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Rollers
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Andy asked:

You know I read this all the time ("get rollers") from a lot of folks, but can you help describe a bit the difference you have seen using rollers vs. a trainer? I assume you have to recruit your core muscles a lot more, to develop stability/balance and smooth spinning - I'm down with that. But do they have some resistance built in? I mean I'm not going to spin up and then cruise easily am I? very curious - how does it feel differently?

Huge difference! In learning to spin and also in bike handling. You learn to ride a smooth stroke and a straight line, but one big thing is that you learn not go jerk around on the bike. It teaches you to relax.

Resistance: That's what your gears are for! Or, for a really good workout, try riding a fixed gear on them. Even in a small gear (for the track), it's a hard workout. No, you aren't going to spin up and cruise easily, well, you will if you are in your smallest gear. I get a much better workout on them than the trainer. I never ride the trainer any more. I even take the rollers to warm up at a bike race and am starting to take them to the track.

clm

clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com
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Re: Rollers [trackie clm] [ In reply to ]
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Cool thanks. My new place will allow me the room to have rollers - that will be for the next winter's training regime!

AP

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"How bad could it be?" - SimpleS
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Re: Rollers [trackie clm] [ In reply to ]
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Once you are going, does it have a similar feeling to riding on a flat road? Is it possible to coast?

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Miles of Life --- Powered by MarkyV
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Re: Rollers [kylie] [ In reply to ]
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In Reply To:
Once you are going, does it have a similar feeling to riding on a flat road? Is it possible to coast?

You can coast a little. You seem to stop sooner than the road. But I think it feels more like the road than the trainer.

clm

clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com
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Re: Rollers [trackie clm] [ In reply to ]
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I would agree. For me the learning curb was long, but I was determined. I am now working on getting my water bottle out of the cage and riding with no hands. I never thought I would say it, but it feels more like the road than the trainer ever did.

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Re: Rollers [vols fan] [ In reply to ]
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Wow! You have come a long way!

Been thinking of you a lot as I prepare to head to Memphis.......ahh, the good memories. :-D

G


It's a little like wrestling a gorilla.........you don't stop when you're tired.........you stop when the gorilla is tired.
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Re: Rollers [trackie clm] [ In reply to ]
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Riding tribars on rollers yet?



"Here's how you run a marathon. Step 1: You start running. Step 2: There is no step 2." - Barney (How I Met Your Mother)
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Re: Rollers [neil_laing] [ In reply to ]
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Used to ride them ALL THE TIME while training for Little 500 in Bloomington, we could sit for amazing lengths of time watching tv, used to read books, watch movies, riding with no hands, etc.

Biggest benefit for me was learning to hammer (used to do a LOT of sprint intervals) and stay smooth. When you have about 5 or 6 sets less than a foot apart and everyone is staring a full wall of mirrors, it's easy to tell who your weak link is and important for everyone to be comfy. Relied on those skills many times in a tight pack.

But even with all that time, I'm not sure I'll ever get aero. I'm a nancy.

AW
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Re: Rollers [AWARE] [ In reply to ]
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This thread is making me want to try rollers :P

maybe she's born with it, maybe it's chlorine
If you're injured and need some sympathy, PM me and I'm very happy to write back.
disclaimer: PhD not MD
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Re: Rollers [tigerchik] [ In reply to ]
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Big challenge. Mucho fun. Big learning curve. Big rewards on road (and with roadies when you can hold a line).

-Don't look down
-Don't freak out
-Keep pedaling, when everything in your body tells you to stop, keep pedaling and quit looking down.
-Let go of the damn chair (doorway/couch/closet/etc) and keep pedaling and don't look down.

AW
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Re: Rollers [AWARE] [ In reply to ]
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I've been wanting to try rollers for awhile. Now that I'm riding track and want to race I realize I'll have to get rollers. I can't be "that girl" warming up between races on a trainer!!!

Any rec's on a good set? The e-motion ones look sweet with the bumpers but $795?! yikes! Anything in the 200-300 range?
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Re: Rollers [vmandel] [ In reply to ]
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If you can find metal drums then go for it...the Tacx ones are decent priced and decent rollers...they might not last forever (plastic drums might warp a bit over time...still rideable, just a bit of a bumpy road..ha) but they're still decent. I paid much less than $200.

Oh, and rollers with a fork mount, or with bumpers, somewhat defeats the purpose.....

AW
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Re: Rollers [AWARE] [ In reply to ]
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What she said.

I paid not much more than $100 for my Minoura rollers and have been riding them for years.

It's scary at first, but that steep learning curve is pretty short if you make a real commitment and just ride them till you get it. I practiced everyday for 10-15mins and had it within 4 days. I don't recommend starting in a doorway or against a table or couch, try a narrow hallway instead. That way you can catch yourself on either side if need be. Put a full length mirror about 8 feet in front of you and focus somewhere between your belly button and your shoulders. LOOK UP! Keep your hands as "light" on the bars as possible (the tendency is to have a death grip) and your weight in your butt. Keep your upper body "quiet". Don't steer with the bars or over-react, you really have a lot of space to ride on........if you saw the width marked out on the ground you would laugh about being scared to ride within it. Try to relax and remember to breath!

It also helps to limit possible distractions at first. Get ride of the family (although they will want to stay and laugh), the TV and probably the iPod until you have figured it out.

Rollers are worth the effort and a good way to expand your cycling comfort zone. You will become a better, more efficient rider with little extra effort. If nothing else, let the fact that you will soon be able to drop the casual R-bomb amongst your non-roller riding friends in no time motivate you through that damned learning curve! ;-)

Good luck!

G


It's a little like wrestling a gorilla.........you don't stop when you're tired.........you stop when the gorilla is tired.
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Re: Rollers [vmandel] [ In reply to ]
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Performance has them for well under $200.

clm

clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com
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Re: Rollers [gleveq] [ In reply to ]
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I know you will knock 'em dead in Memphis!

After 2 shoulder surgeries and no swimming in 2 years, I had to substitute something!

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Re: Rollers [gleveq] [ In reply to ]
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It also helps to limit possible distractions at first. Get ride of the family (although they will want to stay and laugh), the TV and probably the iPod until you have figured it out.

Perhaps why I just couldn't get settled in on them last night. There was a wrestling match going on 10 yards away from me.



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Awww, Katy's not all THAT evil. Only slightly evil. In a good way. - JasoninHalifax

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