Best bike rollers 2023: how to add variety to your indoor cycling

The best bike rollers make a welcome alternative to the turbo, breaking up your indoor riding routine and adding some extra skill requirements.

Cycling on a trusty, reliable set of the bike rollers can be the best choice for indoor cycling. The variety and simplicity of rollers make them great for when you're spinning your legs inside.

Most cyclists need quite a bit of practice before they can complete their toughest interval sessions on the rollers, and when it comes to high resistance efforts, the best turbo trainers still rule the roost for all but the most talented roller riders.

However, with a bit of practice using rollers can add variety and they're ideal for high cadence sessions, tempo training and easier rest days.

Best bike rollers for indoor cycling

The Tacx Antares rollers are particularly popular because of the conical shape of the drums - they dip in the middle, so the bike remains in the middle of the drum pretty much the whole time.

If you'd like more assurance, or perhaps a 'halfway-house' in learning to use the rollers, Tacx also has a Tacx Antares Rollers Support Stand you can purchase separately. This clasps the front wheel and lets you get used to the feeling on the rear before going all the way.

The Tacx Antares rollers are collapsible and have several wheelbase adjustments.

Wahoo's Kickr Rollr is an excellent option for those seeking the smart benefits and stability of turbo trainers – but with the natural ride feel and convenience of rollers.
Easy to set up, you don't need to remove the wheels, it's also an enticing option for those after a platform for warming up (opens in new tab) with before an event.

Unlike traditional rollers which require a keen sense of balance, with the Kickr Rollr a clamp holds and supports the front wheel, making these very easy to get going with. You also benefit from a little bit of sway at the back, which does make the ride feel much more natural than riding with a fully 'locked-in' turbo trainer.

Out of the saddle efforts are also possible, too, with our tester never experiencing any rear wheel slippage.

The Kickr Rollr simulates gradients up to 10 per cent and is ‘smart’ but for the actual power measurement and controllable resistance (up to 1,500 watts) it has to be connected with a bike-mounted ANT+ power meter.

Read more: Wahoo Kickr Rollr first ride review

Go one step up the rungs with Tacx and you can get their Galaxia rollers. These feature a patented 'swing system', which allows them to swing back and forth very slightly.

Disconcerting as this may sound, it allows the roller to absorb some of the forward motion when you accelerate, change speed, or otherwise stamp on the pedals.

All the rest still applies - and both Tacx pairs retract (rather than fold as most do) to 80cm.

The roller itself aims to offer a real-life feel, thanks to the use of 'Internal Progressive Resistance'. You could use this trainer for full indoor sessions, but it really shines when it comes to race warm-ups and the like.

A steel frame offers a sturdy attachment for the fork, and will accept both standard QRs and thru-axles. Its length is adjustable to match the wheelbase of your bike and ranges from 840mm / 33in to 1200mm / 47.2in. The set-up comes with a heavy-duty, padded tote bag for transport and storage.

These rollers offer electronically controlled resistance. ANT+ is utilised to send power, speed and cadence data to computers, whilst Bluetooth connectivity means that you can use indoor cycling apps like Zwift and Trainer Road. Added to that, this impressive piece of kit can even simulate climbs up to five percent.

The rollers are parabolic, with a slight lip at the edge. They're capable of managing up to 645 watts, and the resistance unit is electromagnetic. Like all the others, they're foldable and feature several wheelbase adjustments.

Read more: Elite Arion Digital Smart B+ E-Rollers full review

When it comes to rollers, the Elite Nero are about as Gucci as they come. First and foremost, they are smart, capable of generating up to 830w of resistance and simulating a seven-percent grade. They are both ANT+ and Bluetooth enabled so the rollers can talk to any head unit or the training app of your choice.

Elite has also built what it calls a floating system which introduces a bit for fore and aft movement into the rollers to absorb abrupt movement caused by changes of speed and prevent you from flying over the front or back.

Kreitler has been making rollers for nearly half a century, and once you buy a set, bar replacing the band every few years, they will probably be the only set you'll ever buy — which is good because they are not cheap.

Rollers with larger diameter drums are usually a bit easier to ride, especially if you're new to it, but even having spent many years riding in place, we still like the 4.5in drums. They are made from aircraft-grade 6061 alloy and manufactured using a CNC lathe to be within two-thousandths of an inch concentricity. Kreitler uses ABEC 5 bearings to keep the rollers spinning smoothly, and should you be after a bit more resistance has a weighted flywheel or Head Wind fan available as add-ons.

The Saris AL aluminium rollers are fitted with 16in wide aluminium drums that are precision lathed to prevent distortion from heat, and they are pretty darn quiet too. There's magnetic resistance to up your effort levels and a fold-away steel frame with rubber footpads. You can swap the belt from the left to the right side, depending on which side you prefer to dismount.

These are a basic, entry-level set of rollers from Wiggle's in-house brand LifeLine.

The body is made from steel and plastic, while the rollers are polyurethane and the feet have rubber covers. Each roller is slightly raised at the end to help make it harder to ride off the edge.

There's a good amount of adjustment to allow for a variety of wheelbases, the bearings are sealed and these come with a spare drive band, which is a nice touch.