DaveLeeNC

I tried some Krietler rollers yesterday. What a disaster. I never got comfortable enough to even let go of the wall that I used for support. So I'm going to try to create a better 'environment' and try again.

My question is what is the optimum 'speed' for riding rollers (a better parameter would be the wheel RPM's but speed is the feedback that is easily available and is basically the same thing).

Thanks.

dave

DaveWC

Try it with platform pedals so you can easily put a foot down when necessary. Go as fast as you're comfortable, too slow makes it much tougher.

Square Wheels

This is what I ended up doing after being tossed to the floor several times.

Optimal speed? No idea.

For me what works is not watching TV (at least until you are comfortable) and finding a spot about 10 - 20 feet ahead of me and focusing on that. Minimize moving around. Don't have a death grip.

Many people told me it was easy, it has taken me a while to get used to it. I move around on the bars now and can get my water bottle, but I like having my railings just in case.

PepeM

How hard can you go on rollers? Can you drope the hammer or are you restricted to steady endurance efforts?

eric1971

Depends on how good you are.

PepeM

Yes, I can definitely do that.

VwFix

I tried rollers for the first time last winter, best suggestion I can give is for the first few times do it in a hallway where you have a wall within easy reach of either side.

DaveWC

No hammer droping for me, but I can put out as much power as outdoors.

https://connect.garmin.com/activity/413072163

DaveLeeNC

FWIW, the cage that Square Wheels built looks ideal (and well constructed). But I don't have that kind of permanent space, unfortunately.

I built a 'platform' out of a couple of large books and more carefully placed my bike closer to the wall (so I could lean on it as well as hold onto it - and it does have 'handles'). I changed gearing such that a moderate cadence generated around 18 mph vs around 10 mph in my earlier effort. And in both cases I was wearing tennis shoes and not clipped in. FWIW, I do a fair amount of 'commuting' on my road bike and I have found a pair of tennis shoes that mate well with my pedals so I have a bunch of experience in that configuration.

After a couple of minutes I was able to stop leaning against the wall and actually rode relatively steady (but was still 'tight and uncomfortable') with hands on the bars and no wall leaning. With care I was able to move my hands from the center to the hoods and back. This was huge progress vs. the disaster from yesterday.

dave

ps. I am guessing that there is some optimum speed for roller control. Clearly faster makes a bike easier to control. But my sense of things is that over-compensation is a real problem early-on in the roller learning process. And faster probably worsens that tendency.

Homebrew01

Make sure the front wheel is centered over the front drum. Not too far in front or behind.

Number400

I was going to say that it's hard to let go but easier to ride rollers when not holding on to a stationary object like the wall or door frame. Sounds like you are already learning the "adjustments" that make you smooth.

Lazyass

Do it in a doorway so you can lean against the sides if necessary.

Element GT

Like others have said, faster is easier. Make sure you're accelerating slightly when letting go. Coasting makes you very unstable. One you let go and hold your line it becomes easier than holding or leaning on a wall. Speeds should be same cadence as you're used to, but your actual speed will be faster as you don't have as much resistance working against you.

As far as dropping the hammer just don't stand and sprint unless you have the rollers which move too.

topflightpro

It gets easier the more you practice.

When I first started, I held to the wall a lot, and I had to stare at the front wheel. Now, I can ride no handed.

Supermau

I learned rollers pretty quickly. Maybe about 15 minutes of fumbling before I got the hang of it. Look straight ahead or down past the front wheel. It just takes practice like everything else.

Once I got confident I shifted into high gear and tried standing - fail...major fail. Don't try that too soon, if ever.

Brian Ratliff

This is key. This is why most beginners have trouble with rollers. The axle of the front drum should be as close to directly under the axle of the front wheel without being behind it.

andr0id

I always advise people not to try to much at once.

Do 5 minutes the first few attempts and get over the terror.
Then work up to about 10 minutes for 2 or 3 more days.
After that, you should be able to ride them for 30 minutes or so. You can now start working on fine balance and smooth form.

I haven't used mine for a few years, but I used to be able to ride rollers on my track bike with no hands.
Some people can put on and take off jackets and such.

datlas 

Agree with front wheel placement. Also agree with ride in doorway. Keep it in the big ring.

If you are still having problems, have your significant other hold you up while you pedal, and gradually let go for a second or two at a time.

Keep at it, it's a skill worth cultivating.

Paralyticileus

For me, the biggest obstacle was getting over the fear that I would fall off and that falling off meant instant death. Once you let go of that fear, letting go of the wall is easier. Like others have said pick a point directly in front of you and ride towards it. Concentrate on driving your pedals from your hips. Keep your hands light on the bars.

When I started, I positioned the rollers right up against the wall. Close enough that I could keep my hands on the bars and lean my shoulder against the wall for support if needed

Rowan

Do what you would do on a road bike -- look up and where you want to go. Fix a point up on the wall in front of you and concentrate on that. The tendency is to look down to see what the front wheel is doing -- if it is going to drop off the side of the roller. That leads to wobble at low speed and impending "disaster".

Also, once you get going, be cautious about looking around the room. I had the TV set up at a slight angle away from the bike/rollers, and if I turned my head to look towards it, I was into a wobble which on one occasion became terminal.

The nice part about rollers is that you can use your road bike and record the speed and miles, which you can't really do with a trainer unless you set up a separate computer with an extended cable, or if you are lucky, the transmitter for wireless will extend from the rear stay.

And make sure your tyres are nice and hard. I run around 95psi on the road, but 110 on the rollers.

sour

When friends come over and want to try the rollers, I always put them on a small bike. One of the BMX bikes or my wife's xs bikes. The more upright position helps with balance and the fact that they can touch the floor while seated helps as well. If you don't have a small bike, lower your seat.

Using the small bike will let you learn how the rollers feel and how slow you can go on them without falling. Once you get the feel for them, your normal road bike will be much easier.

Don't be afraid to ride your mtb with knobies if you have one; it may be noisy, but it'll still work. The upright position makes it easier.

rdtindsm

If you can get someone to hold you, you can learn to ride in a very short time, maybe 5 min.

Support the rider with one hand on the head tube and the other on the seat post with your torso/ shoulder pressed against the trainee. Then just gradually remove the pressure from the support. You may have to hold them in line if they start to go off the rollers. easier to just do than for me to tell you.

DaveLeeNC

Well, the rollers are back in the attic. The history ...

Day 1 - disaster, but my 'environment' was poor

Day 2 - not bad (with a solid wall on one side) - was able to let go and peddle several minutes at a time without using the wall at all

Day 3 - decidedly worse than Day 2 - hard to 'let go' and struggled to achieve 30 seconds at a time

Day 4 - worst day since Day 1 - never was able to let go and fell more times than all the other days combined

I'm not sure what the problem is, but the learning curve is surely the wrong way. Oh well.

dave

DaveWC

If your feet are no clipped in & you're not on some high end bike that you're worried about breaking, I'd just keep at it. The worst thing you should experience is having to put your foot down. I found when I tried that it was staying clipped in that frightened me. I could keep going on the bike fine but the fear of going off the side bugged me. And I did go off the side once. The bikes stops immediately. And I was on my carbon frame. But after about a week of sticking to it my rides got longer & I felt comfortable.

DaveWC

Here's a video from a couple of years ago. My second attempt at rollers.

https://vidmg.photobucket.com/albums/v601/dclubine/00000-1.mp4