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performance travel trac alloy rollers

After a few years of braving the cold every day, I decided it would just be more efficient to ride indoors sometimes. I purchased a cheap indoor trainer (on sale for $55), used it for about a month, then it crapped out.

That turned out to be a blessing in disguise, because once I returned the trainer, I grabbed a set of rollers, and I’ve been hooked ever since!

The rollers I purchased were the Performance Travel Trac Alloy Rollers. I usually see these in the Performance Bicycle catalog for $130-150. If you watch for them to go on sale, use a coupon, and/or join the Team Performance discount club, you could get them even cheaper (mine were effectively $110, although that was years ago).

Today, expect to pay closer to $190 for a set of these.

performance travel trac rollers folded

The rollers are lightweight and they fold for easy storage, and the alloy drums are strong, durable, and smooth. You only need a 17mm wrench to adjust the front drum for your wheelbase (an adjustable wrench would work, too).

I have been using these year round (but mostly during the winter) since 2004, which means I’ve put about twelve off-seasons of riding on these rollers. Despite those thousands of miles, these rollers are good as new!

The original rubber belt lasted until 2017 before it finally popped! Wow, thirteen years of service! It popped unexpectedly (it hadn’t cracked, stiffened up, or rotted to show signs of wear), which was annoying because I didn’t have a spare! But all I had to do was log on to PerformanceBike.com and purchase a new one for $5.99.

Can you believe that – not just a product that lasts for years or even decades, but you can still buy replacement parts!

I should also mention that these were most often stored in an unfinished, unheated basement that floods occasionally. They aren’t pampered, but you wouldn’t be able to tell.

I can’t complain about these rollers at all. The price was great and they do what I want – allow me to ride indoors and have it feel like I’m actually balancing my bike. You could pay $400 for Kreitler rollers, but unless you need the resistance units or just like to spend money, it’s not necessary. Either one should hold up to 20, 30, 40 years of use!

Resistance? Well, I can get in the big ring and spin at an unrealistic 40mph on these things. So a stationary trainer does look good from that perspective. But I still work up a sweat on these rollers, that’s for sure!

My final verdict is…

Rollers are way more fun than a stationary trainer, and these Performance Travel Trac Alloy Rollers are inexpensive yet offer great quality. They could easily last a lifetime. (I see no need to buy more expensive rollers unless you need a powerful resistance unit.)

I love these and highly recommend them for anyone who wants a set of rollers.

Official website: www.PerformanceBike.com

Product Review Details
Company: Performance Bike
Product: Performance Bike Travel Trac Alloy Rollers
Reviewed by: Coach Levi
My Rating: 5.0 out of 5
Date last updated: 2017-06-06
Obtained Product: Purchased at retailer.
CoachLevi.com Advertiser: No.

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13 Comments
  1. I’ve got the same rollers and I recommend them as well. As far as the resistance, you can fold a towel and place it under the rear rollers and get enough resistance for just about any workout. It does tend to heat up the drums through which tends to wear the tires faster.

    • @Matt

      Yep, that’s a good tip for all roller riders without a resistance unit. Added friction = added resistance.

      I also like heavier, thicker tires (like these $5 Hutchinson Flash tires) at lower inflation to seemingly add resistance.

    • More Resistance? Put a second band on the other side of the rollers. Done it. It works.

      • @Steve

        That’s such a simple, inexpensive solution, it almost sounds too good to be true! But you can bet I’m going to try it out.

        How did you determine that it increased resistance? A higher power output or RPE at a given speed?

  2. Levi,

    What are your thoughts on building a motion roller setup like these?

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vV0BGSXs9fo&feature=related

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=StcY7bG1xzs

  3. @Jim

    Those look like fun. If you are a skilled craftsman, go for it!

  4. Do you see any advantage to this system versus standard rollers?

    E-motion rollers sell this concept for $700.

    The links I sent you were do-it-yourself projects that do not seem that difficult.

    I am a senior rider that only started serious cycling 5 years ago to supplement my running. I am not sure my skills are good enough for rollers. I thought this may be an alternative.

    Thanks Jim

  5. @Jim

    It looks like it would be harder/impossible to ride off the front of these rollers (like when you stand up and sprint), but that’s the only real advantage. And it might be more fun to ride on due to the feel.

    Bottom line is you would still have to buy a set of normal rollers to build the bungee frame around. If you did that and were extremely uncomfortable (on the unmodified rollers), I don’t know that the extra motion would help a whole lot.

    I can’t comment further without using them, though.

  6. Thanks for your input. Love your blog

  7. I was thinking about getting these rollers and then adding the CycleOps/Sportcrafter resistance unit. Howeer that unit requires the width of the roller frame (outside on left side to outside on right side) to be in the range of 18″-18.75″. Can you tell me how wide the frame is on these rollers? Thanks.

  8. @Shane

    The frame on mine measures at 17.75″. Not quite in the range.

  9. Thanks. I called Performance twice and one guy told me 15.5″ and the other guy told me 20″.

  10. By any chance is there a link to the replacement cable available? I bought a like new set for 35 bucks but want to stock up on spares just in case.

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