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Rollers for "balance"?

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Old 02-07-14 | 11:49 AM
  #26  
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One of the points that's important to realize is that lots of people have 'tried rollers,' fewer people have trained on rollers, and VERY FEW have used resistance rollers. This is because of the relative rarity/high cost of resistance rollers. I will be the first to point out the shortfalls of standard rollers. They do have their place, but are limited in training value. Resistance rollers are entirely different, and my entire discussion in this thread has been in reference to resistance rollers. I'm also careful not to de-value trainers. I also own a KK Road machine, and used it regularly before switching to the resistance rollers. It is very high quality, high resistance and a great training tool.... But it does NOT have the same impact on my form and smoothness that the resistance rollers do. It's like night and day. I'd challenge anyone to suggest that one leg drills on a trainer utilizes the same musculature that doing the same on resistance rollers will. Don't believe me? Go give it a try.

-Jeremy
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Old 02-07-14 | 12:06 PM
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Originally Posted by Tunnelrat81
One of the points that's important to realize is that lots of people have 'tried rollers,' fewer people have trained on rollers, and VERY FEW have used resistance rollers. This is because of the relative rarity/high cost of resistance rollers. I will be the first to point out the shortfalls of standard rollers. They do have their place, but are limited in training value. Resistance rollers are entirely different, and my entire discussion in this thread has been in reference to resistance rollers. I'm also careful not to de-value trainers. I also own a KK Road machine, and used it regularly before switching to the resistance rollers. It is very high quality, high resistance and a great training tool.... But it does NOT have the same impact on my form and smoothness that the resistance rollers do. It's like night and day. I'd challenge anyone to suggest that one leg drills on a trainer utilizes the same musculature that doing the same on resistance rollers will. Don't believe me? Go give it a try.

-Jeremy
the trainer is crap bro, I still haven't managed to finish a ride over 1hr. It's pure boredom and sucks.

You don't even need resistance rollers to get a legit workout in, just get rollers with smaller drums like 2.25"!

The way your bike moves on the rollers is natural, feels like the road. The way your bike does NOT move on the trainer is not natural and feels like crap!
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Old 02-07-14 | 12:10 PM
  #28  
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Originally Posted by Wesley36
And how exactly do you get OTF? Just like not crashing is critical to doing well in a race, getting OTF requires being able to accelerate sharply, and being in sufficient control of your bike to move through, and past, the peloton. Being smoother means being able to squeeze through smaller spaces, which is a huge advantage.

And beyond that, I dunno, I would rather be someone who has a reputation for being a good partner in a breakaway than someone who has a reputation for being squirrelly. Have a feeling I will get better results that way.
I don't care who made it to the break with me. If they're strong, I'll work with them because we now have a gap on the field. You work with who you got.

Have you raced? No one attacks from inside of the peloton, they'll either roll OTF and attack or attack off the back or off the sides. No matter how smooth you are, you're not going to attack through the center of the field, what is this I don't even...
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Old 02-07-14 | 12:23 PM
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Originally Posted by ovoleg
I don't care who made it to the break with me.
*shrug* you could be right, but I would think that the important question is whether the other person wants to be in a break with you. If not, they don't work, the attack fails, you both go back, they try again with someone else they are willing to work with.
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Old 02-07-14 | 12:24 PM
  #30  
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Originally Posted by Wesley36
*shrug* you could be right, but I would think that the important question is whether the other person wants to be in a break with you. If not, they don't work, the attack fails, you both go back, they try again with someone else they are willing to work with.
There's some truth there but for me, if I used energy getting into a break I'm going to try to make it work with whoever I got. Otherwise I burned a couple matches for nothing.
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Old 02-07-14 | 12:40 PM
  #31  
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FWIW: It's pretty cheap/easy to add resistance to rollers with aluminum drums. Stick a bunch of rare earth magnets to a bar and position it close a roller. The more magnets and the closer, the more resistance. Search a bit and I'm sure you'll find examples on the web. For example, check this: https://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php/669900-quiet-cheap-effective-DIY-magnetic-resistance-for-metal-rollers

Or this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TGMh7y2fEOE

Get magnets on eBay or Amazon.

Last edited by Looigi; 02-07-14 at 12:46 PM.
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Old 02-07-14 | 01:00 PM
  #32  
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yada yada yada. any training platform can be made harder or easier. choose and temper your suffering methodology to taste.

being inside is "un-fun"
my rollers are less "un-fun" than my magnet trainer is "un-fun"
good enough reason for me. I'm just hibernating with the bears, anyway.
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Old 02-07-14 | 10:08 PM
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Originally Posted by ovoleg
I can do 450W sustained at 88 RPM in 52/15 on my rollers with the 2nd to last resistance rating(Cycleops Resistance Rollers).

I assure you that your threshhold is not 450W brah.
It doesn't matter what the wattage max is on your rollers - my point is that I can hit higher power for myself on my trainer than rollers since the rollers require attention to not going off the front which costs me watts at hard efforts.
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Old 02-08-14 | 02:18 PM
  #34  
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I'm another resistance rollers guy. I know some people can sprint hard on them, but as hhnngg1 says, I don't quite see how. OTOH, I have no problem with that, because even trainer sprints aren't the same and my A events don't occur in March anyway. I don't start sprint work until well after the roads and light are good here. I'm still doing base. Too cold here to be safe today, so I'll do an hour of endurance on the rollers. Too cold tomorrow, too, so the group will do snow play in the mountains.
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Old 04-27-25 | 06:05 PM
  #35  
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Balance or Crash indoors.

If you dont develop perfect pedalling on rollers its on the floor for you and your bike.Thats its main benefit.Perfect symmetry between right and left.Most cyclist are right leg dominant.
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Old 04-27-25 | 06:43 PM
  #36  
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Originally Posted by Brucegel
If you dont develop perfect pedalling on rollers it’on the floor for you and your bike.Thats its main benefit.Perfect symmetry between right and left.Most cyclist are right leg dominant.
Oh no! A zombie roller thread!
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Old 04-30-25 | 07:05 AM
  #37  
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Originally Posted by PeteHski
Oh no! A zombie roller thread!
It just keeps rolling on.



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Old 04-30-25 | 09:38 AM
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Originally Posted by PeteHski
Oh no! A zombie roller thread!
Check resurrector's post history.
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Old 04-30-25 | 02:42 PM
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Pointless revival of a long dormant thread. Again.

Thread closed.
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