The info that came with the rollers wasn't very specific about adjusting the length between the drums. Where should the front wheel be? Directly over the front drum? A little in front? A little behind? The reason I'm asking is that when set-up as suggested by the manufacturer the wheel should be directly over the drum. This puts the front wheel about 1 - 1 1/2 inches higher than the rear wheel. It also seems to make the bike VERY unstable. I know there is a learning curve involved with rollers but after just a few minutes of riding set-up as the manufacturer suggests it seems dang near impossible. I'm thinking that by moving the front drum a little bit farther forward I'll lower the front wheel back even with the rear wheel and also cause the whole riding effect to be a bit more stable. Thoughts anyone. Am I way off base? Thanks for the help.

BTW, I just found this board and it looks like a great source of info.

The wheel axel is supposed to be directly over the axis of the front drum or slightly (1cm) behind it.

Make sure its not in front. I have read where slightly behind adds stability, I played around and didnt find this to be true. I have mine directly over the axis of the drum and think either it is smoother, or I am. =)

As many have said in previous threads, use your big ring rather then your small for stability. Small ring is far more twitchy. Get in the big ring, look in front of you, take a shot of whiskey (to relax and for pain releif from falling a couple of times) and go for it!

If you are new to rollers I'd suggest setting em up in a doorway at first. That way, as you are about to fall, (and you will....) you can grab the door frame. It takes a while to get used to them. Good luck.

mark

Since the rollers raise the bike off the floor there's no way you can put your foot/feet on the floor if the bike is the proper size. To do that you'd have to lower your seat by the height of the rollers which would wreck your ability to pedal. Set something sturdy next to the bike so you can get on and off by yourself and leave the seat height at the proper setting. I use a little step stool but a milk crate, piece of 4x4, etc would work as well.

Doorway or something to lean on.

Something solid to step on to get on and off the bike since it'll be raised off the floor.

Cadence of at least 80 and speed of at least 14 mph. If it feels "squirrely" increase cadence.

Look ahead, not down.

Spin don't mash.

Relax your upper body.

Don't relax your concentration. You have to continually be aware of what you're doing.

Small shifts in body position or on seat will create a quick response that'll be larger than on the road.

Set up a fan at max speed to blow right in your face.

Don't forget to hydrate.

Until you've had lots of practice, don't try to stand to give your butt a rest without leaning on something.

Protect your bike from sweat with a towel but make sure it won’t fall into the wheels.

Make sure the distance between the front and rear rollers is correct or you'll immediately ride right off the front.

Periodically check that the rollers are properly tightened.

Take the belt off when not is use so it doesn't stretch.

Stick with it! It shouldn't take too long to be comfortable. You can get a great workout and improve your technique at the same time.

Thanks for the info guys. I appreciate it. I'll get back to you in a week or so or whenever I get out of the ER, whichever comes first!

Thanks for the info guys. I appreciate it. I'll get back to you in a week or so or whenever I get out of the ER, whichever comes first!


That will be nice. I just order a set and I'm getting nervous. I hope it is a lot of hype, like going clipless?

That will be nice. I just order a set and I'm getting nervous. I hope it is a lot of hype, like going clipless?

It *is* a lot of hype. I read countless threads about rollers and horror stories and as a result I was downright scared when I got mine and to push off and finally letting go of the doorway frame was like stepping off a 10m diving platform for me, only to find that the water was only 1 meter down.. It's a very good idea to start in a doorway, as you will twich around till you find your balance, and while in the doorway, you should spend your time experimenting what makes the bike twitch and how you can control it. For instance, if you shift your weight ever so sligtly, the bike will go left or right.. figure that out and you can graduate out of the doorway pretty soon. Day after for me, about an hour on the rollers.

The hype is good and bad. Good in that people can be prepared for the experience, bad in that fear can make it harder to just do it :) I've never fallen, but I have ridden off the sides, to find my self snapped back to reality of my room, from whatever imaginary race I was in while deep into a roller workout :) (Ok, I was watching a cycling movie on the wall and had no idea I was on rollers after about 10 minutes :D )

In that case, had I been clipped in, I would definately have fallen, so another good idea is to not clip in the first times. You'll want that foot down to catch you with lightning speed :)

As for the original question, I've never seen anything but to have the wheel hub center about 1-1.5 cm behind the center of the front drum. Never seen to have it directly on top of the drum, and I can't see how that would vary between manufacturers.

Konyak

I put my front wheel slightly behind the front roller; I haven't tried it directly over the roller yet.

As everyone else has said, rollers certainly take more practice than a trainer (obviously), but you'll pick it up pretty quickly. I'm not the most graceful person (in fact, I'm pretty clumsy) and I was comfortable after about ten minutes; I've put in several hundred hours on them and haven't actually fallen yet.

I have, though, left them in the doorway just because I didn't see a reason to move them to anyplace else. I've come off the rollers on more than one occasion, and dropped my chain shifting a couple of times. Even with my relatively lack of coordination, I've managed to unclip and put a toe down to keep from falling over.