Has anyone tried riding rollers in their aerobars and lived? Im just learning to ride rollers - I havent found it too hard, but since I do 90% of my racing in aerobars, I figured I should be riding in that position instead. However, the tucked position is much more unstable and my cadence suffers slightly.
Can anyone inspire me with a story of riding rollers in their aerobars, or am I a candidate for a ST Darwin award?
Do it all the time…now. When I first started out I was VERY cautious. It takes a bit of getting use to but eventually it will come. Just takes time.
The one piece of advice I have is to not watch any action movies/sports or whatever while riding. You tend to lean as the characters lean. I have leaned myself right into the next room while watching LOTR’s. 
that is hilarious. would you suggest rollers over a regular trainer?
that IS hilarious! gotta try that one when the weather is crappy this winter. I would laugh pretty hard at myself, I think.
I learned that sports are no good either as I weaved left and right during a football game. I fell off my trainer last year during the Orange Bowl game, but let’s not talk about me…
On rollers v. trainer - in my limited experience on rollers (3 weeks now, 1-2 times a week), you don’t make huge gains in power, but get an extra 5% in handling and efficiency. Any flaws in your cadence will be immediatey apparent, and when you get on the road you’ll ride straighter with less effort. I was riding steep uphills straight as an arrow after 2 weeks on rollers, and I can follow white lines without even thinking about it.
The best acomparison Ive heard is that a trainer will get you a bigger engine, but rollers will make you a better rider.
Do some sets in the big gears and grind em out while remaining in control, that will help with the engine.
Yes, I ride my rollers using my the aerobars - particularly when doing intervals. I love the rollers for indoor training.
(Movie and sport tv viewing is tougher than when on a trainer.)
David K
I fell off my trainer last year during the Orange Bowl game, but let’s not talk about me…
Once? Lets just say it gets real interesting if you have not been on the rollers in a while, you have Krietler ‘Hot Dog’ rollers (< 10" wide), and are riding the aero bars while watching a video of a Giro or TDF mountain stage with long, sweeping descents! Last winter I fell off so many times in one session, my wife who was on her stationary trainer right beside me threatened to not let me use the remote if I rode off the edge of the rollers one more time!
Oh, I ride rollers with constant fear of falling off them, which is probably why I havent yet. Beginners are too careful and experts are too good; once I get to the middle Ill be suffering.
I do it all the time. It really isn’t any more difficult than riding on the rollers in any other position once you get the hang of it. It is really good to learn to ride straight while on the aerobars.
It should be just as stable if your bike is properly set up Your cadence might drop marginally (like 2 RPM) as you close your hip angle to get aero. If it drops more you need to move a bit forward and move your bars up. A substantial cadence drop indicates that you are losing power in favour of aero You don’t really need to spend too much time in the off season riding aero or even in the tri position, but May-Sep you gotta ride bolted to the aerobars.
I tried it and got too scared.
Being in the aerobars with poor handling and no brake leavers seems like too easy of a way to get injured when riding off the rollers.
I considered doing it outside where I could just keep going if I fell off the rollers, but that just seemed silly.
In my experience, watching the 2001 or 2002 Forest of Arenberg in Paris-Roubaix while on rollers is as close to being there without the need of a passport. Fortunately my hall is just wider than the rollers, so I just pinball around although the fore/aft movement has almost landed me across the room.
I considered doing it outside where I could just keep going if I fell off the rollers, but that just seemed silly.
Actually, that won’t work either (BTDT - grin)!
Do it every once in a while. I usually ride my track bike on the rollers, though, and that doesn’t have areobars. I guess it is like everything else, once you get comfortable it is not that big a deal, but getting comfortable can lead to some interesting situations. I am sure we can have a thread dedicated to bizzare roller incidents and accidents.