I have the 3.0 alloy. Forces you to hold the line (great for road skills and single track handling), improves your stroke and riding techinques. You have to focus or they'll dump you - quick!! Can be a little nerve racking when you first start, but after 10 minutes you'll get the hang of it and lock in your pedals. Unlike a fixed trainer, I feel like they make me engage my core muscles more, however, since I'm concentrating more I tend to ride for 15-20miles a session. Best to set them up in a doorway or, like me, next to garage door for stability when you need it. I also ride w/ hyration pack, cause its way easier to drink then to reach for the bottle - every small movement of the bike is amplified on the rollers and sometimes I feel like I'm sliding on ice.

Like all trainers boredom. I also find I get sore quicker, because I can't stand up to stretch or move around the saddle - if you stop pedaling they will come to slow to a stop, so you have to do quick streches for position changes. If you add the resitance wheel it'll give a more realistic road feel b/c the wheel adds inertia and the rollers wil keep on rolling even if you stop pedaling.

Rock'n rollers - great training tool. Best way to beat winter/foul weather blues dn stil get a great workout.

Extremely durable... will last forever. Smooth, consistent, etc etc etc.

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I have over 20,000 miles on mine what more can I say... this trainer is awesome.

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Awesome build quality and easy to put together. It took me five minutes to get a hang of it and then I was hooked. I can see how it will improve my spin.

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Great product and I would recommend to my friends.

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Lightweight, portable, simple design.

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I love these rollers. I've got the 3" poly-lyte and they are the perfect size for me. I set em up and it took maybe half hour to become confident with full sprinting. The next day I set it up about 4" from my back door between the wall and the refrigerator. It's nice because if I do roll off I just bump the back door and it hasn't caused any problems yet. They do make a decent amount of noise, but being in the kitchen allows me to have some loud music coming from some speakers set up in front of me and it doesn't seem to bother anyone. Highly recommend Kreitler rollers!!

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Nice to purchase these amazing rollers in the U.K. I bought the KT-10003 Alloy 4.5 Drums the quality is amazing, so smooth, I havent been off them since I've bought them..! Great for the British winter or taking to Track days fold in half & put straight into boot (Trunk) of your car (Light weight easy to carry)What more can I say if you want great quality rollers buy 'Kreitler'

very smooth, very durable, quiet. Nice if you live an apartment.

If you purchase via conventional outlets, the weakness would be price. I bought one year old rollers on e-bay in excellent condition. No other weaknesses.

If you want to work on spin and balance, don't screw around with any other roller. There are some other great trainers such as the Kinetic Fluid trainer to help you, but they can also stress your frame. If you're thinking rollers, this is the unit to get. I would strongly recomend the fan option.

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This review is from a newbie point of view in using trainers. I have only been using this one for 2 weeks. Some of the reviews intimidated me a little as far as the skill needed for rollers. I will try and relay my experience as a first time user. I will say that I have never used another trainer. I bought this one ( Challenger ) with the Headwind unit after research and reading the reviews. It is rock solid and from tearing open the box to spinning on top was only 30 minutes. I was hesitant about this model as the some reviews intimated that it might be to easy. I didn't want to go with the smaller drums for a harder workout because everyone said that it was easier to learn on the 4.5 inch ones. For more serious training I bought the headwind attachment for resistance. For anyone thinking of buying one I will say this. Quality A++. The effort without the Headwind seems roughly analogous to level ground. Unlike level ground you can't coast, you will come to a stop in a matter of seconds. There is a flywheel attachment that will store the energy for a more realistic feel, although I have not tried it. Thanks to other reviewers comments I know not to use my brakes and flat spot the tires as the rollers keep turning. Iniatially I felt a little higher off the ground than I would have expected. My wife at 5' 2" was at first a little intimidated by this. As to the learning curve for first timers. I set mine up by a low stair railing so that I could hold on and get up to speed. I think that really helped me get used to it. It was good to have something to hold on to if I felt I was getting unstable. Yes, I did run off a couple of times, so don't set it up 2 feet from your big screen. Truthfully though I was relitivly confidant after about 20 minutes. I have heard some reviewers mention it was boring. Maybe the novelty will wear off, but right now I like being able to put on the stereo and just hammer. Hey it's nice not to try and sneak out of work early to get in a training ride before dark. Lastly the sound level. The rollers themselves make almost no noise. The inverted tread tires I put on are noiser than I thought (not that loud though) so I will be mounting slicks. These things are never discounted, so here's a plug for Bikeman.com. I paid 411$(Challenger + Headwind ) including shipping from them, instead of the usual 450$ plus shipping.

No excuse not to train because it's snowing.
Price? But hey, you get what you pay for in this case.

Although ,as I stated, I have not used another trainer I would not hesitate to reccomend this one. You feel like you are really riding. Using rollers effectivly forces you to smooth out your spin, so not only do you get a workout you get better at riding.

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The Kreitler Rollers are smooth, quiet, and durable. In all the years I've had them (15), I only had to replace the belt once (because the neighbors kid was messing around with it). They are very well constructed and I wouldn't even consider another brand. A fine example of American craftsmanship! Dealing with Al is also great. I also like the fact that I can use my cycling computer to record my riding stats.

I had the fork stand once but didn't like it because it offered much less resistance. OTher than that, none. Sometimes it takes a lot of motivation to get started because riding them requires a bit of concentration, but that is actually beneficial.

I've been using the alloy Al Kreitler Customer Rollers for about 15 years. I only use them in the winter, but manage to put about 500 miles per year on them using my road bike. I wouldn't even consider another type of wind trainer. I bought a Minoura wind trainer once and returned it on the same day. You also get bragging right because it's hard to ride on rollers. If you can ride rollers, you get the best cardiovascular workout, and even without resistance, you get a damn good workout becuase you have to pedal fast to stay up. Only rollers teach you balance and improve your ability to pedal in circles. I should also mention that the one time I contaced Al (via e-mail) we had a nice correspondance (directly between the two of us) and he replaced the broken belt no questions asked. A very pleasurable experience.

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Minoura wind trainer... didn't like it.

Durable, ease of assembly, flexability

Retail price

I purchased these rollers on eBay after reading the reviews posted here. I am not disappointed. After unpacking I was able to assemble with no trouble.

I purchased the Challenger frame, rollers, track stand, and headwind fan as part of the auction.

I am very happy with the setup. It is setup on my back porch which has a nice view so daytime riding/training is somewhat eventful.

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What to say, they are great. Incredible workout. Your balance becomes very precise, toning the muscles used to maintain balance. Great for staying in shape when the ice is on the ground.

A little challenging the first few rides of the year, but pretty quickly you find the groove.

I've owned these for 8 years. Used to use them with a recumbent, switched to my road bike this year as I have been doing a lot more road riding. Had on issue a few years back with one of the rollers (after 5 years), sent it to Kreitler and it was promptly replaced. Definitely recommend the Headwind, and the flywheel which keeps the wheels rolling for a short time even if you stop pedaling. These are great, still enjoy them after all these years. You