Questions about rollers...
 

I'm looking into buying rollers. I have a very old magnetic trainer from Performance, and I don't use my "good" bike in it because I feel like this puts stress on the frame. Is that true? I would like my computer to work, and use my good bike.

My roller question is... just how much concentration does it take to stay upright on rollers? I was reading some old threads and someone wrote that after a time they were able to adjust their hand position without stopping !!!??? Is it really that hard? Is it more difficult to stay upright on rollers than on the road?

The first time you try them, it's like learning to a ride a bike all over again. Once you get over the fear of falling (you WILL fall, you just need to get over it) you'll learn to ride them. You do have to concentrate more as the rollers are only maybe 18 inches wide so small steering adjustments can send you quickly towards the outer rails. Quick, precise corrections are necessary.

The good news is that when you do fall, it's pathetically uneventful. I've gone off the side twice now while riding hard and all that happens in your front wheel hits the ground, you stopping pedaling, then you frantically try to get your foot unclipped to avoid falling.

My father-in-law had a friend who killed himself by crashing his rollers. I still think they sound like fun. The whole fact that you could crash has got to make it more interesting than a trainer.

If you haven't done it before, use a doorway, the skinnier and thicker the better. Skinny so you can't go left/right much w/o putting a shoulder into the doorway so you can catch yourself, and thicker so your shoulder doesn't miss.

I'm a little bit of a roller sissy, so maybe the suggestions above aren't necessary for most people.

:eek: WTF??! Please go on....

I prefer a shelf as opposed to a doorway, easier to stabilize myself. That said I set the dorm speed record when my buddy gave me a push from behind and bang, 30+ into a couch...wow.

I used to use rollers all the time until I moved and threw them out like an idiot. Never went off the sides but I used to hop the rollers and fly foward. I ended up tying a rope around my seatpost and bolting it to the wall, never happened again.

I've used some very lightweight frames on the rear wheel trainers and haven't had a problem with hurting the bike (and I'm not lightweight).

As far as rollers they are much different than a rear wheel trainer. You not only have to balance the bike but also keep it on the rollers. Like riding down an 18" endless strip of pavement with a cliff on each side!

I've come off the rollers at speed several times over the years. Once I put a nice gouge in the drywall with my pedal. Another time a spoke caught a nut on the rollers and tweaked my wheel.

Once you get used to them you may be able to ride with no hands or even pull a sweatshirt over your head while riding. They do help balance but you can't hammer like on the road because the bike can drive off the front. You can't coast for long so you pretty much have to pedal all the time. Because you'll tend to stay more still on the rollers to maintain balance they tend to be less comfortable - half an hour is usually enough for me.

I can't read while riding rollers and so prefer the rear wheel trainers though rollers are fun once in awhile.

The smaller the rollar diameter, the more resistance and therefore the better the work-out. They are also more expensive.

Al

The stroy goes; dude came off the rollers, hit a wall, broke his femur, which severed that big artery in is leg and proceded to bleed to death. Bummer.

Sounds like kind of a freak thing to me, but it comes up every time I'm in the mood to buy a set of rollers.

Are there rollers with an option to "lock" the bike to use it as a trainer?

Thanks.

Yep. But if you find yourself doing that most of the time then its probably cheaper to just go with a trainer.

Thanks. I guess this is what I need. The reason I ask is I'd rather have rollers for more serious training but I have lots of free time at work when I'd rather pedal without fear of crashing. While watching TV, or browsing the forums, for exemple. :)

I'm calling BS on this one. There is no forward motion when you ride rollers so if you come off of the rollers you'll go nowhere. Your wheels will stop turning instantly and you'll just fall over. (unless you get unclipped)

At least that's the way it happened the few times I've come off my rollers.

Yup, uneventful when I've fallen. You'd have to have some really slow reflexes combined with a very heavy rear wheel to go catapulting off the rollers and into something. It just doesn't work the way they show it in the movies.

I also have a rear wheel trainer, but never use it. I've been riding rollers for years and would never give them up. The benefit (in addition to your regular bike and computer) is that you really need a smooth cadence to really get cranking. You can hammer or strictly puimp down without losing control, so after a winter on the rollers you'll find your spin smoother and faster than its ever been. Everything else here is on the money - use the door or shelf to learn, forget worrying about falling, and you DO NOT go into a launch when you fall...you have plenty of time to steady yourself. The most important thing to get used to is pedal fast! Its like riding on the curb or a line in the pavement...you need forward speed.

I've used a trainer in the past and it was ridiculously loud, so much so, that I couldn't hear a radio or TV. That said, are rollers also loud like this? Or should I just look into a different trainer (the one I had was quite old)?

I imagine that this probably varies from one manufacturer to the next but if anyone has any experience with db levels of different setups, please do share.