The usecase that these rollers might be ideal for is indeed if you share the rollers between many bikes, for instance your bike an your other half’s bike. It would also enable variable resistance training on a Fixie/track bike (when paired with a Powermeter.
An elegant solution to a non-existent problem. Looks like a KICKR Snap that you clamp in the front wheel instead of the back. Oh, and you have to throw in $1000 pedals to make it “smart”. I’ve ridden rollers since the 80’s and I find their main contribution over trainers is towards bike handling skills; ride them for a winter and you’ll be able to ride the white line when you get out on the road. But you don’t get that with these.
I was initially skeptical about this product, but the more I think about it the more I can see how it might tick a lot of boxes. My first thought was "how is this much different from an old style wheel-on smart trainer?" The difference, I suppose, is that it's rider weight and gravity keeping the rear wheel in contact with the roller (rather than a clamp), so the dynamics of tyre grip and wear should be much more similar to riding on the road, there won't be slippage due to lack of roller pressure, and there's no need to fix the rear of the bike at the dropouts. If like me you already use a crank or pedal based PM for Zwift etc. (my Neo 2T under-reads power), it's almost an advantage not having a built-in PM in the trainer itself to compete for connection requests and ANT+ bandwidth. However, I have two important questions: 1) how well does Rollr cope with hard efforts on steep virtual gradients, e.g. a steep ramp on Alpe du Zwift at 100% resistance and 300w plus? And, 2) how does the front wheel clamping mechanism work if the outer width of your front rim is more than the width of your tyre, as it will be on an aero-optimised setup?
I never had a roller in my life. When it’s rainy season, i take breaks that lasts for several months (my country have two seasons: summer and rainy) having something like this helps enormously
This is awesome. Now I can swap bikes easily to do indoor training. I have a few bikes that won't match up with the cassette on the Kickr so I could rise those now. Thanks Ollie for the great unboxing.
I have been training on traditional rollers since 1990. They help with balance, holding your line and you can learn some cool tricks. (No hands!). These new updated units are cool, but I kinda think they take away from the original intent… balance. It would be cool if a product was developed where both wheels could spin and you could get all the benefits of technology
@mac schwarz it's really hard to get heavy resistance from rollers. I'd hate having smart rollers unless I was very light and didn't have/ need much power. Their power measurement is apparently really inaccurate too
Two more questions: (1) How do these impact tire wear? My old dumb trainer grinded them to shreds and find my dumb rollers only a little better. I would hate to use race tires on them unless they were better for that? (2) Gripping the front wheel sounds like it would add a lot of stress to a carbon wheel. Again something I am not sure I want to do with race wheels?
I am starting triathlon training. Living in CT does not provide the best weather conditions for riding outdoors all the time. Being tight on a budget has made me think... Let's get free rollers and go with the power meters. This trainer looks awesome though. Very smart. I just wish it was a little bit more affordable. The cost of the kickr is not much more. Super neat idea. Ollie I love the content you put out. I love this channel. Keep it coming. Thanks y'all.
What an innovation to the tried and true rollers. Well done Wahoo. Power meter flexibility and ability to use without main power is great. Thanks Ollie for an informative video.
Mega glad I watched the vid - thanks Ollie! I was sold on these until I realized I needed separate power meter. That's more budget than I've got - I'll stick to the Kickr Snap.
Why not just a wahoo snap? All the points that were made will be better fro a wahoo snap in my opinion. I own a snap and it is great, plus it has the power meter inbuilt. I don’t understand the market for this.
I noticed flexing of the front end. I don't like the idea of clamping the front wheel as constant lateral loading of the wheel can't be good for it. I prefer the system of using the front quick release on a solid mount - still simple but safer, I think.
I'm glad they spend time on being able to control your ERG output from your wahoo head unit but still can't port SYSTM workouts to their top end current head unit or even ad some workout creation plan to the head unit.
I ride the Elite Nero Smart rollers now for some months after having spend years on "dumb" rollers and these add a whole new spice to riding roller! However, these new Wahoo rollers make me feel like going back to getting trainer wheels on a bike, these are no rollers! You are better of spending your money on a direct drive, not to speak of the stress it puts on your front wheel (look at it flexing when Ollie is riding...) If Wahoo had dared to make REAL smart rollers with the Kickr Flywheel, than they would have been brilliant, now I just call it a marketing hype... sorry.
Thanks for the review and unboxing. Lots of info which is great. I know they have a particular use case however I love rollers and have been waiting for something smart that addresses the inconsistency of measuring power at the roller. For me these mean I could still get the roller feel, have smart features for interactive platforms, and take them to time trials for warm ups without the hassle of swapping wheels. Brilliant!
It seems to me a very good roller, comfortable, functional, transportable, perfect for training at home without having to disassemble our bicycle to be able to use it on this roller
I have one cheap trainer for my mountain bike is not that bad but the thing i hate the most is the front wheel movig to much this one looks SO CLEVER 👌👌👌👌
I was talking to Wahoo earlier about these and the guy said the max tire width was only 42mm. I'm not sure who to believe now...a random Wahoo guy on the phone, or Prof Bridgewood. I trust both! Lol
The price is a bit steep for me. As a sole trackie, my only trainer is my rollers. I guess I’ve still gotta keep my fingers crossed, hopefully one of the direct drive trainers will support a horizontal drop out and a single cog in the future. 🤷♂️
Other than not need to remove the rear wheel I am not sure what's the advantage of this against a normal smart turbo. It's not really a roller anymore if you don't need to balance...Also I really don't like one part of the front wheel is taking all the side force generated during a hard effort.
Hi, I’ve had loads of probs with a direct drives as I use one bike for everything I have a Tacx flow for a couple of years Would this be a good upgrade Looks just as good but better for the bike and slightly more accurate?
Wel I love the idea of it but as a one bike owner it’s too tricky. Also I’m quite nee to cycling and the changing of bikes on and off is a real pain Also I found the alignment was always a nightmare
Wel I love the idea of it but as a one bike owner it’s too tricky. Also I’m quite nee to cycling and the changing of bikes on and off is a real pain Also I found the alignment was always a nightmare
The Idea of rollers with a bike holder is not new, my dad had something like that in the 90s. But of course not with adjustable resistance. The idea of having only one power meter makes sense to me (if you don‘t swap the bike on the trainer often). For me, the problem of realistic sprints indoor still remains open.
This will probably cost me my chances of winning. Rollovers are superior to stationary trainers because they provide freedom of movement. “Locking” the front wheel, takes away that freedom causing flex and stress to that front wheel, ultimately leading to becoming misaligned. Not very smart after all.
Good point. Still confused with the impact t of such devices on frames. I am still not convinced enough to risk damage on any of my $$$$ bikes. Although annoying because these are the bikes I ride. Currently I have an older time trial bike on an older turbo for basic tempo sessions and a norditrack stationary just for cardio. But if you are saying that yhe risk is just on the front wheel getting misaligned that could be an easy fix with a cheaper from wheel setup just for the trainer
Was thinking the same thing about the forces on the front wheel. I’d never put a race wheel in that. Or any wheel, really. Feedback makes a roller with stand like this that is better in nearly every way. Doesn’t have the 1500w top end though. No clamping the front rim either.
#AskGCNTech. When are you going to have a Tech show with GRAVEL products???? Shoes such as DMT KM0? Gravel Tires? Gravel Bags for those unsupported races??? This could be an entire Series of Videos. GNCGravelTech.
Great unboxing video...very detailed! I remember back in the day however unboxing stuff used to be fun...it was like opening a Christmas gift. Is it just me or are companies getting either lazy or uncreative in their presentation? Great video though :)
As a huge fan of rollers I don't understand this product at all: this Wahoo invention hides all the fun of real rollers by disabling the free 'floating' of the bike - and therefore it makes the riding experience far away from realistic/natural. The learning curve with real rollers is little bit challenging in the beginning - but it really pays off!
There is a scammer on your channel - he posted a whatsapp number on my post saying I must contact this number to claim.. and then he wants me to pay for shipping upfront ..
Good luck to all the entrants! Please be aware that we will contact the winner directly at the email they provided on the entry form.
I have 3 road bikes, a 10, 11, and 12 speed. This makes it easier rather than swapping cassettes on my kickr.
The usecase that these rollers might be ideal for is indeed if you share the rollers between many bikes, for instance your bike an your other half’s bike. It would also enable variable resistance training on a Fixie/track bike (when paired with a Powermeter.
An elegant solution to a non-existent problem. Looks like a KICKR Snap that you clamp in the front wheel instead of the back. Oh, and you have to throw in $1000 pedals to make it “smart”. I’ve ridden rollers since the 80’s and I find their main contribution over trainers is towards bike handling skills; ride them for a winter and you’ll be able to ride the white line when you get out on the road. But you don’t get that with these.
I was initially skeptical about this product, but the more I think about it the more I can see how it might tick a lot of boxes. My first thought was "how is this much different from an old style wheel-on smart trainer?" The difference, I suppose, is that it's rider weight and gravity keeping the rear wheel in contact with the roller (rather than a clamp), so the dynamics of tyre grip and wear should be much more similar to riding on the road, there won't be slippage due to lack of roller pressure, and there's no need to fix the rear of the bike at the dropouts. If like me you already use a crank or pedal based PM for Zwift etc. (my Neo 2T under-reads power), it's almost an advantage not having a built-in PM in the trainer itself to compete for connection requests and ANT+ bandwidth. However, I have two important questions: 1) how well does Rollr cope with hard efforts on steep virtual gradients, e.g. a steep ramp on Alpe du Zwift at 100% resistance and 300w plus? And, 2) how does the front wheel clamping mechanism work if the outer width of your front rim is more than the width of your tyre, as it will be on an aero-optimised setup?
I never had a roller in my life. When it’s rainy season, i take breaks that lasts for several months (my country have two seasons: summer and rainy) having something like this helps enormously
This is awesome. Now I can swap bikes easily to do indoor training. I have a few bikes that won't match up with the cassette on the Kickr so I could rise those now. Thanks Ollie for the great unboxing.
I have been training on traditional rollers since 1990. They help with balance, holding your line and you can learn some cool tricks. (No hands!). These new updated units are cool, but I kinda think they take away from the original intent… balance.
It would be cool if a product was developed where both wheels could spin and you could get all the benefits of technology
elite makes actual smart rollers
Balance and learning how to "spin" smoothly and keep cadence. I didn't ride really well until I trained on rollers.
I don't think that was the original intent. It was simply the easiest way to make something you could ride a bike on indoors.
@mac schwarz it's really hard to get heavy resistance from rollers. I'd hate having smart rollers unless I was very light and didn't have/ need much power. Their power measurement is apparently really inaccurate too
The V-clamp on the front is very stressful for the rim.
Knick-knack....
I wonder if there will be any issues with putting excess strain on clamped front wheel? Especially when sprinting or putting down serious watts… 🤔
Two more questions: (1) How do these impact tire wear? My old dumb trainer grinded them to shreds and find my dumb rollers only a little better. I would hate to use race tires on them unless they were better for that? (2) Gripping the front wheel sounds like it would add a lot of stress to a carbon wheel. Again something I am not sure I want to do with race wheels?
I am starting triathlon training. Living in CT does not provide the best weather conditions for riding outdoors all the time.
Being tight on a budget has made me think... Let's get free rollers and go with the power meters.
This trainer looks awesome though. Very smart. I just wish it was a little bit more affordable. The cost of the kickr is not much more.
Super neat idea. Ollie I love the content you put out. I love this channel. Keep it coming. Thanks y'all.
What an innovation to the tried and true rollers. Well done Wahoo. Power meter flexibility and ability to use without main power is great. Thanks Ollie for an informative video.
Mega glad I watched the vid - thanks Ollie! I was sold on these until I realized I needed separate power meter. That's more budget than I've got - I'll stick to the Kickr Snap.
Watch gcn videos daily between the tech channel and normal love it! Keep the content coming 🥰🚲🚴🚴🚴🚴
Why not just a wahoo snap? All the points that were made will be better fro a wahoo snap in my opinion. I own a snap and it is great, plus it has the power meter inbuilt.
I don’t understand the market for this.
Mine arrived the other day. Can’t wait for my garmin rally pedals to arrive!
I noticed flexing of the front end. I don't like the idea of clamping the front wheel as constant lateral loading of the wheel can't be good for it. I prefer the system of using the front quick release on a solid mount - still simple but safer, I think.
Wow, another Great product from WAHOO!!!
I'm glad they spend time on being able to control your ERG output from your wahoo head unit but still can't port SYSTM workouts to their top end current head unit or even ad some workout creation plan to the head unit.
Your content is like a warm chicken soup on a cold day. Thank you guys! 🚴🏼
I ride the Elite Nero Smart rollers now for some months after having spend years on "dumb" rollers and these add a whole new spice to riding roller! However, these new Wahoo rollers make me feel like going back to getting trainer wheels on a bike, these are no rollers! You are better of spending your money on a direct drive, not to speak of the stress it puts on your front wheel (look at it flexing when Ollie is riding...) If Wahoo had dared to make REAL smart rollers with the Kickr Flywheel, than they would have been brilliant, now I just call it a marketing hype... sorry.
So the front wheel doesn't 'roll' ? They're not rollers.
Thanks for the review and unboxing. Lots of info which is great.
I know they have a particular use case however I love rollers and have been waiting for something smart that addresses the inconsistency of measuring power at the roller.
For me these mean I could still get the roller feel, have smart features for interactive platforms, and take them to time trials for warm ups without the hassle of swapping wheels.
Brilliant!
It seems to me a very good roller, comfortable, functional, transportable, perfect for training at home without having to disassemble our bicycle to be able to use it on this roller
It is the loudest roller ever produced. Maybe watch a comparison. Thats annoying
the education you've provided is much appreciated
WISH to win this. Great video to introduce us newbie to cycling.
These look like the cats pj's
Would love a set !
I have one cheap trainer for my mountain bike is not that bad but the thing i hate the most is the front wheel movig to much this one looks SO CLEVER 👌👌👌👌
Guter Rollertrainer für alle die nicht nur Treten möchten
Anything with Ollie is great.
Interesting would be great for small spaces like apartments..
What's the noise level like?
I’d sooner get traditional rollers
Looks like a great option for people who don't have a dedicated indoor bike and need to take it on and off the platform regularly.
I’ve always been afraid of using rollers. This is the perfect compromise!
I love it 😊
Wahoo big product launches
Was GCN Tech’s allowed special effects budget for 2022 fully used when the box sliding scene was filmed?
I was talking to Wahoo earlier about these and the guy said the max tire width was only 42mm. I'm not sure who to believe now...a random Wahoo guy on the phone, or Prof Bridgewood. I trust both! Lol
Just got one and its awesome 😄
A 9:44 ad, just what we needed. More ads
thanks for this videos guyrs
Would be great to win a 1000€ trainer and a 1000€ set of pedals to use them with my 800€ Triban bike :D
What happens if you go over 450w while it’s not plugged in?
The price is a bit steep for me. As a sole trackie, my only trainer is my rollers. I guess I’ve still gotta keep my fingers crossed, hopefully one of the direct drive trainers will support a horizontal drop out and a single cog in the future. 🤷♂️
Can still train using a smart trainer doing intervals etc.
Other than not need to remove the rear wheel I am not sure what's the advantage of this against a normal smart turbo. It's not really a roller anymore if you don't need to balance...Also I really don't like one part of the front wheel is taking all the side force generated during a hard effort.
Hello! I'm having trouble accessing the form. Did it close? :(
Yes please
about 3k ... im good
Looks like the front wheel is taking a lot of lateral torque when clamped. Not sure how that will impact the front wheel in the long run.
Hi, I’ve had loads of probs with a direct drives as I use one bike for everything
I have a Tacx flow for a couple of years
Would this be a good upgrade
Looks just as good but better for the bike and slightly more accurate?
It's a great option! What is about the direct drive that you don't like?
Wel I love the idea of it but as a one bike owner it’s too tricky. Also I’m quite nee to cycling and the changing of bikes on and off is a real pain
Also I found the alignment was always a nightmare
Wel I love the idea of it but as a one bike owner it’s too tricky. Also I’m quite nee to cycling and the changing of bikes on and off is a real pain
Also I found the alignment was always a nightmare
Nice. I'll join, I want one :)
The Idea of rollers with a bike holder is not new, my dad had something like that in the 90s. But of course not with adjustable resistance. The idea of having only one power meter makes sense to me (if you don‘t swap the bike on the trainer often). For me, the problem of realistic sprints indoor still remains open.
Would love to know how stable it is during a full gas sprint?
This has literally made me desperately want these rollers... Oh my lord.
This will probably cost me my chances of winning.
Rollovers are superior to stationary trainers because they provide freedom of movement. “Locking” the front wheel, takes away that freedom causing flex and stress to that front wheel, ultimately leading to becoming misaligned.
Not very smart after all.
Good point. Still confused with the impact t of such devices on frames. I am still not convinced enough to risk damage on any of my $$$$ bikes. Although annoying because these are the bikes I ride. Currently I have an older time trial bike on an older turbo for basic tempo sessions and a norditrack stationary just for cardio. But if you are saying that yhe risk is just on the front wheel getting misaligned that could be an easy fix with a cheaper from wheel setup just for the trainer
Was thinking the same thing about the forces on the front wheel. I’d never put a race wheel in that. Or any wheel, really. Feedback makes a roller with stand like this that is better in nearly every way. Doesn’t have the 1500w top end though. No clamping the front rim either.
#AskGCNTech. When are you going to have a Tech show with GRAVEL products???? Shoes such as DMT KM0? Gravel Tires? Gravel Bags for those unsupported races??? This could be an entire Series of Videos. GNCGravelTech.
I need it to go Cat.A+ in Zwift and smash all this watts!
I would like to win it! I'm newbie in this type of cycling (one and half year) and I learn video by video! Thank you!
"Welcome to another incredible GCN Tech unboxing" which translates into "Wahoo commercial".
wait, so this is pretty much like a Kickr Snap but with another roller in front of the rear wheel, and the front wheel clamp
What is the point in this when the Kickr Snap exists?
Great unboxing video...very detailed! I remember back in the day however unboxing stuff used to be fun...it was like opening a Christmas gift. Is it just me or are companies getting either lazy or uncreative in their presentation? Great video though :)
Hi Ollie, in case you get tired of that equipment, I will be happy to get that junk out of your home. 😃👍
That box. Check car before purchase. Oh no. Everything comes by mail now anyway
I like the Wahoo Rollr Smart Trainer. It's nice and simple to setup and don't have to mess with taking off the back wheel.
Is it too late?
I don’t have one, would like to have one but don’t think I’ll win one.
Still, I enjoy riding me bike.
So, it's a wheel-on trainer? I really don't see the difference
As I see it the biggest advantage is that my drive train does not have to be readjusted.
It’s basically a kickr snap, and it’s not even a true roller. Rollers are supposed to be balanced on
Brilliant giveaway 👍👍👍
Hopefully I win this. I was scammed out of a smart trainer and have a dumb trainer so I am trying to win the power pedals
Awesome review as always. Thanks GCN! 🚴♂️🚴♀️👍
Go lady luck, 😁
So it's not a roller. It's a wheel on turbo trainer.
How is this worth $800
They are not weedy cyclist arms - they are AERO-arms!
that is going to fatigue and break your nice front wheel, at a minimum scuff it
If your front wheel is fixed its not rollers..
Ridiculous - but many will buy one 🙄
No, thanks! I have Zipp wheels and they say not to use them on these rollers.
Entered and shared, I’m really intrigued to try these out! Best of luck everyone!
@WhatsApp✍️❶➁❼ʘ➈➈❷➂❽➆❶ scam! Joined 2 weeks ago and not following you, everyone beware of scams. Reported!
pretty.
now I just need a road bike.
I could see this wahoo product flopping. That front wedge can't be good for carbon wheels.
As a huge fan of rollers I don't understand this product at all: this Wahoo invention hides all the fun of real rollers by disabling the free 'floating' of the bike - and therefore it makes the riding experience far away from realistic/natural. The learning curve with real rollers is little bit challenging in the beginning - but it really pays off!
Its a wheel on trainer with magnetic resistance and a novel clamping system.
I spend tons of time on rollers but it's not like rollers feel anything like riding outside either.
This ain't roller, just get Elite Nero. That's a roller.
No more “ollie gets drop” if he keeps riding on a roller
Nice 👍 in thanks for tips 🙂😊
There is a scammer on your channel - he posted a whatsapp number on my post saying I must contact this number to claim.. and then he wants me to pay for shipping upfront ..
Thanks for raising with us Johnny - we are aware of the scam accounts, we will never ask for details over WhatsApp.
Clamping your front wheel?! That's cheating!!!!!
Wahoo--the king of prohibitively expensive, incredibly low tech equipment
Ｐ𝐫Ｏ𝕞Ｏ𝓢ｍ 🤣
Fourth
Shit tech, too much stress on front wheel, forks and steerer, too much Tyre wear at rear. Didn’t need to be reinvented imho 👎
Useless!