Cog_wild

holy cow does it get any easier? I've seen the video of the guy sprinting and riding no hands but am no where close to that. After 30 min I'm pretty wiped out and feel like i'm riding on ice, having to concentrate pretty hard to keep the front wheel tracking.

NWS Alpine

no handed one leg drills... HTFU

Carbonfiberboy 

Your bike steers just the same on rollers as on the road. Push down on the bar in the direction you want to go. Move the bike left, lightly push down on the left bar, etc. Don't "steer." Relax your arms and hands. Relax your shoulders. Float your head up. Straighten your back. Relax.

oldbobcat

I wouldn't go so far as to say the key, but they certainly won't hurt.

triumph.1

I have wanted a set of rollers instead of a trainer, but every time I watch video's of different skill levels I realize I would probably not be able to get good enough on them to get the benefit they offer and would most likely hurt myself pretty bad. Being old I can't afford the months of healing. Plus the expense just to try them puts me off.

Cog_wild

that is what I keep telling myself, and once I loosen up the death grip on the hoods and look up I get into a nice rhythm for a bit until sheer terror returns and I have to get things under control again. so far no wipeouts. just curious, how long does it take to be able to just jump on and go for a while? does it help to watch a training video or better to just pick a spot on the floor?

carpediemracing 

Although it takes focus to ride on rollers initially it should become second nature, and at this point you will be a much smoother rider on the road. I avoid watching videos of races though because I end up leaning a bit with the racers on the screen and ride right off the edge of the rollers. I find rollers + music to be the best way of riding.

Also, to avoid numbness, stand up off the saddle every 15-20 minutes. Hang onto something if it's easier (I do - I hold onto whatever and stand for 10-15 seconds the keep going). Save your focus for the riding bit.

Basically if you're focusing super hard it probably means you're steering with the bars. You should try to lighten up on the bars and allow the bike to steer itself, or, as someone told me, "steer with your hips". At first, when I was learning this, I held my torso/hips really rigid. This was totally contrary to anything anyone told me but I found it worked. My arms were semi-loose but my torso was rigid. This kept the bike going in a straight line because I wasn't tilting the bike inadvertently while pedaling.

Also you should start by holding the bars next to the stem. It's the most stable position - it's where you should hold the bars when doing an all out tuck on a descent or when riding on a supremely rough section of road. Don't worry about braking since you can just coast. The next easiest is the hoods because transitioning between the hoods and the tops is just sliding your hand along the bars. The drops are the hardest only because you put more weight on your hands than before and it's harder to keep steering with just your hips.

Use a big gear. Rollers, unless you bought high resistance low diameter ones, have virtually no resistance, and the idea is that rollers works form while trainers etc work strength. Personally I've never been able to effectively use small diameter rollers because I can't work on form since I can't go fast enough to get a smooth pedal stroke because I'm not that strong. On my rollers (4.5" diameter?) I use the big ring and start in one of the bigger cogs. The faster you go the smoother the bike will be.

If you're tilting the bike while pedaling your saddle may be too high - you can tell if the bike steers right when your right foot is at the bottom of the pedal stroke. Any tilt in the bike will translate to a swerving/turning motion. You need to keep the bike vertical, tilting it to steer.

It can help to focus ahead of the front roller, not looking directly at it. Look a couple feet in front, or, if you're up near a wall/TV, look at whatever is there if you follow a line about a foot above your front tire. By focusing on a slightly more distant point you'll tend to make smaller adjustments. It's like driving a car - you don't look at the road 5 feet in front of your bumper in a turn, you look 20 or 50 or 200 feet in front of your car. Any adjustments you make based on a 5 foot perspective will be much more coarse than making adjustments based on what's happening 200 feet in front of you.

Someone told me to put strips of coarse tape at the edges of the roller, along the axis of the roller axle. These become a rumble strip of sorts so when you ride over them it makes a slightly different noise. Use one spacing on one side, another on the other, so you know the slow thump-thump-thump is the left and the fast is the right (or whatever). You can use these to keep your eyes completely off the rollers.

Once you get past this then things get pretty stable/smooth.

Hope this helps,
cdr

triumph.1

cdr you always have a good perspective when helping others thanks for the information. I saved it for future reference.

MikeWMass

You won't. If you ride off the side, all that happens is you stop. If you set up in a doorway, you can grab or lean on the doorframe. I have occasionally come off forward if I stand and don't do so smoothly, but again you really don't go anywhere since you have almost no momentum. I have never come off in any direction where i didn't have enough warning to unclip and catch myself.
Nashbar has a set of rollers that is not terribly expensive. I have a set of them that I actually found in the swap shop area at the dump, and they seem to work fine. Probably won't last as long as Kreitler's, but they are 1/3 the price if purchased new. A set of rollers also seems to show up in Craigslist around here every couple of months.

triumph.1

I think I'll look for a used set for sale. I've spent money on dumber things.

TANC

Everyone has an opinion on rollers. I rode the e-motion rollers for a year. I sold them a few months ago after buying a revolution, and I feel like I've been freed from bondage.


With the rollers, I sweated more in a 45 minute workout than 3 hours on the road. I guess that could be interpreted as good or bad. I also found rollers boring compared to my revolution. Boring because you can't lose mental focus for a second. I had a strip of tape on the floor about 10 feet in front of me and stared that line down for 45 minutes without ever stopping the pedal stroke for a second. And with an e-motion, you can make the resistance very hard...so hard that you'll be going slow enough that it's doubly tough to stay at it or stay up.


With my revolution, I look around, whatever I want to do, as hard and as long as I want to do it. Wear headphones to mask the noise and listen to whatever I choose. Much better experience for me personally. But if you wanna sweat, the rollers made me pour.


The key to rollers is to relax. No arm tension. Just let the ride flow. I never worried about falling, but it certainly contributed to the stress and resulting sweat. I actually had mine boxed in with bars in case a tip over was ever going to happen. Never did though.

triumph.1

I was initially thinking it would be good to alternate the cold outdoors, trainer and rollers to get a little variance in the winter routine.

Cog_wild

reading stuff like this is what caused me to go in search of rollers: Dr Jamie Pringle: “Pedalling style is a major component of fitness,” he says. “An efficient pedal stroke ensures that the delivery of force is economical. This, not engine size, is what differentiates a pro from an elite or first category rider. On a turbo you can get away with mindlessly mashing the pedals, on rollers you can’t.” Completely agree about the sweat factor as well. About 5 minutes is all it takes for me.

I have been riding in a 53x15 and from 25-28 mph per the garmin speed sensor, so not a super fast cadence. I like the realistic feel as you spin up. So I've figured out that watching Sufferfest videos is causing me to lean and then HELLO! I catch myself about to roll off and wobble myself back towards the middle as I slow down. Thanks CDR, I think the music and no video will help. I really like the idea of the strips on the sides as well. I have cycleops aluminum rollers, pretty large diameter and was somewhat heartened to read that the machined aluminum rollers do have an "icy" feel to them. I bought them bc I heard they last the longest. An article said it takes several weeks to be comfortable riding no hands. Now I have a mission. I think that would be a cool pre-race technique, lol, on the rollers stretching a quad with one hand, coffee in the other and pedaling with one leg (yes, I did read some previous threads!)

Brian Ratliff

Okay, standard advice, but if you are feeling like you are riding on ice, move your front roller back so it is directly under the front wheel axle. Use a plumb bob, not just your eyes.

Also, am I the only one who doesn't know what a "revolution" is? It's not that fancy wind trainer, is it?

Cog_wild

wasn't sure myself but Googled it and I think he's referring to the Lemond Revolution trainer that has a cassette attached to wind turbine.

woodcraft

I put a door-sized mirror in front of the rollers, about 7' away

It helps to assess my form, and also to see where I am on the rollers which makes it easier and more relaxed to stay on.

It has also been a good controlled environment to make bike-fit adjustments. Without the variation and distractions of the road, it's easier to pick up the subtle body sensations and alignments that are affected by arch support, saddle position, etc..

Once, I set the rollers up backward, so the front wheel was cradled by the two cylinders. WAY hard.

Psimet2001 

We had a team meeting last night. There are a few local racers who have put up videos of themselves doing roller tricks like a boss. General consensus though was that they are some of the worst at handling their bikes in a pack. So...uh...meh?

TANC

Correct. No tire wear. Very realistic ride. But noisy. I have mine close to a wall, and the air generated by the turbine deflects on me. Feels like an outdoor breeze. Awesome....except for noise....without headphones. I rigged mine with my Garmin sensor and everything. But it ain't cheap.

calamarichris

I do mine with no hands AND no legs.... HTFU

hhnngg1

That trainer was measured at 100dB at around 300 watts. Which is literally as loud as a jet engine. Ridiculous.

Cougrrcj

With my cheap Nashbar rollers that I bought 25 years ago, I also bought the additional wind resistance unit. That helps a lot. I also sweat more on the rollers since there is no cooling breeze, so I set up a fan to blow over me... One thing I did notice is how 'fussy' rollers are to proper wheelbase fitting. My old Fuji has a much more pronounced fork rake, and had a longer wheelbase than my college roommates' similar size frame bikes. Unless I adjusted the front roller out further, it was very easy for me to fly off the front of the rollers. Too far forward, and it made tracking a straight line harder.

Cog_wild

hmmm find it hard to believe that true bike handling skills would be degraded by the rollers

triumph.1

HA, while out on my ride today I paid attention to the movement of my bike on the road and decided rollers would not be good for me. I was all over the place and I thought I was riding pretty straight. I have a lot of side to side movement and at times a bit erratic within a foot, but probably not good on rollers.

Cog_wild

rollers, they'll cure what ails ya

dekindy

You sound exactly like me. Purchased these recently and it was a great decision. Shipping is $10. I watched a Cycleops video and they recommended setting the rollers up next to a wall rather than in a doorway which appealed to me. I had a short session in my street clothes and then a session in cycling clothes and was riding them fairly comfortably. Was unsucessful 25 years ago but don't remember why so I had that against me but still was able to master rollers. No fancy roller riding in my future but it does help keep your overall body quiet and everything including your pedal stroke balanced.

https://spinzonecycling.com/product/s...roller-630.htm