For many cyclists, riding a roller is a difficult task. Once you have made up your mind, you expect one thing above all else from your training equipment: that it does its job flawlessly. But how much do you have to spend to buy a device that fulfils this requirement? We have tested six entry-level machines up to 265 euros - and checked whether they fulfil the set criteria for the job in your living room.
The central element of the roller trainer is its brake. They regulate the resistance that the rider has to overcome. Five of the models we tested work with an eddy current brake. When riding, a metal disc rotates between magnets, generating contactless eddy currents that brake the disc between the magnets without causing wear. If you set a higher level using the lever on the handlebars, the magnets move closer to the metal disc and the resistance increases. Cycleops' "Fluid2" is different: Here, a propeller rotates in an oil bath; the resistance increases progressively with increasing speed - a remote control on the handlebars is not necessary.
SHORT & SHORT
You can find very good roller trainers in the entry-level class up to 265 euros, so you don't have to spend more money. The test winner is the Tacx "Satori", the weakest device in the test is the Xtreme "VX 2 E" from Rose. Blackburn has the best price-performance ratio with the "Tech Mag 6" - for 200 euros you get a stable and well-designed, albeit noisy, device that also makes intensive strength and interval training fun.
You can find the test results for these models in the PDF download below:
Blackburn Tech Mag 6 (TOUR tip)
Cycleops Fluid²
Elite Crono Mag
Minoura Gyro V 150
Rose Xtreme VX 2 E
Tacx Satori Blue (TOUR test winner)
Downloads:
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