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Road Cycling “It is by riding a bicycle that you learn the contours of a country best, since you have to sweat up the hills and coast down them. Thus you remember them as they actually are, while in a motor car only a high hill impresses you, and you have no such accurate remembrance of country you have driven through as you gain by riding a bicycle.” -- Ernest Hemingway

Fluid Trainer vs Rollers

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Old 09-29-10, 05:33 AM
  #51  
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Originally Posted by Cactuskid
I bought a fluid trainer, if you shift to highest gear It feels like a 2% upgrade at most, which is fine for an hour and spinning etc. But I am not really caring for it BECAUSE It sucks if you try standing. I feel I could break the frame of the bike and you cannot go side to side at all...standing at times is regular for me on the road
Guess it all depends on the quality of trainer then. There is no way I could spin for an hour on 53/12 on my Kinetic Rock and Roll. Spinning at 90rpm in that gear is equivalent to 840 watts. Either something is wrong with yours, or you should be forwarding your resume to a couple of pro teams.
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Old 09-29-10, 06:50 AM
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Originally Posted by Brian Ratliff
Also, to follow up, I'm sure these guys aren't going hard at all. Nope. Nosirree. Terrible carnage, bodies flying all over the place

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sVbwngNoHm0
And despite this video, I GUARANTEE that these guys can put out more power if they went all-out on a fixed trainer vs rolllers. That's my point - I never said rollers couldn't give you a hard workout (they do for me if I go fast enough!) but the effort to stay upright will eventually limit you at your topmost 1-2% effort no matter how good you are on rollers.
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Old 09-29-10, 07:56 AM
  #53  
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Originally Posted by agarose2000
...
I've got both rollers and a CycleOps Fluid2 trainer, and I've ridden both fairly hard, although admittedly, the rollers get way too sktechy on those 110% interval sets for me to be comfortable using them.
...
Originally Posted by agarose2000
And despite this video, I GUARANTEE that these guys can put out more power if they went all-out on a fixed trainer vs rolllers. That's my point - I never said rollers couldn't give you a hard workout (they do for me if I go fast enough!) but the effort to stay upright will eventually limit you at your topmost 1-2% effort no matter how good you are on rollers.
Actually, you did. 110%, I assume, means a little above threshold, which is basically your lowest effort/longest time interval. If you can't do that, you aren't really doing intervals anymore now are you. Also, intervals != all-out. It means targeted efforts for targeted times.

About your guarantee? Anyone who can hold a bike straight at 200+rpm can easily hold their bike straight during an interval. Just gotta keep your eyes open. Once you can ride a bike like they do, you aren't concentrating on keeping a line anymore. Your body pretty much does that on it's own, automatically.

But this is besides the point. I most of my post was referring to the training of smooth bike handling skills and suplesse pedaling style using rollers. You seem to deny there is anything to bike handling besides learning to corner and undertaking emergency maneuvers. In this, you are wrong.
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Old 09-29-10, 10:48 AM
  #54  
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Originally Posted by Brian Ratliff
I weigh about 180lbs. I can get up to about 300W in a 53/12 using 3.25 inch diameter rollers (cycleops aluminum rollers). I ride high endurance/low tempo (about 250-270W for me) in the 53/14 or 15 (depends how cold it is in the garage and what tires I am riding). 4.5 inch diameter is traditional and mostly for training form (suplesse); 3 inch might be a bit small; 3.25 to 3.5 is good balance between traditional and fitness oriented rollers.
In that case, would 4.5 be the better option? Kreitler seems to only make 4.5, 3.0, and 2.5 drums. I know that with the 4.5 option, I could always use the mag or fan add-on.
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Old 09-29-10, 11:48 AM
  #55  
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Originally Posted by simonaway427
Everyone who favors rollers posts that video.

Everyone who favors trainers posts this one
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E2tF0...eature=related

Which is, ironically, the first link from the speedy video.

What is the mattress for? Nappy time at mile 12?

How about this?

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Old 09-29-10, 11:50 AM
  #56  
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Originally Posted by jrobe
"Trainers IMO are good for fitting sessions or adjusting the derailleurs under load. Otherwise it's a waste time. get rollers."


If you asked this question to pro cyclists, I bet there would be a 100% responce to getting a trainer. I doubt pro cyclist waste any time at all spinning on rollers except for maybe their easy, rest days. You will certrainly never see one preparing and warming up for a race on rollers.

There is no better cycling workout than a hard interval workout on a trainer. There is no wasted time, no stop sign, no downhills, no coasting. no wind, etc..

In fact, there are now lots of DVD workouts (Spinervals, CTS, etc.) for interval workouts on the trainer. I was recently invited to a new Spinervals taping session and they specifically warned in bold letter - don't come here with rollers. I am aware of no formal DVD workouts for rollers.

If you want to improve your power output and fitness in the winter, get a trainer and prepare to work hard. If you want to spin your legs out a little in front of a TV, get rollers. If you want to stay interested and motivated on the trainer, get some Spinervals and/or CTS DVD's.
I know of at least one pro-cyclist that likes rollers.

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Old 09-29-10, 12:03 PM
  #57  
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Originally Posted by rat fink
I. What do I need to look for in a nice set of rollers?
The word Kreitler.
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Old 09-29-10, 12:05 PM
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Originally Posted by rat fink
I'm thinking I might get a set of Kreitler Hot Dogs. For me, I think it would do more good to keep my form up over the winter, than my fitness. I could always ride them harder and longer, (and in a harder gear) for the fitness aspect. I don't do intervals, anyway.

Does anyone have some experience they can share using the 3.0's as opposed to the 4.5's? I'm a strong rider, but I doubt that even the 4.5s would be too easy with max gear of 53-11. Experience?
Hot dogs are mean. Had a set of 4.5 in hot dog width and I could not stand using it for longer than 20 minutes at a time. I have a moderate amount of roller experience, but losing 5 inches of buffer width made for a very white knuckle experience. One hell of an adrenaline rush though.
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Old 09-29-10, 03:06 PM
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Originally Posted by slowandsteady
What is the mattress for? Nappy time at mile 12?

How about this?
Better yet, why is he wearing a helmet and sunglasses?
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Old 09-29-10, 03:41 PM
  #60  
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Originally Posted by rat fink
In that case, would 4.5 be the better option? Kreitler seems to only make 4.5, 3.0, and 2.5 drums. I know that with the 4.5 option, I could always use the mag or fan add-on.
It kinda depends on what you want to do with them. If you already own a trainer, I would get the 4.5s. If you don't have a trainer, I would go with the 3.0s so I have the option of more resistance. Or, like you said, you can get the 4.5s and a resistance unit.
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Old 09-29-10, 11:52 PM
  #61  
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I just bought the Nashbar rollers. $120 shipped, I'll be happy as long as they do what they need to do.
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Old 09-30-10, 12:02 PM
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I bought a Kinetic Pro Fluid trainer when they were on sale at performance and I really like it. Especially the pro flywheel for steady tempo stuff.
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