Roller recommendation?

John Forrest Tomlinson said:

I've got to wonder about tricks like that -- what's the point?

If someone enjoys those tricks, good for them. And if the skill
involved in riding rollers makes the stationary experience more
tolerable for the rider great.

But I think most riders would be best served by borrowing rollers for
a few months, getting good enough on them to ride well - perhaps
stable enough to ride no-handed. Once that's done, leave them and get
a trainer. Beyond being smooth enough to ride easily on rollers, I
don't think there is much value (from a performance standpoint) to
getting better than that at them.

Agreed except I'd (and I did) push for being able to ride easily no
hands, change jersies, ride slowly, etc. Standing, I never did master,
nor hopping off, except by accident. IMHO this is a great skill and
confidence builder, especially for those of us who are not exactly
gifted athletes.

One "performance" thing I did was using a metronome while riding
rollers. Some interesting things happened there and whatever work was
done had to be smooth. Something I think that helped me personally,
"YMMV". --D-y

A few more advantages to rollers.

They don't apply strange forces to the bike frame.

Switching to a different bike is easy, all bikes with smooth-ish tires
will run on rollers as long as the wheelbase can be accommodated.

They provide a easy test bed for bike fit, initial test after assembly
and troubleshooting drive train, especially when the weather outside is
unsuitable.

A great way to experience a lumpy tire or rim.

A few more disadvantages.

May drive the neighbors in the apartment below crazy.

Drunken friends want to try it.

You can't "zone out" while riding.

Even folding rollers take up more storage room than a trainer.

Marcus

John,

My reason for wanting to ride no hands is on a practical level, not to
show off to anyone - except perhaps to wife (who I doubt would care)
and the kids (who may dangerously imitate me). Like the other poster
said, to remove tops as I get warmed up, but also to change channels,
sit up straight to relax the back, possibly to open a snack or
bar...etc. As others know, riding one handed isn't that stable either.

I also agree with you that it would serve a lot of people good if they
borrowed and used rollers even for a brief period of time. It would
certainly help those in my club who I abhor riding behind (side to
side, pedal-coast-pedal-coast)

To the other posters,
I'll have to look at the position of the front roller. That may well
explain why I couldn't do what I've seen others do. Thanks everyone for
the helpful tips.

John Forrest Tomlinson said:

On Wed, 22 Nov 2006 11:09:28 -0800, "G.T." <[email hidden]>

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Would you or anyone else have experience riding no-hands on rollers? I
have no problems riding on my rollers but have never been able to do
the "look ma, no hands" stunt.

Yes, I can ride no-handed. However, I can't ride no-handed and
one-legged at the same time. I actually haven't attempted that and
probably never will.

I've got to wonder about tricks like that -- what's the point?

If someone enjoys those tricks, good for them. And if the skill
involved in riding rollers makes the stationary experience more
tolerable for the rider great.

But I think most riders would be best served by borrowing rollers for
a few months, getting good enough on them to ride well - perhaps
stable enough to ride no-handed. Once that's done, leave them and get
a trainer. Beyond being smooth enough to ride easily on rollers, I
don't think there is much value (from a performance standpoint) to
getting better than that at them.

--
JT
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"Kinky Cowboy" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

On 21 Nov 2006 21:14:20 -0800, [email hidden] wrote:

Quoted message said:

To get more stability on rollers, move the rollers closer together to
get more trail. Having the front roller centre 1/2" to 1" behind the
front wheel centre is OK, having it in front of the wheel will make
the steering very twitchy

Kinky Cowboy*

I don't get this. Every roller mfgr I have come across says to make sure
the center of the front wheel's axle is "behind" the center of the roller by
up to 3/4". Yours is the first post that suggests the other way around.

Tim McTeague

Tim McTeague said:

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

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

To get more stability on rollers, move the rollers closer together to
get more trail. Having the front roller centre 1/2" to 1" behind the
front wheel centre is OK, having it in front of the wheel will make
the steering very twitchy

Quoted message said:

I don't get this. Every roller mfgr I have come across says to make sure
the center of the front wheel's axle is "behind" the center of the roller by
up to 3/4". Yours is the first post that suggests the other way around.

When I put a long wheelbase touring bike on the rollers, the axle ends
up ahead of the front roller. I don't know if the handling is more or
less stable, but the bike has more tendency to jump off the front of the
rollers. I think you can understand why if you think about it for a
minute. Maybe that's why the manufacturers don't recommend this arrangement.

If I'm pedaling smooth and easy, the fore-aft movement is not a problem.
If I try to sprint or shift my weight around, the movement is kind of
annoying. I find it more difficult to get started on the rollers with
the front hub ahead of the roller; the bike can jump off the front of
the rollers if I start too fast.

I prefer to have my axle slightly behind the front roller, although
that's not usually possible with my cheap Nashbar rollers and large
(about 60cm) bikes.

--
Dave
dvt at psu dot edu

Everyone confesses that exertion which brings out all the powers of body
and mind is the best thing for us; but most people do all they can to
get rid of it, and as a general rule nobody does much more than
circumstances drive them to do. -Harriet Beecher Stowe, abolitionist and
novelist (1811-1896)

Tim McTeague said:

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

Quoted message said:

On 21 Nov 2006 21:14:20 -0800, [email hidden] wrote:

Quoted message said:

To get more stability on rollers, move the rollers closer together to
get more trail. Having the front roller centre 1/2" to 1" behind the
front wheel centre is OK, having it in front of the wheel will make
the steering very twitchy

Kinky Cowboy*

I don't get this. Every roller mfgr I have come across says to make sure
the center of the front wheel's axle is "behind" the center of the roller by
up to 3/4". Yours is the first post that suggests the other way around.

They suggest this to reduce the chance of riding off the front; with
the axle behind the roller, you have to go uphill first to go over.
The trade off is reduced trail, which reduces lateral stability. If
you're a smooth pedaller who never gets anywhere near going over the
front roller, trading that risk for some extra stability is a nice
thing. If you like to get out of the saddle, stick with the safe
option suggested by the manufacturers and accept that riding slowly,
and especially no handed, will require finer balance.

Kinky Cowboy*

*Batteries not included
May contain traces of nuts
Your milage may vary

"Kinky Cowboy" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

Quoted message said:

They suggest this to reduce the chance of riding off the front; with
the axle behind the roller, you have to go uphill first to go over.
The trade off is reduced trail, which reduces lateral stability. If
you're a smooth pedaller who never gets anywhere near going over the
front roller, trading that risk for some extra stability is a nice
thing. If you like to get out of the saddle, stick with the safe
option suggested by the manufacturers and accept that riding slowly,
and especially no handed, will require finer balance.

Kinky Cowboy*

Thanks, that makes sense. I may try that at some point. I just got the
rollers, Kreitler Poly-Lytes, and on my first attempt I was thinking "how
can anyone stay up on these things?". On my next try I decided to use my
regular bike shoes as riding without them my feet kept moving around. Being
clipped in made things smoother and I was able to ride a few minutes at a
time without touching the doorjamb. I'm sure practice will improve things
but, damn, they take a lot of concentration.

Tim

Tim McTeague said:

Thanks, that makes sense. I may try that at some point. I just got the
rollers, Kreitler Poly-Lytes, and on my first attempt I was thinking "how
can anyone stay up on these things?". On my next try I decided to use my
regular bike shoes as riding without them my feet kept moving around. Being
clipped in made things smoother and I was able to ride a few minutes at a
time without touching the doorjamb. I'm sure practice will improve things
but, damn, they take a lot of concentration.

Yeah, they do. That's part of what makes them more palatable than a
trainer though. By having to pay attention, balancing, actually
riding a bike rather than just sitting there, much of the dread and
boredom is eliminated :-)

When you get out of the doorway, you'll probably still need a chair
back to hold onto to mount.

I'm on my second off-season and have graduated to standing - but not
for any length of time. Just enough to stretch and take the load off
the butt momentarily. I've had a few mishaps, but no permanent bike
and body damage. On thing I learned: put the TV directly in front of
you. If it's to one side or the other, you might drift in that
direction without noticing and...doh!

No hands is still an alien concept, but then I'm not one of those
"take off the jacket" or "pull the jersey over your head" type of no
hands riders on the road, anyway. I'm strictly limited to "take the
power bar out of your jersey pocket, remove the wrapper and eat" at my
best.

There are two women in my bike club who regularly do "take off the
jacket" in a paceline and pretend it's a walk in the park. I'm not
worthy... But isn't humiliating males with their superior balance a
woman's revenge for the strength thing?