DaveLeeNC

Right now I split my time between my Bianchi and a spinner bike in my spare bedroom. With colder/shorter days coming on I see even more inside time (still deciding on my winter training plans).

I am mostly a solo rider (just me - I'm like that). But I will probably do a few club rides and maybe a road race or two next year. I have some paceline and limited racing experience from the late 90's, but that is it. So my bike handling skills are marginal at best.

I was considering doing some riding on rollers simply to improve my bike handling skills. But I was wondering just exactly what skills do rollers improve. I rode rollers a couple times back in the 90's - enough to have a feel for both how hard it is at first and how quickly you progress. But I doubt that I netted more than 2 hours total back then.

• My #1 'skill shortage' is probably just paceline riding. I guess I can see how rollers could be somewhat helpful here, but it would seem only a secondary kind of thing.
• Next would be cornering and rollers don't seem to really address this.
• Next is descending (certainly related to the previous point) with the same conclusion.

Is the skillset that rollers develop really just the ability to hold a laser straight line and smoother pedaling? If I decide to drag rollers into my world I'd like to understand what it is I am after here.

Thanks.

dave

Brian Ratliff

With that attitude, screw it; stick to a trainer. Also, stay away from road races if you characterize the ability to ride an inch from another rider as a "just".

DaveLeeNC

Then be an A$$ uninterested in useful input or feedback.

An accurate restatement of what I intended (as opposed to what you chose to hear) would be "My #1 skill shortage is SIMPLY paceline riding". Or if you don't like that (because you choose to imply that I think paceline riding is simple), the "My #1 skill shortage is paceline riding". I was passing absolutely no judgment on its importance (one way or the other) except to observe that I don't have it, I ranked it first in the ordered list of deficiencies, and I am willing to consider rollers in order to improve it.

dave

gregf83 

I think your original assessment was correct. Rollers will help smooth your pedal stroke and some prefer them over a trainer for indoor work but they aren't a substitute for riding in close proximity to others.

I think Brian got into some Portland microbrews a little early...

CharlyAlfaRomeo

Riding rollers won't improve bike handling but it does great things for pedaling smoothness and efficiency especially at higher RPM if you stick with it.

Brian Ratliff

It seems the OP has answered his own question. If you value the ability to finely control your bike, then rollers are invaluable as a training aid. Fine control is fundamental to everything on your list. Also, you left off your list pack riding, which seems relevant if you are looking to get into road racing. If you don't value the ability to finely control your bike, then rollers are a waste of time and money. Also, if you choose this path, be prepared to piss people off in a road race.

Brian Ratliff

incorrect.

Brian Ratliff

Microbrews are way too expensive to use to get drunk. That's what Pabst is for...

Also, while rollers are not a substitute for pack riding, the skills learned are fundamental to pack riding. If you can ride on a foot wide strip of slippery aluminum for an hour, you have the fundamentals to learn how to ride through a handlebar-wide gap in a pack, how to corner on a line, how to ride an inch off someone's wheel and how to take a bump on the shoulder. There is some years of experience backing my opinions...

Acquaspin

Rollers make very noticeable movements in your cycling that do not come apparent while riding on the road or using a trainer.

Rollers have little forgiveness so you develop a lot of balance while transitioning from positions and completing some movements.
A few examples:

Standing on the pedals. Doing it with rollers you learn to keep your line, minimize rocking, etc.
Reach for a water bottle, change hand positions in the bars, look back for traffic/riding buddies. All that while holding your line and balance.
One leg drills. High cadence drills. Smooths your pedaling while holding your line and balance.

Not an extensive list but gives you an idea. Besides all that, you get the exercising benefit as well. It takes a bit of time to get the hang of it but it does help improving your riding skills. If your goal is more fitness than technique I'd say the trainer provides results faster as there is no time spend learning. Good luck

Brian Ratliff

^^^
Bingo.

CharlyAlfaRomeo

Care to expound or are you just feeling obtuse tonight? Bike handling encompasses so many things that IMO the rollers don't help much if at all. You'll be smoother sure, and that helps in a group situation, but that's about it.

Brian Ratliff

Can you ride on the edge of the white line forever? Neat skill to have when you are bumping knuckles with another rider. Or when you are trying to keep your bike on half an inch of pavement between someone else's wheel and the edge of the road. Neat tricks, yes?

That's what rollers help you achieve. Fine bike control is a skill not many rec riders have, and, I would say, is the defining feature separating racers from recreational riders. Why do I never fear another rider's bike handling skills in a pack or pace line? I mean, I'll sit an inch off anyone's wheel, regardless if beginner or pro. It's because I have these skills. Most don't. Rollers are extremely helpful in obtaining these skills.

EDIT: from the comments here, it is apparent that not only do rec riders not have fine bike handling skills, they are not even aware they exist...

carpediemracing 

Based on this OP I'd say that rollers would help you learn handle group riding situations by taking your mind off of the pedaling part of things. In other words rollers don't offer very much in terms of group riding skills, but they do force the rider to be minimally smooth etc.

The huge caveat is that you need to understand the limitations of rollers.

So, for group riding, one thing that rollers can help is the whole bumping thing. You can set your rollers up next to a wall and "bump" the wall with your shoulder or upper arm or even head. You can lean on the wall even. You get punished for losing control of your front wheel and bars, just like on the road. If you fall it typically won't be much worse than falling over because you didn't unclip when you stopped.

For pedaling you can work on pedal stroke on rollers. It'll be better than on the spin bike, that's for sure. The thing that you need to do is to actually pedal smoothly. I have a friend who rode rollers "because it improves pedal stroke" but he never bothered pedaling smoothly. He has the roughest pedal stroke in the world, he knows it, and he doesn't seem to be able to (or willing to) unlearn literally 25 years of bad habit. He literally bounces 2-3" every pedal stroke. I can't believe he can race effectively but he can.

I like getting on rollers after a break from the bike, something I used to define as more than 5-6 days. For the last year or so it seems that's my normal schedule, plus I have a lot of years of pedaling, and my pedal stroke is sort of reasonable, so I haven't gotten on my rollers in a bit. I have to admit that they lean against the wall and all I have to do is tilt them down, but I haven't done that. However it's when I ride with someone that really has good form that I realize that perhaps my pedal stroke isn't that great.

Cornering, and descending on anything except super straight fast descents, you can work on when you're driving, pushing a shopping cart, etc. Understanding cornering "theory" is useful even if you can't dictate your own cornering line (i.e. any time you're in a field situation diving into a corner). If you understand what will happen with an early apex, a late apex, etc, you have some idea of what to expect. Most people (not just riders) will turn in early when stressed because that's the normal instinctive reaction to entering a corner hot - you turn in early. The problem is that it is almost always the worst thing you can do. By practicing late apex cornering lines, all the time, you can help ingrain them in your mind, so that you don't feel like you're going to die if you wait 5 or 10 meters to turn in. It's just doing drills. You don't go and get in a boxing ring with no training, you'd have no idea what to do. Likewise you wouldn't dive into a corner without some learning and practice first.

Hope this helps.

CharlyAlfaRomeo

Yes, I can. Mostly because I've been riding my whole life and racing for over 15 and while riding rollers no doubt helps with that, you're really talking about one skill. One skill that can't be used until you are mentally able to close to other riders.

In the grand scheme of things that's minute. Better than a trainer no doubt but you won't improve in the myriad of other areas encompassed under the umbrella of "bike handling skills" by riding rollers.

bruce19

Pedaling smoothly is the foundation for efficient cycling. If you can't pedal circles you will never be as good as you could have been.

Brian Ratliff

It was a bit surprising to me, but learning to corner fast in a car (my commute is 22 miles, mostly through country roads; lots of practice) dramatically improved my bike cornering skills. Learning not to oversteer was a huge part of this. Also, and it was a bit embarrassing to me how long it took me to figure this out, but putting weight on the inside handlebar was instrumental for me to learn cornering skills.

gregf83 

Mostly agree but you still badly misinterpreted the OPs post.

You can be the finest roller rider in the road and still suck at riding with others. Conversely, you don't need to ride rollers to be comfortable riding in a tight group at speed. Relative to racing or riding in a fast group the time required to become proficient on rollers is minimal.

CharlyAlfaRomeo

If you read my first reply to this thread you'll see that I said it will help you to pedal smoothly and efficiently. That still doesn't make a broad set of bike handling skills, I'm not sure why you bothered to quote me.

Brian Ratliff

It was a rhetorical question, mostly to the OP. Knowing how to ride a line and not overreact to deviations to the line is really important. The second paragraph is simply a conflict over what "bike handling skills" means as a definition, and of course, you are right. Fine bike handling skills is not everything, but surely you can admit it isn't nothing.

Brian Ratliff

I have literally never seen this. Good roller riders are typically very steady wheels. Anyway, I'll wager the OP knows enough to make his decision. Rollers are fairly cheap as things go, a good training aid, and if you end up not riding them, they usually hold their value on Craigslist.

gregf83 

I've ridden with steady wheels who are uncomfortable racing. So maybe my comment that they suck riding with others was exaggerated. The point is the ability to ride steadily, while necessary, is a relatively small part of racing. Just because someone can learn to ride rollers smoothly after 10 1 hour sessions does not make them a racer.

The % of people racing bikes is extremely small and the number riding rollers regularly even smaller. The reason most people don't race isn't because they can't figure out how to ride rollers.

Brian Ratliff

I want to really zero in on this comment because I think it is at the root of misunderstanding. I blame the emphasis on specificity from endurance power training that seems to seep into everything involved with cycling. Skills are not linear. It isn't like you have skill #1 and you use skill #1 in this, this, and this situation, and you have skill #2 and use it in that, that, and that situation. Skills are layered. Skill #1 enables skill #2. Skill #2 enables skill #3 which wraps back and reinforces skill #1. To use a trite phrase, you have to learn to walk before you learn to run (and once you learn to run, you probably also end up better at walking). Skills 1,2,3, etc. are used continuously every second you are on your bike.

Roller training aids in learning fine bike handling skills, which is a base skill for a lot of other bike handling skills. That's my only point. If it isn't something you are interested in learning, stick to the trainer.

RChung

The main skill that roller riding improves is riding on rollers. It's kind of handy to learn how to look from one side to the other without changing your line, but you can learn that on the road, too. The best way to learn group riding skills is to ride with groups. Pedaling efficiency and smoothness via rollers is a red herring. But riding rollers doesn't hurt anything so if you want to, go ahead.

Brian Ratliff

I disagree strongly with the first bolded statement. In my experience, roller riding is great for fine bike handling skills. To the point that coming off of winter with a lot of roller training I feel much more confident in a pack than later in the season when I've been off the roller training for a while. Maybe this is just me.

I agree with the second bolded statement. There is a lot of evidence that unloaded high rpm pedaling is fundamentally different than loaded high rpm pedaling.

CharlyAlfaRomeo

I agree and never said otherwise.

Fair enough, my original post was an overstatement.

As a 37 year old who has spent more days on the bike than not in my lifetime maybe I find the value to be less than someone who has ridden less frequently would. FWIW the only indoor training aid I've ever owned are rollers, I just never found them to be as big a deal as some make them out to be.