Crazybikerdude

Sorry for the noob question. What is the benefit of having a double flywheel on the rollers? To me, it just looks l Iike an engineer got bored and tried to fix a problem that doesn't exist.

carleton

The flywheel is a resistance unit.

Please forgive the following if you are familiar with rollers:

Rollers typically provide very little rolling resistance. Most of the workout that a rider gets is via aerobic expenditure from moving the legs. The resistance that a rider experiences is simply from the tires being deformed against the drums of the rollers. Narrow drums deform tires at a sharper angle than wide drums, thus providing more resistance.

"Why ever get wide drums then?"

Wide drums are preferred by those who use rollers to warmup for a race, actively cool down after a tough race/effort (like a kilo where simply sitting down is not advised), work on cadence, or work on form but do not want to expend energy overcoming resistance.

Now, if you have wide drums and you want to get resistance from them, Kreitler makes a resistance unit you can attach to get some resistance. NOW it feels like a mag or fluid trainer. Dunderhi attached two resistance units to is trainer (they are modular), giving a tough workout from a set of rollers that would normally offer minimum resistance. Think or turning a mag trainer switch from "no resistance" to almost "max resistance".

queerpunk

I took an easier route to adding resistance to my wide-drum rollers - I bolted a bar across the frame just in front of the rear roller.

And I put strong magnets on the bar.

Instant resistance through the magic of science.

dunderhi

@carleton - Thanks, for the assist, but I'll qualify it a bit that it's not quite as hard as a mag trainer on Max - even with the head unit.

@queerpunk - True, the magnet solution alone would allow me to crank it up to Max, but the flywheels also have the added benefits of feeling more road-like and allow me to coast, well... technically allow my wife to coast, since I've very recently moved onto a set of TruTrainers (which are more compact with an internal flywheel).

queerpunk

yeah - that sounds excellent.
with the magnets I kind of have to make a decision between resistance and road feel. I can scootch the magnets closer or further from the rollers in order to increase or decrease the resistance, but if i have enough resistance to let me get up to real watts, the road feel definitely goes away.

but, it's definitely broadened the range of power output that i can do on the rollers.

MnFors

I want to become a good sprinter. I did a for fun sprint race at a road clinic, and while I have no problem beating normal riders my own age, I got destroyed by the other sprinters and the few adults there.

MrMinty

What kind of "sprinter" are you aiming to be- a pure sprinter who specialises in short distances e.g. 200m tt, match sprint etc or an endurance rider that has a strong sprint, that would excel in a points race, end of a scratch race etc. These are 2 very different things. I am in the latter- a track endurance racer. I'm aiming for the points & elimination races this year and am building my recovery rate by doing HIIT sessions

MnFors

I want to focus on pure power and the short events. I have a bad VO2 max, so high speed distance riding then a sprint are much harder than one anaerobic effort.

VanceMac

If only there some way to improve that...

sergioflorez

get on track finally

rensho3

It's amazing what a few pounds loss will do for VO2

gtrob

longer cranks?

taras0000

No, you do it by switching from 1/8 to 3/32.

MrMinty

1. Finish Manchester Velodrome Accreditation process

Annoyed- Went for Stage 2 yesterday and the whole of my group failed because 1 of the group couldn't hold a wheel.

We were doing through and off but going back into the pack rather than to the very back. There were 14 of us, so rider 1 went to postion 4, rider 5 to 8, rider 9 to 11 and 12 to 14 (the very back)

I was rider 10, and rider 9 left a big gap between him and no 8, so when he pulled up, there was a bloody massive gulf between me and the rider in front, so I had to try and close that down every bloody time.

Slightly annoyed, but eggs is eggs.

McRussellPants

Original goals were a Flying 200 in the 12.5 ballpark and try to get through the 3s to a real late season 2 upgrade.

But... through the perfect storm of a slipped forward cleat and broken shoe strap and me being an idiot on a bike geared too tall for the street I pulled my achilles. At any rate, the end result is partial tear or just the most gnarly case of tendopathy I could have come up with.

Going to a DPT tommorow, but right now I'm thinking I want to rehab it as best as we can without surgery and see if it sticks. Either way, currently would be happy to not lose ground this year to last, we'll see.

1incpa

That really sucks McRussell! Hopefully it's not too bad.
Paul

carleton

Good luck, man.

I ruptured my Achilles tendon playing basketball back in 2006. Ironically, I rode my fixed gear on the street to rehab it.

MrMinty

1. Finish Manchester Velodrome Accreditation process (Stage 1 of 4 done, open sessions booked to learn stage 2 drills)

Went to do Stage 2 again, but there weren't enough of us there. Did some other drills- Shoulder to shoulder riding, madison changes, stacking, rolling up and stopping on the top barrier, pursuit style changes. Disappointed I didn't get through to stage 3 but some skills learnt that will be handy in race situations, and things I haven't done before even on a shallow outdoor velodrome.

2. Overall top half finish of track league in B Endurance (runs weekly May-Sept)

Hopeful I can still do this, but I'm just thinking that as its my first year racing, and after talking on the forum, I want to try all races and see where my strengths/weaknesses lie (Carleton- you make a sprinter of me yet!)

dunderhi

You're getting in some track time, so it isn't all bad right?

For your first couple of years of racing, there's no need to specialized. Get out there and learn/experience as much as you can about all of the events. Your specialty will find you.

MrMinty

Yeah, track time is all good (especially as the weather in the UK is so rubbish at the moment). Only a few more weeks until the outdoor tracks open properly though

Good news is, I passed my Stage 2 this weekend. Did yet more different exercises- Maintaining half laps, "square dance" changing, dropping down in a line then swinging back up etc. All good track craft. Stage 3 on Easter Sunday I hope

WhatsYoCadence

My goals are to beat MarkWW in a match sprint.

Dalai

@WhatsYoCadence short term or stretch goal?

TrackMonkey7

Hey @WhatsYoCadence, have we met? I'm trying to guess who you might be at Kissena. I know you're not Jesse or BJ. Reveal yourself!

WhatsYoCadence

I'm guessing you're Nick B.?

TrackMonkey7

The one and only.