Clever floating subframe design lends more natural feel and safe training
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Elite's E-motion rollers use a clever floating subframe that lends a more realistic feel and far safe experience than typical rollers.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The forward roller quickly and easily adjusts for different wheelbases.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
It's a seemingly small thing but it makes a big difference - the small bumper wheels on either side of the forward drum makes it much tougher to ride off of the sides of Elite's E-motion rollers.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
If you drift off too far to the side on the Elite E-motion rollers, simply push back off of the urethane side bumpers to bring yourself back inline. In practice, you can hit the bumpers surprisingly hard and still right your path.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The broad dual frame provides a decent-sized place to put your foot when you're just getting going.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
In addition to the forward bumpers, each of the rollers are flared at the ends to help keep you from riding straight off the edge.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The integrated magnetic resistance unit offers three levels of drag depending on your workout needs.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Look at me - I'm sprinting in the drops! Seriously, folks, we wouldn't normally advocate most novices to try sprinting out of the saddle on rollers but Elite's floating E-motion setup effectively cancels out most fore-aft movement to make stuff like this relatively easy.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
The floating subframe is the key to the E-motion rollers' natural feel. Whereas a less-than-perfect pedal stroke would normally produce some unnerving fore-aft movement, the E-motion helps even things out by moving beneath you.(Image credit: Jonny Irick)
Elite's E-motion rollers are far easier to ride than standard rollers thanks to their clever sliding sub-frame. Unlike with traditional rollers that can potentially spit you out the front or back if you have an overly rough pedal stroke, the E-motion's built-in movement effectively cancels out the weight shifts and helps keep you safely centered over the drums.
That slight movement – the total fore-aft range is about 18cm – makes for a much more natural and fluid feel than fully fixed rollers, too. If you've never tried the concept, it's a legitimate game changer.
Additional security comes from the flared drum ends and the twin urethane wheels sitting at the edges of the front wheel. Elite has used this so-called 'parabolic' drum shape for a while now but it was still easy enough to ride up and over them on earlier models if you weren't paying attention (search around on YouTube if you fancy a bit of entertainment).
With the E-motion's additional lateral wheels, though, you can veer all the way to the edge of the drums and bounce your front wheel right off without falling over as long as you're not swerving too erratically. In practice, we eventually learned that you can hit the bumpers surprisingly hard, too, with only a startling buzz to warn that you need to alter course.
Elite has also fitted the E-motion with an integrated and quiet three-step magnetic resistance unit. There's no remote function and the magnetic system feels artificially linear as opposed to a fluid or fan setup's more progressive curve but for riders seeking an all-in-one option just to help maintain their on-season fitness, it's a good thing to see. In addition, the three positions offer up a reasonable wide range, from nearly zero load for easy spins and pedal stroke drills to moderate levels of drag for hard tempo workouts.
Getting started on the E-motion is easier than usual, too. The concentric dual-frame designs yields a refreshingly wide platform on which you can rest your feet, plus the whole setup sits low to the ground. That doubled up architecture does result in a big 60x180cm footprint and a non-folding frame so be sure you've got the storage room (and space in the car) before plunking down the credit card. There are no adjustable feet, either, so you'll need to use wedges if you've got an old house with uneven floors.
Taken in total, the E-motion's security features allowed us to do some usefully intense efforts – something that's often tough to do on regular rollers – and we even tackled moderate out-of-saddle sprint drills with far less worry than usual. However, we still favor stationary trainers for hard workouts and as with most any roller, you still have to have a reasonably smooth pedal stroke to extract the most benefit.
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Deja vu?
US readers in particular may think they've seen this before and rightfully so as Elite licenses the floating cradle design from Inside Ride.
"Elite has licensed our technology, but is making their own version of the rollers and using the E-motion name as well," said Inside Ride's Larry Papadopoulos. "We found it too expensive to sell ours overseas and neither party felt it was wise to compete for the same customers, so as part of the licensing agreement, we serve North America and they serve Europe and the rest of the globe."
The only issue is that in tweaking the design for mass production, Elite has also filtered out some of the benefits of the original.
The Inside Ride version includes two supplemental full-width drums that further cradle the rear wheel. Out-of-saddle sprints are admittedly possible on both versions but we found you have to be smoother in the initial jump to keep from shooting off of the Elite – which can and will happen, as we discovered – whereas on the Inside Ride you can genuinely unleash to your heart's content with truly remarkable security.
Elite contends the extra rollers aren't necessary but we disagree. True, they're not absolutely necessary but their omission takes a good chunk of the magic away from the floating frame design.
"The two rollers surrounding the back wheel have not been included because, although psychologically they have a value, they are not essential," said Elite's Marta Segato. "Tests have been performed with numerous cyclists of different levels and the American inventor himself agreed that actually these are not essential."
We also found the Inside Ride version to just feel much more like really riding on the road with its smoother-moving cradle, built-in flywheel, and lathe-turned drums. In comparison, the Elite E-motion is a little jerkier, has almost no inertia, and there's a bit more vibration.
"The flywheel was not included because the feedback from our testers was that they didn't perceive a significant advantage," Segato continued. "The roundness of a lathe-turned drum is undoubtedly more precise. Nevertheless, in our product we can guarantee the tolerance on the roundness is very close to a lathe-turned drum. Furthermore, we can guarantee an excellent balance of the drum because our drum has a consistent thickness, while in a cylinder obtained from extrusion, then lathe-turned, this is not possible."
A good choice but we'd rather have the real thing
Unfortunately, the altered design doesn't carry a substantially lowered price tag, either, with the decidedly nicer Inside Ride version carrying a premium retail price of US$850 – Elite's version is actually even more expensive at €749. While the floating cradle feature inarguably lends the Elites a notable advantage over fixed-position rollers, we'd still rather have the real thing.
Specifications
Price: €795 Weight: Pros: More natural feel than conventional rollers, easier to sprint safely out of the saddle, clever and effective lateral bumper design, built-in resistance Cons: Doesn't include all of the safety features as its US counterpart, rocking motion is somewhat jerky, huge footprint, no flywheel More information:www.elite-it.com
