Training on rollers

Hi guys,

I am surprised you can ride no hands on rollers. That's pretty impressive. For me - I can do one hand, look around, move arms and change positions, but not no hands. I would crash for sure.

For climbing, if you're in the big ring in a 15 or smaller, you can get out of the saddle pretty easily. It's the issue of stability again - i.e. don't rock the bike back and forth, you'll ride out. I have tried numerous 'styles' out of the saddle, mostly, it's a modified sprinting position that seems to be the most stable.

JB

jobrazy said:

Hi guys,

I am surprised you can ride no hands on rollers. That's pretty impressive. For me - I can do one hand, look around, move arms and change positions, but not no hands. I would crash for sure.

For climbing, if you're in the big ring in a 15 or smaller, you can get out of the saddle pretty easily. It's the issue of stability again - i.e. don't rock the bike back and forth, you'll ride out. I have tried numerous 'styles' out of the saddle, mostly, it's a modified sprinting position that seems to be the most stable.

JB

jobrazy,

I remember being nervous learning to ride with no hands....it was hairy at first, a high gear/wheel speed (not necessarily cadence) helped with stability. I find since when you ride with no hands you naturally sit up on the bike you will automatically center your weight over the cranks and lighten the load on the front wheel. This is a good thing ! 🙂 Don't look down, look ahead, for me that would be looking at my TV in the garage 😉 After much practice now I can take off my shirt, wipe my face with a towel, etc.

However, when standing I find that I have to watch both the twitchyness of the front wheel going side to side and the back tire too wanting to come off the rollers 😕 Yesterday it seemed like I got the hang of it fairly quick....this morning it was like the sophmore jinx kicked in 😠 Like I said, I would like to be able to do all my winter training on one piece of equipment, rollers. The only thing I'm missing is doing climbing training....I'll keep at it though :p

J.

I have a question, what are the usual results when you ride off of the rollers? So far I haven't had that experience.

LowCel said:

I have a question, what are the usual results when you ride off of the rollers? So far I haven't had that experience.

Not much, I usually catch myself before my tire even gets off the outer frame of the roller. You need something to grab with your hands though. I have a treadmill on one side, the other is open. The worst is when I ride off and reach for the treadmill next to me, miss, and they in slow motion 😠 fall to the side opposite the treadmill........I worry more for my bike than my body 😄

J.

JoeOxfordCT said:

Not much, I usually catch myself before my tire even gets off the outer frame of the roller. You need something to grab with your hands though. I have a treadmill on one side, the other is open. The worst is when I ride off and reach for the treadmill next to me, miss, and they in slow motion 😠 fall to the side opposite the treadmill........I worry more for my bike than my body 😄

J.

Thanks. Since the rollers are still pretty new to me I have been using them in a door way. I figured that was about the safest place for me.

LowCel said:

Thanks. Since the rollers are still pretty new to me I have been using them in a door way. I figured that was about the safest place for me.

I train in my garage in the winter. I have a TV w/DVD player and a space heater too. However, it's a couple steps down into the garage from the house and that's the only doorway I could possible roll in 🙁 Use your doorway while you can but know that you have other options too. If your doorway is very narrow and you find yourself bouncing your shoulders off the jambs frequently then you're not getting the full effect of learning real balance. You want to be able to move around some on rollers.....sometimes I pretend that I have the little hotdog rollers that are only 8-10 inches wide and see exactly how straight I can pedal 😉 Other times it's nice to know that if you veer off center a little you can correct yourself without having to grab something with your hands.

The worst is watching TDF on DVD and when they show scenes of riders decsending the mountains I find myself leaning into the turns being shown on TV which of course leads me into riding off the rollers if I'm not careful :eek: :eek: :eek:

Good Luck and keep at it 😎

Joe in Oxford, CT. USA.

Hi Joe and Lo,

When I first ran rollers, I rode off and cranked the door in front of me, into the wall and untrued a rim (big ring 15 - BIG oops!). The other thing is riding out of the side, which can hammer a rim as well if you hit it just right.

Joe - I like using both pieces of gear just to keep it interesting. Frankly, my butt gets sore(er) or rollers than resistance becasue of the out of the saddle abilities of resistance trainers. I also try to get outside - even in the [censored] - a couple of times each week. It means alot of bike cleaning (desalinization that is). I usually do 5- 6 days per week of training with morning fat-off 75% HR efforts and evening intervals and rollers. Then I try to get 2X per week on my TT bike to work on position and steady state inetervals at various wattages and HR's.

JB

Last winter I got a set of Tacx Antares rollers. I played around with them over the winter a bit, not as much as I wish I had but this fall/winter I hope to get in many more hours on them. It was strange because I really hadn't defined what kind of results I was looking for from the rollers at first but now I do know that I want to improve my spin and cadence, smooth out my general riding and increase my endurance. I'm looking forward to another winter on the rollers but this time with many more hours spent on them.

this looks like a really good way to divide your time when on the trainer. I'm going to copy this down and use it on my next trainer/rollers workout.

I use my 3.5 inch diameter Kreitler rollers all the time. In my highest gear at 35 mph, I'm pushing over 300 watts (if memory serves). I'll repost with an exact number after my next session. I do know that at 22mph and my body weight of 198, I am doing 220 watts. My FTP is 240 so the rollers are great for me for all sorts of sessions. I've been doing tempo and sweet spot intervals this winter. I will move to VO2s later on them. So, those people who say rollers are not as good as trainers really need to reconsider. They mimic road riding, they help pedaling efficiency and technique, and they help with bike handling and balance.

I have done 2 hour sessions on them while listening to music or audiobooks. Typically, I do about 1.5 hours on them per session.. They don't require much concentration after you get used to them. I have never had a bad fall. I would recommend you start out using them between a door jam so you have something to lean on on either side of you. Now, I just have a wall on one side. I have yet to have any issues. I will move back to a door jam when I start training in the aero position in the drops again.

I think a trainer would bore me. Rollers are just fun. if you need to generate more power on rollers, you can get a smaller diameter roller or a resistance unit for them.

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by Dave539 [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]

I put 2 hours on the rollers 4 days a week in the winter. I am so tired of hearing that [censored] from bicyclist and bicycle coaches in regards to "you can get a good work out on rollers". Yeah, you won't get a workout if you sit on them for 30 minutes in a 53 - 20 gear ratio. Let me tell you what I do:

I put a 56T chainring up front, that's right, a big monster. I got rid of the small chainring because it makes you lazy. I put a 11 - 18 cog/cassette in the back. I have 700 x 30 tires at 90 psi, heavy road dudes that increase resistance. The bicycle that I used was bought from a yard sale - it's an old ten speed, classic racer.

So that [censored] that you hear from bicyclist that you can't get a workout are people that have not tried this or they read stats in a book, or they are lazy.

You're tough as nails Dave, 2 hrs x 4 days per week --- ouch. I guess at worst, you'll have a good start to the season, nice work!

^^^^^A good start to his 2005 season, this thread is 9 years old [IMG]/img/vbsmilies/smilies/biggrin.gif[/IMG]

I have a nice set of rollers and use them for my speed work, they work great. I will try to focus on keeping as high of an average cadence as I can over a set time. Although all I seem to be able to do on the rollers is 45min before the increased pressure from lack of resistance starts to make "things" go a bit numb. I can't stand up, so I have to get off for a couple of minutes. I do push the limits on them, just trying to get more comfortable on the bike in general and can ride without hands for only short periods of time, it just seems that when I stand up the wheel heads right for the edge.

I think it is fair to stop after every 30 minutes and stretch your legs a bit - you'd do the same out on the road (like, when coasting down a hill or coming to a stop light). I usually am bored with what is ever on the DVD by then and pop off to change the DVD and then go on again. Prevents numbness pretty will.

And for all of those who say rollers aren't a good workout, remember, the gold standard for roller workouts is turning 100 miles in under 3 hours. Only once you can do that can you can say rollers aren't a good workout. [IMG]/img/vbsmilies/smilies/drool.gif[/IMG]

This standard, BTW, was set by Ralph Myatt in the early 1980s in San Diego - he did it on a track bike with a 56x12.

One last thing - to work on riding no handed (and other assorted tricks, like undressing, riding the drops, toweling off sweat, etc.) start with a lower tire pressure, like 80 psi. It will slow down the skittering effect of your front wheel and forgive any jerkiness a little better.

I paused my trainer ride yesterday so I could turn the lights on. I was off the bike for 24 seconds. My heart rate dropped 20 beats - 154 to 134. Made the next 5 minutes seem easy.

But if pausing fits into your plan, do it.

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by An old Guy [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]

I paused my trainer ride yesterday so I could turn the lights on. I was off the bike for 24 seconds. My heart rate dropped 20 beats - 154 to 134. Made the next 5 minutes seem easy.

But if pausing fits into your plan, do it.

On the rollers, I have to pause after a 20 to 30 minute interval/session. I stop and pause for a minute to give my bum a rest. For some reason, when on the rollers, my bum really starts to hurt. But, I can ride for hours on the road with no issues. I think it is exactly as emacdo says - because you do micro stretching on the road - downhills, stopping at lights, standing up, etc....

What does HR drop have anything to do with how hard you ride? You said it made it seem easy. I can produce 300W at a HR of 55. However, after a few minutes, it would be 175ish. But, the time between 55 and 175 BPM still sucks! LOL. HR is just a response to the work. It doesn't directly affect the work.

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by awilki01 [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]

What does HR drop have anything to do with how hard you ride? You said it made it seem easy. I can produce 300W at a HR of 55. However, after a few minutes, it would be 175ish. But, the time between 55 and 175 BPM still sucks! LOL. HR is just a response to the work. It doesn't directly affect the work.

Life does not suck for me until EITHER my power output is above 750w OR my heart rate is above 175 - my max is 185 or so.

But to your question. The heart rate drop indicates that my body has caught up with the demands I am putting on it. I believe the theory of doing repeats is that you work and then rest and then work, the belief is that it is easier to do an interval after a rest than to just continue on without a rest.

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by An old Guy [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]

Life does not suck for me until EITHER my power output is above 750w OR my heart rate is above 175 - my max is 185 or so.

But to your question. The heart rate drop indicates that my body has caught up with the demands I am putting on it. I believe the theory of doing repeats is that you work and then rest and then work, the belief is that it is easier to do an interval after a rest than to just continue on without a rest.

My life sucks after 450 - 500 watts - if I try to hold it for a little longer than a minute [IMG]/img/vbsmilies/smilies/biggrin.gif[/IMG]. 750 watts will suck for you after a certain amount of time - probably alot less than two minutes.

If you train with power, you can more or less ignore HR to a point. There are some times when it makes sense to pay attention. For example, if you HR is too high for a given power, etc. That could indicate some over training issues, excessive caffeine, stress, heat, etc. But, for the most part, just ignore it. It will beat as fast as it needs to - or until you pass out. HR can show your increased fitness over time as well as it drops with a given demand.

With all that said though, I always wear my HR strap. It's just another metric to watch. I like numbers.

I very pleased with my performance today because I had a heart rate. I am easier to please the older get.

Quoted post said:

Originally Posted by jhuskey [IMG]/img/forum/go_quote.gif[/IMG]

I very pleased with my performance today because I had a heart rate. I am easier to please the older get.

That reminds me of a York Peppermint Patty commercial where an older gentlemen takes a bite and says "I'm just glad I get a sensation!" LOL!

Just picked up a set of alloy rollers on craigslist and did my first workout. I used a wall for balance initially and got going for about 5 mins at a time before feeling like I was rolling right off. Anyway, I am confident I'll be able to figure out the balance. What I want to know though is, in this whole 9-year thread, no one seems to be starting w/o a wall or something to prop themselves up on. Seriously? Please, someone tell me you get to a point where you don't need to train in a doorway or next to a wall.