skitbraviking

OK. Just tried my first shot at rollers with the training wheels. As 165 suggested, I did this in a doorway so I had something to lean against. I eventually got the hang of it and could ride without leaning on anything. However, I still don't exactly feel comfortble, what with pained glass in front of me and a mirror behind. Anybody else have some pointers on riding such a beast?

auk

You just have to relax. Use a smaller gear than you would normally feel necessary and juuuuuuusssssst reeeeellaaaaaxx. . . Think gumby arms.

skitbraviking

That gumby arms metaphor completely makes sense. I tried to let loose all tension in my arms, almost as if I were steering with only my fingers. Yes!

What else?

trackasaurus

I visualize the gyroscopic motion keeping me upright. the faster but steady spin will put you in a balanced groove. i also try to just turn off my upper body, holding my legs in line with the spin, using my core. i also just rest my palms on my hoods or tops. try not to even grip the bars. look straight ahead or 10 ft on the floor in front of you, not down at your tires. if you're not a seasoned flight deck user, careful with that habit of checking your position on the rear casette. had some close ones with that.

hope that helps

teadoggg

i started out in the doorway holding on to the sides, then took my hands off and did no-handed for a while, then started riding at the tops, then worked my way to the drops. the whole thing took about an hour for me. it's super sketchy at first, but you'll get the hang of it quickly.

Martyr

and don't even think about touching the brakes... that pane of glass may end up being closer than you first thought. better still - roll on your track bike only.


marty

skitbraviking

I was wondering if it would make a difference on a geared bike. Anybody know any other differences?

Jose R

I mostly ride my track bike on the rollers. It seems easier for me to find my balance with my track bike than my road bike. But, after a couple of sessions using my road bike, getting my balance becomes easier.

Maybe, its because I sit differently on each bike, different geometry and such?

Usually, for 1 hour sessions, its the road bike. Where I can control speed and resistance by changing gears. For 30min warm-up sessions, its the track bike.

karmaboy

Rollers really expose the wonkiness of your technique. Rolling your shoulders and bobbing your head simply make the bike wander all over the drum. You have to think smooth and relaxed with your spin. The up side is your technique is much improved in the spring.

filtersweep

You might try riding no handed... it at least promotes riding smoothly and it is easier to do than on the road.

CafeRacer

Getting good/cocky on rollers comes with time. I used to have to spin next to a wall where as now (3 years later) I can hop on and go with them in the middle of my garage. The cool part is rollers can be so boring at times you learn to do things while on them. IE learning to spin standing, sprinting, and even going as far as riding no handed witch isnt that hard. It just takes core stability and smooth pedaling. For instance last night an hour in i was reading and replying text message on my phone while riding no handed listening to music.

filtersweep

I about killed myself standing. For starters, roller really grind the old taint- more than actual riding. Unfortunately, the first time I stood, the weight shifted back, and a slid off the end of the rollers- gouging them with the chain ring- and leaving a nasty black mark in the carpet. I will stick with something safer... like no-handed rollering...

chimblysweep

it just takes time, in my experience. it took a week on 'em to get me out of the doorway, and a few weeks for me to be able to, say, answer my phone while on 'em. but it'll come.

i find my road bike is far more stable on the rollers than my track bikes, just because the looser geometry is more forgiving of small twitches, etc. i prefer to ride track on the rollers, but for anything more than an hour, it starts to hurt too much.

skitbraviking

It's been interesting to see the varied responses regarding riding a road bike on rollers. I'm going to give it a try. I am trying to keep my roadie as my indoor ride for the crappy winter and thereby keep the outdoors outside, rather than bring my outdoor bike onto my roller and shedding all the sh*t it brings inside onto my floors. Plus, my road bike it too precious to take on the brutal Chicago winter. My track ride is way tougher.

Thanks for all the responses!

jgsjr

I just started rollers again last week. I bought them last year, tried them once and tossed them in storage. This year a friend of mine kept going on and on about rollers. I finally pulled mine out again. I spend about twenty minutes in the doorway before gettng the hang of it. For the first 10-15 minutes I didn;t think I would ever get the hang of it. Next I moved to just usung a wall on one side. I rode an hour and had two unplanned dismounts without injury. I am in my second week of rollers and haven't fallen off since the first day. I can move from the drops to the tops, drink, wipe the sweat off my face.

Practice a bit. It will all come together.

shants

you guys should be doing huge skids on your rollers.

sscyco

I can do it all on rollers - stand, sprint, no hands - but last night at the LBS a guy was track standing on them (geared, not fixed). I tried - no can do. Looks like I can't do it all.

mattface 

I like to watch my reflection in the window. it puts my focus farther out, and straight ahead, and keeps me from wandering, but any fixed point straight ahead should work.

skitbraviking

Sheet! I just got too cocky and was down in the drops and wasn't watching and I did my first ever front wheel skid, complete with skid mark on the wood floor. Yes! I have arrived!

jhnmrk

i'd like to hear more about the indoor roller crashes than the technique. pretty funny stuff...

mattface 

The room where I do it has a concrete floor with tile, so when I come off it makes a pretty loud crash, but I just hit the brakes, and get off like normal. When I first started doing it my wife came downstairs to see what all the noise was about. It would make a much more spectacular noise on wood floors I think.

lotek 

I was gonna be all over this like stink on **** but then realized fixed gear. . .

with geared bike you come off you stop. there is no momentum, contrary to popular
belief (myth) you won't roll across the room, through the balcony window, over the
rail and plummet to your death (I hate when that happens).

watched a guy at LBS jump from one set of rollers to another set up next
to the set he was on.
No handed and 10 second standing sprints are the best I can do.
I hated the doorway felt too claustrophobic.

the other marty

invicta

can any of you guys spin backwards on the rollers, on the fixie of course?

teadoggg

haha, it's funny you mention that. I tried to and almost killed myself - for the second time.

rollers are so fun!

skitbraviking

But I would imagine it is possible, requiring much of the same skill as riding backwards on concrete. I'll let you be the guinea pig though.