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Kinetic Unfolds into the World of Rollers with new Prototype

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Kurt Kinetic Trainer Rollers New (3)

There are a lot of reasons for why you should train with rollers, but ease of transport and portability typically isn’t high on the list. That is probably why for Kinetic’s first set of rollers, they have focused not only on making a quality training tool, but one that is incredibly easy to fold up and take with you to your next race, training session, or whatever. Thanks to the tri-fold design, the aluminum roller frame folds up to a size that is more compact than their Road Machine trainer and will fit in a new trainer bag. This one here is just a prototype, but from the looks of it, it is incredibly simple to fold up and stow making it a great choice when portability is key.

Kurt Kinetic Trainer Rollers New (1)

The rollers will use precision machined 90mm aluminum rollers which are 374mm wide. In order to facilitate left or right sided dismounts, the rollers use a dual groove so you can switch the band placement, and the rollers are adjustable to fit most bike sizes. Ready to ride straight from the box, the rollers will include an extra band and of course will carry Kinetic’s lifetime warranty. Expect these to be available this fall for somewhere around $300.

Kurt Kinetic Trainer Rollers New (4)

In their never ending quest to get thru axle equipped bikes on trainers, Kinetic continues to develop new Traxles to do the trick. Traxles replace the thru axle on the bike and can be used both on the trainer and as an every day axle. The latest Traxle to get their attention is an option for 2013-14 Santa Cruz bikes that have a closed dropout on the drive side, which they will have available soon.

kurtkinetic.com

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Bill
Bill
9 years ago

Please don’t be April Fools.. this looks awesome.

Sanrensho
Sanrensho
9 years ago

What I want to know is resistance? Folding is fine but I like my rollers to have some kind of resistance. If they can keep the price reasonable and offer some kind of resistance (adjustable would be great), I might buy.

Alex
Alex
9 years ago

@Sanresho Rollers resistance is determined by the drum size. Kreitler has a good chart about the difference in watts required for their 4.5″, 3.0″, and 2.25″ drums (along with their fans that add more resistance, etc). Most rollers with these gimmicky adjustable resistance kinda suck. I’ve used 4.5″ rollers (way too easy) and 3.0″. The 3″ drums seemed to be a good balance. If your bike has gears it comes down to you not really need adjustable resistance.

Chader
Chader
9 years ago

Resistance with aluminum drums and rare earth magnets works very well. It uses the Farraday effect that can be adjusted by altering the distance between the magnets and the drum. It works amazingly well, with no additional noise.

I added the CycleOps brand resistance unit to my Nashbar rollers. Then I converted it from the 5 position wheel to a remote XT 9-speed shifter so I can adjust while riding. This with the free-motion conversion makes a very engaging training experience that is very close to real road riding.

The last mod is to add the flywheel from my old wind trainer so I have a more realistic coast-down.

Eric
Eric
9 years ago

Want. Take my money, Kurt.

jonoabq
jonoabq
9 years ago

…or you could get a trutrainer, which can really and realistically be used as a training tool, instead of just spinning and telling yourself that rollers are awesome. I like the compactness of this unit (and the price) but as a training tool it falls short.

Sanrensho
Sanrensho
9 years ago

Chader: Is the CycleOps resistance bar available separately? Also interested in your flywheel mod (do you have a link for this?). I’m currently using a Minoura belt-driven mag resistance unit attached to Kreitlers, but the resistance bar would be more elegant (and less noisy).

Alex: I’ve played around with enough rollers to know what works for me. Kreitler 3.0 at my weight have barely any resistance for other than a spin, even at top gear. No way I’m going down to 2.25, bigger drums ride way smoother. Best so far have been my Minoura Mag Rollers with mag resistance unit, smooth ride with enough resistance. Just got new end caps so looking forward to putting the Minoura back into service again.

Chader
Chader
9 years ago

@Sanrensho

Here is a link to the mag resistance unit.
http://www.cycleops.com/en/products/accessories/roller-accessories/roller-resistance-adapter.html?page=shop.product_details&flypage=flypage_images_norating.tpl&product_id=43&category_id=8
This was a near direct fitup with my Nashbar rollers. It can probably work on anything with a little modding.

I don’t have the flywheel attached yet, so I can’t share pics unfortunately. I am planning an o-ring drive off one of the drums to the old wheel roller section that drives the flywheel. I still have to figure out how to mount it all and not interfere with tires while riding.

Sanrensho
Sanrensho
9 years ago

@Chader: Thanks!

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