I’m planning on upgrading my Saris aluminum rollers to something that will fit both my road and XC MTB. I was most interested in the Elite Nero and Tru Trainer Smart rollers but it looks like they won’t fit my MTB. I have a 2021 Epic in a size large which has a wheelbase of 1179mm while the Nero and Tru Trainer rollers only support wheelbases up to 1144mm and 1097mm, respectively.
Kreitler are the only rollers I’ve found that support a long enough wheelbase but I’d prefer not relying on accessories to hit wattage ranges. Seems to be a similar thread on the topic but not a ton of information in it.
Looking for recommendations, I’m willing to pay a premium for a high quality set of rollers.
If you do get Krietler rollers, spend the extra money for full alloy drums. I’ve now had two sets of poly end caps crack. I train on eMotions but use foldable Krietllers for race warm up. Need to contact MRP (they own the Krietler brand now) about another warranty replacement set and see if I can get them to just send full alloys.
I’m 140 ponds and light on gear so this looks like a design / materials problem.
Have had several different sets of Krietlers over many decades so bummed about the current issue with what has always been a top notch product.
Don’t have a large mtn bike or I’d test run for you on my rollers here and make more useful comment!!
Confirmed that my Ripley won’t fit on my Feedback rollers 1207 wheelbase. Good to know… I think if you’re trying to get a modern MTB on rollers Kreitler is your best option probably. I know I ran my Felt Nine on rollers all the time with no issues, I was using a set of Kreitlers and a set of Minouras, but Minouras max out at just under 1100 wheelbase. Can’t believe there’s not another option…
Kreitler are at the top of my list right now, but that’s largely because they’re the only roller I’ve found with a long enough wheelbase for my MTB. I have heard mostly good things about them, but I would really prefer magnet resistance adjustment vs the noisy fan that Kreitler offers.
Totally agree, I was really surprised at how few options are available. I suppose the market for cyclists that prefer rollers over a direct drive / wheel on trainer is already small.
I’m relatively new to the XC world, so I was beginning to question whether others regularly train w/ their MTB on rollers, or just switch to their road bike.
I recall hearing that too, but I’m pretty sure I’ve only ever seen his Venge cockpit on rollers in his IG stories.
Edit: I found some info on his IG. He has the Elite Quick Motion rollers and says his Yeti fit but was a bit long, no comment about his Epic though. Also, his Epic is a size M IIRC which has a wheelbase of 1148mm vs 1179mm on the L.
Historic brand. Someone picked a bad material for the new end caps and that’s the issue. Or they got a bad batch and I’m unlucky.
Just put a measuring tape on my eMotions. Looks like max spacing would be about 44" (manual says 42.5") That’s close to what TruTrainer specifies for their rollers as well.
Something you could consider is just buying a set of drums and then DIY the rails. Some angle iron (or aluminum), something simple for feet and 20 min with a drill press and you can have any length you like as long as the belt will stretch far enough.
I use my road bike now but I’m a big believer in train with the bike you race too. And I also reach for the rollers versus the trainer in most cases. I do enough outdoor workouts on my MTB that I don’t need to sweat the specificity of the different positions drop bar/flat bar. I think that if you’re doing early season work indoors on your road bike, that’s ok, but if you’re more concerned about getting as much time as possible on the MTB position (makes sense if it’s new to you) then it might be worth chasing this.
I suspect you’ll be able to do at least sweet spot work with MTB gearing and no resistance unit, but that’s just a guess. If you’re looking to do threshold and above it’s likely that resistance will be needed. I’m a little bummed that my Feedback rollers will be limited to my drop bar bikes, hadn’t checked until this thread!
And if I may, while I do appreciate the need to train indoors on the MTB, try to get outside as early and often as possible. I’ve found more success with outdoor workouts than indoor. Depending on your local terrain I recognize that this can be challenging, I’m lucky that I live in the mountains and have found a suitable sustaining gravel climb that I do most of my work on. Just as rollers are so much more dynamic than a trainer, performing the same work, but outdoors is the next level for specificity. I get it if that’s not possible and I’m only mentioning this as I’ve learned this lesson a couple of times after spending months indoors, only to feel flat outside when the time finally comes to express that hard earned fitness in the real world. Forgive the aside.
I appreciate the insight. I’ve also found outdoor workouts to be really effective this past road season, so I’m sure I’ll do the vast majority of MTB workouts outdoors too. However, during the winter months I tend to toward my rollers, at least on weekday mornings, since I don’t have the daylight for the extra hour of riding to/from a suitable climb before my work day starts.
That said, I’m not a frequent racer. I largely train for the challenge and because I like riding my bike fast. So, I might need to take a perspective like yourself and not sweat the specificity of the 5-10% of workouts I end up doing indoors. I’d probably be happier with a high quality set of road bike only rollers compared to compromising on quality in order to be able to ride both bikes. After all, I’m not even sure I’ll be able to put up with the noise of knobby MTB tires on rollers.
Continental makes wide 700c tires that would probably work on most MTB rims. You’ll want ear plugs and new knobby tires after a few tough sessions I think.
yes, anything else than slicks on my road bike are really noisy ridig my Elite Quick Motion Rollers. And I mean really noisy… could not use it in a appartment.
I cant imagine using “normal” giant mtb tyres on the rollers…
Stepping back, and considering your comment about willingness to DIY your own longer rails with drums, another option might be to simply add an extension between the 2 sections of your Saris rollers. It is a super simple design and could be “stretched” relatively easily with some lumber for a quick test at the least.
There might be an issue with the amount of stretch needed in the belt, but it might be fine. Worst case could mean sourcing a new one that is longer than the one you have.
I can give some more specific info if that idea is something you’d like to try.
Well, this whole thread has made me reconsider whether I really want to ride my MTB on rollers at all now. It sounds like unless I have a dedicated roller wheelset for my MTB, which isn’t something I’d prefer, the noise might be unbearable considering I already find my road bike on rollers to be noisy.
I really like your idea, @mcneese.chad! The sketch is great - it should be very straightforward to put together an extension like that. I think I’ll experiment with a DIY setup using my current rollers to help answer the question of whether or not the noise is bearable.
