The Tacx Antares Roller offers an excellent way for you to train indoors during the off-season winter months. It is compact and easy to use – once you get the hang of staying balanced and riding smoothly, which does take a bit of practice!
Coming from the renowned house of Tacx, this is a great quality roller trainer, and perfect for those of you wanting to enhance your cycling skills. It’s certainly not the cheapest roller trainer out there (typically priced at around the $260 mark), but with the Tacx name behind it and plenty of online reviews heaping lots of praise on it, you’re going to quickly turn your cycling around with this baby!
Grab the latest discount on the Tacx Antares Roller HERE!Why we liked the Tacx Antares Roller Trainer
Riding a roller requires intense concentration to keep your body steady and avoid falling of of those rollers (see here for an example of what we mean). And even though the Tacx Antares has elongated rollers, full concentration is important if you want to achieve the rhythmic pedaling and steady balance that will keep you on top of those rollers!
The rollers themselves give a great, quiet and smooth ride (mountain bike tires will NOT give you a smooth ride, we highly recommend changing them for training slicks). To put in some resistance, simply shift the gears of the bike. And yes, as your workouts on the roller progress, you will see a definite improvement in your balancing skills that translates into confidence when riding outdoors on any terrain.
The Tacx Antares roller does a great job as a warm-up trainer (we’ve spotted many Pros on Tours using them to warm up) when preparing for a cycling event. You can also use the Skyliner front wheel support to raise the front wheel to level the bike and provide you with a natural cycling posture.
Another great thing we loved about this roller trainer is its ease of folding up, making it easy to take with you on trips. In fact it collapses down to a mere 80cm in length, which we thought was pretty impressive. The telescope design keeps the frame sturdy since there are no hinges that can weaken the structure after prolonged use. So if you travel often, this could be an easy option to consider, especially if you also purchase the Tacx Antares Roller Bag that comes with foam lining to protect the roller.
Here’s a great clip of one guy and his Tacx Antares roller trainer. It should give you an excellent idea of how the resistance works (your gear changes and pedaling) and the noise levels of the rollers…
Some of the main Tacx Antares features
- It is equipped with heavy duty, elongated rollers that do an awesome job at keeping you pedaling away.
- Product dimensions are 36 x 17 x 11 inches, and it weighs a reasonably light 18.7 pounds.
- It has a frame that measures about 80 cm when collapsed, making it easy to store or carry with you when you travel.
- Purchase of the roller includes the Skyliner front wheel support that raises the front wheel and levels the bike.
Things you have to take into consideration…
As with all roller trainers, you have to get started slowly and surely, as they do take some getting used to.
If you’re going to use this with a mountain bike, change to a training tire, otherwise, the noise might just drive you mad!
One thing we did notice, the sizing adjustment to fit the wheelbase of the bike is a little off, making it difficult to lock the pin in place. It tends to slip a little, so maybe there should be something to hold the pin tighter. But maybe that was us.
So, value for money?
The Tacx Antares roller trainer will serve you well for a long time. It is well built and sturdy, and the sliding frame facilitates transport and easy storage. Wherever you take it to warm up for a race, you’re guaranteed an excellent session to ensure you’re in tip-top condition and primed to perform at your peak!
In that regard, the Tacx Antares is excellent value, and certainly one of the better rollers your money can buy…once you can stay upright and safe, you’re probably going to fall in love with this roller!
