I see that e-motion now offers rollers with a new smart resistance unit. I’m a big fan of their rollers and I use them with zwift a lot(without smart resistance), but would like to have the smart resistance if it works well. Unfortunately, I have the old model rollers that can’t be upgraded, so I’ll need to buy a completely new set of rollers to get the smart resistance. I’m not going to do that until I’m convinced this system works well and is reliable. I called inside ride (e-motion) and they said the new system has been well tested and works really well, but I think this is their 3rd try at a smart resistance system. I’m a little gun shy until I see some reviews. Anyone try the new system yet?
Bump - I’m considering these rollers too. I’d love to know if anyone has any experience with them.
I retrofitted the resistance unit to my e-motion rollers. I don’t think it’s any different from what they sell as a complete setup.
I don’t enter races on Zwift, but I do join training rides. I say this because, I like to ride my TT bike with a fork mount on the rollers and I’m pretty confident that I get about a 10 to 15% boost in power from that setup (one less wheel on the rollers). I’ve ridden the rollers for about 20 years. When I ride my road bike without the fork mount on this unit on Zwift, the gradient changes seem to lag and then can hit pretty hard which is hard to get used to when you’re relying on the gyro-effect to keep you upright. It was very squirrely to me, initially. Obviously, not a problem with the fork mount, but then there’s the overstated power output issue.
If you can live with those issues, they’re absolutely fantastic! I LOVE my roller sessions on Zwift. Perhaps a good way to convey the advantage I get with the fork mount while on Zwift is that a 3.0 w/kg “B” ride on my Kickr is a very hard ride for me. On the e-motion with resistance and the fork mount, it’s not a piece of cake, but I’m at or near the front of the pack.
They can be calibrated and, if you don’t use a fork mount, I believe the power output you realize is reasonably accurate. If my “thing” on Zwift was doing all the big climbing rides, I don’t think I’d go this route. For me, I train for time trials and bike legs of triathlons that are never too hilly. Throwing it on the fork mount and rolling the flatter courses is an absolute blast!
I’ve been using it for about a year now. Knock on wood, but it seems to be holding up well.
I retrofitted the resistance unit to my e-motion rollers. I don’t think it’s any different from what they sell as a complete setup.
I don’t enter races on Zwift, but I do join training rides. I say this because, I like to ride my TT bike with a fork mount on the rollers and I’m pretty confident that I get about a 10 to 15% boost in power from that setup (one less wheel on the rollers). I’ve ridden the rollers for about 20 years. When I ride my road bike without the fork mount on this unit on Zwift, the gradient changes seem to lag and then can hit pretty hard which is hard to get used to when you’re relying on the gyro-effect to keep you upright. It was very squirrely to me, initially. Obviously, not a problem with the fork mount, but then there’s the overstated power output issue.
If you can live with those issues, they’re absolutely fantastic! I LOVE my roller sessions on Zwift. Perhaps a good way to convey the advantage I get with the fork mount while on Zwift is that a 3.0 w/kg “B” ride on my Kickr is a very hard ride for me. On the e-motion with resistance and the fork mount, it’s not a piece of cake, but I’m at or near the front of the pack.
They can be calibrated and, if you don’t use a fork mount, I believe the power output you realize is reasonably accurate. If my “thing” on Zwift was doing all the big climbing rides, I don’t think I’d go this route. For me, I train for time trials and bike legs of triathlons that are never too hilly. Throwing it on the fork mount and rolling the flatter courses is an absolute blast!
I’ve been using it for about a year now. Knock on wood, but it seems to be holding up well.
What system did you retrofit? My understanding is that the system they are selling now has only been available for a couple months.
I’ve had a smart resistance e-motion trainer that I bought in 2015. Not sure what is new, but mine works great with TR and Zwift
Bump again. I got a deal on the previous model - can it not be retrofitted?
Thoughts on running out of resistance - I do a bit of low cadence work on the rollers I’ve got now (Arions) and bodged a Kreitler headwind to them. Obviously, I think the floating nature is not going to work here… so, any thoughts?
I’m thinking: full mag resistance, the worst rolling resistance tyres I can find at 60 psi…
Thanks - that’s exactly what I needed to know. Sounds great!
I see that e-motion now offers rollers with a new smart resistance unit. I’m a big fan of their rollers and I use them with zwift a lot(without smart resistance), but would like to have the smart resistance if it works well. Unfortunately, I have the old model rollers that can’t be upgraded, so I’ll need to buy a completely new set of rollers to get the smart resistance. I’m not going to do that until I’m convinced this system works well and is reliable. I called inside ride (e-motion) and they said the new system has been well tested and works really well, but I think this is their 3rd try at a smart resistance system. I’m a little gun shy until I see some reviews. Anyone try the new system yet?
As long as you’re planning on shelling out that kind of money, I would encourage you to first test ride a direct drive trainer, since the cost is comparable. I used emotion rollers (without smart resistance) for 5 years. I loved them, and I was in the same position as you, waiting for them to refine the smart resistance feature. Then last year I just happened to try a direct drive trainer that was on display at the bike shop and I was amazed at the road feel. Sure the bike is immobilized, but the pedal stroke just feels so smooth and nice, it’s hard to describe. Just try it. I still have my emotion rollers, but I didn’t use them at all last winter, since picking up the direct drive trainer. I ended up with an elite direto, but I also tried the wahoo kickr, and the tacx neo, and they all felt fantastic.
Bump again. I got a deal on the previous model - can it not be retrofitted?
Thoughts on running out of resistance - I do a bit of low cadence work on the rollers I’ve got now (Arions) and bodged a Kreitler headwind to them. Obviously, I think the floating nature is not going to work here… so, any thoughts?
I’m thinking: full mag resistance, the worst rolling resistance tyres I can find at 60 psi…
I spoke with Inside ride and they told me that the new resistance unit can only be retrofitted to “H” model rollers, which they have been making since 2010. Unfortunatly, I have the “F” model, so I would need to sell mine and get an entirely new set of rollers with the smart resistance.
The smart power unit also includes a remote to set resistance manually and has an ERG mode. Per inside ride, the new smart power system uses power from a power meter to set resistance rather than trying to estimate power based on speed/resistance setting or having strain guages in the smart power unit.
I’ve tried smart trainers and they have a decent pedaling feel, but I strongly prefer the feeling of the floating rollers where the bike isn’t locked in position and you can stand and rock the bike in a more natural way. I tend to get a sore butt on stationary trainers.
I’m not going to bite the bullet on these until I see some reviews, but the guy at inside ride said they have been testing it heavily for months and it works really well. If they prove to be good, I don’t mind spending the $. I’ve gotten more than my $'s worth out of my current rollers over the last 10 years. The new smart power unit is out of stock right now anyway, so there is no hurry.
Cheers!
The model F is what I’ve got, with the three position mag. It’s probably going to be enough for the while.
Totally agree with the sore arse bit on normal trainers.
The perfect solution for me would be smart trainer rollers controlled by crank wattage…
I have a cyclops hammer and I’ve made a really nice adjustable “rocker plate†for it. Sometimes I still prefer getting on my old nashbar rollers with a little resistance gizmo on them. I use one of my outdoor bikes with a power tap hubs when I do that. For some reason I can sustain more power on rollers than on the Hammer.
I would sell my Hammer and rocker in a second for a good smart roller set up that I could stand up and sprint on.
The perfect solution for me would be smart trainer rollers controlled by crank wattage…
Yep, that’s how the new version is supposed to work. I read the manual and you basically pair your ant+ power meter to the smart resistance unit. So, if you are in zwift going up a 10% grade, the resistance will be set to ensure proper watts for your weight at the given speed
I have a cyclops hammer and I’ve made a really nice adjustable “rocker plate†for it. Sometimes I still prefer getting on my old nashbar rollers with a little resistance gizmo on them. I use one of my outdoor bikes with a power tap hubs when I do that. For some reason I can sustain more power on rollers than on the Hammer.
I would sell my Hammer and rocker in a second for a good smart roller set up that I could stand up and sprint on.
for some reason, rollers with resistance have always felt “right,” and they have really good road feel
that said, riding one on the TT bike (and without the fork stand) is a bit hair raising. so glad there’s the Hammer (or the fork stand) for those situations
update on this - I bit the bullet and bought a new set of e-motion’s with the smart resistance. Configuration was simple and they synced to my power meter first try. A couple rides on Zwift and I’m really happy with the setup.
At first, I was a little concerned because there was a delay (a second or so) on power changes being reflected in Zwift, but then I figured out I could set up zwift to control resistance in the rollers, but take power directly from my power meter (rather than getting power through the roller controller). So, my power meter is providing zwift power and cadence and it’s instantaneous. The controller for the roller resistance is connected to my power meter and connected to zwift as well (to control the resistance). It’s a totally different dynamic in Zwift now going up hills. I used to have to shift to a harder gear to go faster to make more power and I would run out of gears on sprints sometimes. Now, I’m downshifting on hills and can get out of the saddle and grind if I need to.
My only concern at this point is that the electronic control unit is located right in an area where sweat can land. I need to figure out a way to put some plastic wrap over it or something.
So far, so good. Highly recommended if you like the ride feel of the floating rollers and want smart resistance. Not affiliated with inside ride, but a longtime fan of their rollers.
thanks for updating.
i have one of the “non powered” models i was going to ride on with my road bike. i never really got into it and it sits in the shop with my road bike that also never gets ridden!!
maybe i need to pick it up and get proficient.
Oh man, I love it!
I’m a few weeks into training again, and am picking up watts well and getting into a position where I can start to sit reasonably comfortably in an aero position - at least getting into them whenever I am over 3 watts/ kg. Funnily, I do find it a lot harder to ride in the bars on the rollers than IRL.
I find them a lot more involving than a static trainer, and not as scary as fixed rollers