Review – Tacx Antares Cycle Training Rollers
Autumn is rolling in, which means shorter days and wet and colder weather. For some that means night riding, for some that means indoor training. I like to do a mix of both, and having borrowed a set of Tacx Antares rollers from a friend last winter when the weather got bad, I decided that adding a set to my training arsenal would be a great addition.
Mention cycle rollers and the blue conical drums of the Tacx Antares will often spring to mind—they are widely recognised to be one of the best value and best made sets of rollers available. They have not changed a lot since their first incarnation, but they have been tweaked to make them a superb example of the product.
In this post, I give a review of Tacx Antares, then in a subsequent post I will give you some example sessions that are perfect for rollers.
Firstly, you need to make sure that it is the correct distance forward, so that the bike is correctly balanced and easier to control. Second, you need to make sure both runners are equidistant extended, otherwise you put strain on the bearings within the front roller and produce a horrible creaking noise.
The Tacx Antares has a good system of a small metal button underneath each runner, these can be set to exactly the same distance on both sides (distances for wheel bases of your bike are provided in the manual); you are then guaranteed to avoid the dreaded creaking roller effect.
However, in my experience these additional features are rather unnecessary for roller training. As you will see in my later posts, the best sessions for rollers are high cadence sessions, technique sessions, and recovery sessions; so adding resistance or an increased ability to sprint on your rollers is not really necessary—if you want to do really high powered sessions indoors, use a turbo instead.
In a subsequent post I expand on suggested training sessions in more detail; considering how rollers can be used for warm-ups, technique, recovery and high cadence training.
>> Shop the Tacx Antares Cycle Indoor Rollers here <<
Mention cycle rollers and the blue conical drums of the Tacx Antares will often spring to mind—they are widely recognised to be one of the best value and best made sets of rollers available. They have not changed a lot since their first incarnation, but they have been tweaked to make them a superb example of the product.
In this post, I give a review of Tacx Antares, then in a subsequent post I will give you some example sessions that are perfect for rollers.
Built to last
Tacx have a strong reputation for building high-quality products. The Tacx Antares Rollers follow suit—they use high-quality bearings in the rollers and strong plastic and metal for the runners. This is an investment for your training regime, and it is built to last.Adjustable runners
Key to a good roller set-up is getting the right extension distance of the front wheel roller.Firstly, you need to make sure that it is the correct distance forward, so that the bike is correctly balanced and easier to control. Second, you need to make sure both runners are equidistant extended, otherwise you put strain on the bearings within the front roller and produce a horrible creaking noise.
The Tacx Antares has a good system of a small metal button underneath each runner, these can be set to exactly the same distance on both sides (distances for wheel bases of your bike are provided in the manual); you are then guaranteed to avoid the dreaded creaking roller effect.
Value
The Tacx Antares Rollers are one of the cheaper models available on the market. You can spend more and get added features such as "rockers" that allow increased stability when sprinting on the rollers, as well as resistance units that can be added to allow higher powered training.However, in my experience these additional features are rather unnecessary for roller training. As you will see in my later posts, the best sessions for rollers are high cadence sessions, technique sessions, and recovery sessions; so adding resistance or an increased ability to sprint on your rollers is not really necessary—if you want to do really high powered sessions indoors, use a turbo instead.
Overall
The Tacx Antares have become the benchmark for cycle rollers for a good reason; they are well made, strong, easily transportable, and they provide everything you really need for roller training.In a subsequent post I expand on suggested training sessions in more detail; considering how rollers can be used for warm-ups, technique, recovery and high cadence training.
>> Shop the Tacx Antares Cycle Indoor Rollers here <<
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ReplyDeleteKeep it up!