Desert Ryder

Found these roller locally for cheap.
I'm going to give them a try for training. Put my Dawes on them and they seem to be hard to get rolling.
Can the roller resistance be loosened?

We'll see how this training goes......

gkamieneski

I don’t see a resistance unit on those rollers? Also they do not look to be set long enough for the wheelbase of your bicycle.

Desert Ryder

Rollers are adjustable. The bike actually does fit and roll as is. I guess I just need to be in a different gear.

nomadmax 

Fold up an old towel and place it under the rear roller drum. You can adjust the resistance by folding the towel thicker or thinner. As for correct sizing, hang a string with a weight on it from the middle of the front axle, it should strike a line with the middle of the drum.

Prowler 

….. and if not, use the roller position just ahead of the front axle. Then choose a lower gear to get started then shift up. Higher wheel rpm and cadence will be more stable. Don’t “lug it” on rollers. And don’t watch the front wheel to see how you’re doing. Watch a spot 8’ or more ahead of the wheel. Lots more useful information out there if you just search for it.

Give it time. Be persistent. I find they’re worth it.

gkamieneski

Rollers look to be alloy. If that is the case, consider Neodymium magnets for resistance.Don't need the friction from the towel.

Desert Ryder

I wasn't looking for more resistance. I was looking at less resistance for easier cadence.

spelger

How much resistance if you spin each drum by hand? No rubber band of course. Maybe one or more bearings needs some work?

Desert Ryder

Thanks for the suggestions.
I adjusted the rollers and moved the front roller up two spaces. They spin freely by hand now.

Sold the Dawes Lightning 1000 so I will be trying the rollers with my mountain bike.

Prowler 

Good. Nice roller set (I prefer solid metal stuff vs “modern” plastic and rubber. I hope your mtn bike tires are pretty smooth. Many folks find that mtn bike tires are too rough on smooth rollers and too noisy. You can buy street tires if needed. At least get mtn bike tires with a continuous line of solid tread down the center.

This never occurred to me as I use a drop bar road bike on mine: if someone rode a more upright mountain bike on rollers (less weight on the front wheel) would the bike behave badly? If you rode a classic long TT and long stem mtn bike it may be fine. Let us know how the mtn bike works. Post photos.

nomadmax 

When it comes to rollers, videos are way better than pics

gkamieneski

Maybe it's just photo perspective but your last photo seems to show the middle and back roller an awfully far apart. They look to be very good rollers. I like the measurement scale on the front roller position.

Now that you've got them spinning freely, I will bet you will be considering resistance. Smooth rollers without resistance are great for warming up or cooling down at the velodrome, but for training, you'll soon want to be able to add to the load. If they should stop spinning smoothly, most rollers use fairly common sealed cartridge bearings and can be easily replaced.

msu2001la

I can get a good workout spinning on no-resistance rollers, but need to really ramp up the cadence. Rollers are great for smoothing out your pedal stroke and require a lot of concentration/balance and ability to maintain a good line. I think they helped my riding quite a bit at the beginning, but after a while I got bored with them and switched back to my regular trainer.

In a perfect world, I'd have controllable resistance rollers that worked with Zwift (and attached to something like a Kickr Climb to simulate grade). I'm sure it's coming.

gkamieneski

Elite may already have what you are looking for with their Elite Nero Smart Rollers.

Marylander

I've got some really crappy tires (kenda kwick roller sport 32mm, that came stock on one of my bikes) that provide a crazy amount of resistance on the rollers (almost half the speed at the same power level as a pair of 4000 GTs 23mm). There are lots of different ways to add resistance if you get to that point.

dmanthree

I rode a set of Kreitler rollers for about 20 years. Once you get the hang of it they're OK. Hint: get a couple extra belts. ;-)

blacknbluebikes 

Be near something you can reach out and grab, like a railing. Don't watch ride videos made with a helmet cam - if creator turns their head, I always flinch, sway and sometimes slide off sideways. get a box or a couple 5/4 thick boards to step up on for mounting.

dmanthree

All sounds too familiar! Really, like riding on ice.

Desert Ryder

I tried my rollers with a Dawes Lightning and was able to ride..OK.
I sold my Dawes so I decided to try my Trek MTB on them.
The tires were kinda low. I started spinning and in short time caught myself before falling to the ground.
Going to give it another go after I air up the tires and move the front roller to the last mounting spot. I'm sure something better than knobby tires would roll better.

Reference pics only. The rollers are usually out back on our patio area.

Desert Ryder

Well.....called it quits.
Sold the rollers. I was able to ride but never felt comfortable.
I fell a couple of times and my wife said I was going to hurt myself. So, off they went.