'Rolling Roads'

Quoted message said:

I want to get hold of a 'rolling road' for cycles (i.e. where you place
your bike in a frame, the front wheel is stationary on the ground, and
the rear wheel moved on two cylinder). Could someone provide me with
the correct name for this piece of equipment, and where I could buy
one?

Turbo-Trainers

Go to Wiggle and look under 'Trainers'.
They've go loads.

http://www.wiggle.co.uk/

Prepare of hours of mind-numbing boredom if you get one though.

John B

JohnB said:

Prepare of hours of mind-numbing boredom if you get one though.

That's rather misleading. I got one and didn't have hours of mind
numbing boredom. I gave up on it from boredom after less than half an
hour's total use ;-)

--
Tony

"Don't argue the matter, the difficulties will argue for themselves"
-W.S. Churchill

Tony Raven said:

JohnB said:

Prepare of hours of mind-numbing boredom if you get one though.

That's rather misleading. I got one and didn't have hours of mind
numbing boredom. I gave up on it from boredom after less than half an
hour's total use ;-)

LOL

That reminds me I need to clear the shed out, including the lump of
rusting turbo trainer cluttering the far corner...

John B

Quoted message said:

I want to get hold of a 'rolling road' for cycles (i.e. where you place
your bike in a frame, the front wheel is stationary on the ground, and
the rear wheel moved on two cylinder). Could someone provide me with
the correct name for this piece of equipment, and where I could buy
one?

Not normally two "cylinders" - with the most popular "turbo trainers"
(may also use fluid or magnetic resistance), the bike is clamped at the
rear axle and the tyre rests on an adjustable roller.

Old-fashioned "rollers" have no resistance, and these have two rollers
each for the back wheel and the front wheel. They're linked by a belt
so that the back wheel drives the front and helps you to balance.

in message <[email hidden]>,

(') said:

I want to get hold of a 'rolling road' for cycles (i.e. where you
place your bike in a frame, the front wheel is stationary on the
ground, and
the rear wheel moved on two cylinder). Could someone provide me with
the correct name for this piece of equipment, and where I could buy
one?

You're talking about two different kinds of things, one of them much
more tricky to use than the other.

Firstly rollers, which are as you describe except the front wheel is on
a third, driven, roller. You ride this like riding a bike on the road,
except that you can't get your foot down because you're too high off
the ground, and if you manage to steer off the rollers things get
exceedingly exciting. Definitely one to leave to the experts. The
second is what's called a 'turbo trainer', where the bike is clamped
(usually by the rear skewer) into a sturdy frame which keeps it
upright, and the rear wheel rests on usually only one roller. This is
much easier to use, and much safer, but doesn't have any of the normal
dynamics of cycling.

--
[email hidden] (Simon Brooke) http://www.jasmine.org.uk/~simon/

Morning had broken, and we had run out of gas for the welding torch.

Simon Brooke wrote:
The

Quoted message said:

second is what's called a 'turbo trainer', where the bike is clamped
(usually by the rear skewer) into a sturdy frame which keeps it
upright, and the rear wheel rests on usually only one roller. This is
much easier to use, and much safer,

~~~~~~~~

it can be pretty lethal for the rear traingle of a modern lightweight
frameset
--
---
Marten Gerritsen

INFOapestaartjeM-GINEERINGpuntNL
www.m-gineering.nl

m-gineering said:

it can be pretty lethal for the rear traingle of a modern lightweight
frameset

How is carrying the weight of the bike on the skewer in this way any
different to riding on the road?

Zog The Undeniable said:

m-gineering said:

it can be pretty lethal for the rear traingle of a modern lightweight
frameset

How is carrying the weight of the bike on the skewer in this way any
different to riding on the road?

I was wondering that. If the rider's centre of mass is fixed relative to
the bike, I cannot think of any difference. However, if the rider's
weight shifts from side to side while pedalling, a normal bike will
simply lean to compensate, while one fixed in a trainer remains upright
and the stresses on the right and left sides of the rear triangle will
oscillate. I've done no sums to find out if this could possibly be
significant.

--
Joe * If I cannot be free I'll be cheap

JLB said:

Zog The Undeniable said:

m-gineering said:

it can be pretty lethal for the rear traingle of a modern lightweight
frameset

How is carrying the weight of the bike on the skewer in this way any
different to riding on the road?

I was wondering that. If the rider's centre of mass is fixed relative to
the bike, I cannot think of any difference. However, if the rider's
weight shifts from side to side while pedalling, a normal bike will
simply lean to compensate, while one fixed in a trainer remains upright
and the stresses on the right and left sides of the rear triangle will
oscillate. I've done no sums to find out if this could possibly be
significant.

I can't see how the axle pivoting in the clamps of a turbo trainer
would cause forces that would not be seen during general
riding/cornering? So what if the axle is loosely held.

Mind they are expensive in terms of rear tyres, you're best bet are the
cheapest tyres money can buy.

Vincent Wilcox said:

I can't see how the axle pivoting in the clamps of a turbo trainer would
cause forces that would not be seen during general riding/cornering? So
what if the axle is loosely held.

In normal riding there would be no moment on the rear axle. When you
prevent the rear triangle from angling with respect to the road, you
introduce the force. Given what happens with the BoB Yak (Which has a
similar effect) I suspect that the skewer will fail before the frame
suffers too much.

Jon

Jon Senior said:

In normal riding there would be no moment on the rear axle. When you
prevent the rear triangle from angling with respect to the road, you
introduce the force. Given what happens with the BoB Yak (Which has a
similar effect) I suspect that the skewer will fail before the frame
suffers too much.

In which case use the proper skewer, like the clunky steel one Tacx give
you with their trainers. Mine is permanently on the back of the Nomad -
apart from the weight, it's a good reliable skewer.

Zog The Undeniable said:

Jon Senior said:

In normal riding there would be no moment on the rear axle. When you
prevent the rear triangle from angling with respect to the road, you
introduce the force. Given what happens with the BoB Yak (Which has a
similar effect) I suspect that the skewer will fail before the frame
suffers too much.

In which case use the proper skewer, like the clunky steel one Tacx give
you with their trainers. Mine is permanently on the back of the Nomad -
apart from the weight, it's a good reliable skewer.

Which is all very well, but still gives no explanation of the
observation that commenced this sub-thread. That was the claim that "it
can be pretty lethal for the rear traingle of a modern lightweight
frameset".

--
Joe * If I cannot be free I'll be cheap

JLB said:

Zog The Undeniable said:

Jon Senior said:

In normal riding there would be no moment on the rear axle. When you
prevent the rear triangle from angling with respect to the road, you
introduce the force. Given what happens with the BoB Yak (Which has a
similar effect) I suspect that the skewer will fail before the frame
suffers too much.

In which case use the proper skewer, like the clunky steel one Tacx give
you with their trainers. Mine is permanently on the back of the Nomad -
apart from the weight, it's a good reliable skewer.

Which is all very well, but still gives no explanation of the
observation that commenced this sub-thread. That was the claim that "it
can be pretty lethal for the rear traingle of a modern lightweight
frameset".

The skewer is supplied to fit the hollows of the adjustable cups
locating the wheel.
The swaying motion puts a lot of alternating tension/compression on the
rearstays, not found during normal cycling.

--
---
Marten Gerritsen

INFOapestaartjeM-GINEERINGpuntNL
www.m-gineering.nl

<[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I want to get hold of a 'rolling road' for cycles

In Maryland, USA, where I used to live, there were quite a few
rolling roads. The were so called because they were used to
transport tobacco to the docks, ready for transport to England (or
Glasgow, Scotland). The tobacco was packed into large barrels and
literally rolled along the road. I don't know how they controlled
them on steep downhills. I hate to imagine the carnage if something
like that got loose at the top of somewhere like London's Highgate
Hill.

Jeremy Parker