers or the Competitive Cyclist Kickr Rollr, you’re sure to be in for a ride!
