Prowler 

Gentleman, another couple of thoughts that may help. As still a relative noob on rollers, I'm glad I learned these.

You'll read about setting up in a confined space, like a doorway or, at least against the wall. I'm glad I've rigged a space that's just beyond shoulder width. I don't fall off any more.

Early on I fabricated a mounting block that facilitates getting on and off. "Fabricated" sounds better than "I banged one up out of scrap 1x pine laying around, just before it went into the wood stove".

I use my Y2K Cannondale R600 on the rollers but make two changes. I remove the normal pedals I use the rest of the year and install simple, cheap mtn bike pedals with half cages, all plastic. It gives me good foot retention but my feed are not "clipped in" to the pedal. For a noob on rollers things can (as the Brits would say) go pear shaped very quickly. I'd rather not be clipped to the pedal when that happens. Given the need for higher cadences its good to have some foot retention but not too much for me yet.

The last is only because I could: rather than use my street tire and rather than changing tires twice a year, I made a roller only wheel. Decent 7spd wheel/cassette with a longer axle and spacers so it is plug and play with the 9spd frame and drivetrain. It has a 700x28 tire on it and I use that all winter, just don't shift up past the end of the stack. Then, if we get a wonderful break in the weather I can pop the summer wheel back on or go ride the winter bike and swap wheels in the spring.

Good luck with rollers. I'm a believer.

Prowler 

tiger1964 wondered about whether or not QBP still carried replacement belts for rollers. I checked today and yes, they do, a bit.

One generic belt: 3/16" dia and 29" in length. They suggest suitable for any rollers that are 30 - 36" apart.

3 belts listed for Kreitler rollers. One for 4.5" drums and one for 3" and 2.25" drums. And a third for the Killer Head unit (Killer was Kreitler's dog)

Check your LBS for retail pricing, of course.

tiger1964 

Thanks, I measured my Weyless rollers, almost exactly 36" c-to-c Drum A to Drum B. Not sure how 29" enters into it; time for me to reflect quietly upon this. It will be interesting to contact the LBS, this is almost like asking for Draisine parts.

bamboobike4

I finally sold my all-metal Nashbar ice skate rollers and my Nashbar parabolic nylon rollers. $20 each.

I invested in a good used set of Inside Ride E-Motion rollers. Even without the E-Flex fork mount, they are much easier to ride. Basically, the rollers move as the bike does, and it’s as realistic, if not more, than fancy-pants trainers. They are simply not electronic.

You can easily discern different handling, etc between different bikes, because you are riding the bike.

All that said, I have a KickrSmart on an E-Flex stand. It’s just easier to hop on and ride. It’s 3/4 the workout.

Rollers are a workout from moment one. Trainers are not. Both are good.

droppedandlost 

aim for the vice

TPL

vise = that large red piece of metal attached to the workbench
actually riding rollers is a vice

steelbikeguy

I enjoyed the joke, but looking at it again, I feel the need to recommend getting a fan and not counting on a towel to stop the sweat from dripping on the bike. A towel soaked in sweat is not much of an improvement over just sweating directly on the bike.

And a question... I used to ride Weyless rollers with the optional steps. It made starting and stopping much safer. How many folks don't use any sort of step or platform? Do you just stand on the roller rails or what?

Steve in Peoria

droppedandlost 

But I won't be able to go as fast with the wind resistance.

In my case, bike on rollers, clip in left side, hold front brake, right hand on tool chest, mount, clip in right side, spin, let go

BFisher

Not quite that cut and dry.

Vice /Vise

Back on topic, mine are coming today. Hopefully I can try them out this evening. Saw a video of a young girl ride onto a set of rollers, skip rope while riding, and ride off like a boss. I'm motivated!

tcs

Miss Lorette Burke removes pants on wood rollers, chrome Paramount, 1948:



That Classic & Vintage enough for you?

Hard to learn? Dan Henry (yes, THAT Dan Henry) could strip to his skivvies while rollering, a skill he would demonstrate at cycle rallies.

They might be old school, but I'm unconvinced that rollers are obsolete. I go on early spring rides and see strong riders lurching side to side, stomping at the pedals and think, 'You spent the winter on a fixed trainer, didn't you?' So much wasted power!

My set is approaching 40 years old, the Kreitler economy model of the day with large diameter full-polycarbonate rollers. I ordered a new drive belt last year - I mean, the world's simplest bicycle part but still pleased I could get one.

steelbikeguy

does that mean that there are Strava segments for roller rides now?

I have to imagine that while this works, it might even be better if you could keep both hands on the bars when starting off. This is one benefit of steps.
Another benefit is that you can catch yourself just before the bike goes off the side of the rollers!
Steps might be one of those things that you don't need, but once you've used them, you realize how helpful they are. ... or maybe it's just me?

Steve in Peoria

tgot 

My experience: No platform, but since everything is stationary the frame of the rollers is sufficient step-up. I did a bunch of rollers in 2020, capping out at about 40 minutes per session. I learned to shift on the DT while rolling, but not to drink from a bottle in the DT cage.

I had a nearby wall on one side to help with low speed starting and stopping.

I felt it really helped that I was pointed at a full height window or glass door. The reflection of wheel and roller was visually far enough ahead to feel like riding.

Prowler 

Gosh! I have yet to find any woman removing her pants while I’m on my rollers. Musta be doing something wrong. I can, however, now take one hand off the bars to unzip my fleece jacket. Wowza😳. That’s it though. Gotta concentrate.

bamboobike4

jonwvara 

I have a set of cheap Nashbar rollers that I have used hard for the past ten years, and have not worn out yet. I can shift gears or scratch my nose without crashing if I pay close attention. I am puzzled by the conventional wisdom that rollers are good for developing fast and fluid pedaling, but don't provide much in the way of an aerobic workout. I find that if I pedal hard in high gear, I am soon sweating and breathing hard. After 40 minutes, I'm sweating and breathing really hard. Maybe I'm just in terrible shape?

Guerc 

I used to ride rollers, way back decades ago (and about 35lbs ago, as someone said). I got to where I could open up the Wall Street Journal an peruse the articles. I don’t think I could actually concentrate and read the paper, but I was really just after the circus trick of it all.

i just bought another set of rollers during the pandemic but never had the discipline to ride them regularly. I’ll try again this weekend.

edit: i also remember that one of the bearings was going bad and it made an awful noise. Instead of replacing the bearing on the left front side, I just learned to ride on the right half of the drum so the noise quieted down.

BFisher

I gave the rollers my first try today, and after some initial awkwardness, I got a solid ten minutes in. Compared to trainers and spin bikes the rollers seemed to give me just what I was missing, but required much more concentration. I like 'em, and the cardio level was more than I expected.

Oh, and yes I rode C&V for the first try. My '79 Motobecane got the nod.

steelbikeguy

congrats!
Yep, they are twitchy as heck and require a fair bit of concentration to remain upright. Plus, if you go off the side of the rollers and drop to the floor, you just know that you are going to suffer an injury to the crotch, so that only adds to the motivation to stay on the rollers!

It does get easier as you gain experience. Before you know it, you'll be riding no-hands and taking off your shirt/jersey to stay cool. Piece of cake!

Steve in Peoria

tiger1964 

Probably only minimal, but perhaps a length of foam plumbing-pipe insulation for a bit of slip-on, slip-off protection on the top tube? Might keep the perpe prespo pirpe sweat off the frame as well? My brother once sweated through a frame using rollers; then built of a specific bike using a cheapo frame.

john903

If the bike is really twitchy on the rollers you may need to adjust the front roller a bit further back or forward. Try a couple different locations and see what works best. Also air your tires up more then you normally would (mine are 95psi instead of 80psi) that also helps the stability of the bike. Also what other people have mentioned look forward about 10', relax your upper body. The faster you spin the more the bike becomes stable too. I really like rollers they are more interactive and I don't get as bored as a stationary trainer. They are fun and as you improve take small steps working on sitting up, reaching down to shift, getting water, and even standing can all be great fun and more realistic.
Most of all have fun.

steelbikeguy

personally, I like to use steps/platforms to allow catching yourself if you end up going off the side.

As for sweat, a fan can keep you from sweating, thereby avoiding the need to protect the bike from the sweat. Another benefit is that proper cooling allows a better workout. It might also help to ride in a cooler room. I sometimes rode in an unheated garage in the winter, which worked fairly well!

Steve in Peoria

brewerkz 

I just purchased a cheap Nashbar set for $40, thinking if I dont like them I am not out much. I have been riding an 85 Schwinn Madison on it and get a very good workout as well. Note: one roller is slightly out of round so I need to find a replacement part or better roller set.

Prowler 

OK I’ll crow a bit, since you bring it up. Sunday afternoon I was on the rollers, being a well behaved noob, doing about 65 to 75 cadence (depending on what the tune was on the stereo) and looking out the window. For some mad reason I wound it up to 85 to 90 cadence, held that a few seconds then took both hands off the bars. STEADY! Rode no hands for 10 seconds then grabbed on and was myself again. Just to be sure, I did that 2 more times. Yikes. I did not take off my pants, but no hands is quite an accomplishment for me.

jonwvara 

"Pride goeth before destruction, and and haughty spirit before a fall."

trucklet

Well I'm convinced now, I really want to try rollers. I have a stationary trainer but that gets boring. It sounds like there's plenty to focus on with rollers.