Normal time for me on rollers is 2 hours. Trainer is for intervals and race warmups only and the longest there is an hour and change.

For the long roller rides, a netflix subscription keeps me sane. On the trainer, I use an iPod coupled with something/anything on TV; keep the ears and eyes separately occupied to take the mind off the suffering.

This.

But don't you need to pay attention to the clock when doing your intervals?
That's the part that absolutely kills me - I hate the clock when doing intervals! Not so much for longer intervals, but the shorter 3-5 minute ones I keep looking up to check my time, always disapointed thinking I'm further into my interval than I actually have :mad:

Try commercial intervals.

Pick a show on a channel on TV that has lots of commercials, and each time the commercials come on, ride as hard as you can through to the end of the commercial, then slow down and ride easy through the show.

The longest I've done this year is 2h20m. The longest I've done ever was 3h30m. This is trainer time. I don't know how people are able to do rollers for longer than an hour... not being able to stand up (which could be just my problem) means too much pressure on a key area for too long, which is a similar misery to long rides on the fixed gear.

Longest is 3h5m avg around an hour.

I can't stand the noise after a half hour. My house is slightly elevated with wooden floors that just amplifies the sound.

Put carpet or some sort of mat under the trainer. You can pick up carpet samples or things like that, or those thin blue foam sleeping/camping mats might work as well.

An hour is the most I've ever endured. I'd rather be out in cold, wind and rain (sometimes even snow) than sitting on a trainer.

However, I'd better get used to it. Since I'm just starting full-time physio after my misfortune I'll be spending a lot of time on the pretend bike. So far, I'm managing (under direction of the physio) 10 minutes at a stretch. It feels like heaven, despite the pain!

My bike on the trainer on the hardwood living room floor (as opposed to the one I'm using at the physio) is sitting on inexpensive 2' X 2' rubber floor tiles. Three of them is enough for the average bike.

When I was recovering from burning my foot to the bone back in 2001, as soon as I could stuff my foot into a slipper, I got on my trainer. I could only manage 5 minutes at a time at first, but gradually started building up from there. Even though 5 minutes was painful in the beginning ... it felt great to be on a bicycle again!!

I've done 2.5 hours a number of times. 1hr is pretty easy to do if I have something interesting on the TV and I do intervals.

I cover the cockpit and cyclo-computer/ptap with a towel (so I don't sweat over everything), so I have to move the towel to see the clock. Keeps me from checking it too often. I mostly do longer intervals though (20 minute), so I don't have a huge problem. But even with shorter intervals, I think the trick is to cover the clock or something. I generally don't have a huge problem with this until the last 15 minutes of a 2 hour roller ride.

Machka has the right idea. You can use "landmarks" to keep time instead of a clock. Commercials are always about 30s-1min long. Songs on the iPod in this day of musical conformity are always 3:30 to 4:30 min long. The gaps between commercials on a television program are about 10-15 minutes long while the commercial breaks are something like 3-5 minutes in length. Etc.

I definitely stand up on the rollers! No numb-nuts for me! Every 5 minutes or so.

The key to standing on rollers is to do it slowly and smoothly so you don't kick your bike back (both standing up and sitting back down). Also, use a plum-bob to make sure your front roller is as close to directly under your front axle as possible without being behind it. If it's significantly in front of your axle, you've effectively shortened the trail on your bike so much as to make it hard to control when doing anything but being on the bar tops, hands next to the stem.

I'm the same - my intervals are normally either 2min, 5min or 8min slogs. I'm using a kurt kinetic with my Garmin rear wheel speed sensor, so if I want to keep the intensity I need I have to make sure my speed doesn't drop while keeping an eye on the lap counter. Painful, but worthwhile. I do need my iPod though - something loud/fast seems to help.

I can imagine sitting there for longer periods just spinning away without pushing hard, but it just doesn't hold any appeal for me.

I've just recently started using my KK trainer since it's been raining here all week. The most I can stand is about 40 minutes! LOL.

Are any of you able to use the computer or play video games while riding? If so, how do you do it?

There's a guy on another forum who does 4-5 hours one day each week. He lives in Canada with lots of snow.

I switched my bikes from my aluminum framed Cannondale to my steel framed fixed gear Motobecane and the difference is much quieter, and gives me a better workout.

I went on to bikeforums with my iPhone during my rest intervals. ;)

1 hr is the max so far. I just got the trainer a week or so ago and I'm just getting over the flu.

I've been listening to audio books or music, otherwise, as others have pointed out, it would be mind numbingly boring.

Time passes very quickly when doing intervals. Actually, the intervals take forever but the rests go by in a blink :p

I just got off after 2hr10min. Milan-San Remo Tacx Real Life Video. and no, I didn't make it to the end, I stopped at the top of the Cypressa. I got other things to do. I think I could have finished the Poggio, though.

Must not totally suck.

iPhone during rest time. if you have the ability to do other things when the majority of your time on the trainer then you are waisting that time. later.

I've done about 2 1/2 hrs in a day, 1:50 in one sitting. 80 minutes is my upper preference.