RooDol eRooDol Compact/Track Bluetooth Roller

The downside with training on rollers is often the lack of data, but the eRooDol Track roller is a battery-free training aid that'll record your performance around a virtual velodrome and upload it to your phone via the app. It's ideal for warming up or cooling down at your next race.

• Pros: Gives you a specific workout on the rollers, battery and maintenance-free
• Cons: Iffy connection for me on Android

The eRooDol is compatible with its rollers in either Compact (68mm diameter) or Track (90mm diameter) versions. Both offer a simple portable setup for use at home or before and after an event for warming up or general training.

> Buy this online here

The eRooDol replaces the middle roller, that's what RooDol recommends for the best performance, to deliver speed and cadence metrics – alongside an external heart rate monitor if you wish – to an app on your phone or tablet.

When it comes to connectivity I had some issues using a brand new Android based phone. The Bluetooth would find the roller but there were some issues in getting it to pair so I had to resort to my old iPhone 5 which connected without issue.

Setup is pretty simple: go into settings and add things like the tyre/wheel size plus what chainring you are using. Oddly there is no option for sprocket size (this is track based after all, so it is presuming you are using one gear) although as you can see from the main page there is a cog with 12 next to it which I take to be the sprocket. I couldn't find a way to change it though.

Speed-wise things were pretty spot on to my Garmin sensor that I had mounted on the chainstay, plus if I used the 12-tooth sprocket on the cassette the cadence was near spot on too.

The diameter of the track rollers at 90mm is all about warming up the legs at low resistance and high speed, and to achieve that you can chase the hare around the 250m track on the screen. You can set the speed of the hare, the red dot, and race against it. It's a good way to make sure you hit a certain level in training or warm up.

> Six reasons why you should use a power meter

When you are finished you get a breakdown of the ride both overall and lap by lap.

The app turns it into a neat training solution. I'm not a fan of the turbo trainer – I find it mind numbing, and although I got into Zwift for a while I'd much rather be out in the elements. I'll take rain, wind and snow anytime over staring at the computer screen.

With three young kids and working from home, though, indoor training becomes a bit of a necessity at times and the rollers seem to work.

> Buyer's Guide: 16 of the best turbo trainers and rollers

I get the engagement and concentration of riding on the rollers, but now, as a bit of a data freak, I have the option of seeing my ride in figures – plus I get to chase a red dot around the screen!

Value

When it comes to money, this roller will set you back £75 and that is on top of the £199 for the standard RooDol rollers and frame.

It's a big outlay, but if you were using a Garmin computer you'd need to fit a speed and cadence sensor to the bike on a standard set of rollers or turbo, and that's £60 rrp.

The eRooDol offers you the chance to get a very specific warm-up at any event, plus you can use it for specific training too.

An added bonus is the fact that the eRooDol uses rotation to power itself, so there is no need for recharging or replacing a battery.

Verdict

If you are a roller user, the eRooDol certainly brings an extra dimension to your training