If the idea of rollers has always seemed a bit too sketchy for you, or you just haven’t felt quite stable enough to zone out on Netflix while putting in the base miles, Crown Roller could be the answer. Designed with a curved set of rollers, they create a resistance curve that’s easier in the center. As the diameter decreases toward the edges, it adds progressively (but mildly) more resistance. Since your tires naturally want to follow the path of least resistance, they’re subtly guided back to center as you ride.
They’re on Kickstarter now for a deal As of this post, the campaign is just getting going but almost fully funded. And, the founders told us they decided not to wait for the funding to finish before staring manufacturing, so the units are already in production. Meaning, they’ll ship and deliver before it’s actual trainer season.
The idea is to increase resistance as you roll down the sides, which will slow down the wheels to give you tactile feedback when you’re drifting off the side. It also helps to keep you centered by improving stability while riding.
Think about when you’re riding in a gutter, or in a rut on a mountain bike, and the tire wants to grab the side and pull you up and out of the rut (and try to kill you). Same here, except in reverse. They wanted to make a roller that anyone could hop on and ride, making it easy to transition to training on rollers, but are good enough to be your last set of rollers.
The two rear rollers are positioned to raised the rear axle so the bike sits level with the ground. Adjustable length helps it fit most any bike, but also telescopes down for easier travel and storage.
There’s no active resistance, only the passive resistance of spinning the alloy metal tubes (the tires’ deformation creates resistance). There’s a magnet slot on the back roller to add a 3rd party speed sensor to it, or just use speed, cadence and power meters on your bike to send the data to whichever indoor training program or cycling computer you use.
