Somethings never change and sometimes they even get better with time.

Amortization or amortisation is the process of increasing, or accounting for, an amount over a period of time.  As cyclist, racers and aficionados we’ve been known to spend some serious money and when amortized over a period of time or miles sometimes it doesn’t look good.   There is one item, however, that most any owner will claim when amortized is seen as a deal almost too good to be true.

I’m talking about Krietler Rollers.

It will pay dividends come spring.

These things last, and they last a long, long time.  I have a set of kreitler dyno myte rollers now called the alloy 2.25 rollers.    My wife bought them for me as a Christmas present  ten years ago as she knew I longed for them as a college student and having to put up with my less expensive and clearly sub-par Performance Brand rollers.  Lucky me.   They were a bit over $400 then as they are now and while that might seem like a lot I have to tell you that after ten years and countless miles these things are as good now as they were on the day I bought them.

Why rollers?   Simple: rollers are superior to a trainer in that they are far more like riding your bike on the actual road.   A trainer is nothing like riding on the road.   Rollers also work on your “spin” – that is how smoothly and efficiently you work over the cranks.   Rollers also keep your mind occupied: you can’t doze off as is often the case of riding in the basement and literally getting no where.  I chose the 2.25″ rollers since their natural resistance is the closest to the rolling and aero resistance I get on the open road.  Going 20mph on the 2.25″ rollers is about the same power requirement as going 20mph with no head or tailwind on a flat road.   Kreitler has a wattage chart: check it out for yourself if you know your power numbers.   The 2.25″ aren’t for everyone and thankfully rollers come in different sizes; make no mistake, though, no one selection is better or worse.  Pick what works for you.   The last thing that rollers will teach you is the value in warming up.   We’re all told to warm up before we ride hard or participate in a race.   The fact is, though, so few of us do any warm up.   When you first get on rollers you will notice your muscles are tighter, your peddle is square and it’s just not efficient.    Given time, usually for me about 15 minutes, you will find that everything gets much better, smoother and efficient.  Heart rates settle in, peddling is more fluid and your body is loose.   Trust us, after trying rollers you’ll see why warming up is so important.   This is why we always travel to races with our kreitlers.

A training device that has settled on a design codified decades ago and something that will give you tangible results with hardware that lasts a long, long time with little to no wear:  well, forget about cycling, stuff like that just doesn’t come around too often.   We will write about this again in ten years and we’re sure we will have the same set of rollers.  At that point the amortization rate will be about $20 a year and going down.

Feel free to drop us a line, stop in the shop or give us a call and talk about your needs.   We’ll work with you on your needs and goals and make the right recommendations, but a device for training on inclement weather days or for whatever the reason will be part of training regiment and should you elect part of Amos’ coaching services.