Roller style bike trainers offer one of the most realistic indoor riding experiences. Where most trainers lock the bike in place, rollers act more like a treadmill for your bike and allow for side-to-side movement and balancing. In this review, we’ll be looking at one of Elite’s top non-interactive rollers, the Elite Quick-Motion rollers. The Quick-Motion rollers feature a number of premium features such as parabolic rollers and a floating system to absorb sudden motions and keep the bike centered. While it’s not interactive, the magnetic resistance system offers quiet and smooth performance with three resistance settings. The features don’t come cheap though, as the retail price on the rollers is $569.99. Note the rollers can be paired with an optional Misuro B+ sensor for connectivity with use on Elite’s My E-Training or other training platforms.
The Elite Quick-Motion rollers are a portable and compact trainer that provides a realistic feel.
| Retail Price | $569.99 |
| Rating | 8.5 / 10 |
| Likes | + Minimalist design + Compatible with any drivetrain setup + Provides a realistic feel and experience |
| Dislikes | – Premium price – Steep Learning curve to ride comfortably – Requires a lot of force to unfold |
| Where to Buy (US) | Todson |
UNBOXING
We received the rollers in a non-standard packaging as the previous reviewer’s dog had apparently eaten the original packaging. Because of that, we’ll refrain from saying much about the unboxing as we can’t say with confidence what comes in the original box.
FIT & FINISH
The Quick-Motion rollers feature a traditional three roller design with the rear wheel centered between the two rear rollers and the front wheel slightly behind the front roller. A simple dual rubber belt connects the front and middle rollers together to rotate both bike wheels at the same speed. In order to achieve a compact design, the front roller has a simple “I” style frame with an expandable center section to accommodate different bike lengths. The rollers have Elite’s characteristic black/red color scheme with bright red colored rollers and a black plastic housing. A magnetic resistance unit is concealed in the rear roller housing with plastic cladding to hide the internals. Although the trainer is not interactive, a simple 3 position toggle switch can be used to adjust the resistance of the trainer. The adjustment toggle is placed low which means you’ll need to stop to change the levels.
The rollers themselves are oversized with a parabolic design that flares at the edges to keep the bike from rolling off the sides. They also roll smoothly but have enough resistance, even in the lowest setting, to bring the bike to a stop efficiently. One downside of the Quick-Motion rollers is that usability and ergonomics could use improvement. For example, the top knob to lock the front two-pieces together uses a simple metal rod that only works when the trainer length is set to the minimum position. That means it’s easy to ‘lock’ it only to find that it isn’t locked. There is also a second handle on the base for carrying the rollers which is awkward to use as the belts and front two pieces can still move around.
SETUP
While some may lament the lack of smart features with the Quick-Motion rollers, it greatly simplifies the setup. That means you can setup the rollers outside your car to warm up before a race or in your driveway as no power source is needed. The rollers have a three-piece folding design making them quite compact for storage or travel. To unfold the rollers, you first rotate the knob to unlock the two front pieces from each other and then unfold the trainer. Before laying the trainer flat, the trainer has to be adjusted to the proper length. Elite recommends placing the centerline of the front wheel 10-15mm (0.4-0.6 inches) behind the center of the front roller for optimal stability. After you have measured your wheelbase, you can loosen the knob on the backside of the center section and extend or retract the frame to the optimal length.
During this length adjustment, remember to keep the front two sections slightly folded to remove any tension. Once you have the position set and tightened down, you’ll need to inspect the two rubber belts to make sure they are in their proper recessed locations. Only after that, can you fully flatten the trainer by pushing down on the front section to flatten it. We found that it takes quite a bit of force which some riders may find it difficult. If you have a bike with a longer wheelbase, the initial setup will require even more force as the belts will resist stretching to the full length. Before riding, you also have to remember to tighten down the front knob to prevent the two front sections from folding. Overall it’s not very hard to setup the Quick-Motion rollers, but we feel like the design could be improved to reduce the force required.
ON THE TRAINER
If you’re like us and haven’t ridden on a roller before, then it can be very intimidating to ride at first. The design of the roller means if you lean or provide any steering the bike will move side-to-side. That’s actually one of the main advantages of a roller setup, it teaches proper form as you’ll need to develop a smooth and even pedal stroke to keep the bike stable. The parabolic design of the rollers also helps keep the wheels off the edges which makes it easier to ride. Although we found that we still needed a wall or some sort of support to get initially started on the rollers, after a few days with the trainer it became significantly easier to ride. Balancing on the rollers is also easier as you speed up with the floating design of the rollers absorbing any sudden motions such as getting in or out of the saddle by shifting the entire rollers backward and forward. We found that shorter focused sessions on the rollers provided a great workout or for a cooldown ride.
Compared to normal wheel-on trainers, the Quick-Motion rollers are also surprisingly quiet. You don’t get the normal drone or vibrations even with standard road tires. The red rollers are also smooth to the touch but have great grip and don’t appear to put as much wear and tear on tires. While we typically recommend trainer tires like Elite’s Coperton tires, we found ourselves mostly riding the trainers with our standard road tires as the three roller design drives both the front and rear wheels. This design also means the Quick-Motion rollers provide a very realistic feel that mimics riding outdoors as you use your entire body to balance the bike that even $1000 tilting trainer platforms can’t replicate. Even though the trainer isn’t interactive, the three level resistance setting combined with the gearing of your bike offers enough range to get a great workout.
THE VERDICT
Overall, we found the Elite Quick-Motion rollers offer a realistic ride feel and compact design. With the three roller design, you don’t need $1k tilting platforms as you use your full body to balance the bike. The rollers are also compatible with any bike drivetrain or setup as the Quick-Motion has an adjustable length. As with any roller, there is a steep learning curve before you’re comfortable on them but you’ll learn to have a smoother pedal stroke as a result. The non-interactive design of the Quick-Motion rollers means they are also portable which makes them ideal for warming up before an event. Although we personally don’t think these are a replacement for traditional interactive wheel-on or direct drive trainers, the realistic feel and compact design offers a number of benefits. While the Quick-Motion rollers are more expensive than other rollers on the market, the floating frame design, adjustable length and parabolic rollers offer real-world benefits.
Disclaimer: The product for this review was provided by Elite. The views expressed on this website are solely those of the authors and are here to help people make an informed choice before a purchase. The authors or the blog itself does not get any monetary compensation from the product manufacturer or third-party websites/vendor links that are posted here.