Road Cycling - Rollers what they taught me

Ok, I know what you're thinking, another lame post about concentrating and riding off rollers etc.
Nope, none of that.
I've been on rollers about a month now, and after this weekends
Ride for The Roses I found a few things were different.
I spin better, climbs seemed easier and I upped my avg speed by a good 5 mph (3.1 kph?).
I didn't seem as fatigued as I previously would after a long ride.

but the best thing I learned?
I can ride with no hands. Never could do its before.
There was this woman on a bike in front of me who was
riding with no hands and I thought to myself, "oh, so thats how you do it" and I just sat up.
When I caught her, I did thank her for the lesson
and she advised me to watch it on the really rough roads.
Now I know that isn't a big deal to alot of folks, but it got me grinnin from ear to ear.
(I even did an arms outstreched finish at the end of the ride).

Marty

I remember as a child, all that I ever dreamed of ever doing on my bike was riding with no hands...one of the smaller personal milestones as a child.

Marty,
Ya got your conversion reversed, dude. 5 miles is closer to 8.3 or so km. 5 km=3.1 miles.

I understand rollers are really good training. I just don't have the mentality for it. I like to be goin' places when I ride. That's why I like commuting.
Regards,
Raymond

Ya got your conversion reversed, dude
Doh!
maybe thats why I got all those speeding tickets
in those metric countries?
I also prefer to get somewhere when I ride, but
sometimes its just not safe (like during last nights tornado
outbreak), so rollers it is.
Raymond, hows the progress on the dumpster Trek?

Marty

Originally posted by lotek

Raymond, hows the progress on the dumpster Trek?



What's this? The Rainman has another bike?

What's this? The Rainman has another bike?

He found it in a dumpster and is fixing it up for his neighbor.
We've had fun identifying the bike. Its a nice old steel trek.
Fubar, you getting that C'Dale R5000si? nice ride.

Marty

Originally posted by lotek
Fubar, you getting that C'Dale R5000si? nice ride.


Ha ha, I'd like to, but no way. It is way out of my range. I want to get an R700 or R900 in the next year or so.

Marty,
Alas, the trash pile Trek has had to wait forlornly on the sidelines. When I went on the camping/hilly riding trip a few weeks ago I had set up one bike for the hilly riding then had to do a last minute swap of everything to my new bike which my buddy finished painting unexpectedly early. Of course, I had to take it. Then I had to rebuild the Bianchi that had been so unceremoniously stripped. Somewhere in there the LBS had to send my right/rear 105 shifter back to Shimano under warranty so I had to move one of the DA shifters to my commuter THEN play musical shifters getting everything back where it belonged when the 105 came back. So my mechanical minutes have been well and truly filled for a while. sigh.
Regards,
Raymond

i always dreamed of standing on the top tube with no hands when i was a kid... crazy kid.

Look Ma, no hands------now look, no teeth!!!

back in the good old daze when I was a bike mechanic and poor, one of my friends could remove jerseys when riding rollers. I am still amazed at this even after I've managed to ride rollers myself.

Fortunately, I've not *had* to ride the rollers for a couple of years now, though it would probably help my spin to be spinnier.

ride safely,
tt

Hey, I can ride no hands without a problem, especially now that my new bike is actually aligned properly, but yet I'm a hopeless mess on a roller, mind you, I've only tried for about five minutes.... I guess that explains it.;)

I took a 90 degree turn ( i didn't take it at 90 degree's, but it was a 90 degree turn in the road) yesterday with no hands... i was proud... hadn't tried it since i was a kid.

I'm thinking about getting rollers..
went to Lbs that had one on the floor. set bike on the rollers.
thats as far as I got could not figure how to get on. and did not want to look foolish. so my question is how do you get on them and pedal.. ( and not fall ).

my question is how do you get on them and pedal.. ( and not fall ).
I initially started riding them in a doorway, using a step stool to
get on the bike. I found that I didn't like the doorway, felt too
confined (?), so I moved the rollers alongside a counter top.
I use the stool to get on (and put a foot down on when I stop)
and hold the countertop until I get up to speed. The countertop
is also a great place to put water, towel or anything else I might
need. I haven't tried to mount up without the stool,
I know that some folks do but I haven't figured out how.
The key to roller riding (at least for me) is speed,
they just aren't stable at low speeds.
The other trick I learned is Don't look at the front roller,
and don't try to steer, just use subtle weighting to center yourself.
There are some good tips here (http://www.kreitler.com/rolltips.htm) for starting
out.
Marty