Trainers

[malkin]

I just set up the rollers in the hall and touch the wall if I need to.

[tulip]

I've heard of people setting up rollers in a doorway, too. Seems like a good idea. I haven't ridden rollers in a couple of decades, but I would be willing to try them again.

[Catrin]

I wish that I could remember where I saw this, but on one website they were selling a fork mount to use with their rollers. The combination of rollers and fork mount was quite expensive - but it seems to me that it would make it rather difficult to fall over. I assume this is the purpose. I am not going to spend >$800 on rollers though

[withm]

I bought a barely used (aren't they all?) Cyclops Fluid Trainer on EBay for $100. The listing was spelled wrong so it did not show up in a search for Cyclops. Try your local Ebay, Craigs List, and even Freecycle - you never know what might pop up.

[tulip]

I wish that I could remember where I saw this, but on one website they were selling a fork mount to use with their rollers. The combination of rollers and fork mount was quite expensive - but it seems to me that it would make it rather difficult to fall over. I assume this is the purpose. I am not going to spend >$800 on rollers though

The whole purpose of rollers over trainers is that rollers improve the rider's balance and feel for the bike. A fork mount is silly for rollers; might as well just get a wind trainer. Man, they are boring, though!

[Kerry1976]

As a newbie, I'm glad to have seen this thread. I just got my bike a few weeks ago but know I will need a trainer for the winter. While a trainer is probably boring, I'd rather have the control over using it when I want, watching or listening to what I want, etc., that I can't get in a class. As a result, I actually will get more exercise with a trainer in my livingroom than I would if I had to go to a spinning class. I also already run and aquajog, too.

I live on the 3rd floor of an apartment building and the insulation is poor. Looks like fluid might be the way to go!

[colorisnt]

So you get on the bike on the rollers? Okay. I can d that. I have a great place to practice it.

I might be sold lol.

[Kerry1976]

How loud are rollers?

[colorisnt]

Idk, but my cousin lives in an apartment and says his are less loud than the trainer he uses. IDK. I have to wait until pay day and/or whenever they decide to fix out the money they owe me!

[Catrin]

The whole purpose of rollers over trainers is that rollers improve the rider's balance and feel for the bike. A fork mount is silly for rollers; might as well just get a wind trainer. Man, they are boring, though!

Good point, and I had kind of wondered about that...

[TxDoc]

How loud are rollers?

Way more quiet than a trainer. A friend purchased some aluminum cheaters and says they are abit louder than normal rollers - but still quieter than the trainer.
And yes, I agree with Tulip that a fork mount for rollers is kind of silly, it invalidates the benefit you would get from rollers - i.e. improving your handling and pedaling skills...

[colorisnt]

I ended up with a cyclops trainer. It was a good deal and very quiet. I already trained for a little over an hour today with the dvd that came with it. And with just getting over the flu, it kicked my ***, but now I know I can do it.

[featuretile]

I received my Kurt Kinetic Road Machine trainer and set it up with my Bike Friday. It needed a special small wheel adapter. My BF was sitting in a suitcase waiting for the next trip, so I turned it into an exercise machine. It feels much more like riding outdoors than my old semi-recumbent exercise bike, or the ones at the gym (including the spin bikes). And my road bike is ready to go when the sun shines.

I have only used it once because we have been having incredibly good weather in CA- sunny and 60-75 degrees. It's better than this past cold summer, and I get to go outside. On Sunday I did a 52 mile ride (my longest to date), and this Saturday I am going to try my first metric century.

I just put the BF/trainer in front of the TV and rode for a half hour to the news. I don't have any DVD's yet, but plan on getting some from the suggestions of this group. Sure made me sweat. (And no time driving to and from the gym.) I like to be able to use real shifters to change the tension. I know it doesn't compare to being outside in beautiful scenery, but it will do the job when it's raining. If I didn't watch TV of any sort, it would be too boring.

[TxDoc]

Maybe someone could explain how to use rollers? Do you just put your bike on them and try to pedal without falling over?

Yes, exactly like that. You set the bike on the rollers, and then hop on and start pedaling. Easier than it looks - although not 'easy'.

There are a few tricks that help:
1. when you place your bike on the rollers, before you get on, try to set it in the center so you have room for correction if you swerve a bit when mounting.
2. start pedaling right away, and keep pedaling. Yes, of course you can coast on rollers, but in the beginning it will be easier to find proper balance if you just keep pedaling. After some experience, then you can go back to the normal mix of coasting and pedaling, like you would do on a normal road ride.
3. Keep your pedaling smooth - rollers are a bit unforgiving if you try to pedal in quares, so to speak...

Some people suggest setting rollers in a doorway or near a wall. I always advise against that. We recommend rollers because they are realistic and teach you good bike handling skills and smooth pedaling technique. A wall, a door, a handle is just a way to bail out and make your training no longer realistic. There is no wall or door out on the road. And we do not need one outside: we just hop on and ride.
The truth is that so many of us go out and ride, and really our skills are not that great. For example, if you go out on a local weekend ride and observe cyclists, most people cannot even keep a straight line for long. If they try to drink, they wobble; if they look at the cars, they wobble, if they talk to their buddies, they wobble... not too safe, right?
Just think about it - the most common road tire is 23mm wide. Now if someone painted a long line on the road that's like 5 inches wide - that would be huge compared to our tires, correct? Well, if you take 100 cyclists and ask them to ride straight over that line for one minute, probably over 60% of them would drift off or wobble at some point, and fewer would be able to pedal on the painted line.

One of the first things you learn when training on rollers, is how to pedal smoothly and keep a straight line. Afterwards, you can learn how to do a multitude of tasks (pick up something, take a bottle, drink, eat, change the TV channel, turn around, stand, coast, etc) and still keep that straight line. Rollers isolate good technique and enhance bad habits. But - they give you the opportunity to correct them for good, and fast.

If the idea of hopping on the bike on the rollers still makes you kind of nervous - just build a platform. It will make them look nicer, more realistic in term of wheel-to-floor leveling - and it takes away the feeling of 'falling from a height' that may come into play otherwise. If you feel off balance, you just come to a stop and set one foot on the platform (the 'ground'), like you would do on the road.
It's really good exercise - spend one Winter on rollers, and your skills on the road will improve enormously.

[redrhodie]

Because of this thread, and the feeling of dread it instilled in me, I brought my trainer to my lbs today for re-sale. The proceeds will go toward my new winter bike! Yay! No roads to nowhere for me this winter. I'll be freezin' my butt off outside, no matter how messy it gets. No excuses, baby.

Muirenn, the rollers are set in a frame which has little feet, so they don't touch the floor.