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who here rides rollers?
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Early to think about this, but hoping to find some on sale now as its nice. I dont ride a trainer and prefer to go outside no matter what the temp. But Id like to learn to ride the rollers and I cant think of one woman I know who does so. Anyone here do? how hard was it to learn? what do you think of rollers vs. trainer?
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Re: who here rides rollers? [triLA] [ In reply to ]
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How are your basic balance/riding skills? if you can ride with no hands and are comfortable doing so I'd say you've have no problem learning. You start in a doorway, or next to a couch to hold on to, and once you get going, just relax. If you fall, you fall. Much better than falling on black ice outdoors!

I personally hate the way the trainer feels on my back wheel and pedal stroke, the rollers feel more fluid and more like riding on the road.

Go for it! There are plenty of women I know who ride rollers, but they tend to be "cyclists" not triathletes. And I think this is solely because a triathlete can do a lot of swimming and running in the foul weather, not because a female triathlete just can't ride rollers. Start a trend! ;)
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Re: who here rides rollers? [triLA] [ In reply to ]
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I ride them multiple times a week. If I have an hour workout to do, it's much more efficient than riding through traffic with stops and starts.

There is a bit of a learning curve, but if you ride them regularly, it's not so hard. I started out in a doorway and now set them up next to my fireplace mantel and start from there. I've taken them to bike races and warmed up on them next to the back of my truck, and take them to the velodrome all the time and can start from there, holding on the to pop-up tent pole.

I'd never ride the trainer again, except my coach has me do some interval sessions on the trainer.

Also, I know plenty of women who ride them. Really, it's just getting on them and getting comfortable. There was a good thread recently in the main forum on learning to ride them.

clm

clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com
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Re: who here rides rollers? [mellorite] [ In reply to ]
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thanks I will start a trend! and also look up that thread.

Do you recommend a particular brand?
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Re: who here rides rollers? [triLA] [ In reply to ]
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I have some from Performance. Way cheaper than Kreitel rollers and work just fine.

clm

clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com
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Re: who here rides rollers? [triLA] [ In reply to ]
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Have you thought about asking around your local cycling community? My experience is everyone has a set and many people will give them to you or sell them for cheap. I needed some for a few local clients and ended up with more than I needed! Used is fine, there's not a huge difference in quality (in the short term) and you're going to be more concerned with staying upright on them!

I taught three clients how to. One picked it up in a heartbeat. One took a bit of time but got it. The other I think learned how at home. I met one of my best friends teaching her to ride rollers as well.

I think they feel way better than a trainer but it's hard to do a full (FULL) tilt effort on them. They're good up to about threhold or a bit more but really that's most of your training anyways.
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Re: who here rides rollers? [triLA] [ In reply to ]
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I've been pretty happy with the Sports Crafters set up. They make the units that Saris sells as well.
It's pretty quick to learn to ride on them.

http://www.sportcrafters.com/rollers.htm
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Re: who here rides rollers? [triLA] [ In reply to ]
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I think my CycleOps rollers came from eBay, new. Not expensive. Now that my b/f is recovering from surgery maybe I can get them back...

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

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Re: who here rides rollers? [triLA] [ In reply to ]
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I bought an inexpensive pair at Performance a few years back. No big deal - I can't really recall any sort of learning curve. I got on whilst holding on to the wall and rode. It's been awhile since I've ridden them because we moved to the west coast, where I can mtb in foul weather, but I think that wished that I had a bit more resistance to them.

I also recall riding them in the fitness room in the townhouse complex where I lived at the time and being accused later of riding my bike on the treadmill... and breaking the treadmill. Uh. Okay.
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Re: who here rides rollers? [triLA] [ In reply to ]
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I bought some this winter. I've been riding outside lately but I picked up the skill quickly.

More fun than the trainer, you gain the ability to ride in a straight line forever, but harder (impossible?) to do intervals.

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Re: who here rides rollers? [tigerchik] [ In reply to ]
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>>but harder (impossible?) to do intervals. <<

Not really. Just depends on what your "intervals" are. Mashing a big gear or standing, yes, a bit more difficult. Last week I had 6x2 minute intervals, fixed gear as fast as I could pedal. Pretty much worked me.

clm

clm
Nashville, TN
https://twitter.com/ironclm | http://ironclm.typepad.com
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Re: who here rides rollers? [triLA] [ In reply to ]
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I used rollers in college and loved them for winter training. My handling skills got so much better. It's hard to do really hard interval training on them though and I'd stay away from watching soccer or tennis unless you have a soft landing. If I had to choose trainer over rollers I'd choose a trainer just because you have more flexibility in terms of training. If you have room for both, I'd supplement trainer rides with the rollers once a week to smooth out your pedal stroke and improve bike handling.

Rollers can be tricky to get started. Best way to start is in a doorway. Line yourself up so that your elbows are near the doorway frame. Hold onto one side as you clip in and keep holding on with one hand until you have balance/momentum. The doorway also helps if you start to fall you can just stick an elbow out to catch yourself and you can catch yourself on either side. If you don't have a doorway, the back of a sofa will work. If you only have a prop on one side and you start falling the other way just lean towards the sofa.

Good luck.
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Re: who here rides rollers? [triLA] [ In reply to ]
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rollers are way more interesting than trainers. i can do 2+ hours on rollers easily (without tv shows/movies/etc.), but i have a hard time doing more than 1.5 hours on the trainer (with tv shoes/movies/etc.).

not hard to learn at all. i fell once the first time i used rollers, but after that i was fine.

i'd definitely recommend rollers for some base riding (i live in canada, so we need to start doing long rides indoors). keep the trainer for intervals, though, just like most everyone else has suggested :)
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Re: who here rides rollers? [tegra] [ In reply to ]
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thanks for all the info...as someone who had a trainer and just hated it, and sold it, I think rollers sound a lot more fun. I am looking forward to getting some...so I am not too concerned if I dont do intervals in the winter as just getting me on a bike inside will be huge!
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Re: who here rides rollers? [triLA] [ In reply to ]
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Hi there - I ride rollers and love them. It is really easy to learn, but it helps to have someone standing by for confidence/tips. I mostly do road racing now and I do find that is easier to ride my road bike on rollers compared to my tri/tt bike (especially in the aerobars). I don't usually train on the rollers with my tt bike though - just use it for race warm-ups, so i'm sure it would get easier if I practiced more.
I bought my rollers at Performance Bikes and they are a GREAT value - nice aluminum drums, so it has a nice feel when riding.
For training - I do my quality sessions (higher power sessions) on the trainer and my technical (cadence drillls etc.), easy spins, and longer easy aerobic rides on the rollers. My pedalling efficiency/smoothness has really improved since I started using rollers. It's awesome to have both to keep training fun. Definitely get some rollers - you won't regret it!
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