Training & Nutrition - rollers

for what type of cycling would one train with rollers now a days? also, what kind of shoes would be good to wear with them? am i correct in saying that the purpose of the rollers is to teach the rider to direct all force in the most beneficial direction?

i just read an article that mentioned using them for training, i'm just clarifying some things that i assumed. thanks in advance.

Depends somewhat what type of rollers you have. Regardless of the type of roller, they force you to have good technique, esp at high cadence. You have to be smooth or you probably won't stay up for long. Where the rollers differ is the amount of resistance. If they have very little resistance then you can't do much in the way of high intensity. I got some used el cheapo Nashbar rollers which happen to work just fine for high intensity. I have several long wheelbase bikes and with the rollers set for max length they have a lot of resistance. For my purposes this is all I need for indoor training.

In terms of shoes, I wouldn't recommend platform pedals and slick shoes but just about anything else is fine. I've got one bike set up with powergrips and I use my sandals or sneakers with them.

any type of riding. all types of riding.


but...especially riding in a pack.

u stay on rollers
u r able to not take someone out
whilst you jibber jab or reach for the bottle

If you're serious enough to ride rollers, you should be serious enough to have real cycling shoes and clipless pedals. So ride your road bike wearing your regular bike shorts, shoes, and gloves.

For me, the purpose of rollers is to make training inside not so boring. They kind of hold your attention. While they're doing that, they smooth up your spin. You want to hear a constant humming note. My favorite roller workouts are FastPedal, where one pedals at a very high cadence, just short of bouncing, for long periods of time, up to 45 minutes continuously. Also one legged pedaling is a great thing on rollers. Steady state Z2 workouts for up to 2 hours are a staple. Then all sorts of high cadence intervals, time trial tests, etc.

Rollers with some kind of a resistance unit are the best, but plain rollers work OK, too.

thanks for the responses guys. that answers my questions!

Steady state Z2 workouts for up to 2 hours are a staple. Then all sorts of high cadence intervals, time trial tests, etc.

Rollers with some kind of a resistance unit are the best, but plain rollers work OK, too.

I die of boredom after an hour....but then again this was in my friends garage staring at a door and listening to music...I can't imagine it'll be too bad in my basement watching TV..but still...2 hours on rollers, thats dedication...I'll stick with 1 hour per day only on days when I for sure cannot get outside...and if it's nice weather, i.e. above 25°F, sunny and no snow on the roads...I'll be outside.