# Tips for First Time on Rollers?



## OldZaskar (Jul 1, 2009)

Couldn't find any "how to" threads - despite the volumes of discussions of rollers. 

I just got a set of rollers... And before I fall 20 times, I figured I'd see if there are any tips you guys have for a first timer on rollers. 

I'm an ex-BMXer (1980s) turned mountain biker (current) so, overall decent to good bike handling/balance... even competed in a few trials comps in the mid-90s. But I understand rollers are a whole new beast. 

I have them set up in a door way on a carpeted floor. Should I throw on a pair of platform pedals for a while? Or, just clip in and face the inevitable? Start slow? Or, does it help to get the wheels rolling at speed - seems like the gyro effect would work in my favor?

Any tips are greatly appreciated.


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## mattmor (Feb 3, 2006)

OldZaskar said:


> I have them set up in a door way on a carpeted floor. Should I throw on a pair of platform pedals for a while? Or, just clip in and face the inevitable? Start slow? Or, does it help to get the wheels rolling at speed - seems like the gyro effect would work in my favor?
> 
> Any tips are greatly appreciated.


You're on the right track with the doorway, I have them in my basement next to a support beam that I can grab onto. Also a little foot stool next to them helps. 

As for speed, I think the faster the better. I started right out clipless, and haven't had any issues.

Good luck!

-matt


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## Creakyknees (Sep 21, 2003)

yeah start out in the big ring, middle of the cassette or harder. get the wheels up to speed, sit still, spin smoothly

it helps to have an object to focus on, several feet away, so you can know if you're centered on the rollers. looking down can be problematic till you're used to it

consider a stool for mounting / dismounting - rails can be slippery in cleats


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## spade2you (May 12, 2009)

Heh, I'll be following this as I get my rollers in about a week or two.


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## Marcos_E (Dec 16, 2007)

Higher end of the PSI spectrum. The smooth surface of the rollers really punishes you if you're lazy about inflating. Tires CAN overheat so be aware of that.

If you have a mag resistance unit, invest in some epoxy to hold the stupid thing down.

Wipe the drums down now and again.


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## pretender (Sep 18, 2007)

I would not use them on carpet.

But doorway is the right idea, have it so you can lean your shoulder against either side.


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## kretzel (Aug 1, 2007)

second not looking down, your balance is much better when your head is up. use peripheral vision just like you do in the pack.


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## wetpaint (Oct 12, 2008)

look at a wall ~10 feet in front of you, don't look at the front tire


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## Guest (Nov 12, 2009)

I tried the doorway when I first started using them, but prefer a table or chest of drawers on one side, something where you can drop that one hand and be supported. Seemed like a more natural position for support to me than the doorway.


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## Kerry Irons (Feb 25, 2002)

*Get a fan*



OldZaskar said:


> I just got a set of rollers... Any tips are greatly appreciated.


In addition to the other good advice, make sure you get a high volume fan (or two) so that you get some serious wind cooling you. Otherwise, you'll be dripping sweat all over the bike and not getting very good exercise due to the heat limitation on your work load.


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## OldZaskar (Jul 1, 2009)

This is great. Thanks! I could see how one would be compelled to look down... "hey, cool - rollers... rolling..." boom!

I now have them set up on a concrete floor, between a wall and steel pole (have a table at the ready), facing a wall-mounted TV (at head height)... Nothing left to but ride... But, it's going to be nice out tomorrow... and the next day. And I'll never ride inside unless I have to ;-)


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## JohnStonebarger (Jan 22, 2004)

Definately easier at speed. It's like riding without hands -- harder the slower you go.

Stay relaxed, especially your upper body. Correct (steer ?) with your hips.

With your background you'll pick it up in no time. Have fun!


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## StillRiding (Sep 16, 2006)

Good advice here, but one point has yet to be made:

Rollers are adjustable. Make sure you have them set up for your bike. The center of the front roller should be slightly forward of a vertical from the center of your bike's front dropout. Get this setup wrong, and your rollers will be much less stable.


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## OldZaskar (Jul 1, 2009)

Wow... that was fun. 

It's been so nice here that I haven't had to ride inside. But today, it's raining - and a training day. So, with you advice digested and implemented, I climbed on the rollers. 

I rode with one hand on the poll 12" away - close but not so close that I could bump it riding I did this for 4-5 minutes... then let go... then put my hand on the bar... and rode... then rode hard. My first upshift was a bit of a jolt - took a hand off bar... but didn't grab the poll. 

After a while, I purposely got a bit squirrelly (knowing I had the poll on one side and wall on the other if needed) and used my butt/hips to square it up. No sweat. Within 15 minutes, I was watching TV (wall mounted 15' in front of me) and kind of forgot about "trying" to ride and just rode... I'm hooked.

Thanks again for the tips. I'm sure you saved me a few (dozen) falls.


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## Guest (Nov 18, 2009)

OldZaskar said:


> Wow... that was fun.
> 
> It's been so nice here that I haven't had to ride inside. But today, it's raining - and a training day. So, with you advice digested and implemented, I climbed on the rollers.
> 
> ...


Congrats, enjoy.


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## spade2you (May 12, 2009)

I got mine today and didn't seem to make a whole lot of progress. Perhaps I was over thinking it, but I didn't seem to get a great feel for it. I'll probably give it a shot in the next couple of days or so, but something about it didn't feel natural. I have no problem holding my line on the road and once someone asked me if I used rollers. 

Perhaps the next time won't be as bad. Towards the end of today, I'd do alright for maybe 5-10 minutes at a time.


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## Guest (Nov 20, 2009)

spade2you said:


> Perhaps I was over thinking it,


That's very possible, being relaxed helps quite a bit. Probably long ago for most of us but if you remember learning to ride a bike or have taught someone else recently one of the more difficult things at first is overcoming the desire to make lots of unnecessary inputs that in turn require more inputs and over time those make the oscillations of the bike increase. It will come though, give it time and soon it will just click.


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## spade2you (May 12, 2009)

kytyree said:


> That's very possible, being relaxed helps quite a bit. Probably long ago for most of us but if you remember learning to ride a bike or have taught someone else recently one of the more difficult things at first is overcoming the desire to make lots of unnecessary inputs that in turn require more inputs and over time those make the oscillations of the bike increase. It will come though, give it time and soon it will just click.


I have a semi-photographic memory, so I vaguely remember losing the training wheels, although I had to because my Huffy from K-Mart was poorly assembled and the training wheels kept falling off. 

I'll be giving it a shot on Saturday or Sunday. Once I got moving, it felt a lot more realistic than the trainer, with the obvious change in control.


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## OldZaskar (Jul 1, 2009)

The perspective I can offer is that of another newbie on the rollers... I found that if I looked down at the bike/rollers, it was much more difficult to keep things smooth, straight, etc. Looking at the TV - at head height 12' ahead of me was better than looking down but still allowed me drift around. Looking at the floor 8-10' in front of me worked the best - I could see the front roller in my peripheral vision to stay centered, but was focused on something stationary. 

I do think letting the bike get a bit squirrelly and recovering/recentering (knowing I had the wall/poll) was useful - letting me remain comfortable even when not dead center and perfectly smooth. Previous to that ^ exercise, I had (wrongly) assumed that if I got squirrelly, I was going down. Not the case.


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## spade2you (May 12, 2009)

OldZaskar said:


> The perspective I can offer is that of another newbie on the rollers... I found that if I looked down at the bike/rollers, it was much more difficult to keep things smooth, straight, etc. Looking at the TV - at head height 12' ahead of me was better than looking down but still allowed me drift around. Looking at the floor 8-10' in front of me worked the best - I could see the front roller in my peripheral vision to stay centered, but was focused on something stationary.
> 
> I do think letting the bike get a bit squirrelly and recovering/recentering (knowing I had the wall/poll) was useful - letting me remain comfortable even when not dead center and perfectly smooth. Previous to that ^ exercise, I had (wrongly) assumed that if I got squirrelly, I was going down. Not the case.


The funny thing is that every time I tried to see my speed, that's when I went down. For some reason, I had to stare at right below the fan on the table in front of me. Perhaps I might put my laptop there and the fan next to it so I can watch something useful.


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## spade2you (May 12, 2009)

Just hopped on them for the 2nd time. It was certainly less traumatic. I'll still need to work harder to improve, but I felt a lot better today.


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## spade2you (May 12, 2009)

Ah, 4th time is a charm! :thumbsup: I still need to focus on a certain point, but managed to put my laptop and a race of some sort at that point.


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## wetpaint (Oct 12, 2008)

good job, before you know it, you won't even need to think to ride the rollers and they will become second nature.


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## gormleyflyer2002 (Sep 12, 2005)

you wont even notice your on them after a while.....roller just in front of axle verticle axis makes a huge difference (like mentioned above).....when starting i find it easier to start with your unclipped foot inside the roller frame and beside your bike.....keeps the bike upright and makes for a easy clip in and ......away.


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## mcgyver29er (Mar 12, 2007)

*Balancing like riding on a skinny.*

I just picked up a set of Minora magrollers cheap.

I found the trick for me to balance is to use my knees. Kinda like when you try to ride on a skinny or stay on a line.
I just move my knee in the opposite direction the bike is moving, and it brings me back to the center of the rollers.

I also find the faster I go, the easier it is to balance.

Now I'm working on getting a smooth pedal stroke to stop from bobbing when I put the power to it. I guess getting a smoother pedaling action is one of the benefits of using rollers.

Good luck to you fellow roller noobs.


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## OldZaskar (Jul 1, 2009)

Second time on rollers... thought I'd test the waters...
- No hands. Surprisingly easy. Pretty much like riding on the road. I guess it shouldn't be a surprise - we steer with our hips, knees, weight... Now I can towel off, drink, change the channel on the TV... 
- One foot. Moderately easy... not smooth at all... that'll take some work
- Standing. Okay, completely different category of difficulty here. Managed to ride with my butt about 6" off the saddle but was not comfortable, e.g. not stable, relaxed, etc.


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## Guest (Dec 3, 2009)

The standing takes a little bit or work. I don't know if my pedaling out of the saddle was just choppier at first or if it was more learning to distribute my weight properly and balancing from that position.


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## tommyrhodes (Aug 19, 2009)

I did not even know it was possible to stand on rollers lol. Everytime I've ever tried it I've wound up riding right off the rollers. Left a few burn marks in the rug from my tires..... oops


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## Guest (Dec 3, 2009)

tommyrhodes said:


> I did not even know it was possible to stand on rollers lol. Everytime I've ever tried it I've wound up riding right off the rollers. Left a few burn marks in the rug from my tires..... oops



It is! I have no amazing talents I am aware of, but I stand all the time. As I warm up I'll alternate 30sec standing with 30 sitting for a few minutes then pop up periodically to stretch as needed during the ride. I'll also do workouts where I ride steady at a certain level broken up with with some standing accelerations, mostly to break up the monotony.


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## herbn (Aug 22, 2009)

e motion style rollers are awesome, i don't have that kind of spare change hanging around,but i have a little milling machine and wood working tools and converted my kreitler 3"rollers into floating frames for a little more than 100 bucks,i used big square aluminum tubing.


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## biobanker (Jun 11, 2009)

What is the best way to add resistance to rollers? 

Im spinning my cyclops rollers in my 53/11 for 30 minutes at a cadence of ~75. 

Legs are burning by the end, but Id like to do the same in a more reasonable gear.

And I dont have legs of steel, either!


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## Guest (Dec 3, 2009)

biobanker said:


> What is the best way to add resistance to rollers?
> 
> Im spinning my cyclops rollers in my 53/11 for 30 minutes at a cadence of ~75.
> 
> ...



So you'd like to add resistance so you can for example roll 53x15 for 30 minutes at 75 rpm for about the same workout?


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## biobanker (Jun 11, 2009)

Primarily, I would also like the option of being able to do higher intensity/shorter time intervals.

Cant really do those with these rollers.


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## alexb618 (Aug 24, 2006)

i found the doorway was too awkward, you just need a wall or a shelf or something to hang onto while you get started

dont think about it too much, just get on and pedal


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## biobanker (Jun 11, 2009)

One thing that I have found, which may be of help to others here, is that it is easier to work on your weak leg when youre on your rollers than when youre on the road.

I find it far easier to isolate and concentrate on the weak pedal stroke when Im on my rollers - probably because there is nothing else to do! Also because Im often counting my strokes - I find that if I count the weak leg, I pay much more attention to what it is doing.


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## Superd222 (Jul 27, 2009)

OldZaskar said:


> Looking at the floor 8-10' in front of me worked the best - I could see the front roller in my peripheral vision to stay centered, but was focused on something stationary.


The first time I tried riding rollers (over 20 years ago) they were set-up in the middle of a field at a race. A few guys helped me get going then all walked away!!! It was a quick learning process for sure - never fell off!!!

I used to put a strip of tape down on the floor 8-10' in front of the rollers - centered on the front drum and in-line with the direction you're facing. It'll help give your eyes and mind something to focus on while you're learning.

Continued good luck!!!

SD


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## Acill (Jul 20, 2014)

First post and just got my rollers yesterday. Man these things are hard. I'll get it, but my body is just fighting the feeling of these now.


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## Mike T. (Feb 3, 2004)

You'll be whizzin' before you know it. I've ridden them every winter for 52 years.


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