Well I made it through my first ride. I bought the rollers over the trainer because of cost. I live in San Diego and am hoping to not have to use them too much. I have to admit though it was a harder workout than I thought it would be and I could see the benefit to doing workouts on them.
It took about 5 minutes to finally completely let go off my support and within probably 15 minutes I was on the hoods in my normal riding position. I need to figure out how you get on without an initial support? Does it eventually become just like mounting your bike normally? It’s funny but the rollers really test your faith. You just have to just keep looking forward even though you know in your gut that catastrophe is a meager inch and half away!!! Just a little lean and your back in the center. I don’t know if it was just wishful thinking, but it seemed as though there is a different sound when you are centered. I just would try to stay in that zone.
The only downside so far is I kept spitting on my garage floor and I kept hoping for a red light that never came.
No the thought of a helmet never entered my mind. I will confess that in the beginning I remembered the pain and time off from a broken collar bone. I had the internal discussion about falling on carpet versus the garage floor and figured it won’t make much difference. Because I have a marathon on the 16th of this month, the thought of putting off using them until the 17th was under serious consideration. I just kept reminding myself that I grew up surfing and waterskiing so my balance is probably better than most.
Brian, good call on the carpet vs the garage floor…either one would break a clavicle, or not, depending upon how you fell. Have fun on the rollers, they’re a great tool!
I use a wall now. In my youth I used a couch pulled out from the wall. I put the rollers behind the couch, and made enough space for the rollers, plus about a foot either side. If I fell, the couch was to my left, the wall was to my right. When I was done, I flipped the rollers on the side, and pushed back the couch. The TV had to be relocated, but I managed. Football is tough, especially if the quarterback fakes out the camera guy, and the view moves upfield, then suddenly jerks back to the line of scrimmage looking for the ball. You can kind of go with it if you aren’t careful. Paris Roubaix videos are cool to watch, except for the last year that Sean Kelly won it, I think 1984(?). When a bunch of cyclists go down in a corner on wet cobbles, and the camera bike goes with them, and you are watching the video of this on the rollers, it takes a bit of concentration not to join them. Also, I put a piece of tape on the floor in front of the middle of the front drum, about 2 feet away, and kept my front wheel lined up with it. That helped.
