American Classic Rollers

Price Paid:  $100.00 at out of business LBS

Favorite Ride:
Lancaster Classic

Bike Setup:
Colnago Dream Plus, Campy 10, FSA ProTeam cranks / Ti BB, Mavic Ksyrium SL SCC, Continental Grand Prix

Summary:
I have what almost no-one has ever heard of - including Tech Support at American Classic! My rollers are a triple set of the doubled up 1" "resistance" rollers now used on the hybrid. They were made this way - not a custom job. These are not for the faint of heart - riding in the small chainring is like going into a headwind, big ring is the same effort as climbing mountains. I absolutely love them for hard workouts. These are not for improving your spin, though - use the larger diameter rollers for that. They are relatively quiet, nice and smooth, and really force you to pedal in circles. Handling is much more twitchy than standard rollers - just a little wobble on the front end reaching for a bottle and you're heading for the sides, but I've gotten used to it - besides, they improve your bike handling even more than standard rollers. You do need a smooth pedal stroke since pedaling in "blocks" tends to make the bike jerk a little - see "heading for the sides" sentence. They are also extremely low to the ground - so low you can't ride on even short carpet - a board or hard floor is necessary. This makes them very easy to get on and off of. You can ride out of the saddle comfortably as long as you don't un-weight the rear wheel - the rollers are stiff enough that they will slip if there is not enough weight on them. Overall, great rollers for hard days and a good alternative to climbing if you don't have any mountains close by. They have lasted over 10 years, so durability is not a problem.

Strengths:
Smooth, quiet, high level of resistance, low to the ground, promotes good bike handling, nearly true to life road feel. Can ride out-of-the-saddle.

Weaknesses:
Experienced roller riders only - very twitchy hanlding. Unwieldy and heavy - frame design not the best. Mount them to a board and the problem goes away though. Hope they last 10 more years since A.C. won't touch them any more! (They can't even remember them!)

Similar Products Used:
Minoura, Kritler Alloys

Price Paid:  $100.00 at eBay

Bike Setup:
Basic old-school road bike with Campy.

Summary:
I bought this unit (American Hybrid Classic Bike Rollers- the type with 2 small rollers for the front wheel) on eBay recently and have only spent a few minutes using them.

Just wanted to mention that American Classic no longer makes these units ("stopped making them years ago and no longer honor warranty"- according to email from company rep).

Also, the smaller front rollers do provide more resistance than the usual larger roller, which may suit some folks.

I have used rollers before (sold 'em when I moved) and generally found that everything is more manageable if the bike wheels are spinning fairly rapidly. Thus I prefer hard tires and low roller resistance.

There is a well-designed 'bike support' which locks the front of the bike via handlebar clamps and fork positioning bars which turns the rollers into the equivalent of a stationary trainer- good for one leg pedalling and such things.

Main rollers seem well built, but time will tell. I'm waiting for the weather to turn nasty before I pedal indoors!

Strengths:
Quality construction.

Weaknesses:
No warranty- company no longer supports this product.

Similar Products Used:
Used rollers for a couple of winters 10 yrs ago-forget the brand.