Summary: This is my first set of rollers. I bought them used from eBay and when I inspected my purchase, everything seemed to be in working order (first set of rollers, didn't know better). I started to notice a vibration and a clicking noise (of course after positive eBay feedback :( ). I immediately contacted SportCrafters to see if this was covered under warranty and to my surprise it was! The owner of the company set up replacements to be shipped first thing Monday morning (yes this all took place over the weekend).
Strengths: First and foremost, best customer service I've ever experienced. You will never have to buy another set of rollers thanks to an amazing warranty. These provide a very smooth ride and are very well built.
Weaknesses: None. All problems I encountered were due to the previous owner's treatment of the rollers. Buy with confidence (even used!).
Similar Products Used: An actual road.
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Summary: Best rollers I've ever had and a customer service experience beyond what I could possibly ever dream. Not only is Peter a great guy who treats his customers right, he also knows his stuff and is very interested in and appreciative of user feedback.
Strengths: Light, small, smooth, plenty of resistance with addition of unit, sturdy. I've put many thousands of miles and hours in on these rollers between training, race warm up and teaching indoor cycling classes. They are
Weaknesses: none
Similar Products Used: Kreitler alloy with Killer Headwind
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Summary: These rollers are an unbelievable deal. They're simple, robust, quiet, and extremely durable.
When I first bought my set, I noticed the plastic end caps on the cylinders were "pitted" a bit and it was making lots of noise. I emailed Sportcrafters and the owner of the company immediately responded, apologized, and overnighted a whole new set of drums free of charge. You can only get that kind of service from a small independent company like this.
I've now logged hundreds of hours on these rollers... They've been beaten up and carried to races for 3 full seasons and they still spin silently and smooth. They fold up well and don't take up much space at all.
Strengths: -price
-durability
-customer service
Weaknesses: nothing major. The alignment of the frame at the center joint is a little off, but that's to be expected after the amount of abuse I've put these rollers through.
Similar Products Used: Kreitler, Mag
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Summary: I rode the Kreitler Challengers with resistance fan for a few years, then sold them before I moved to a new city. The quality reputation of Kreitler is certainly well deserved, but there were things I really didn't like about them - they are big, kind of kludgy, and take up lot of space - so was anxious to try out SportCrafters.
I have had them for about 4 years now and really like them, even prefer them to the Kreitlers. I can not tell a difference in the smoothness of the spin, nor have I had any mechanical problems other than a worn out belt in that time.
As others have noted, with these (or any rollers), it's helpful to have some kind of resistance unit. I opted for the SportCrafter fan unit, rather than the mag because I felt the progressive resistance would better mimic road conditions. I've been very happy with the fan unit as well. It gives a very strong work-out and, while not as quiet as the mag, makes less noise than the Kreitler unit.
The SportCrafters fold up very easily and, without the wind unit, would even stand up vertically on their own.
Frankly, I can't see rollers being any better. Kreitler does offer more components (inertia unit, fork holder, etc.) but if you don't need any of that, SportCrafter is the way to go.
Strengths: well-made and well-engineered
spin is extremely smooth
great customer service
Weaknesses: -would love if they offered variable fan settings - easiest way would be to offer swappable fans of different diameters
-not that many retailers carry the product, so it's not easy to go to LBS for spare belts or other parts
Similar Products Used: Kreitler Challenger w/ fan unit
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Summary: These things are awesome, I really didn't know anything about SportCrafters rollers but they rock! They are sturdy and well made. I suggest buying the additional magnetic resistance unit if you want to train hard. When the resistance was on level 0 I was holding a 28-30mph average which is fun and all but I don't think was making me stronger. When I put it on level 3 I have a hard time staying over 20mph and my legs are burnin, feels more like riding on the road.
Strengths: Quiet, sturdy, well made.
Weaknesses: None yet, just be careful when learning how to use them. It takes a while to get accustomed to the roller setup.
Similar Products Used: None
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