Have any of you used smart Rollers with Zwift? What have your experiences been?
The only option I see on the market is the Elite Nero. Is it good? Is there anything else? Looks like it costs around $1k
@Arhu might have some thoughts for you about the Nero
Yeah I love them. I have the Wahoo Kickr v5 and Kickr Climb and Elite Nero smart rollers. The former is a poor emulation of cycling, static and an unnatural pedal stroke. The latter actually is cycling, it’s not an emulation it actually feels like cycling outdoors but they do have a learning curve. Even though it might feel that way you will never get launched off them. It takes a while before you learn to balance and stay in the middle of the rollers and I do occasionally still scuff my tyres, so don’t ride rollers with brand new cotton tyres. Going truly all out like you can on a static trainer isn’t really possible (just like outdoors). The Power accuracy isn’t very good either, so you really need a power meter.
I would definitely never go back to a direct drive trainer anymore and would happily buy the Nero again but if I lived in North America I would probably get the Inside Ride e-motion rollers or Trutrainer both way more expensive but both have optional wheels on the side to prevent scuffing and an optional fork stand for occasions you want to go all out.
Do you ever use ERG mode on the rollers? I’m guessing that might be another area of weakness. Not sure if Jamie cares about that…
I am in North America, so I appreciate the other options.
I currently have a Kickr Move and a set of old-school standard aluminum rollers. I rode on them this morning with Zwift. I’ve done that a few times in the past. I can tell that I get a better core workout, and it helps develop bike handling skills. It also just makes Zwift feel more immersive and fun. The downside is that without resistance, I can’t get a very intensive strength workout. Pedaling at 95 RPM in a high gear, I’m putting out 2-2.2 W/kg.
I would like to be able to use ERG mode for workouts, and also ride against resistance for group rides. I think I would be at a significant disadvantage for racing. I’m sure that I can mash way harder on a trainer than I can on rollers.
There are actually more reviews of both the Inside Ride and Trutrainer on YouTube, check them out to see how erg is on those trainers.
Personally I had already stopped using erg and switched to resistance mode or outside workouts before switching to smart rollers
I suspect ERG mode will be pretty limited by the maximum resistance of the rollers but if your expectations are low enough then maybe OK? It doesn’t look like the Nero has been reviewed by DC Rainmaker or GPLama, but Tariq Ali did a piece on it some years ago that discusses how it behaves in ERG mode. From that I suspect you will understand the types of ERG mode workouts that it could be used for and where it would struggle. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QO9X__0s_Zo
Now I’m leaning towards the TruTrainer. Those look pretty nice.
The other two options have fore/aft motion though. Does that make a big difference?
Yes, for/aft motion absorbs the shocks you feel when you don’t pedal smoothly but perhaps your technique already is very smooth since you have already ridden regular rollers. The Trutrainer looks like a work of art, doesn’t require power either but it’s expensive
Resistance isn’t so much of a problem on the Nero, it’s the lack of momentum when there is a lot of Resistance which makes balancing really hard but that is part of the fun of rollers and very much like real life very steep climbs