omg rollers are hard T_T
 

went to performance bike and found rollers for $80 new so i went ahead and bought it. didn't think i'd need the elliptical drums...

boy was i wrong...in a period of 30 min, i managed to fall like 15 times, bruised my right forearm, broke a tv stand while trying to grab onto something as i was falling, scared my dog into hiding underneath the couch and got a complaint from a neighbor who heard me crashing those 15 times...

i managed to stay on the rollers for at most 5 min at a time and i was twitching the whole time while trying to pedal smoothly

how the hell do you guys do it????

melloboy

Practice young Jedi. You aren't clipping in yet are you?

LOL! I mean, uh, I hope you aren't hurt.

They definitely take a bit of practice to get going on and be able to stay on. A recommended strategy is to start in a hallway or doorway, so you can put your arms out to catch yourself if needed. And you must be smooth. Any jerkiness in your pedal stroke gets translated into side-to-side movement of the bike. Too far, and you're off, as you've noticed. The funny thing is that when you go off the rollers, the wheels are going however fast you were on the rollers - 20, 30, whatever, so they hit the carpet spinning, and you get the stench of burned fabric.

But after a few sessions, you'll find rollers as easy as regular riding, although you have to always pay attention. A benefit is that you'll be a better rider because of them. When you get good, try no hands.

yes i'm clipping in lol is that bad?

Sounds like you need to work on your spin and smooth things out. Remember - No sudden movements, at least for a while.

It takes a little time but with practice is like... riding a bike!

As mentioned, use a doorway. And maybe get some some platform pedals until you get the hang of it.


When you get real good, try riding up and hopping onto them.

ROTFLMAO!!! Boy does that remind me of when I first started riding rollers. I knocked out the corner of a wall, scraped a wall with my pedal as I fell. Got laughed at by my wife. (She wasn't doing any better, so I think it may have been laughing with me.....but then again...).

As you've heard practice young Jedi, and start in a hallway or doorway. Now that I have experience I can have a chair next too me to prop me up until I get moving. Try not to do what I do, on an alarming regularity, don't get so into a race video, that you follow the group around a corner. I've been know to fall on my face doing that; scares the hell out of the dogs with me going one way and the bike the other. Makes my wife nervous too.

Rollers will make you a much better rider, you'll hold your line much better in the near future.

Keep it up.

After a similar first attempt It was suggested to me (by the owner of the LBS... the guy who sold them to me while laughing... Sadistic Bastard!) to lay a broom stick down 4' in front of your bike/trainer... That's the "white line" to focus on. It helped me!

i think i should get a better health insurance plan first before i get on rollers anymore...fell another 5 times since my last post :D
fell on my dog once...he's been under the couch for about 30 min since i got off the rollers....i'm thinking i should have gotten the elliptical one :(

oh well...i guess i should stop for tonight since i have a training ride tommorrow morning i want to make it to.. :)

melloboy

Make sure your front axle is directly above the front roller. The front roller can be a little bit forward of the axle, but NOT BEHIND. That was the mistake I made, and it makes the ride twitchy as hell. I eyeballed it, and after getting this advice I took a plumb bob and noticed it was a bit off. DO NOT look at the bottom of the tire, look at the axle and drop straight down. It made my riding much easier. Good luck, you'll get it...just be smooth.

I like the broomstick idea Madhouse mentioned. What formulaben says makes sense, but I've never had that problem.

It's vital that you relax and don't focus on your front wheel. Look ahead. Try watching cycling videos while riding rollers. And buy your neighbor a six pack or do something nice for him.

Thanks for the smile. I can remember my first few falls. Everyone today talks about trainers, but have forgotten rollers. Maybe that's why I'm more careful now, and see poorer handling skills, on training rides than many years ago. The bottom line: Your new rollers are being entirely unforgiving in showing you just how unsmooth you are on a bike. And that's why I said in another thread that when you can ride rollers with no hands, you will NEVER again be accused of not being able to hold a straight line and ride smoothly.

Just keep at it. Please, do not give up. Yes, you'll likely fall a few more times--but I guarantee you there will be falls on the road you will not have, and about which you will never know, because of your much improved riding/handling skills. You'll be completely comfortable fully dressing and undressing on the bike. You'll easily avoid road obstables even while riding with no hands. Balance will become an afterthought. You will become more attuned to your bike [and body] than you now think possible.

But the very coolest thing will be eventually discovering you can ride your rollers with no hands. (But even should you not get there, you will be a much better bike rider.) You'll be so smooth that others will notice a very discernable difference in your riding style--from the time before you rode rollers, and compared to cyclists who never have. People who have never seen you ride will recognize you as a very proficient cyclist. Seriously, your improved form will be that obvious. Look forward to those moments while you're looking at down at that "white line." :)

One more thing: Start out in a bigger gear than you're probably using now. You'll inherently be smoother at a lower cadence. Pick up your cadence to a normal road spin as you gain ability and confidence.

Youre making me want to buy a set of rollers ;)

What sailor said. :) I want to give off an air of "1337'ness" too.

I fell all the time when I first got rollers but after a few sessions it becomes second nature and I can even ride up to them and hope on. Also it helps if you get to the point where you can ride with no hand so you can eat some food for the long rides.
The best tip that anyone can give is buy a cheap fan to put in front of you and turn it on "high". That way you won't overheat/sweat like crazy and you can ride longer. Put on some "Beachboys" and a bright light and it feels like your riding on the Califonia coast! :D

Great post Major....

55/rad

Man, this brings back memories.

Years ago when I was younger I lived in an apartment n Vancouver, used to plunk the rollers out on the balcony and ride out there. It was real nice with the Balcony up top so I had a roof but I was outside so cooler.

Anyway, one time in 1986 I'm riding the rollers one night and I hear this wierd noise but I can't figure ouut what it is, so I keep riding but now I'm starting to look around, sit up , etc. Wierd noise but can't figure it out. Thought maybe something was wrong with the stereo so I take the headphones off but now the noise is louder and closer!!

I look over my shoulder and the damn Goodyear Blimp is hovering up over the back alley and as I looked at it they turned on a light - bastards were watching me! Well, I was so freaked by this Blimp I completely lost it just went sailing off the side of the rollers - damn I'm glad that railing was high!

The day I moved out of that apartment there was still a big black streak on the deck from the heel of my cleats.

1986 - the year Expo came to Vancouver.


I was a lot more careful about riding rollers on the balcony after that, let me tell you.

you have to stay focus, like this

no, don't think of selling it or exchanging it to another trsainer, once you got the hang of it it will be a second nature for you,

I just picked up rollers at Interbike after trying them out. The Kreitler folks were really cool- I got there early, they got me mounted on the bike, then instructed me and held the bike until they slowly let go (without telling me). The key was that they got me to relax and keep a light grip on the bike and to keep a good clip (at least 15 miles per hour). Doing that, I was able to stay upright and build up some confidence.

I will certainly practice in a door until I get the hang of things, and worst case scenario, I have that bar to put on the front of the rollers to help me get used to the idea of mounting and dismounting so that I don't kill myself in the process. I'll be in the hallway for a while, though.

Koffee

well, the rollers i guess saved me from a big fall during a training ride today
we were doing a rotating paceline (i think that was the term they used) and twitched a little along the beach...fell off the pavement and into the sand...

i thought i was going to lose it, but somehow managed to not overcorrect left and right and hopped back onto the road. had i not been on the rollers yesterday, i probably would have overcorrected waaay to much and bailed.

hooray for rollers :P

Like Koffee and the Major said, speed is important and actually helps you balance and correct. Your instinct is to stop or pedal slower when you start too feel off balance, but DON'T...pedal faster.

Everyone falls learning, just like you did learning to ride in the first place. I actually learned on handmade wood rollers with wood drums that must have been 8" diameter. I learned on a touring bike with a rear Blackburn rack, and had a friend that would stand beside me and steady me using the rear rack (still fell a few times).

Hang in there...once you learn you'll never go back to a trainier!

Damn, I really want a pair now. I can just see all the crap Im going to catch from my fraternity brothers when Im falling all over the place not even moving. They already get a kick out of the spandex and shaved legs :lol:

One of the USPS guys was warming up on a roller before the Greenville Classic.. standing up in the saddle. Now that is something to see!!! Too hard for me - like my Cycleops Fluid2 ;)

I asked the dude riding the rollers to jump out of the saddle and show me how it was done. First, he was like "it's really hard", then he stood out of the saddle and continued to ride. I'm sure it can be done if you've got the control and smooth, round pedal strokes.

Koffee