Sore After a Day in the Saddle? The Best Foam Rollers Start at $15.
"Hearst Magazines and Yahoo may earn commission or revenue on some items through these links."
Soreness can afflict any athlete, but few things make you ache in the back, legs, and butt like a day on the pedals. A foam roller allows you to give yourself a targeted massage, with studies showing that rolling before and after an activity can both help improve performance and reduce soreness post-workout.
There are many options if you’re looking for a foam roller to add to your stretching routine, but very few stand out from the crowd. Below you’ll find a guide to what to look for in a foam roller, as well as our recommendations for the seven best foam rollers in different categories.
The Best Foam Rollers
Best Overall: Lululemon Double Roller
Best Budget: Amazon Basics High Density Round Foam Roller
Best for Travel: The Original Worm Portable Massage Muscle Roller
Best Cork: Scoria Natural Cork Foam Roller
Best Texture for Deep Rolling: RumbleRoller Original Textured Foam Roller
What to Consider
Firmness
How firm your foam roller is determines how deeply or gently it will roll out your muscles. Some are made of a soft foam that has lots of give, and, while this reduces their pressure on sore muscles, they can be a good option for people who want to roll out their back but have more limited mobility, as the roller will squish down to provide a gentler curve for the spine. Other rollers are quite rigid and are for more intensive massage.
Smoothness
Some foam rollers are perfectly smooth, while others have raised bumps or ridges designed to dig into muscles more deeply and provide myofascial release—the relief of tension in muscular connective tissues—to knots and other sensitive spots known as trigger points. Smooth rollers are best if you’ve never used one before, as the raised features can be painfully acute for beginners. But with experience, you may find that smooth rollers are too gentle and only bumps will get the job done.
Vibration
More and more foam rollers come with the ability to vibrate. While they tend to be significantly more expensive, they can be worth it if you have especially pesky tight spots—studies indicate that vibration can help reduce muscle soreness after exercise. But if you don’t have the budget for it, don’t sweat. A normal foam roller is still highly effective.
Shape and Size
While the vast majority of foam rollers are of the pretty standard design—a tube about the length of a shoebox and roughly as big around as a softball—there are variations for different purposes and preferences. Common formats include:
Standard rollers approximately 2 feet by 6 inches
Shorter, smaller varieties for portability
Double length for wider backs
Spherical (or with spherical sections) for feet and pinpointing knots
How We Selected
As a lifetime athlete who appreciates a good roll, I’ve used and owned foam rollers in all forms. To ensure that I’m up to speed on the most current advancements in foam rolling technology, I’ve tested the latest from top brands in the industry, such as Lululemon, RumbleRoller, and Hyperice, and compared my findings against those from past Bicycling guides and reviews from both experts from other publications and online customer feedback feedback on Amazon. The recommendations below span a range of forms, budgets, and needs and are the best foam rollers for cyclists.
Double Foam Roller
The Double Roller from Lululemon is so well thought out that it’s genuinely hard to find fault with it. Maybe a few more color options would be nice? But even that’s pushing it, because the sole color offered looks great.
What really made it stand out to me was the superior versatility afforded by its dual-roller design. With both rollers combined, you get a firm, lightly ridged surface. Pop out the internal roller and you get a soft surface over a firm interior with deep grooves. Between these two options, you can attend to pretty much any foam roller needs, from gentle rubdowns to deep tissue massage. I found that the rounded exterior is best for my back, while the deep grooves of the interior are ideal for rolling out quads, hammies, and calves—perfect after a long day on the saddle.
There’s also a mini version that’s half the size of the full, making it easy to pack along to the gym. It’s great by every metric—a real 10/10 situation.
Double Foam Roller
lululemon.com
$64.00
Nick HildenHigh Density Round Foam Roller
Sometimes you just want a straightforward foam roller that will get the job done, and you don’t want to cough up much to get one. This roller from Amazon Basics is exactly that. It’s, well, basic—the very archetype of a foam roller. No-frills, solidly firm.
It’s the first roller I ever purchased, and I’m still using it many years later. I particularly appreciate its firmness on my hamstrings, glutes, and lower back.
The High Density Round Foam Roller is available in sizes ranging from 12 to 36 inches, and you have two colors to choose from. And that’s all there is to it. There’s no ridged option, so this is geared more toward beginners or people looking for a gentler roll.
High Density Round Foam Roller
amazon.com
$11.99
Portable Massage Muscle Roller
The Original Worm is perfectly designed to toss into your gym bag, suitcase, backpack, or purse, and I never travel without mine. Available in two sizes and color options, it’s roughly the length of four racquet balls in a row. And that’s approximately what it is: a series of four very firm balls held in a neoprene tube. It’s a great portable pick not only because of its size, but because its design makes it highly versatile.
You can use its whole surface to roll out larger muscles, or grab an individual ball to target knots. I also find that the ball structure is great for rolling out forearms and hands sore from gripping the handlebar. While the Original Worm is not wide enough to be used as a full back roller, anything that big is impractical for travel. This, on the other hand, is perfect for packing along.
Portable Massage Muscle Roller
amazon.com
$27.00
Nick HildenNatural Cork Foam Roller
The one major downside to a foam roller is the foam itself. It’s not exactly great for the environment. But this cork roller from Scoria is a solid eco-friendly alternative. It’s made of 100 percent sustainably harvested natural cork, the surface of which feels pleasantly soft to the touch. That being said, it is narrower in diameter and very firm, which may be too much for beginners. If you’re seeking a more sustainable roll, however, it can’t be beat, and that extra firmness is perfect for rolling out über-tight calves and feet.
Natural Cork Foam Roller
scoriaworld.com
$39.00
Nick HildenMassage Stick Roller
Typical foam rollers are great for working out the rear of the body—your back, glutes, and back of the legs—but they can be tricky for anything up front, as it can be awkward to roll over them while facing down. I use the Tiger Tail Massage Stick to hit all the places a ground roller tends to miss.
It’s shaped like a rolling pin for dough, and you can use it to roll out your forward quads, hips, chest, and so on. It comes in three sizes, and (also like a rolling pin) is rock-solid durable. This is one of those pieces of gear that you’ll have in your stretching kit for a lifetime.
Massage Stick Roller
amazon.com
$39.95
Nick HildenOriginal Textured Foam Roller
You’ve likely seen RumbleRollers kicking around in people’s homes for decades. At this point, they’re more or less the standard bearer for ridged foam rollers. The classic RumbleRoller’s firm, tall bumps dig deep into muscles. There is a wide version of the classic texture, and two shallower options for less intensity. For myofascial release, however, I recommend going with this one, the classic, which I have found is highly effective at burrowing into especially tight spots, like tight iliotibial bands along the outsides of the legs.
Keep in mind that beginners or people with back injuries may find the texture to be too much. But if you’re looking for a roller that goes deep, there is none better.
Original Textured Foam Roller
amazon.com
$49.95
Vyper 3 Foam Roller
The latest iteration of the Vyper from Hyperice is the best vibrating roller out there, period. Many exist, but they are notoriously weak. The Vyper 3, however, provides plenty of vibration via its three speed variations. And unlike similar products that tend to slip across the floor due to said vibration, the new Vyper features rubber end bands that maintain reliable grip.
It’s durable, if heavy, and the contoured surface provides firm, smooth pressure. The price is certainly not low, but the quality of its massage is high. From my experience, there’s no other home recovery product that so perfectly kneads out the lower back.
Vyper 3 Foam Roller
Amazon
$199.00
You Might Also Like
