gang this winter i’d like to work on technique/line/form…in hopes of doing a road race next year. a roadie my husband and i met the other evening suggested that i do roller training through the winter, that this will really be effective for developing and enhancing these skills.
sounds good to me, i’d like to try it.
anyone have a brand or model to suggest? (I’m assuming it would be a few hundred bucks–i don’t even know)
thanks for any recommendations,
kittycat
“can you recommend rollers?”
no…they scare me 
.
I have only limited experience with an old set of Performance rollers, but it seems that Kreitler is the Cervelo (so to speak…) of rollers.
There’s definitely a learning curve. You can search a number of old threads on here about how to ride them.
lol. oh, i think i’ll bust my butt several times, no doubt about it! i’m going to face the fear i have of them, but am permitting myself to still be afraid of the dark. one thing at a time you know? lol.
KC,
A roadie buddy of mine teaches spin at my gym and every once in a while he’ll bring in his rollers and teach from them. I think he’s trying to impress the ladeeeeze As much as I love him, he’s come way too close to planting his face on the frame of my spin bike! (several times) So…I figured…rollers, not for me:)
Jen
Can you borrow a set before you invest?
Kreitler Rollers are considered by many to be the best on the market. One thing to think about; the larger the drum the easier the rolling resistance. To work on increasing cadence/leg turnover and form, or if you are MOP/BOP cyclist the larger drums will be better. The Alloy or the Dyno-Lyte models will do the trick.
I’ve been riding rollers for years and they do wonderful things for your technique … and your aerobic system if you do some long winter workouts on them.
I’ve tried several brands, resisting shelling out the bucks for a set of Kreitlers. But after burning through those others, I finally bought the Kreitlers and I haven’t regretted it. I’ve been riding them for years and years now. Comparing Kreitlers to most others is like comparing a ride on a freshly paved ashphalt road to a ride on a rough, tar and gravel road.
I have the Kreitler Challenger rollers with the 4 inch alloy drums. They’re excellent.
Bob C.
I was able to borrow a set of Kreitlers from a fellow Tri Club member for a couple months. I liked them and my wife ended up buying a set used (I don’t remember the price). We also have a Computrainer. I like the rollers if I’m doing an indoor ride of low intensity for 2 hours or less, usually in the winter. The rollers force you to concentrate on your mid-section, keeping your abs tight, and focus on balance. This concentration and balance aspect of rollers means you have to engage your mind much more so than when you’re on a stationary trainer.
Neither of us has crashed yet, we don’t wear helmets. We always set the rollers up in the doorway between our kitchen and dining room. It’s a standard framed out doorway with no door to get in the way. We set the rollers just a couple inches from the left side so it’s easy to lean to the left and catch yourself with your left elbow without your hands leaving the handlebars. On the right side we place a small chair so I can clip out and put my right foot down without dismounting all the way. This is also the only way I know to get started.
So now we’ve had them for a year and a half (haven’t used them this summer at all) but I’ve never been tempted to take them out to the middle of the living room and just ride unsupported. Maybe I could but I don’t think it’s worth the risk. By using them in the doorway I get most of the benefit without risking a catastrophic mistake.
KC,
Before investing in them, I know a bunch of folks in town that have them. Maybe a test run or 2 might be good to see if you like them? If you belong to Revolution, there might even be some in the spin room and you could bring your bike in there and give them a shot. Just a thought.
do you use them?
Hey KC, I was thinking about making the same purchase for the winter…look at kreitler.com…they have some good info there re: models.
I have, but don’t own them. I believe they are great for form, pedal stroke, etc. They are far more realistic than a spin bike or trainer. They also often require far more concentration than I can muster. There is no opportunity to lose concentration for even a second or you are on the floor. So I guess I use cyclocross and group rides or mtn biking in the snow in the winter to improve my biking skills…and am lazy indoors and watch movies on my trainer while doing HR drills. I may not be the best example 
hmmm, i see they’re 300-500 bucks (at least from this quickie research). part of me thinks i should buy them, that way i’ve paid money and will be more likely to ride them. other part of me is now freaked out that i’ll crack my head open…lol.
trigoneroadie has good advice. it’s intimidating looking at those rollers! i can see how riding them really would improve technique and form!
you mtb in the snow? man that sounds really fun! you do that around here??
maybe the money i’d spend on rollers i could put towards somewhat of a decent mtb. only if there’s places to ride around here though. hmmmm…
well, that is assuming there is snow. Pretty much any mtn bike trail is good…if the ground is solid and the snow is good so you don’t harm the trail at all. East fork is good, there are trails and fields behind Lunken. I am sure there is good space at Harbin park or Ceasar’s creek. Ya just have to dress right and you really can’t count on it as a training method, it is just a way to stay active despite the weather. you can ask Marisol. We went once. I am not sure she will sing its praises though.
I would try rollers out for free first and if you like them, go for it. I ended up spending the money on a spin bike instead, b/c I tend to use it in the a.m. before I am fully awake and that would be bad on rollers
I always use my road bike, never tried the tri bike.
It’s not comparing apples to apples…but given a choice of training aides, I’d steer you towards a fixed gear. Ride that at much as possible to supplement your longer rides.
I got myself a set of rollers last fall by posting a classified ad… only paid $60. When I first got them home I thought they were busted because I couldn’t get going… but after a while I got better, and to the point where I could watch TV while on them.
I highly recommend them, but there is a steep learning curve. I’m sure there are plenty of great used ones out there that you could get for a great deal.
yes, all these methods of training are certainly not apples to apples. You will be best suited to figure out what your goals for it are, and act in that direction.
kittycat, they do take some getting use to but they are fun. The way I learned was that I put them in between a doorway, that way if I fell to either side I wasn’t going anywhere. Start pedalling with one elbow pointed out leaning on the wall. Needless to say both hands are on your bars. Then once you start to feel comfortable, you can take your elbow off the wall and you will be going.
Just make sure when you place the rollers between the doorway, you place them so if you do fall sideways, you fall on the frame with your arm and not behind the frame
I have a set of Cyclops PVC and they have been great for 3 seasons now. If I had to do it again though, I would have gotten the aluminum.