I’m a beginner cyclist and it’s starting to get cold where i live so I’m thinking about doing some exercise indoors(casual).I am getting them for 120 CAD is it a good deal and what should i expect as i have never had any rollers? And does it provide as much friction as on roads?
by InvestigatorNo1800
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Its a learning process learning to use rollers. Don’t expect to just hop on them and go. It takes a lot more active balancing than normal cycling. I’d recommend watching some youtube videos on how to train on them.
As an aside – Its getting cold in Canada in the middle of July?!
I would expect to also get a trainer at some point.
Rollers are good for hours in the saddle but without the resistance training element you won’t build as much strength as with a trainer.
Then again, maybe maintenance is all you need and don’t care about building in which case, roll away.
Rollers are great for indoor riding because they force you to maintain your cadence and balance. They can be tricky at first until you get used to them. You will want a fan because you’ll get pretty soggy just riding in place. You’ll also want to start next to a wall that you can use to balance yourself as you learn how to get enough spin to keep upright. Watch some YouTube videos on rollers. They helped me quite a bit when I was getting started.
If you’re doing a lot of time on the rollers, you also may want to get a set of trainer tires because the rollers will eat up the center tread of whatever tire you’re currently using.
Dont
Indoor training is quite hard mentally.
Personally I’d try and find a smart trainer (ideally wheel-off) so that you can do stuff like Zwift races and (better) interval sessions to mix it up more.
You will eat shit several times. Ride in a doorway or by something you can hold onto at first. Don’t ride near things you could land out and hurt yourself. I’ve heard horror stories of people falling through glass tables and being seriously injured. Etc.
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Watch this guy learn before you learn
https://youtu.be/t0CBRTSxOWo?si=aJNV_oBS4Q-85qJj
I have never launched off rollers since 1985. I have TACX Speedbreakers. Rollers are great. Its riding a bike but staying in one spot. You get very good bike handling skills. You want to have a safe way on and off. Sides are where you want an available hand hold. People don’t typically “launch” off rollers. There was no internet when I learned(no youtube) and I have never fallen off. If you are good you can bunny hop on to them. Mine have fans that give you resistance the harder you go. Much nicer than being locked into a trainer.
Rollers are great I really am surprised by some of these responses. Yes it takes a minute to learn how to balance. But guess what – what you learn translates 100 % to the road in terms of smoothness, straight riding, balance and confidence ! They make you a better rider. You’ve already said you are gonna use a trainer for the super hard efforts which is a good plan. Lastly, when you fall off rollers you do not go shooting across the room, you simply tip over – you can prevent this pretty much 100% by just putting them next to something like a doorway, couch or similar.
You cannot coast on rollers. The workout requires continuous output to stay balanced. For starting off, use a medium-low gear. As you warm up, shift into higher gears for more resistance.
My rollers are used in the garage, behind one of my cars. When it’s cold in the garage, I’ll ride for as much as 10 minutes then dismount and turn on a fan to keep me from overheating.
Reaching out to touch the trunk of my car after a session on rollers always results in a strong static shock. Be prepared for that.
Start in a door frame. That way you can catch yourself until you become more confident
Why do those rollers look so small
Here is a good heads up, which I would really appreciate at start: if the clamps are not holding the frame – insert there a folded strip of paper, to slightly increase the tension. If you will have this problem – you will understand what I’m talking about.
When mastered rollers actually require little concentration but do require attention. The majority of the work is done by the centrifugal force of the wheels and the natural balance of riding a bicycle. The trick is not to let fear and your tendency to think you need to steer when balance and the subtlety of your body’s core muscles is more important. It’s important to note that you do not have forward momentum like on the road and slow wheel rotation speed makes it harder to stay upright. – Riding rollers as part of winter training since 1991
Don’t get them if you have downstairs neighbors.
I remember a phrase for better cycling. Get yourself a coach, or buy a set of rollers.
As “terrible-lie-3564” stated in this thread, as you learn to smooth your cadence on the rollers, that muscle memory will translate to real world riding outside.
For me, around 95rpm cadence felt great. And now when I ride on the roads, I am almost always at 95rpm, and I notice I spend less energy. The rollers helps not only with cadence, but also with balance and keeping in a better straight line. Hard to explain or describe, but you’ll notice this after a winter on the rollers when spring arrives. And.. you’ll also see your average speeds increase too on the real roads. Mine was easily 1/2mph gain.